The vacuum of power in the Yin Family was not a silent void; it was a screaming whirlpool. In the wake of the confrontation at the Glacial Moon Residence, the hierarchy that had stood unchallenged for decades had begun to fracture.
The news of a Third Elder's demotion—and the staggering rise of a "trash" son—had traveled through the Inner Estate faster than a lightning strike.
The Council of Serpents: A Throne in Shadow
The Grand Hall of Obsidian was once again filled with the heavy, suffocating scent of high-grade incense and the latent pressure of Nascent Soul experts.
Matriarch Yin Mei remained upon her Silver Serpent Throne, her expression unreadable. Beside her, the seat previously occupied by Yuan Mo sat empty—a glaring reminder of the shift in the family's foundations.
"The position of the Third Elder cannot remain vacant," Zhao Tie, the Law-Keeper, remarked, his voice resembling the grinding of ancient stones.
He looked across the crescent table at the remaining Elders. "With the Major Awakening only two days away, the family must present a front of absolute stability. A vacancy in the Council is a sign of weakness that the other four families will surely exploit."
Elder Feng (Yin Feng) nodded, his brawny arms crossed over his chest.
"I agree. However, the replacement must be someone who commands respect—not just through lineage, but through raw power. We have seen what happens when a 'High Grade' talent plateaus and loses their edge." He cast a fleeting, disdainful glance at the empty seat Yuan Mo had vacated.
"I propose Yin Xue," Zhao Tie stated flatly.
A ripple of cold Qi seemed to follow the name. Zhao Tie continued, "She is at the Foundation Establishment realm, Early Stage. Her Glacial Spirit Veins are Supreme Grade. More importantly, she has demonstrated a level of clinical detachment and strategic foresight that many of our veterans lack. She shielded the estate from a Nine-Thunder Tribulation using her own essence. That is the resolve of an Elder."
Yin Feng grunted in approval. "I second the motion. My niece has the 'Heart of Ice' necessary to govern the internal affairs. She is the most capable of the younger generation."
"I disagree."
The voice belonged to Han Bi, the Fourth Elder. He was a man who looked more like a merchant than a warrior, his fingers perpetually twitching as if counting invisible gold. His Golden Abacus Veins made him the master of the family's wealth, and to him, everything—including elder positions—had a price and a profit margin.
"Yin Xue is talented, yes," Han Bi remarked, leaning back in his jade chair. "But she is also unpredictable. She has recently aligned herself with... the anomaly. Her residence was used as a sanctuary for Yin Shen. We need an Elder who is loyal to the current structure of the Council, not one who might be swayed by the whims of a rising 'monster'."
His eyes glittered as he turned his gaze toward the Matriarch. "I suggest Yin Hua. She is at the peak of Qi Condensation, her Poison Flower Veins are versatile, and she has a keen understanding of the family's external alliances. More importantly, she is consistent."
"Consistent in her arrogance, perhaps," Yin Feng muttered under his breath.
The Fifth Elder, Wei Long, who oversaw internal security, remained silent. His robes were a deep charcoal that seemed to blend into the shadows of the pillars. His face was a mask of neutral indifference.
In the game of serpents, Wei Long was the one who watched the shadows, and currently, the shadows were pointing toward a storm he wasn't ready to bet on. He simply closed his eyes, opting for neutrality.
"The decision is not merely about talent," Han Bi pushed, his voice growing sharper. "It is about influence. Yin Hua has the backing of several merchant lords. Yin Xue has the backing of... a ruined courtyard and a broken stone."
The debate raged for nearly an hour; a war of words and political maneuvering that saw the Matriarch remaining stoic. Yin Mei watched her Council bicker—her mind not on the empty seat, but on the silver-haired youth who was currently devouring the Qi of the Serpent's Nest.
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A few miles away from the stuffy political furnace of the Obsidian Hall, a different world existed. The Azure Mirror Lake was a place of serene beauty, its waters so clear they looked like a fallen piece of the sky.
Standing on a small wooden pier, staring intensely at her own reflection, was a girl who looked entirely out of place in the grim atmosphere of the Yin Estate.
She was short, her black hair tied into two energetic pigtails that bounced with every movement. Her skin was fair and glowing, and her eyes were wide and filled with a mischievous spark.
Yin Yue, the Fifth Young Miss.
"I can almost see it..." she whispered to herself, squinting at the water. "If I tilt my head just right... I definitely look taller today. At least by half an inch."
She let out a goofy giggle, hopping twice on the wooden planks. While her siblings were obsessed with power, poison, or ice, Yin Yue was obsessed with the simple joys of life—and the persistent hope that she might one day grow past five feet.
"Lady Yue!"
A young maid, breathless and frantic, came sprinting down the grassy slope toward the pier. "Lady Yue! Important news from the Main Court!"
Yin Yue didn't turn around. She simply held up a hand. "Wait, Xiao Mei! Don't tell me. Let me guess. Yin Hua finally lost her favorite jade comb and is threatening to poison the laundry staff again? Or did Yin Jian accidentally set his own hair on fire while practicing his palms?"
The maid, Xiao Mei, stopped by the pier, gasping for air. "No, my Lady! It's... it's the Council! They've done it! Elder Yuan Mo has been demoted! He's been stripped of his title and sent to the outer estate!"
Yue's eyes went wide. She finally turned around, her pigtails swinging. "Demoted? Yuan Mo? The grumpy fire-man? Wow!" She let out a low whistle. "He must have really messed up. Did he lose a shipment of Spirit Stones? Or did he accidentally insult the Matriarch's favorite serpent?"
"No, Lady Yue," the maid squeaked, her voice trembling with excitement. "He was humiliated! In front of the Shadow Serpent Guards! His spirit was crushed, and his Qi was suppressed until he couldn't even stand!"
Yin Yue clapped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. "I knew it! Yin Jian actually did something cool! I mean, he's a bully and a brat, but I guess losing that arm made him focus on his training. To think Jian-er was actually able to humiliate an Elder... even if it was just Elder Yuan, who everyone knows is the weakest link."
She shook her head, feeling a rare moment of pride for her brother. "I guess I'll have to go buy him a gift. Maybe a new splint made of scented sandalwood."
"My Lady... you misunderstand," Xiao Mei interrupted, her eyes darting around to ensure no one else was listening. "It wasn't Young Master Jian."
Yin Yue blinked. "Not Jian? Then who? Don't tell me it was Sister Hua. She's too busy looking in the mirror to fight an Elder."
"It was... it was Yin Shen," the maid whispered.
The world seemed to stop for Yin Yue. She froze mid-hop, her energetic demeanor vanishing as if it had been doused in ice water.
She snapped her head back toward the maid, her eyes searching Xiao Mei's face for any sign of a prank.
"Yin Shen?" Yue repeated, her voice rising an octave in a loud, shocked tone. "Our Yin Shen? The one from the Desolate Courtyard? The one who... who couldn't even awaken his veins?"
"He has awakened, my Lady!" Xiao Mei cried out. "He reached the Qi Condensation realm in three days! He triggered a Nine-Thunder Tribulation! He stood before the Council and forced Elder Yuan to his knees with nothing but his aura! The whole estate is talking about it—they're calling it the 'Rise of the Sovereign Trash'!"
Yin Yue felt her heart hammer against her ribs. She remembered the boy who used to sit in the corners of the library, the one she occasionally brought extra sweets to because she couldn't stand the way the others looked at him. She remembered the frail, silver-haired youth who seemed to be fading away like a ghost.
"He... he did what?" Yue whispered. Suddenly, she grabbed the maid's shoulders, her pigtails whipping around. "Is he hurt? Did the Elder hit him? If Yuan Mo touched a hair on his head, I'll—"
"No, Lady Yue! It was the other way around! Master Shen is fine! He's staying at the Serpent's Nest Pavilion now! But the Matriarch has ordered a re-examination at the Ancestral Vault in two days!"
Yin Yue didn't wait for another word. She turned away from the lake, her energetic pigtails now flying behind her as she began to run.
"Xiao Mei! Don't just stand there!" Yue shouted over her shoulder, her voice filled with a mixture of terror, excitement, and protective fury. "Prepare the carriage! No, forget the carriage—get me my spirit-wind boots! We are departing for Yin Shen's residence immediately!"
"But Lady Yue, the Matriarch said—"
"I don't care about what the Matriarch said!" Yue's voice echoed across the Azure Mirror Lake. "My little brother just turned the world upside down, and if he thinks he's going to face those vultures alone, he's got another thing coming!"
As the girl vanished into the treeline, the lake returned to its tranquil state, but the ripple she had left behind continued to expand, much like the influence of the boy she was racing to see.
The Yin Family was no longer a house of order; it was a house on fire, and the flames were only getting higher.
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