Chapter 80: Cooperation or Coercion?
As someone born into a great clan, Dugu Feng fully understood—when it came to survival, large families rarely put all their hopes on one side.
It was entirely possible that Yang Wushuang's allegiance to the Spirit Hall had been tacitly approved by his brother, Yang Wudi.
For the sake of their clan's survival, one brother might stand with the Clear Sky Sect against the Spirit Hall, while the other joined it.
That way, no matter who won in the end, their family would endure.
For that reason, Dugu Feng didn't rush to contact the Breaking Clan directly.
Instead, he planned to stir the waters.
And he intended to involve more powers in the process.
A glint appeared in his eyes—this was Heaven Dou City, his home turf.
Having made up his mind, Dugu Feng said, "The Nine-Heavens Centipede Spirit Masters will remain hidden. You're not to act this time."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Elder Jiu showed no surprise. Unless the clan faced life or death, or needed to intimidate powerful enemies, they never acted openly.
"Also," Dugu Feng continued, "this time I plan to make a bigger move. Keep a close watch on the palace and the Spirit Hall's local branch. See if you can identify the Hall's secret stronghold.
The Spirit Hall has a poison-type Titled Douluo—that one poses the greatest threat to our clan.
Be cautious.
Just narrow down the areas with the most frequent personnel movement; we'll filter the possibilities later."
Dugu Feng's mind raced as he spoke. When Qian Renxue revealed herself within the Heaven Dou Palace, she had mobilized three thousand spirit masters from the Hall.
There was no way such a large force had been gathered on short notice.
Since she had impersonated Xue Qinghe for so many years, she must've been secretly expanding her forces—some Hall spirit masters disguised as Heaven Dou citizens, others allying with families or factions to establish strongholds in the city.
A confrontation was inevitable. He would never fight unprepared.
And in the chaos of Heaven Dou City, those hidden agents would certainly expose traces of themselves.
After finishing his orders, Dugu Feng returned to the family mansion.
In the council hall, he waited a short while until Elder Snake and Elder Scorpion arrived.
"Congratulations to the Young Master for successfully absorbing his third soul ring! You've entered the Spirit King realm—your level's almost caught up to my boy's!" Elder Snake said flatteringly the moment he entered.
"Your son Xiao She is at level thirty-three now, right? At his current pace, he's doing quite well. You must be proud," Dugu Feng said, easily seeing through his pretense.
Xiao She was about the same age as Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng was level thirty-six, Dugu Yan was thirty-five, and Xiao She trailed only two levels behind them.
Compared to the monster-level geniuses of the main Shrek group, that was already an impressive talent.
Xiao She's advancement was largely due to his diligence. His life was even more ascetic than Dugu Feng's—nothing but training day after day.
Especially after the two detoxifications Dugu Feng had performed on him, the risk of poisoning drops had decreased dramatically, allowing Xiao She to train with near reckless abandon.
Elder Snake smiled proudly.
"Elder Snake, you'll come with me to visit the Ge family and the Prince Xue Xing.
Elder Scorpion, I need you to inform Uncle Ye from the Ye family—we'll require his assistance over the next few days," Dugu Feng instructed smoothly.
Both elders nodded and immediately left to handle their tasks.
Dugu Feng wanted direct dialogue with Marshal Ge Long of the Ge family, so he planned the visit for that evening, when the man would be home.
Since this would be a formal, clan-level meeting, he needed to first send an official letter of request.
Elder Snake was the first to arrange an audience with Prince Xue Xing.
That afternoon, Dugu Feng was received at the prince's mansion.
He had already met Xue Xing several times in the past, back when his father had handled poison cases in the palace, so they were familiar.
"My dear nephew, forgive me for not greeting you sooner. Please, have some tea!" Prince Xue Xing said warmly, ushering him into the main hall.
Once seated, Dugu Feng spoke directly, "Your Highness, I've come regarding the two poison incidents inside the imperial palace."
Prince Xue Xing's expression changed to shock. "Have you discovered something?"
The Emperor had personally ordered him to investigate the sudden deaths of the second and third princes.
But the poison had been exceedingly subtle. Though he suspected Xue Qinghe, he had never found evidence.
Dugu Feng smiled faintly. "To use poison so flawlessly—there are only a handful on the entire continent with such skill.
I believe evidence is no longer necessary. Anyone capable of such poison could be the killer.
And with that line of reasoning, I've found our culprit."
Prince Xue Xing's mouth twitched slightly. For someone so young, Dugu Feng's confidence was almost audacious.
By that logic, his own Dugu family should be the prime suspect.
Still, he knew Dugu Feng was the heir of the Dugu Clan—a top-level genius who wouldn't speak carelessly—so he continued listening.
"To poison someone so effectively, one must have access to specialized materials. Our clan investigated every pharmacy and merchant dealing in herbs and toxins near the city.
Eventually, we found a shop whose true owner is Yang Wushuang.
A master of poison hiding his identity within Heaven Dou City—what does that tell you?" Dugu Feng said, sipping his tea calmly.
Prince Xue Xing's expression turned grave and uncertain.
Yang Wushuang was rumored to have defected to the Spirit Hall.
And the business surrounding the six families of Soto City—not to mention the poisoning of Ge Ying—pointed to him.
Later, Ghost Douluo's appearance had confirmed it beyond doubt: Yang Wushuang had indeed joined the Hall.
If he was lurking here in Heaven Dou City, then it was more than plausible that he was responsible for poisoning the princes.
But Yang Wushuang's backer was the Spirit Hall.
That complicated things.
Thoughts raced through Xue Xing's mind. Was the Dugu clan planning to move against Yang Wushuang?
"The four single-attribute clans are currently gathering within the Strength Clan's territory," Dugu Feng continued. "The Breaking Clan's patriarch, Yang Wudi, will be there as well.
I plan to unite all sides—to assist Patriarch Yang in purging his family's traitor. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Assist… or coerce?
Prince Xue Xing couldn't help but admire Dugu Feng.
If this strategy was truly his own idea, then the next generation of the Dugu Clan was destined for greatness.
"Our Heaven Dou Empire stands firm because of support from all spirit master families.
Since you already have a plan, my nephew, I will give you my full cooperation," Prince Xue Xing said solemnly.
Seeing his agreement, Dugu Feng laid out all the details of his plan.
The more he listened, the more excited Prince Xue Xing became. Heaven Dou Empire had been humiliated long enough—the deaths of two princes without justice had shaken the court.
Now, it was time to act.
The two discussed specifics for nearly two hours, finalizing every aspect of the operation.
Afterward, Dugu Feng left the prince's residence and proceeded to the Ge family's mansion, where things went just as smoothly.
Marshal Ge Long also agreed to cooperate.
That night, back at the Dugu estate, Dugu Feng met again with Elder Snake and Elder Scorpion.
After a long discussion, he finally felt at ease.
The four single-attribute clans were loyal vassals of the Clear Sky Sect.
By moving against one of them now, he could consider it a kind of offering to the King of Slaughter.
(END CHAPTER)
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