Chapter 128: The Dominant House
December 26, Thursday, sunny.
During the Christmas period of 2019, the Golden River Club was bustling with popularity, even welcoming several new members. However, as the day of the southern trip mentioned by Wanyue gradually approached, the atmosphere of tension within the Hyacinth, which had just barely recovered from a bitter victory over a month ago, began to brew quietly once again.
Once Wanyue left, coupled with Zhao Peng’s dormancy, it constituted a loss of an intangible sense of security.
Early in the morning, the Jiang sisters accompanied Wanyue back to the private villa at Longquan Mountain.
Having completed a new round of blood collection reserves, the nearly one thousand milliliters of secret blood stored in the thermostatic refrigerator threw Wanyue into a brief daze.
This was the most incredible blood in the world, a bright red secret potion capable of driving any blood clan into madness. Now, it appeared next to Wanyue with a rather comical sense of cheapness, leading the leader of Hyacinth to feel increasingly absurd as she contemplated it.
Once again, it was a rare sunny day, and the Jiang sisters were pushed to the outdoor lawn to continue their routine training. Meanwhile, Wanyue, dressed in a strapless qipao and a snow-white fur shawl, sat leisurely by the stone table brewing tea, exposing her delicate shoulder and looking enchanting.
“Sis, I’m sure a man is coming over today, don’t you believe me?”
On the yoga mat, Jiang Yao supported herself with her arms, bending forward and raising her legs, striving to maximize her body’s flexibility. Despite the difficulty in breathing, she still managed to complain.
Jiang Yan sat upright, single-handedly propping one leg up high, and with a puzzled expression on her face, she said, “How do you know?”
“Look at how you’re dressed! As long as it’s this kind of alluring outfit, it’s almost certain that a man is coming… ouch, I can’t hold on anymore, I’m done with practice!”
Having talked too much, Jiang Yao’s breathing rhythm was completely disrupted. She grinned and softened all over, collapsing onto the yoga mat, sweating profusely and gasping for breath, opting to simply lie flat.
“Only half an hour… at this rate, when will you reach the fifth level of boiling blood intensity?”
Facing Jiang Yao’s lack of perseverance, Jiang Yan could only sigh while secretly glancing at Wanyue, who was brewing tea and basking in the sun not far away.
As the two whispered to each other, they suddenly saw Wanyue slowly stand up, facing the direction of the villa’s main gate.
Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao seemed to sense something, both stopping their boiling blood practice and cautiously returning to stand behind Wanyue.
A youth in outdoor sportswear with a crew cut slowly walked through the villa’s front door, pausing to glance around for a moment before raising his arm to greet Wanyue.
“Sister-in-law!”
The crew-cut youth walked toward Wanyue with a smile, respectfully nodding in greeting, then looking at the Jiang sisters behind her with a hint of surprise: “What’s this, Zhao Peng isn’t here today? Who are they…”
Once again, an unfamiliar sense of chaos emerged. The crew-cut youth was a baron… Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao exchanged glances before lowering their heads slightly.
“Zhao Peng is in the middle of advancing to dormancy… Xiang Zuxing really knows how to choose people and sent you out.”
Wanyue smiled and sat back down, lightly waving her slender hand as an invitation for him to take a seat.
“That’s great, Zhao Peng is finally advancing!”
The crew-cut youth seemed to have an old friendship with Zhao Peng, and upon hearing that Zhao Peng was advancing to baron, his face lit up with happiness. As he withdrew his gaze from the Jiang sisters, he cheerfully sat down opposite Wanyue.
“Sister-in-law… Brother Xiang sent me here to confirm a few key matters…”
Xiao Hao, just call me Wanyue, or “sister” is fine, I was merely engaged to Chu Songming back in the day…
Wanyue poured a cup of tea for him and lightly interrupted his address, her tone and expression somewhat frigid.
“Uh… Sister Wanyue, are you still part of the alliance?” The crew-cut youth’s expression darkened, and his attitude immediately became awkward. “Brother Chu was harmed by that scoundrel Cheng Yuanshan, and Zhuang Jianfei is clearly shifting blame. The brothers definitely trusted you then.”
“Absolutely trusted me? And then you all sat back and watched, letting me, a woman, roll around in turmoil, going head-to-head with Zhuang Jianfei, right?”
Wanyue’s brows knitted, an aura of authority quietly diffusing.
Feeling the anger in Wanyue’s aura so closely for the first time, Jiang Yao couldn’t help but shiver, glancing over at Jiang Yan for help. Jiang Yan simply held her hand gently, shaking her head slightly.
“I’m sorry, Sister-in-law… At that time, Old Man Chu was in dormancy, and without orders from Elder Shen and Elder Gao, even Brother Xiang had no authority to mobilize the Dominant House to pursue Cheng Yuanshan… I was just a lower-ranking knight, a nobody.”
The crew-cut youth seemed to recall the internal struggle within the Alliance of the Hidden, looking guilty.
“Liang Tai was also a lower-ranking knight back then, while Zhao Peng and Zheng Shaolin were still just attendants… Ha, forget about those stupid old matters. Let’s talk in my study… Jiang Yan, Jiang Yao, you both continue your practice here.”
After finishing, Wanyue stood up and walked toward the main building of the villa. The crew-cut youth could only helplessly follow, casting a lingering glance at the Jiang sisters as he passed by.
Any sense of hostile atmosphere quickly dissipated, far less terrifying than the indistinguishable pressure from Wanyue and Elvin, but it still made Jiang Yao sweat lightly.
On the contrary, Jiang Yan remained quite calm, even somewhat distracted, as if lost in other thoughts.
“Sis, this person seems to have been Zhao Ge’s companion before, what’s this Dominant House? What an impressive name.”
Jiang Yao leaned closer to Jiang Yan, curiously watching the retreating figure of the crew-cut youth, her voice very soft.
“Dominant House, could it be the legacy from the Wei-Jin period?”
Jiang Yan mumbled something baffling, her brow deeply furrowed.
“The Wei-Jin legacy, the Dominant House?” Hearing Jiang Yan’s words, Jiang Yao became even more curious. “Sis, have you heard of this?”
“Yes, back at the training center, I had privately consulted the instructor about the secret organizations hunting blood clans throughout history. The Dominant House was prominent during the Wei-Jin period, but suffered heavy losses during the Eight Kings’ Rebellion and was completely wiped out during the chaos of the Five Barbarians… I didn’t expect there were still people among the blood clans operating under the name of the Dominant House.”
Jiang Yan looked at the steps of the villa’s main building behind her, increasingly feeling that the Alliance of the Hidden and Wanyue had a significant background.
……
C City, Military General Hospital.
Wounded soldiers transferred from Y Province have been staying in the Dark Arrow Western Inspection Zone Medical Center of the Military General Hospital in succession.
In the corridor, Deputy Commander Han Guowei and Captain Han Xiaowei hurried in succession, their expressions grave, and medical staff hurriedly stepped aside.
“Sir, Captain Han…”
Pushing open the door, lying in bed, Tao Qiaoer quickly propped herself up to sit, causing two nurses to step back hurriedly.
“Lie down properly!”
Han Guowei quickly gestured downwards with his hand while turning to a nurse: “Please inform…”
The director of the next unit, I need a copy of all wounded personnel’s information that has come from the Southwest shift sent to my office.
The two nurses nodded quickly and then exited the patient room.
“Woo… I’m sorry, sir, elder sister, I didn’t protect Meng team well…”
Once the room was devoid of outsiders, tears streamed down Tao Qiaoer’s face, her expression a mix of regret, pain, and bewilderment.
“Tao Qiaoer, you confirm that before Meng Huai left the front lines, he said he was going to take revenge?”
Han Guowei, with a serious expression, sat beside Tao Qiaoer, motioning for his daughter to pour water.
“Yes, the other two comrades present also heard… Although Meng team escaped under fire, he provided us with first aid before leaving. Sir, could you not penalize him if you find him…”
Tao Qiaoer suddenly grasped Han Guowei’s hand, panic evident on her face.
“Whether we can find him remains to be seen… Whether he’s fallen or not is unclear, but to this extent of madness, who can still control him? He showed deficiencies in psychological testing back then.”
Han Guowei sighed, gently patting Tao Qiaoer’s hand, putting on a kind expression: “The work of tracking Meng Huai is personally overseen by Chief Zhen. You all should rest and recover. The Xuanjia Brigade performed well in the wheel battle zone, both Commander Wang and I are very satisfied.”
After some polite conversation, Han Guowei stood up with a hint of concern, looking at his daughter Han Xiaowei: “Xiaowei, stay here with her for a while. I need to make a confidential phone call to Chief Zhen.”
Han Guowei exited, and throughout the process, Han Xiaowei, who had said nothing, just stared at her father’s back, deep in thought.
……
In the confidential communication room of the medical support center, Han Guowei hesitated for several minutes before picking up the phone and dialing Han Jielu’s mobile number.
“Jielu, how’s it going on your end…” Han Guowei took a deep breath, his expression grave, “I’ve heard that the Special Confidential Operations Unit hasn’t reported the task progress yet.”
“Third Uncle, sir, I separated from Meng… Seed on the 22nd. According to protocol, I should have received a mission positioning message at the latest by yesterday.”
On the phone, Han Jielu’s voice was anxious, even somewhat exhausted, clearly having not rested for a long time.
“The last time you saw him, how was his emotional and mental state? Did he make any additional requests?”
Han Guowei’s face tightened, becoming suspicious.
“Not at all, he seemed completely normal… it’s just on the night of the 24th, he requested tactical support via a dedicated line, asking to eliminate the black blood clan appearing in Yueguan Town! But subsequently, the support team did not detect any black blood clan presence there.”
“Third Uncle, I suspect that Seed might have been targeted by some people. I request to personally go to Yueguan Town to meet Yang Jiu and verify the situation.”
On the phone, Han Jielu lowered his voice, tension evident in his tone: “He has always been methodical in his actions. If he successfully completes the negotiation with Yang Jiu, he should inform me promptly instead of suddenly requesting tactical support. I fear something unexpected has occurred…”
“You are a straw man; you can mobilize all resources within your authority! Don’t make me tell you what you should do!”
Han Guowei slammed down the phone, anxiety causing him to sweat from his forehead.
After sitting for nearly ten minutes, Han Guowei finally put on his military cap and opened the door to the confidential communication room.
Outside, his daughter Han Xiaowei was silently waiting, her expression neither sad nor happy, as if she had no interest in Meng Huai’s blood invasion escape.
“I’m heading back to the command, Xiaowei, you should return to your post as well.”
Han Guowei nodded slightly at his daughter before turning to leave.
“Dad!”
Han Xiaowei suddenly grabbed her father’s arm, fixing her strange gaze directly on his eyes: “Regarding matters involving confidentiality, I won’t bring it up or ask, but… Dad, tell me a result: will Meng Huai definitely survive? He has to be worth saving, right?”
Gripping Han Guowei’s hand, Han Xiaowei trembled slightly, her pleading eyes fixated on her father’s face. Once a spirited female officer, she now resembled an ordinary woman full of emotions, bloodshot eyes betraying her anxiety.
Five seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds… Han Guowei forcefully pried loose his daughter’s grip on his arm, slowly shaking his head, his expression grave: “I don’t know. This kid has gone mad, and he might have anticipated this day; we can only handle it according to protocol.”
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! Surely, you all forced him into a dead end! My mom was right; the men of the Han family are all ruthless!”
Han Xiaowei suddenly reddened her eyes and struck her father’s arm vigorously. The medical staff passing by turned their heads down and rushed past, not daring to intervene.
“Nonsense! Han Xiaowei, I command you to immediately return to the Embroidered Uniform Brigade and cooperate with the Intelligence Department to draft a plan to capture Meng Huai!”
Han Guowei exploded in anger and strode away.
……
At dusk, on the urban avenue leading from Longquan Mountain to C City, a rugged off-road vehicle sped down the highway.
In the driver’s seat, Wanyue wore a relaxed expression as she clarified things for the two young girls in the backseat.
“Today, Guo Hao represented the elder of the Invisible Alliance, Xiang Zuxing, discussing cooperation to combat the Black Dragon Society’s Song Laoer. Haha, even though it’s all about interests, he insists on talking about feelings…”
Wanyue observed the expressions of the two girls in the rearview mirror, a mysterious smile forming at the corners of her mouth: “Guo Hao is a junior of my former fiancé, all of them from the Dominant House. His qualifications are decent, far better than Zhao Peng and Zheng Shaolin; he was promoted to lower-tier baron several years ago.”
“It’s just as you think, the Dominant House is the core of the Invisible Alliance, or rather its root. When the Dominant House was destroyed back in the day, only one castrated eunuch who had been blood-invaded survived. It’s said this eunuch took a deadly oath to forever oppose the blood clan. Therefore, in theory, this lineage hasn’t completely been severed.”
“Isn’t it ironic? The Dominant House, which hunted blood clans, managed to survive among the blood clans… However, these are all sayings handed down from elder generations; even if true, they’ve long taken a different turn, merely retaining a name. Aside from their unchanged stance towards black blood clans, there’s little distinction left from ordinary wandering blood clans.”
“Though the Invisible Alliance appears to be a great power, internally, it’s quite distinct. The Dominant House stands at the center of the Invisible Alliance. Luckily, due to significant investments maintaining such an elite force, it hasn’t been completely consumed by some traditional families. Thus, in the past, the Invisible Alliance had a strict rule: all elders had to be from the Dominant House.”
“Over eighty years ago, in order to resist the Japanese blood clan, the Invisible Alliance started absorbing external wandering blood clan forces, and that rule has since been broken. Now, among the six elder deacons, only Xiang Zuxing and Wu Yuqing are from the Dominant House; the rest are outsiders who joined the Invisible Alliance over the past few decades—salt smugglers, forest bandits, gangsters… Over half of the current Invisible Alliance is comprised of factions integrated in the last seventy to eighty years, each with their own agenda. Even Wu Yuqing, once the cherry blossom of the Dominant House, has begun to establish her own territory. At this rate, does the Invisible Alliance even have a future?”
At this point, Wanyue slowed down the car, rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and, facing the biting east wind, her tone grew cold.
“Sister Wanyue, that Brother Xiang you mentioned, is he aligned with Old Man Chu?”
Having kept her thoughts to herself throughout the trip, Jiang Yan finally posed her first question.
“Yes, the Dominant House is under the control of Old Man Chu, which gives the central elders the power to suppress internal conflict. Although Xiang Zuxing isn’t from the Chu family, he received guidance from Old Man Chu since childhood and later became the head of the Dominant House; he can be considered my senior apprentice…”
Today’s Guo Hao is also a trusted aide of Xiang Zuxing, a minor leader in the Dominant House, managing a dozen knights and had some connections with me in the past.
Wanyue nodded, then in the rearview mirror, she noticed Jiang Yao’s hesitant expression, so she smiled: “Jiang Yao, I know what you’re curious about… My former fiancé was named Chu Songming, a direct descendant of Old Man Chu with incredible qualifications and good looks; wielding considerable power in the Dominant House, I can be considered his junior apprentice…”
Thinking back, I was such a romantic fool back then… It was through this connection that Zhao Peng, Zheng Shaolin, Xiao Ai, and others followed me with unwavering loyalty. Unfortunately, I was still somewhat outnumbered, so I won’t play with them anymore.
Wanyue spoke without sadness or joy, yet the sadness in her eyes and the hint of sarcasm at the corner of her mouth combined in a peculiar way, leaving one puzzled about her true feelings at that moment.
The backbone of the Dominant House was originally based on Old Man Chu’s lineage, but in the past few decades, various factions sent their so-called elite offspring to the Dominant House under the guise of special nurturing, which actually blurred the lines… The current Dominant House is no longer a unified entity, making things quite difficult for both Old Man Chu and Xiang Zuxing as they continue to hold it up.
This time, my collaboration with Xiang Zuxing appears, on the surface, to be against the Black Dragon Society, but actually serves as a way for Xiang Zuxing to show goodwill to the Wang family while also pulling some benefits to win over the Hyacinth. The biggest support he has in the alliance, Old Man Chu, doesn’t have much time left; he likely can’t hold back anymore and wants to take some people from the Dominant House to establish a faction of his own…
Involving deep-seated issues within the Invisible Alliance, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao had no right to speak, but from Wanyue’s tone, it seemed this legendary blood clan force, which once held the title of baron, was inevitably heading toward decline.
Sister Wanyue, could this be related to the hidden actions of the Engel family?
Suddenly recalling what Wanyue said about the current situation, Jiang Yan also attempted to deduce some content.
Even if there were no external forces causing harm, the results arising from the turmoil the Invisible Alliance has created over the past few decades wouldn’t be surprising.
Wanyue gave a cold smile, choosing not to say more as her focus returned to driving.
The car settled back into tranquility; Jiang Yao, unbeknownst to when, had actually fallen asleep, while Jiang Yan continued to ponder the layers within this matter.
A once-mighty wandering blood clan force that could command respect in the underground world and was even seen as a threat second only to the black blood clans had seemingly rotted from within, leaving Jiang Yan with many emotions to contemplate.
