With that, Jiang Chen threw himself into the intensive preparations ahead.
That day, Wei Jie paid him an unexpected visit, bringing the latest news.
"Brother Jiang, I'm sorry to come disturbing you on such short notice. My father has already spoken with Elder Zhuo and Elder Feng. Neither elder's loyalty to the clan is in any doubt, but both of them seem to have received some kind of benefit from Wei Tiantong. And it all appears to be connected to that alchemist by Wei Tiantong's side."
The news Wei Jie brought didn't particularly surprise Jiang Chen.
Given the alchemist at Wei Tiantong's side, he was likely a Pill King who had been concealing his true strength. A Pill King capable of refining something like the Nine Laughs Golden Buddha Powder, with Wei Tiantong running interference on his behalf — manipulating two clan elders should have been well within his grasp.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Let me take a guess. One of the elders probably has a direct-lineage grandchild, or perhaps the elder himself, who's contracted some illness or been afflicted by a certain poison — and this alchemist can help lift the affliction. Am I right?"
Wei Jie was startled. "How did you know?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "This sort of ingratiating favor isn't exactly a novel trick. That alchemist doesn't look like a good man at first glance. My guess is that this is nothing more than one of Wei Tiantong's little games. In fact, this alchemist could even be a mole planted by one of the Wei family's rivals."
Wei Jie fell silent for a long while after hearing this. The possibility sounded shocking at first, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Wei Tiantong was nothing more than a secondary candidate for clan head. Without some extraordinary circumstance, there was no legitimate path for him to seize that position.
Yet this alchemist had chosen not to align himself with Wei Tianxiao, instead throwing in his lot with Wei Tiantong wholeheartedly!
Even someone on the outside like Jiang Chen could see that this didn't add up. Even if Wei Tiantong had ambitions and perhaps even hopes of usurping Wei Tianxiao's position as clan head, that alone was no reason for a Pill King to follow him with unwavering devotion.
Jiang Chen could figure it out with his eyes closed — there had to be another power pulling strings behind the scenes.
He even suspected that the problems those two elders had encountered were likely orchestrated by this very alchemist.
"Young Master Wei, do you know the specifics of what happened to the two elders?"
To prescribe the right cure, one first had to diagnose the illness accurately.
Wei Jie hurriedly explained. "Originally, neither Elder Zhuo nor Elder Feng was willing to say anything. But after my father pressed them repeatedly, they finally told him the details. Elder Zhuo has a direct-lineage grandchild who hit a bottleneck at the third level of the Sacred Realm, with poor odds of breaking through to the Earth Sacred Realm. That alchemist apparently can help Elder Zhuo's grandson solve the problem — increasing his chances of breaking through by twenty or thirty percent."
"As for Elder Feng, it seems one of his direct-lineage heirs contracted some kind of toxic affliction while out training, threatening his energy sea…"
"And that alchemist can cure it too, no doubt," Jiang Chen said with a casual smile. "No need to even think about it — this so-called poison was almost certainly the alchemist's doing in the first place. He cripples you first, then heals you. That trick never gets old."
Wei Jie's expression shifted. "Brother Jiang, you mean…"
"I don't know the specifics of Elder Zhuo's situation. But as for Elder Feng's heir and this supposed poisoning, I'm at least ninety percent certain it was the alchemist behind it. Just like your Nine Laughs Golden Buddha Powder."
Wei Jie was thoroughly exasperated. "Where did Wei Tiantong even find such a sinister alchemist? And he brings him here to harm our Wei family?"
"Most likely a hostile faction with designs on your Wei family. Wei Tiantong is practically inviting a wolf into the house."
Jiang Chen had no desire to meddle in the Wei family's internal affairs, but given how things stood, if he didn't step in, Wei Tianxiao and his son would almost certainly be defeated. That much was plainly foreseeable.
Of the family's four elders, three had already sided with Wei Tiantong. Wei Tianxiao was fighting with one hand tied behind his back.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Chen said, "Young Master Wei, let's pay a visit to Elder Zhuo first."
"What about Elder Feng?" Wei Jie asked curiously.
"We'll deal with Elder Feng later. Take down Elder Zhuo first. At the very least, that gets your father to a three-to-three tie — an unassailable position."
Jiang Chen weighed his options and concluded that winning over Elder Zhuo should be easier than winning over Elder Feng.
But as long as they could bring even one of the two back to their side, Wei Tianxiao would regain the initiative. If both could be won over, the situation would be completely secure.
…
"What did you say? Young Master Jie is visiting?" In the Wei family's Elder Hall, Elder Zhuo received the report from the gatekeeper, his tone tinged with surprise.
As one of the four great elders, Elder Zhuo occupied an exalted position within the Wei family. Even Clan Head Wei Tianxiao had to show him a measure of respect.
Wei Jie, on the other hand, was Wei Tianxiao's son — separated from Elder Zhuo by several generations. The two had virtually no dealings with each other.
What could a visit from Wei Jie possibly mean?
Had Wei Tianxiao's attempt at persuasion failed, so now he was sending his son to curry favor?
Elder Zhuo hadn't set his heart on siding with Wei Tiantong. He had been forced into it by circumstance. His most beloved grandchild — the one he had the highest hopes for — had run into trouble on the martial path, and only the alchemist at Wei Tiantong's side could solve it.
Elder Zhuo had no fondness for Wei Tiantong whatsoever, but he had no choice when he was the one who needed help.