"I don't know," Lan Xingning shook her head helplessly. "Back then, the Leng family suddenly attacked our Phoenix clan, nearly wiping us out."
Hearing the name "Leng family," Chu Lingwei couldn't help but think of her senior brother.
"But the Leng family back then couldn't possibly have had the power to annihilate our Phoenix clan. Someone must have been helping them from behind," Lan Xingning's eyes were sharp. They had spent a thousand years without tracing who had helped the Leng family back then.
"Still no leads?" It had been a thousand years since the Phoenix clan was destroyed. In that millennium, they hadn't found that person, which spoke volumes about how powerful they were.
"No. Every time we get a slight clue, we are hunted down."
It wasn't that they had no clues at all, but as soon as they discovered anything, all Phoenix clan cultivators active outside would be relentlessly pursued.
As a result, over the past thousand years, their Phoenix clan cultivators had not only failed to increase but had dwindled.
Chu Lingwei's heart trembled. What kind of cultivation level could achieve such a feat?
"It's likely only the young master of the Leng family knows something," Lan Xingyi spoke up. Since the new young master of the Leng family took over as the head of the family, their actions had changed significantly.
The Leng family's influence was too great; they dared not investigate further.
Chu Lingwei's expression stiffened slightly. Her second uncle had been in Xiushui for fifty years and naturally wouldn't know what had been happening on the Xuan Tian Continent, nor her relationship with her senior brother.
Upon hearing her brother mention the Leng family, Lan Xingning's gaze swept over Chu Lingwei. Seeing her unnatural expression, a smile curved her lips.
"Yes, the Leng family should be the only ones who know who helped them annihilate our Phoenix clan a thousand years ago. Our Sacred Tree has already been taken by the Leng family," Lan Yuexi put away her delicate demeanor, her eyes filled with hatred.
They would not let any of those who annihilated their Phoenix clan go unpunished.
Chu Lingwei touched her nose awkwardly. How was she supposed to explain this?
"Weiwei, you... you are a disciple of the Xiuling Academy?" Suddenly, Lan Xingyi remembered his elder brother introducing Weiwei to their clansmen earlier, saying she was a disciple of the Xiuling Academy.
"...Yes, I am the youngest disciple of Bei Chenfeng, the Dean of Xiuling Academy." Chu Lingwei forced a smile. This was a matter she would have to face sooner or later.
Lan Xingyi and Lan Yuexi were both stunned, looking at Chu Lingwei in surprise.
The Xiuling Academy was the most powerful cultivation sect on the entire Xuan Tian Continent, and the young master of the Leng family was Bei Chenfeng's eldest disciple.
"Weiwei, do you know the young master of the Leng family?" Lan Yuexi asked cautiously after a moment of silence.
Chu Lingwei nodded. "Yes, he is my senior brother."
Lan Xingyi: "..."
Lan Yuexi: "..."
For a moment, the secret chamber was unusually quiet.
Chu Lingwei wanted to explain that her senior brother was not the young master of the Leng family. She opened her mouth, then swallowed the words. No matter how she explained it now, it would sound hollow.
The life-and-death feud between the Leng family and the Phoenix clan could not be resolved with a few words.
Chu Lingwei looked up at her great-uncle. He had remained silent, and she wasn't overly worried. Her great-uncle knew her whereabouts like the back of his hand, so he should know about her relationship with her senior brother.
Since he hadn't stepped forward, there was still room for reconciliation.
"Does he treat you well?" Lan Yuexi finally found her voice and asked softly.
"Senior brother treats me very well," Chu Lingwei nodded. In the entire Xiuling Academy, her senior brother treated her the best, caring for her meticulously.
A complex look flickered in Lan Yuexi's eyes. Her daughter knew nothing of the Phoenix clan's affairs, nor the enmity between the Leng family and the Phoenix clan. They had no right to blame her for being friendly with the young master of the Leng family.
"Weiwei, does he know your identity?" Lan Xingyi's mind raced. The matters between the Phoenix clan and the Leng family had passed for a thousand years, and times had changed. Perhaps they could glean the reasons for their clan's annihilation from the young master of the Leng family.
"He should know," Chu Lingwei looked at her great-uncle. Leng Xingzhi knew her identity even earlier than she did.
Lan Xingyi: "..." He didn't know how to respond.
"He knows your identity?" Lan Yuexi's voice rose, deeply worried about her daughter's situation.
"Yes, senior brother should have known my identity long ago. It was also he who helped me enter Xiushui." Chu Lingwei could only try to impress the Lan family with her senior brother's good deeds at appropriate moments.
Lan Yuexi was a little lost. She wanted to persuade her daughter to stay away from the Leng family, yet from her daughter's brief words, she could see that her daughter had a very good relationship with her senior brother.
"Big brother..." Lan Yuexi sought help from her elder brother.
"Xixi, you are injured. Rest well," Lan Xingning said. "Much has changed on the Xuan Tian Continent these past few decades. Once your cultivation recovers, we can make plans slowly."
"Yes, Xixi, your recovery is the priority." Lan Xingyi immediately chimed in. His sister had suffered for twenty years and needed to recover properly.
"Mother, I'll escort you back." Chu Lingwei breathed a sigh of relief. She was a little hesitant to meet Lan Yuexi's gaze, feeling a slight pang of guilt.
"Alright."
Lan Yuexi was worried about her daughter and wanted to say some words of comfort, but she didn't know how. She could only nod.
Chu Lingwei escorted Lan Yuexi into the spatial ring and gave them the pills developed by Grandpa Yu and others to control the Xiushui poison, along with some other pills to help them recover their cultivation quickly.
"Weiwei, you must be tired these past few days. I'll have someone escort you back to your room to rest."
Lan Xingning sent Chu Lingwei out of the secret chamber. There were some things he needed to discuss with his brother. Now that their Sacred Tree had revived, it could sustain them for a long time, and they didn't need Chu Lingwei to do anything for the time being.
"Okay."
Soon, a maid arrived and led Chu Lingwei to a quiet courtyard.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, the patriarch has instructed that you rest here." The maid led Chu Lingwei into the main hall and bowed. "If you need anything, you can call me at any time."
Cultivators disliked being disturbed, so these maids wouldn't hover around them constantly.
"Alright, you may withdraw."
Chu Lingwei nodded. After the maid left, she went to her bedroom.
Upon entering the bedroom, she found that all the furnishings were exquisitely crafted magical artifacts.
"Weiwei, is this the Phoenix clan?" Phantom Cat was summoned out of the space by Chu Lingwei. After surveying the entire courtyard and confirming there were no dangers, it returned to Chu Lingwei's side.
"Yes, but this is the Long Residence."
The Phoenix clan wouldn't be so bold as to use their real names.
"This place looks like a large cultivation family."
On the Xuan Tian Continent, besides various sects, there were countless cultivation families. They operated as a unified entity, nurturing the younger generation in cultivation and thereby strengthening the family's influence.
"Yes."
Chu Lingwei nodded. Ever since she had entered this courtyard, countless divine senses had swept over the area.