Tan Songyong's expression didn't change as he said to the two, "You two, come with me."
Tan Song sibling exchanged a look before following their elder into the recently repaired council hall. Once seated, Tan Songyong asked first,
"You're saying the jade slip was delivered by lower-realm cultivators? Then why are you both in such a sorry state?"
The siblings glanced at each other, hesitation flickering in their eyes. In the end, Tan Songjia explained,
"The female cultivator in green who gave us the jade slip was the same one who came looking for Jun Qingfeng. She claimed to be her Junior Sister. We wanted to recruit Jun Qingfeng and her followers, so we figured since she came, we'd persuade her, maybe put some pressure on her.
The three of them stayed in a house for three days. When they came out, Jun Qingfeng's injuries were healed. She said she wanted to leave. I refused and forced them to stay."
The longer she spoke, the lower her voice became. Seeing her elder's face growing darker, she realized how wrong it all sounded.
"Elder, that green-robed woman said she used their sect's only immortal pill to heal her Senior Sister's wounds. Even when I forced them to stay, she only pleaded that I spare her and not let her injury leave lasting harm."
Tan Songyu tried to fill in the gaps, but as he spoke he also sensed something off. After pausing, he continued,
"I said I'd keep the two women as furnaces. The white-robed one almost lashed out on the spot, but the green-robed woman stopped her. She didn't resist at all and just followed me away."
"Fools! She was confident from the start. Did you really think they didn't dare fight back?"
It was rare for Tan Songyong to curse, but this time he did.
"I warned Elder Sister at the time, only—"
"They exploited my soft spot for talent and stalled us!" Tan Songjia cut in coldly, then turned to her younger brother."Since you took the two away, why didn't you brand them with the clan's mark right then?"
"I overheard them talking. They didn't seem unwilling to follow us back to the Immortal Realm. Since I had other matters to handle, I delayed it. Now that I think about it, those words were only meant to fool me.
That night, Blackwhip Eels attacked the inner perimeter. They slipped away in the chaos. Elder Sister and I both believed they were connected to the attack, so we chased them.
They must've noticed, because they waited for us there and handed over the jade slip. In the end, only the two of us made it back. Everyone else we brought likely fell."
Hearing this, Tan Songyong grew angry as well. Ever since defeating the Yu Tao family, their clan had become the overlord here, and they'd grown careless. Now they'd been led around by the nose without even uncovering the enemy's real identity.
The council hall fell silent, the air heavy as all three sank into thought.
Jian Dan probably never imagined that her clever stalling, just to avoid immediate trouble, would end up yielding such a result.
Tan Songyu remembered that moment clearly. When the green-robed woman smiled kindly at him, he'd already sensed something wrong. That was why, even after bringing her and Jian Jing back, he hadn't branded them immediately.
Facts proved his instinct was sharp. If he'd acted then, Jian Dan and Jian Jing wouldn't have gone quietly. Neither of them were the type to accept becoming anyone's furnace. They'd have torn him apart on the spot.
"But with her companion plant that strong, why would she need to lure in Blackwhip Eels?"
"Just because she's strong doesn't mean Jun Qingfeng and the others are. If she'd tried to take them away right there, we'd never have allowed it. A fight would've broken out, and she alone couldn't have shielded them."
That reasoning barely held up, but the real mystery was the jade slip. Where did it come from? None of them could figure it out, but all three felt a deep unease.
"Elder, what exactly was written in the jade slip?"
Tan Songyu finally asked, and Tan Songjia turned her gaze to their elder too.
"An order from the Eastern Immortal King. Any lower-realm cultivators who enter here must be told in detail of the insect scourge and informed which realms have signs of invasion. We're to guide them as needed, give some resources, and when this domain returns to the Immortal Realm, report everything to the Xianwang."
The siblings froze. What they'd done so far couldn't be further from that order. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
"Elder, what should we do?"
"From now on, we follow the order. We'll salvage what we can." Tan Songyong sighed.
"Elder, I think this command was meant for the Yu Tao family…"
Tan Songyu trailed off. That family had already been crushed by their hands, leaving only Yu Taolinhai unaccounted for. They'd been tracking him to find the path back to the Immortal Realm, but now it didn't matter. The command stated this place would return on its own.
"No matter who it was meant for, since we've received it, we'll act accordingly. That way, we won't be at fault. If questioned, we'll just speak the truth. The time we received the jade slip isn't something we can lie about to a Xianwang."
"Yes, Elder," the siblings answered quickly.
"This must be implemented immediately. Prepare a place and gather the other clans here. Pass on the command. Whether they believe it or not is up to them. We just need to do what's required."
Tan Songyong rubbed his temples. This was truly a hot potato, and it would probably cost them a great deal of resources.