Chapter 9 — Changed the entire Inheritance Lineage to Choose the Wolf King

Thiet Phong followed Tieu Yen's figure to the door of the warehouse, but only had time to see her step inside and close the door before he could get closer. He stood behind a pile of firewood, trying to listen through the gap in the old wooden wall, but could only hear a vague, indistinct rustling sound.

A few minutes later, the warehouse door opened, and a strange man - not one of the clan - stepped out, wearing a dark cloak that covered his face, quickly disappearing into the darkness towards the exit of the clan territory.

Thiet Phong stood dumbfounded. Someone outside the clan was contacting Tieu Yen in the middle of the night, in such a secret way — this couldn't be a coincidence.

He intended to step out and confront her immediately, but then held back, realizing that if he acted hastily now, he might lose the chance to find out the whole truth. He needed more evidence, not just a mysterious encounter in the night.

He quietly withdrew, returning to his room with his mind full of thoughts, deciding to continue to monitor more discreetly in the coming days.

Lying in bed, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to put the pieces of the event together. If Tieu Yen was really communicating with an outside force, what was her purpose? If she simply wanted to be one of the most favored wives of one of the five brothers, she wouldn't have needed to keep it such a dangerous secret. There must be a much larger goal lurking behind the gentle, submissive exterior she always presented in front of her family.

He remembered how Tieu Yen always skillfully slipped into the middle of every important family conversation, how she always knew exactly when to appear, to interrupt, to divert attention. It wasn't random luck — it was meticulous, patient calculation, done over a long period of time.

The more Thiet Phong thought, the more he realized the severity of the problem was far beyond what he had ever imagined. This isn't just a personal love affair between his brothers — this could be a plot targeting the entire future of the Storm Wolf Clan.

Meanwhile, the strange man who had just left the warehouse that night was on his way back to a small town located between the boundary of the Storm Wolf Clan and the White Wolf Kingdom - where merchant groups from many different lands often stopped to rest before continuing their journey.

This person's name is Uong Bach Nghi. He used to be a small businessman specializing in selling medicinal herbs, but in recent months, he has secretly become a powerful henchman of Tru Tieu Yen, after she discovered that he had a huge gambling debt and offered to help with only one condition - absolute loyalty.

"The job is done," Uong Bach Nghi muttered to himself as he entered a shabby inn on the edge of town, where he rented a small room to prepare for his next mission. "Now we just need to wait for the next group of messengers to arrive at Moon Shadow City."

Tieu Yen's plan, which he was entrusted to carry out, was very simple but sophisticated: to take advantage of a regular group of trade messengers between neighboring lands and the Bach Lang Kingdom, blending in with the identity of a precious medicinal herbs merchant - the identity that Uong Bach Nghi once had before his fall - to gradually infiltrate the Bach Lang court, sowing seeds of suspicion about Yen Chi.

Three days later, a group of trade emissaries from the border area arrived at Nguyet Anh Thanh, bringing goods and Uong Bach Nghi, who skillfully prepared enough documents and a fake reputation so that no one would doubt his true identity.

At the Bach Lang palace, news of the newly arrived envoys caused Dich Bach Duong to be busy welcoming, checking goods and confirming the identities of each member in accordance with royal security procedures. But with the perfect appearance that Uong Bach Nghi had painstakingly prepared, no one in the royal court discovered any abnormalities.

"Mr. Wang is a famous medicinal herb trader in the border area," another member of the delegation introduced to Dich Bach Duong. "He wishes to stay in Moonlight City for a while to learn about the precious medicinal herb market here."

Dich Bach Duong nodded, without any doubt. "Okay, we welcome merchants to interact. You can stay in the guest house for foreign merchants."

Uong Bach Nghi bowed his head in thanks, secretly pleased with the ease of the first step. From this position, he was able to gradually approach court officials, skillfully spreading rumors that no one could trace to the true origin.

In the early days, he deliberately remained secretive, only focusing on "trading medicinal herbs" legally, building the image of a careful and trustworthy businessman in the eyes of those around him. He knew clearly that if he hurriedly approached the officials from the beginning, that unusual enthusiasm would easily cause suspicion. Patience - that was the first lesson that Tieu Yen taught him before leaving, and he clearly understood that even a small mistake could ruin the entire plan that had been carefully prepared for many months.

Yen Chi, when hearing about the newly arrived envoys, was unaware of the danger that was quietly creeping into the very place where she was trying to build trust. She was engrossed in her new job — helping resolve a land dispute between two villages on the outskirts of Bach Lang, a job Dich Bach Duong assigned as the first test of her abilities.

"How do you think this dispute should be resolved?" he asked, showing her the relevant documents.

Yen Chi read each page carefully, considering every detail. "I think, instead of rigidly determining who's right and who's wrong according to the old rules, we should look into the root cause of the dispute — it seems like both villages are lacking irrigation water due to drought, and they're fighting over the land simply because they're fighting over the water hidden underneath. If we can find a way to redistribute the water more fairly, the land dispute might resolve itself."

Dich Bach Duong looked at her with eyes full of surprise and appreciation. "This is a perspective that even officials with many years of experience have never thought of. The princess has a really sharp mind."

That compliment made Yen Chi feel a small but genuine sense of pride — different from the fake recognition she once received in her old family, where every compliment could be part of a drama staged by Tieu Yen. She spent the next three days personally visiting the two disputed villages, listening directly to the people's wishes instead of relying solely on paper reports, and finally proposed a seasonal water sharing plan that both sides accepted, to the surprise of many officials who were accustomed to rigid solutions.

That evening, when Yen Chi recounted his small success to Lang Phong, he smiled, his eyes filled with pride. "I told you, you will prove your worth with your true abilities, without needing a name or any guarantee from me." He took her hand and squeezed it gently, his eyes filled with undisguised trust.

But even in that happy moment, a vague feeling of unease still flashed through Yen Chi's mind — as if her premonition was trying to warn her about something she couldn't see clearly yet. She did not know that, just a few blocks away, an unseen enemy had silently set foot in the very place she believed to be the safest.

In the guest house for foreign traders, Uong Bach Nghi was sitting alone at the table, writing small letters on a thin piece of paper, preparing to send it back to Tieu Yen via another secret communication line that only the two of them knew about.

*"Successfully entered. The first step went more smoothly than expected. Will start spreading rumors within the next half month, after establishing enough trust with a few key officials. Further orders please."*

He carefully folded the piece of paper into a small triangle, hid it in the sole of his shoe, preparing to wait late at night to hand it to another messenger who would arrive on the weekend - a link in a carefully designed communication chain so that no one could trace directly between Tieu Yen and the insider who was weaving his way through the heart of Nguyet Anh City.