"Before, with the Old Ancestor keeping them in check, the Hu and Ma Families didn't dare make any overly excessive demands! Now they're demanding that the benefits be redistributed!" Pan Yunlong said helplessly.
When Pan Qi heard this, he snapped angrily, "The Hu and Ma Families are bullying us beyond reason! We already made concessions when we cooperated before! What do they mean by demanding a redistribution of the benefits now?"
The elders of the four branches were furious as well. "This is utterly outrageous! Have the Hu and Ma Families joined forces to bully us?"
The other elders also shouted angrily. In an instant, the entire council hall became as noisy as a marketplace.
After all, this concerned their own interests, so every one of them was thrown into a panic. With minor matters, they could usually put on an air of lofty detachment and sit back to watch the winds and clouds shift.
But the Cloud Crystal Mine was the Lineage's greatest source of income in the past two years! If even this couldn't be secured, then while they might not literally have to drink the northwest wind, their comfortable days from before would at least be gone forever.
"Family Head, we can't make concessions again this time! Otherwise, our Pan Family will have a hard time establishing itself in Cloud Sun City!" Pan Qi said.
Pan Yunlong said helplessly, "I know that too. But given our current situation, if we don't make concessions, what else can we do?"
Just as the Pan Family was at its wits' end, the Hu Family's family head, Hu Dake, and the Ma Family's family head, Ma Sihai, were plotting in a secret chamber of the Hu Family over how to swallow up the Pan Family in secret without letting the Chen, Li, and Wang Families discover it.
Ma Sihai said with a relaxed expression, "Brother Hu, that old relic of the Pan Family is dead. We can begin our plan now, right?"
The Hu, Ma, and Pan Families bore blood-deep enmity toward one another. The only reason they had been able to set aside their hatred and cooperate was because they had been forced to by outside pressure.
One had to understand that when the Pan, Hu, and Ma Families had first begun rising, those families had often fought one another to the death.
Previously, before the Old Ancestors of the Hu and Ma Families had advanced to Rank 6, the Hu and Ma Families had constantly been beaten down by the Pan Family, which had a Rank 6 Martial Practitioner. The two families had already joined forces to resist the Pan Family back then. If not for the Martial Prohibition Hall keeping them in check from above, the Hu and Ma Families might already have been wiped out.
Later, the Chen, Li, and Wang Families from the commandery city came to Cloud Sun City to establish their influence. They continuously gnawed away at the interests of Cloud Sun City's native powers. On top of that, the Old Ancestors of the Hu and Ma Families had advanced to Rank 6, so the Pan, Hu, and Ma Families set aside their hatred and joined forces to resist the outside powers.
Now the wheel of fortune had turned. The Pan Family's Old Ancestor had passed away. It was time for the Hu and Ma Families to gnaw away at the Pan Family.
"Regarding the redistribution of the Cloud Crystal Mine's benefits that we proposed earlier, the Pan Family will definitely keep their eyes fixed on it. We can first sever their foundation, then gradually eat them away," Hu Dake said with an expression of confidence.
"Sever their foundation? You mean pills?" Ma Sihai asked, suddenly enlightened.
Hu Dake gave an insidious smile. "That's right. The Pan Family is certainly rushing to find pills to aid Pan Yunlong's breakthrough with all their might. As long as we cut off the Pan Family's supply of pills first, then suppress them afterward, we should achieve twice the result with half the effort!"
"It's possible, but we can't command the Physician Pavilion! They can sell their pills to whomever they want!" Ma Sihai said.
"Brother Ma, could you have forgotten that our Old Ancestor has an exceptionally close friendship with the person in charge of Cloud Sun City's Physician Pavilion?" Hu Dake said, looking as though victory was already in his grasp.
"Hahaha! I actually forgot about that. Then, Brother Hu, what arrangements do you have for what comes next? Shall we prepare together?" Ma Sihai asked with a hearty laugh.
"Next, we'll just watch those three families swallow up the Pan Family. If the Pan Family can't even withstand this minor trouble, then they won't even have the qualifications to cooperate with us," Hu Dake said with a smug laugh.
"Three families? Aren't we going to act ourselves?" Ma Sihai asked with a baffled expression.
"Brother Ma, you're not being honest now, are you? Don't tell me your Ma Family hasn't placed pawns in those three families," Hu Dake said, looking at Ma Sihai.
"Hahaha! Brother Hu, listen to yourself. Who doesn't have a few trump cards, right? Then we'll watch those three families suppress the Pan Family together," Ma Sihai said, laughing heartily at Hu Dake.
Ma Sihai left the Hu Family compound and sat in the sedan returning to his family. As he looked at the Hu Family's great residence, he sneered inwardly. Hu Dake, don't think you're the only clever one. Although my Ma Family has a blood feud with the Pan Family, our grudge against your Hu Family is hardly shallow either.
The Pan Family's elders held their meeting for half a day, yet still failed to come up with any truly effective solution. In the end, they could only resign themselves to taking things one step at a time.
Ultimately, they concluded that the Lineage's current predicament was caused by having no Rank 6 powerhouse holding down the fort, so they unanimously decided to pour the entire Lineage's strength into helping Pan Yunlong break through.
They had previously thought that Pan Jiao was the youngest, and that breaking through to Rank 5 would take her the least time, making her the most likely to reach Rank 6. Now, with no other choice, they could only prioritize Pan Yunlong and divert resources toward helping him break through first.
After all, Pan Yunlong had spent many years tempering himself at Rank 5 and had a very high chance of breaking through.
The following day, the Hu and Ma Families indeed sent people to summon the Pan Family to discuss the redistribution of the Cloud Crystal Mine's mining profits.
To display their strength, the Pan Family sent Pan Yunhu, Pan Yunbao, and Pan Jiao to participate, while the Hu and Ma Families merely sent an elder from each family.
The three families negotiated for half a month straight without reaching an agreement, driving Pan Yunhu to slam the table and curse furiously.
While everyone in the Pan Family had focused their attention on the Cloud Crystal Mine negotiations, they had yet to realize that a great net woven by the Hu and Ma Families had already shrouded the Pan Family.