Two Families Conspire

"Before, with the old ancestor suppressing them, the Hu and Ma families didn't dare to make excessive demands! Now they're demanding a redistribution of profits!" Pan Yunlong said helplessly.

Pan Qi, upon hearing this, angrily said, "The Hu and Ma families are going too far. We already made concessions when we initially cooperated! What does this redistribution of profits even mean?"

The elders of the four branches were also furious, "This is outrageous! Are the Hu and Ma families ganging up on us?"

Other elders also joined in the angry shouts, and the entire council hall immediately became as noisy as a marketplace.

After all, this concerned their own interests, and everyone was getting anxious. Normally, for minor matters, they could feign indifference and watch the situation unfold.

But now, the Cloud Crystal Mine's extraction was the family's biggest source of income for the past two years! If this couldn't be guaranteed, then they wouldn't exactly starve, but their previous comfortable life would be gone forever.

"Family Head, we can't make any more concessions this time! Otherwise, it will be difficult for our Pan Family to maintain its footing in Cloud Sun City!" Pan Qi said.

Pan Yunlong said helplessly, "I understand that, but in our current situation, if we don't make concessions, what can we do?"

Just as the Pan Family was at a loss, in a secret room of the Hu Family, the Hu Family Head, Hu Dake, and the Ma Family Head, Ma Sihai, were secretly plotting how to swallow the Pan Family without alerting the Chen, Li, and Wang families.

Ma Sihai, with a relaxed expression, said, "Brother Hu, now that the old geezer of the Pan Family is dead, our plan can begin, right?"

The Hu Family, Ma Family, and Pan Family had deep blood feuds. The reason they were able to put aside their deep hatred and cooperate was entirely due to external pressure.

You should know that when the Pan Family, Hu Family, and Ma Family first started out, these families were constantly fighting to the death.

Before the Hu and Ma Family old ancestors advanced to the sixth rank, the Hu and Ma families were constantly suppressed by the Pan Family, which had a sixth-rank martial artist. The two families had already joined forces to resist the Pan Family at that time. If it weren't for the Martial Prohibition Hall deterring them from above, the Hu and Ma families might have already been wiped out.

Later, the Chen, Li, and Wang families from Prefecture City came to Cloud Sun City to establish their forces. They continuously eroded the interests of the local forces in Cloud Sun City, and with the Hu and Ma Family old ancestors having advanced to the sixth rank, the Pan, Hu, and Ma families put aside their hatred and worked together to resist the foreign forces.

Now, the tables have turned, and the Pan Family old ancestor has passed away. It's the Hu and Ma families' turn to devour the Pan Family.

"The Pan Family will definitely be keeping a close eye on our proposed redistribution of Cloud Crystal Mine profits. We can start by cutting off their foundation and then gradually eating away at them," Ma Dake said with a confident look.

"Cut off their foundation? Are you talking about Elixir?" Ma Sihai said with a sudden realization.

Hu Dake smiled sinisterly and said, "That's right, the Pan Family must be in a hurry to find Elixir to help Pan Yunlong break through with all their might. As long as we cut off the Pan Family's Elixir supply first, and then suppress them, it should be twice as effective!"

"That's possible, but we can't command the Physician Pavilion! They can sell their Elixir to whoever they want!" Ma Sihai said.

"Brother Ma, have you forgotten that our family's old ancestor and the person in charge of the Cloud Sun City Physician Pavilion are close friends!" Hu Dake said with a look of certainty.

"Haha! I forgot about that. So, what's your next arrangement, Brother Hu? Shall we prepare together?" Ma Sihai laughed heartily.

"Next, we'll watch how those three families swallow up the Pan Family. If the Pan Family can't even withstand this small matter, then they don't even have the qualifications to cooperate with us," Hu Dake said smugly.

"Three families? Aren't we going to take action ourselves?" Ma Sihai said with a puzzled look.

"Brother Ma, you're not being honest, are you? Don't tell me your Ma Family doesn't have any pawns placed in those three families," Hu Dake said, looking at Ma Sihai.

"Haha! Brother Hu, look at what you're saying. Who doesn't have some trump cards, right! Then let's watch those three families suppress the Pan Family together," Ma Sihai said, laughing heartily at Hu Dake.

Ma Sihai walked out of the Hu Family's compound and sat in the sedan returning to his family. Looking at the Hu Family's mansion, he sneered in his heart. Hu Dake, don't think you're so clever. Although my Ma Family has a deep blood feud with the Pan Family, our feud with your Hu Family isn't shallow either.

The Pan Family elders' meeting lasted for half a day, but they couldn't come up with a truly effective solution. Helpless, they could only take things one step at a time.

In the end, they concluded that the family's current predicament was because they didn't have a sixth-rank expert to guard them, so they unanimously decided to use the family's strength to help Pan Yunlong break through.

Before, they thought that Pan Jiao was the youngest and would take the least amount of time to break through to the fifth rank, and was the most likely to break through to the sixth rank. Now, with no other choice, they could only prioritize resources to help Pan Yunlong break through first.

After all, Pan Yunlong had been honing his skills in the fifth rank for many years and had a high chance of success in breaking through.

The next day, the Hu and Ma families indeed sent people to summon the Pan Family to discuss the redistribution of Cloud Crystal Mine mining profits.

In order to show their strength, the Pan Family sent Pan Yunhu, Pan Yunbao, and Pan Jiao to participate, while the Hu and Ma families only casually sent a family elder to participate.

The three families negotiated for half a month without reaching an agreement, which made Pan Yunhu so anxious that he slammed the table and cursed.

While the Pan Family's attention was focused on the Cloud Crystal Mine negotiations, they didn't know that a large net woven by the Hu and Ma families had already enveloped the Pan Family.