"P-P-Predecessor, what do you mean by that?"
What did he mean?
"Can't you see what your ancestor was planning?"
"This junior is dull-witted. Please enlighten us, Senior."
"Your Hou Family's ancestor was quite a remarkable man. He knew full well that even if he failed to protect the Land of Heavenly Halberd, he probably wouldn't escape death in the end."
"If that was the case, why not make his death more worthwhile?"
"He could foresee my arrival, so he must have known what his disciples' family would do in the future, and what awaited your Hou Family."
"So he turned himself into five stone steles. On one hand, he stabilized the Land of Heavenly Halberd; on the other, he gave those five steles to his disciples. That was the first layer of protection he set up for your Hou Family."
"And the second layer of protection your ancestor left you was me."
"The steles are useful to me, so naturally, I'll lend a hand and help your Hou Family."
"In the end... he still wanted to use the steles to make me deal with his own five disciples."
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. Your Hou Family stands to gain."
"When the whole truth comes to light and everyone learns that it was your Hou Family's ancestor who saved the Land of Heavenly Halberd, the Five Great Noble Families will decline from then on, or even be wiped out."
"Still, your ancestor probably only meant to teach them a lesson, not destroy them."
"After all, the ones who wronged your Hou Family were their descendants, not those five themselves. As you said, they've been in seclusion all this time, completely unaware of what's happening outside."
"But... there's one condition for all this: they really don't know