'Direct Lineage Party' and 'Disciple Party' Clash, Undercurrents Stir!

Deputy Hall Master?

Me?

He had only just stepped inside when he heard Butcher Knife Wei Dingchang's laughter.

Ji Xiu's eyes narrowed.

Only then did he notice that those gathered in the hall were all powerfully built, each and every one at least a skilled hand who had reached great accomplishment in Nourishing Blood.

In perfect unison, as though by prior agreement, they all turned their eyes toward him.

"Deputy Hall Master? Him?"

"That expert from the prefecture founded a school and graciously elevated the three great manor lords, setting out Three Seats and making them vice presidents of this 'Wind and Cloud Association.'"

"Below them are the seven halls, including the Three Great Businesses!"

"Even if it's only Deputy Hall Master..."

"The position is not only a rank above Lu Manor's Saber-Wearing Retainers, it also surpasses the senior retainers of the Firewood Market and Cattle and Sheep Market."

"I've never heard of anyone like him in Fire Kiln Lu Manor. What is he capable of?"

Among those gathered in the hall, besides the retainers of Fire Kiln, there were also quite a few retainers from the other two businesses brought by Purple Robe Crane Xu Zhuang and Butcher Knife Wei Dingchang.

They neither cared about nor understood the intricacies involved.

They merely lowered their voices out of consideration for those seated above.

"Still, that kid is indeed quite handsome."

"Isn't the girl following behind him Great Manor Lord Lu's legitimate daughter, Lu Hongyu?"

"Ah, I get it!"

Suddenly, someone seated among the Firewood Market crowd slapped a hand against his palm, wearing an enlightened expression.

"I heard that Lu Manor's eldest miss has standards higher than the clouds when choosing a husband. She wouldn't even look twice at that 'face of Fire Kiln,' her fellow disciple Luo Xiao, the chief disciple who inherited seventy percent of Great Manor Lord Lu's teachings and has already achieved Bone Tempering."

"There are rumors among our peers that she cares a bit about looks."

"But I figure, among us martial men, those who can stand above the rest in martial arts while also looking presentable..."

"Apart from those sons of noble houses who practice superior Pile Stances, locking their qi and blood firmly within their bones and sinews—appearing frail, yet capable of toppling Mount Tai with a single move—how many in all five hundred li of Anning can even come close to that standard?"

"Yet we've actually seen one today."

"Looking at it this way, Great Manor Lord Lu is deliberately building bridges and paving roads for his future son-in-law."

Waves of gossip spread through the hall, noisy as the buzzing of flies and mosquitoes.

Luo Xiao, standing among the inner-circle disciples of the Three Great Businesses, had the veins on his forehead bulging. His lips pressed tightly together, his brows cold as he remained silent.

Two young men stood beside him. Seeing his expression, they could not help speaking in low voices.

"Brother Luo, don't take it to heart. The people below saw something novel and couldn't resist gossiping a little. They weren't deliberately mocking you."

Li Ye, dressed in purple and a personal disciple of Purple Robe Crane Xu Zhuang from the Firewood Market, patted his shoulder in consolation.

On the other side, a burly young man with a Black Water Flood Dragon tattooed across his left arm folded his arms and snorted.

"We country folk have loose tongues. We only accidentally dragged Old Brother Luo into it."

"But crude words often carry sound reason."

"That kid has some qi and blood, perhaps, but that's all there is to him. He entered the Blade Gate? Hah."

He suddenly slapped the broad-backed saber sheath at his side.

"When narrow roads meet, fear neither life nor death—supposedly that's one of the thresholds those great sects use to select disciples. But when all is said and done, before absolute strength, it's all empty."

"In the Wind and Cloud Association established by our Three Great Businesses, aside from the president, my master and the other two seniors occupy the Three Seats of vice president and hold sway over all association affairs."

"Below them are the seven great halls. Apart from the Three Great Businesses, there are also the four halls of Discipline, Pills, Martial Arts, and Scriptures."

"Under the three vice presidents are the principal and deputy hall masters of these seven halls, possessing both real authority and status."

"The seven great halls are all lucrative posts. If our three families twist themselves into one rope and surpass the Three Great Gangs and Four Great Halls, then in the future, one call from us will draw a hundred responses."

"I heard he joined Lu Manor barely more than a month ago. We've diligently served our masters for so long and only earned deputy hall master positions. How can he arrive and immediately stand on equal footing with us?"

"If he takes that seat, Brother Luo, it wouldn't be convenient for you to step forward."

"But I, Fang Xiao, have made my living in the markets with a saber in hand since I was fourteen, fighting my way into ferocity. Only then did Old Wei recognize me and allow me to serve at his saddle and before his horse. I'll vent this anger for you!"

Fang Xiao, Butcher Knife Wei Dingchang's eldest disciple, sprang to his feet with a whoosh.

"Kid."

He raised his chin.

"My master was right. At your age, you can't sit in that seat."

"Be obedient and find yourself a place at the very end. Don't dream of too much."

These words pointed the spearhead straight at Ji Xiu, making him frown.

But before he could speak—

From across from the disciples of the Three Great Businesses—Luo Xiao, Li Ye, and Fang Xiao—

Someone suddenly shot to his feet.

"Fang Xiao, stop this nonsense!"

"With three seniors present, how matters are decided and choices made—when is it your turn to call the shots?"

"Besides, Little Brother Ji entered the Blade Gate at sixteen. Seeing him today, his qi and blood are like a dragon, his Nourishing Blood is complete, and he can refine ninth-grade medicinal pills. He is a promising alchemist from our own ranks, not an outsider."

"Elsewhere, perhaps it would be one thing, but in this Pill Hall, if you don't have someone who knows alchemy oversee things, are you going to let someone like you, who doesn't know the first thing, do it?"

"Don't take the wrong pill someday and harm yourself!"

The man wore black and had refined features, but when he sneered, every word was a pearl, stabbing straight into Fang Xiao's heart and lungs until his face darkened.

"Xu Heng, you...!"

"Enough!"

Bang!

Purple Robe Crane Xu Zhuang slapped his hand down and furrowed his brow.

"Sit down, all of you."

"From now on, throughout the five hundred li of Anning County, the Three Great Businesses are one family."

"Though the Wind and Cloud Association of Anning County is merely a branch, its founding patriarch is a genuine Qi Refining Expert!"

"The old master established himself in Jiangyin Prefecture and founded a school."

"If we cannot put down roots in the five hundred li of Anning and twist ourselves into one rope, how will we open a road of advancement to the 'Prefecture City' for you in the future?"

Once a heavyweight stepped in, no matter how sharply the two sides had been opposing one another, they could only lower their banners and still their drums.

After Xu Heng sat back down with unconcerned ease, Lu Yu beside him immediately raised a thumb.

"Good, good, good. What courage. As expected of the legitimate son of the Firewood Market's proprietor."

"No need to say more. Since you stepped forward today, I'll set a table at Flying Swallow House one night soon. My treat!"

Xu Heng dusted off his sleeves, glanced at Ji Xiu, then looked toward Butcher Knife's legitimate daughter Wei Zhi, who stood beside him covering her mouth as she chuckled, her features carrying considerable charm.

"I didn't just step forward for you. I was also venting Little Sister Wei's anger."

"Fang Xiao reeks of mud. Ever since he started following Uncle Wei, he's strutted about all day with his nostrils pointed at the sky, as though a business as large as the Cattle and Sheep Market will someday bear his surname."

"We were born of the direct lineage. The estates were won by the older generation in the first place, so why should they get a share?"

"Little Sister Wei has martial skill as well. A woman's resolve need not yield to a man's. She should have the right to inherit too."

The Three Great Businesses were not aristocratic clans built up through years of accumulation. Their people were either descendants of fallen side branches or men who had clawed their way out of the mud.

Thus, it was perfectly normal for disciples and legitimate children to contend for inheritance rights. Over the years, factions had naturally formed.

For example, Luo Xiao, Li Ye, and Fang Xiao had all served at their masters' saddle and before their horses for years. They were the public faces of their respective proprietors and possessed no small amount of prestige.

Lu Yu, Xu Heng, and Wei Zhi, on the other hand, were the legitimate children of the Three Great Businesses, born with golden spoons in their mouths.

But because they had started later, their progress in bones and sinews lagged behind those personal disciples, leaving them a step beneath them. Yet in bearing and status, they yielded nothing, and the two sides often clashed head-on.

"You two stood up for me. The market received several mountain treasures these past few days, all precious materials that have matured into something remarkable. If you do not mind... why not let this little sister play host?"

"When the time comes, Second Brother Lu can bring Little Brother Ji along. Having seen such a handsome talent today, this little sister would like to get acquainted as well."

The woman had wide sleeves and a slender waist, her brows and eyes curved in a smile. As she looked at Ji Xiu, brilliance flickered repeatedly in her gaze.

It was hard to imagine how someone with the looks of Butcher Knife could have produced a daughter of such beauty.