Chapter 469 - Tripartite Alliance
Translator: BinBin
Editor: EllisBLV13
The chain quest ‘Yun Province Disturbance’ had a total of five quests: one main quest and four side quests.
After skimming through every quest, Qin Feng found out that one of the side quests happened to correspond with his purpose returning to the Yun Province by requiring him to destroy the Sima family of Acropolis City.
“Make a scene of my return? Hah, this will be interesting!” said Qin Feng as he flashed a smirk. Originally, he wanted to make his debut with the identity of Green Wolf, it seemed to him that it was totally unnecessary now.
Three months ago, Qin Feng was forced to escape the Yun Province after several familial clans of the Yun Province worked in unison to beat him down. Sometime later after his escape, the unguarded Qin family of Acropolis City had fallen as well. Now, Qin Feng had returned. He wanted to make his return a huge one, and he wanted to strike fear into his enemies so they cowered in despair for turning against him and the Qin family of Acropolis City!
……
The parlor of the Ma family’s ancient home was a total mess. The arrival of the four young men was shocking enough to give rise to another lively and animated discussion in the parlor.
“The Four Talents of Sky City? Why are they doing here?”
“Wow, they are the Four Talents of Sky City! Seems like that the father and son have done their homework to vie for the seat of the junior patriarch. They even got those four people on their side! In light of the present situation, Ma Hui seems to be the most promising option for next in line.”
……
The four young men were the Four Talents of Sky City, and each of them represented one family. Their arrival could mean a lot of things. The Ma family members couldn’t confirm whether they were there to aid them or for some other purpose.
“Hui Er, I don’t understand. Can you explain this to me?” Elder Ma was stirred up. Even though the Su family held a frightening amount of power, with the Four Talents and their four large familial clans on their side meant that they might actually stand a chance against the Su family.
“Grandpa, meet my friends, the Four Talents of Sky City. Like us, they too yearn for the Su family’s downfall. I suggest we let them join us in our discussion to develop a plan to destroy the Su family. Four eyes see more than two; together, I’m sure we can find a way to pull the Su family down from their throne!” Ma Hui answered with a confident grin.
The rest of the family members became restless after Ma Hui explained what the Four Talents had come for.
Initially, the Ma family members were hesitant to blatantly challenge the Su family. However, the arrival of the Four Talents calmed the Ma family members’ anxiety, invigorated their spirits and made the family members so full of confidence that they felt they could challenge the unchallengeable.
“Well, have a seat then, Four Talents,” Ma Long offered them each a seat after he’d pull himself together. In Chinese tradition, those of higher positions normally sat closer to the head of household. Now, the Four Talents were sitting closer to Ma Long than the rest of the Ma family members.
“I am Jiang Man Hong, hello Elder Ma!”
“I am Zhao Yue Sheng, hello Elder Ma!”
“I am Li Yang, hello Elder Ma!”
“I am Wen Xu, hello Elder Ma!”
The Four Talents greeted Elder Ma one after another. Feeling respected, Ma Long waved his hand and replied, “Spare me the formalities. I’m eager to know what the Four Talents have brought for us today.”
Ma Long was straightforward. He did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
Due to his scholar status, Zhao Yue Sheng was the spokesperson of the group. Hence, he rose to his feet with a sunny smile and said, “Elder Ma, it stands to reason that we’re here today. We Four Talents want to form an alliance with the Ma family to bring the Su family down. However, in this case, we won’t be fighting the Su family at the forefront. Instead, we’ll support you from behind.”
Zhao Yue Sheng expressed their purpose and objective. The reason they wanted to form an alliance with the Ma family to challenge the Su family was because of a person: Qin Feng.
When Qin Feng came to Sky City to quell the internal strife of the Su family four months ago, he’d attended the Four Talents’ fan meetings with Su Xia Tian. At that time, he single-handedly defeated all four of them. He even recorded evidence of them trying to bamboozle and violate Su Xia Tian.
The evidence had successfully kept them at bay and forced them to follow Su Qiu Yue’s every instruction. The Four Talents who used to stand above the masses had become a woman’s minions. How could they swallow that humiliation? Then, they got wind of Qin Feng’s disappearance and the Qin family in Acropolis City’s fall into the abyss. They felt fortune had finally smiled upon them, and the audacious ambition that was hidden deep in their hearts was finally set free.
They would not have a good night sleep if the Su family continued to thrive.
However, Qin Feng was still holding the evidence, and they did not know whether Qin Feng had passed the evidence to the Su family, so they could not wage a war openly with the Su family. Otherwise, if the Su family exposed the evidence to the public, the fate of their families would be sealed.
Out of any other alternatives, the Four Talents decided to form an alliance with the Ma family. The four of them wished to use hands of the Ma family to destroy the Su family.
“All four families of yours will only support us from behind and not fight with us on the front line?” Ma Long shot his question at the Four Talents as he thought, Why hide behind us if you’ve decided to have an all-out war with the Su family? Stand forward and fight with us! Do they think of the Ma family as cannon fodder?
It was natural for Zhao Yue Sheng to notice Elder Ma’s concern. He added, “Rest assured Elder Ma. Even though we can only support you in the dark, we’ll do everything in our power to aid the Ma family.”
“That being so, why don’t you all just ally with the Ma family and challenge the Su family head on?” Ma Long was still worried as he did not totally believe in the Four Talents. The Four Talents used to be on good terms with the Su family and help the Su family whenever they encountered a problem. He suspected that their sudden rebellion was actually staged by them and the Su family.
“We four have some secret sorrow which we find it hard to disclose… Anyway, we, the Four Talents, promise you our utmost support if Elder Ma wants to destroy the Su family,” Zhao Yue Sheng sat down in his seat after he finished speaking. He had said everything he could, there was nothing he could do if Ma Long refused to believe in them.
The parlor was suddenly engulfed by a dead silence. Even the sound of a dropping pin could be heard clearly.
Even though the Four Talents had come with a wonderful proposal, their insincerity was off-putting. The Ma family members had to think twice before making any decisions.
“Dad, regarding this matter, we’ve to think thrice before we act,” a middle-aged man wearing a black suit suddenly rose to his feet. This man was the elder brother of Ma Da Tun, Ma Tao.
The Ma family picked their next in line intergenerational. There was no election in the generation of Ma Da Tun and Ma Tao, so it would be their sons who would have to vie to be the next head of household. Elder Ma was old, and the ceremony to choose for the junior patriarch was around the corner, so Ma Hui and all his peers were trying very hard to show their capabilities to Elder Ma.
Ma Hui had done very well today as he had found the Four Talents to support him. Ma Tao could not hold himself anymore. He had to make his move now to stop Ma Hui and earn more of an advantage for his son.
Ma Da Tun rose to his feet as well and bickered with his elder brother, “Elder Brother, the Four Talents wish to work with us to bring the Su family down. This a now-or-never chance! Also, the situation in the Yun Province is very unstable, which means that this is the perfect timing for the Ma family to soar to a higher level. How can Elder Brother obstruct the development of the Ma family?”
“Hmph! Now-or-never chance? Can’t you see how many large familial clans have fallen in the past three months? Do you want the Ma family to follow in their footsteps as well?” Ma Tao refused to back down.
“Opportunity always coexists with challenges. If we want to grasp the opportunity, we must first face some challenges. We have to change; or else, we’ll be discarded by time and annexed by other families!” said Ma Da Tun.
“I never said that the Ma family had to exclude itself from the rest of the world. I’m just saying that we need to think twice before making any decisions… Besides, I guess everybody heard the obvious flaw in the Four Talents’ proposal, right? They will only support us from behind, and we’ll be the ones who will do all the hard work by fighting on the front lines against the Su family. What if the Su family fights back? We’ll be the first to feel their wrath! The four familial clans can quit at any time!”
……
Ma Tao and Ma Da Tun each had their own point of views, and neither of them was willing to make a concession. To be honest, the Ma family members were more inclined to Ma Tao’s point of view as they, like Ma Tao said, did not see any sincerity in the Four Talents.
“Tao Er, are you saying that we should withdraw ourselves from the fight?” asked Elder Ma.
A mysterious smile flashed across Ma Tao’s face as he said, “Of course not. I’m saying that we should find a more dependable backer to support us in destroying the Su family! I found that the four large familial clans of Sky City are still quite lacking.”
Ma Tao’s words sent a shock to everybody in the parlor.
The power of the four large familial clans was something a person should no trifle with. How could Ma Tao insult them and said they were weak?
“Hmph! What a glib talker. Find me a family that is more powerful than the four large familial clans if you could!” Ma Da Tun said as he shot a contemptuous gaze at Ma Tao.
“Don’t get so edgy, Second Brother. I’m a person of words. I won’t say something that I’m not confident,” Ma Tao said confidently.
“Tao Er, who is your backer? Where are they come from?” asked Ma Long as his expression changed.
“Dad, they are very mysterious. They are one of the large doors of the Martial World, and they said that they are willing to offer help to us, and of course, they will fight with us side by side… Unlike those cowards, who would only hide behind us,” It was obvious that Ma Tao had found a powerful backer; otherwise, who would give him the nerve to insult Ma Da Tun and the people from the four large familial clans of Sky City?
The Ma family members began to discuss among themselves again. All of them were guessing who Ma Tao’s backer could be as they felt the story had become even more interesting.
“That being said, here is my counter-proposal: I suggest we form a tripartite alliance so that we’ll have higher odds of success!” Ma Long said after he thought for a brief moment.
It was due to his sagacity had the Ma family thrived for so many years. Ma Tao had found a mysterious door as his back, and Ma Da Tun had found the four large familial clans of Sky City as his back. Ma Long did not want to offend either force; hence, he suggested that they form a tripartite alliance. With three forces joining together to crusade against the Su family, the Su family’s fate was practically sealed.
“Elder Ma is right. We agree with this suggestion!” The Ma family members all rose to their feet and agreed to Ma Long’s suggestion. This was because Ma Long’s decision seemed to be the most perfect.
Ma Long smiled and waved his hand to silence the crowd. Then, he looked amicably at the Four Talents, “What do you guys think, Four Talents? Does my suggestion sound good to you all?”
The objective of the Four Talents was to destroy the Su family. Since they were joined by yet another fearsome force, it was natural for them to accept the proposal, “We accept the proposal, Elder Ma.”
“Well, well, I’m glad we could come to a consensus. This time, we must destroy the Su family!” After all the parties in the parlor had found common ground, all of them smiled contentedly as if the Su family’s fate had been decided.
Suddenly, a diabolical laughter echoed outside the gate.
“Haha! See, lively as always! Xia Tian, I believe we’ll be having a lot of fun tonight!”
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