Alliance

Buzz! The sword's tip trembled faintly. It halted a mere three centimeters from the man's brow. Seizing the chance, the airborne man threw himself backward in a desperate retreat, steadying his footing only after putting ten full paces between himself and Yaoguang. Only then did Yaoguang turn his gaze toward the figure hurrying up the mountainside. Zhang Tianji. Then this man was... "The Jishi Society?" Yaoguang asked. The vital blood surging within this man was not boiling like fire the way Zhang Tianji's did; instead, it resembled that of an ordinary Grandmaster like Yue Xingzhou or Xia Wuyuan, which was why Yaoguang had not linked him to the Jishi Society in the first place. "Yes," the man replied, his face still pale from the pain. "Su Yaoguang, are you all right?" Zhang Tianji asked with concern as he drew near. Yaoguang shook his head. Only then did Zhang Tianji turn to the man beside them. "Commissioner, should we head back to get you treated?" "How could you even mistake a Grandmaster?!" The man shot Zhang Tianji a resentful glare. Then he quickly added, "He passed his assessment. Someone will contact him when the time comes." With that—whether because he was anxious to treat his injury or because his earlier remark about testing Yaoguang's worth had blown up in his face too terribly to linger—he scooped up his instruments, flickered into motion, and vanished into Mount Yunjing. Watching him leave, Yaoguang realized what had just occurred. "So that was a Jishi Society assessment?" Zhang Tianji nodded. At the same time, he looked at Yaoguang with a complicated expression. A Grandmaster! The youth before him... He was not at all what Zhang Tianji had reported—a nineteen-year-old Martial Master who was a natural anomaly. He was a teenage Grandmaster! Was this the martial talent of a natural anomaly? "If it was an assessment, why didn't you give me advance notice?" Yaoguang asked, speechless. "Advance notice can never reveal an examinee's true strength and potential as clearly as a surprise attack," Zhang Tianji said. Indeed, potential! Nothing drew out a person's hidden potential like being ambushed out of nowhere and pushed to the brink of life and death. Because of that, Jishi Society personnel usually went for the kill when conducting assessments. Of course, while their techniques were ruthless, they refrained from using lethal weapons. Just like the man earlier, he had chosen a relatively safe expandable baton rather than a blade, spear, sword, or firearm. "That's still reckless," Yaoguang said, sheathing his sword. "Fortunately, before I engaged him, my intention was merely to disable his fighting strength and interrogate him. Otherwise, he would already be dead beneath my blade." "Although the martial arts mastered by Jishi Society examiners focus primarily on disruption and restraint—favoring prolonged sparring over outright killing—few Grandmasters of the same realm could ever threaten their lives." Zhang Tianji's expression grew even more complicated. "I originally thought you would do well just to hold out against him for a short while. Given the advantage of your nineteen years of age, withstanding his first wave of attacks would have been enough to pass. I never expected... you would defeat him outright." Yaoguang waved a hand dismissively. In truth, every single demon he had faced possessed strength far beyond conventional Grandmasters. That was especially true of Tier 4 demons, whose mastery of martial techniques placed them well above human Grandmasters. Having grown accustomed to fighting life-and-death battles against demons whose combat power broke the charts, suddenly fighting an ordinary human Grandmaster felt somewhat unnatural to him. Recalling what Yue Xingzhou had told him earlier, Yaoguang asked, "So, what exactly does this Jishi Society of yours do?" "I'm only a field operative and don't know much. A commissioner from the royal capital will arrive in the provincial capital tomorrow..." Zhang Tianji drew a deep breath. "With your status as a natural anomaly and your martial achievement of becoming a Grandmaster at nineteen, you'll immediately receive higher authority the moment you join the Jishi Society. I'm sure he will be able to answer all your questions then." Tomorrow. Hearing that, Yaoguang pressed no further. For one thing, there was truly no rush. For another... He did not have much interest in a Jishi Society that operated in such secrecy. He turned and walked down the mountain toward his villa. Sensing Yaoguang's cold indifference, Zhang Tianji felt a prick of awkwardness. But when he thought of the boundless future lying ahead of Yaoguang, he swallowed his pride and followed right behind. *** When Yaoguang returned to his residence, he discovered quite a crowd gathered there. Leng Jun, Su Chixin, and several others had all arrived. Along with them were Pang Long and over a dozen members of the External Affairs Hall. Evidently, Yaoguang's hurried departure and his order for Lei Yun to guard the villa had led her to assume something critical had happened. She had contacted Leng Jun immediately, and the peak Martial Master had rushed over with his people. Seeing Yaoguang, Leng Jun strode forward. "Young Master Yaoguang." Immediately after, he looked toward Zhang Tianji with deep suspicion... "It's fine. Just a misunderstanding," Yaoguang explained. "A misunderstanding?" Leng Jun was taken aback. "Yes. Have everyone return," Yaoguang said. Then he added, "If anything happens in the future, I will inform you. There's no need to make such a fuss over every little rustle of leaves." In his eyes, the Su family and its External Affairs Hall were strictly meant for clean-up work, disposing of corpses, and similar tasks. If a crisis arose that even he could not handle, having the External Affairs Hall step in would just be sending them to their deaths. "Understood," Leng Jun said, nodding. "Still, Young Master Yaoguang's safety concerns the entire Su family's future. Whatever we can do, please don't hesitate to give the order." "All right," Yaoguang agreed. Just then, another sedan pulled up in haste, stopping before Villa No. 49. Su Chiming, the family head, stepped out immediately. Seeing Yaoguang standing amidst the crowd and appearing completely unharmed, Su Chiming let out a quiet sigh of relief. Clearly, he too had rushed over the moment he received word. Someone stepped forward at once and briefed him on what had happened. He nodded and walked up to Yaoguang. "It's good that you're safe." With that, he turned his gaze to Zhang Tianji. "Grandmaster Zhang, what brings you to our Su family?" "Old Master Su, you certainly kept us in the dark," Zhang Tianji remarked with a bitter smile. Su Chiming grasped his meaning the moment he heard it: Zhang Tianji already knew Yaoguang possessed the strength of a Grandmaster. And as long as Zhang Tianji had half a brain, he would understand what a nineteen-year-old Grandmaster represented. If Zhang Tianji had previously thought about trying every possible means to pull Yaoguang back to the Zhang family when he assumed he was merely a Martial Master, then now... Su Chiming's thoughts raced as he weighed the proper attitude to take toward the Zhang family. Soon, a warm smile spread across his face. "It wasn't my intention to hide it. I only learned of this myself over the past few days. Yaoguang... truly gave me an enormous pleasant surprise." "Indeed," Zhang Tianji agreed, nodding. "The tallest tree attracts the wind. Even though Yaoguang now possesses ample strength to withstand external dangers, our Zhang family is still more than willing to cover his back and fill in any gaps." Su Chiming showed no surprise, asking only, "Is this your idea, or that of the Zhang family head?" "His opinion doesn't matter," Zhang Tianji stated bluntly. "Then I know where things stand." Su Chiming nodded, then waved toward the members of the External Affairs Hall. "Disperse." Leng Jun promptly led his men away. He could tell that neither the family head nor Zhang Tianji intended to escalate tensions. Far from escalating them, the family head even seemed inclined to welcome the Zhang family aboard the great ship centered around Su Yaoguang. Though Leng Jun felt the Zhang family was unworthy, he knew better than to voice unsolicited opinions. "Yaoguang, would it be all right if I borrow your parlor to invite Grandmaster Zhang in for a seat?" Su Chiming asked with a smile. "Sure." Yaoguang did not care. The group walked into the living room. In truth, Su Chiming had his own reasons for choosing to accept the Zhang family. He had visited the hospital earlier today. Su Huaifeng... was truly beyond saving. Once Su Huaifeng died, the connection between the Su family and Su Yaoguang would be little more than blood ties devoid of emotional warmth—barely different from strangers. Under those circumstances, if the Zhang family threw everything they had into wooing him, their link through Zhang Ya might well give them an edge over the Su family in winning Yaoguang's favor. Even if the Su family managed to prevail, the petty squabbles dredged up in the process would surely irritate Yaoguang. That would run completely counter to his original motive for partnering with them—handling trivial nuisances on his behalf. What was more, the Su and Zhang families were no longer the only ones who had discovered this rare gem; the Yue family had stepped into the picture as well, and their competitive strength far eclipsed either of theirs. To prevent losing everything in the end and driving Yaoguang away from the Su family out of annoyance, Su Chiming naturally had to resolve the potential trouble the Zhang family posed as quickly as possible. And the way to do that... was to welcome them in. Cooperation would benefit both sides. After all, once Yaoguang achieved the realm of Martial Saint, the benefits he brought would rival control over an entire province—far more than a single Su family could ever digest alone. Bringing the Zhang family into the fold was by no means an entirely bad move. Amidst his pondering, Su Chiming also intended to give the Zhang family a subtle warning. "Yaoguang, Lei Yun mentioned that the Yue family would step in to remove Zhang Mingde. Is that true?" Su Chiming asked. "Zhang Mingde?" Hearing the name again from Su Chiming, Yaoguang made the connection. "Zhang Yushu's chief backer?" "Yes," Su Chiming nodded. "Zhang Yushu is the white glove of the Mingde Zhang family. Over the past few years, he has been looking for ways to seize our Buzhou Group for himself." He paused for a beat before continuing, "To this day, a quarter of Buzhou Group's assets have already fallen into their hands. And late this afternoon, nearing dusk, Zhang Yushu seized an opportunity to deal us a heavy blow." "Dusk?" Yaoguang recalled the sight of official vehicles crowding Xingyu Center Tower when he passed by on his way back. Coupled with Yue Xingzhou's sudden mention of Zhang Mingde during his visit... Clearly, that Yue family Grandmaster knew that the key to resolving the Su family's crisis was the director of the Tiannan Development Bureau. With things having reached this stage, Yaoguang could hardly say much. He could only remark to himself that these people all spoke in riddles, keeping everything concealed. "Since Yue Xingzhou gave his word, it should be pretty much a sure thing," Yaoguang said. "Good!" Su Chiming said emphatically. "Zhang Yushu used the pretext that we misappropriated public company funds to force me to convene a board meeting tomorrow. Well then... I'd love to see how he manages to hold that meeting tomorrow!" Only now did Zhang Tianji find an opening to interject. Looking at Su Chiming in shock, he asked, "Old Master Su, are you saying... the Yue family!?" "Yaoguang is a pearl lost in the deep sea," Su Chiming said, casting him a glance. "Our two families aren't the only ones with eyes sharp enough to recognize true talent." Zhang Tianji quickly caught Su Chiming's drift. In the face of the Yue family's involvement, neither the Su family nor the Zhang family carried enough weight on their own. If they still wished to remain relevant... They had to join forces. Zhang Tianji hurriedly spoke up: "Old Master Su, did you say that man used the pretext of misappropriating company funds to force a board meeting? If funds are running short, our Zhang family can help! We happen to have some liquid capital on hand right now. While we can't offer an astronomical sum, eight hundred million to a billion can certainly be gathered." "That would be wonderful. We'll be able to secure those treasures from the White Jade Pavilion then," Su Chiming said with a broad smile. "I'll contact Old Zhang right now and tell him to get it ready." Zhang Tianji pulled out his phone as he spoke. Su Chiming nodded. For a moment, the atmosphere in the room turned remarkably harmonious, devoid of the slightest trace of the hostility that had torn the Su and Zhang families apart when Su Huaifeng and Zhang Ya fell out all those years ago.