In a secluded courtyard near the peak of Cloud Mountain, Song Zicheng, the eldest son of the Song family, sat behind his desk, engrossed in the martial arts examination registration form in his hand. An elderly man, sitting in the seat of honor to his right, was resting with his eyes closed.
Song Zicheng scrutinized the last line on the form before raising his head and smiling. “I apologize for troubling you again, Uncle Liu. I need to review this document further and will give you my response tomorrow. Also, I have prepared a small token of appreciation which I will have delivered to your residence shortly.”
The elder of the Song family waved his hand and chuckled. “There’s no need for such formalities over such a minor matter. I’ve watched you grow up, after all. But don’t take this martial arts exam lightly. You must also smooth things over with the other elders. I’ve heard that Song Zian has great ambitions and plans to unseat you from the top position. He is determined to win in this area.”
Song Zicheng’s expression grew serious, but he remained calm. “I have the advantage in political discourse, and our military strategies are evenly matched. As long as I don’t fall too far behind in the martial arts, the overall situation won’t be jeopardized. Please rest assured, Uncle Liu.”
The elder stroked his beard and smiled. “Zicheng, you always handle matters with prudence. I was just reminding you. Well, I must avoid any appearance of bias before the exam and cannot stay here for too long.”
“Take care, Uncle Liu!” Song Zicheng stood up and personally escorted the elder to the courtyard gate before returning.
Song Zicheng summoned several trusted aides and advisors to discuss the list of participants in the martial arts exam. The individual tournament followed an elimination format, and the match order had yet to be determined. They needed to strategize on how to influence the match sequence subtly.
Song Zicheng’s connections among the elders gave him some leeway to adjust the match order, allowing him to avoid certain opponents in the early rounds or to have his fighters face weaker opponents first, thus conserving their strength for later, more formidable adversaries. However, such adjustments had to be discreet and not overly obvious.
As the advisors perused the list, a few Level 8 warriors stood out starkly amidst the majority of Level 9s. Most of the Level 8s were young members of the Song family, while the only guest warrior at Level 8 was Qian Ye.
One advisor pointed to the information and said, “This person, An Renyi, is only Level 8. We can have one of our people face him in the first round.”
Another advisor chimed in, “Is he one of the Seventh Young Master’s people? It’s odd. I heard the Seventh Young Master has gathered quite a few skilled individuals, and his three strongest are known as the Ningyuan Three Tigers. This time, only Gao Junyi, the leader of the Three Tigers, has come. I’ve seen him; he’s indeed very skilled. Could this Level 8 An Renyi be even stronger than the other two Tigers?”
Someone else added, “I feel there’s something strange… I recall someone saying that An Renyi handles the gray business for the Seventh Young Master. Such a person must have special skills.”
Song Zicheng pondered for a moment. “I heard there was a small conflict between the Second and Seventh Young Masters in the training field this afternoon?”
The attendant who had reported the incident was present and spoke up, “Yes, An Renyi was there, and the Seventh Young Master gave him his allocated advanced training room.”
The room buzzed with surprise.
Song Zicheng raised an eyebrow. Sibling conflicts were not uncommon, but he hadn’t asked for details before. Now, he realized the significance.
He laughed wryly, “So that’s why. I wondered why the Second Young Master would bother with a guest warrior. Even for the sake of that woman from the Yin family, it wouldn’t be worth snubbing the Seventh Young Master. Seeing how much the Seventh Young Master values An Renyi, he wanted to get rid of him? The Second Young Master may claim to be straightforward, but he’s actually the most cunning.”
Just then, a guard hurried in and whispered to Song Zicheng, “The Seventh Young Master is here and wants to see you.”
“Zining? What does he want?” Song Zicheng was surprised.
While he and Song Zining got along well enough, they were not particularly close. They occasionally collaborated on family affairs, but this visit during a sensitive time carried more implications.
Song Zicheng instructed the guard to bring Zining to the flower hall in the front courtyard. He tapped the table lightly and mused, “What do you think, gentlemen?”
One advisor hesitated, “The Seventh Young Master seems to have made many enemies recently, especially with the Second and Third Young Masters.” Clearly, the advisor believed it was better to avoid unnecessary complications.
Another advisor scoffed, “As if the Second Young Master wouldn’t want to take the top spot even if he disliked the Seventh Young Master.” Song Zian’s ambitions for the top position were well-known, making him Song Zicheng’s primary rival.
The first advisor argued, “But the conflict between the Second and Seventh Young Masters started because of Yin Qiqi, and the Seventh Young Master wasn’t entirely justified in that matter.” The room exchanged knowing glances, and the advisor added, “Moreover, Yin Qiqi is also connected to the Marquis of Boxiang’s heir.”
After the Heavenly Spring Hunt, Song Zining’s ranking as the heir had dropped two places. His punishment was not due to Song Zian’s efforts but to provide an explanation to Yin Qiqi and Wei Qiyang, the Marquis of Boxiang’s heir.
The rebutting advisor laughed even louder, “Yin Qiqi and the Second Young Master are related by marriage, and so are Yin Qiqi and the Marquis of Boxiang’s heir. Even without this incident, they wouldn’t side with the First Young Master.”
Song Zicheng, who had been listening quietly, gestured for everyone to stop. “Enough. Let’s first discuss the tournament match order. I’ll go meet the Seventh Young Master. Although Yin Qiqi and the Marquis of Boxiang’s heir are friendly with the Second Young Master, it won’t affect our family’s dealings. As long as I maintain my position, everything will be fine.”
The relationship between the Song family and the Yin and Wei families was a matter of clan alliances, not personal ones. Otherwise, there would be no point in competing for the heirship; it would just be a contest of connections.
Song Zicheng entered the flower hall and dismissed the attendants.
Song Zining stood up. “Brother, I have always respected our brothers. But the actions of the Second and Third Young Masters are leaving me no place to stand!”
Hearing this, Song Zicheng understood Zining’s intentions and comforted him gently before listening to his proposal.
After a while, Song Zicheng looked at his younger brother with a serious expression. “Are you saying you will support me in the succession and help clear the way for me in this exam?”
“Exactly.”
Song Zicheng picked up a teacup, playing with it thoughtfully. “You are very confident, Seventh Brother.”
Song Zining smiled. “If I didn’t have the confidence, I wouldn’t dare come to you. In the military strategy portion, with my assistance, even if the Second and Third Young Masters join forces, we can still defeat them.”
Song Zicheng sipped his tea slowly, buying time to think. Finally, he put down the cup and asked casually, “I heard the Third Young Master’s caravan suffered significant losses recently?”
“There was a minor conflict. The Third Young Master’s people were overly confident and outnumbered mine, trying to overwhelm us. In the end, they were all eliminated. In my opinion, the Third Young Master’s people need more training to avoid embarrassing themselves.”
Neither mentioned Song Zian.
Both knew that Song Zicheng and Song Zian were rivals, with no possibility of alliance. However, Song Zijing was different. Now, Song Zicheng faced a choice between his combat-ready third brother and the newly emerging seventh brother.
Song Zicheng gazed at the steaming teacup. “What do you want, Seventh Brother?”
Song Zining was prepared. “The assault airships of the Far City Heavy Machinery under your command are the best in their class. My Ningyuan Heavy Industries recently built new bases, but we lack a flagship product. I hope you can transfer the technology to me. Additionally, you have few mines on the Eternal Night Continent, and the logistics of transporting the resources back are troublesome. I can use them locally. There are also…”
Each condition named by Song Zining was valuable, including technology, mineral rights, and even two mature heavy truck factories.
With each condition, Song Zicheng’s heart sank. By the end, it felt like it was almost at the bottom.
“Seventh Brother, your demands are quite high.”
Song Zining smiled. “Even if we don’t talk about the family headship, the stable position of the first heir should be worth more than these. Besides, I am not one to abandon allies. If I help you secure this exam, I will support you in future family disputes.”
Song Zicheng pondered for a long time before finally extending his hand, shaking Song Zining’s firmly.
As he escorted Song Zining out, Song Zicheng looked weary. “I’ve given a lot. You’ve almost taken half of my assets.”
Song Zining smiled. “Brother, you are a man of great deeds. A bit of personal wealth means little to you. Our Song family lacks nothing except opportunities.”
Suddenly, Song Zicheng remembered something and turned to an advisor. “Reorganize the tournament matches. Our people should avoid the Seventh Young Master’s people.”
The advisor was taken aback. “But what about that Level 8?”
Song Zicheng waved his hand. “Avoid them.”
“But, shouldn’t we—”
Song Zicheng, with a focus on the bigger picture, cut him off. “It’s decided. No more discussion.”
Song Zining, standing nearby, smiled. “Brother, wise decision.”
After sending off Song Zining, Song Zicheng felt a nagging unease. Something about his younger brother’s final smile left him unsettled.
In the “Deep Cloud Hall,” Qian Ye ordered the rear courtyard’s training ground to be opened and filled with dozens of steel practice dummies.
The enclosed area was small and cramped with the dummies, making it difficult to swing a sword without hitting something.
Qian Ye drew the East Peak, examining it closely.
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