Before long, Ma Yingjie heard the summons and hurried over to pay his respects.
As the Hei Family's greatest rival — the Ma clan had suffered a devastating defeat in the final battle. The Ma Family's powerhouses had been almost entirely slaughtered, and the young patriarch Ma Yingjie had been fortunate enough to survive, bravely shouldering the burden of leadership.
He had originally planned to turtle up in Warm Swamp Valley and recuperate as much as possible. But Hei Loulan had come knocking at his door, forcibly absorbing the Ma Family into his fold.
Subsequently, the Ma Family had no choice but to follow the Hei Family into the Royal Court Blessed Land.
Ma Yingjie had originally believed that Hei Loulan intended to strip the Ma Family of its name and completely swallow and digest the entire clan. To that end, he had made numerous efforts, even going so far as to take in outsiders and grant them the surname Ma.
But as it turned out, not a single one of the scenarios he had anticipated came to pass. Not only that — after the Ma Family arrived at the Royal Court Blessed Land, they had not received any harsh treatment from Hei Loulan's side; instead, they were treated equally. Hei Loulan had unselfishly opened the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, and the Ma Family had profited considerably. Now the entire Ma Family had recovered well, and their clan strength was flourishing.
However, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and Ma Yingjie had been feeling deeply anxious about this all along.
Receiving Hei Loulan's sudden summons, the unease in his heart immediately multiplied several times over, reaching its peak.
Looking at Ma Yingjie before him, Hei Loulan smiled and said: "Patriarch Ma, how has the Ma Family been these past days?"
Ma Yingjie was on maximum alert and immediately replied: "Quite well. This is thanks to Patriarch's magnanimity in putting aside past grievances. The Ma Family has been clinging to life, and has now managed to recover a faint glimmer of vitality."
"If I remember correctly, this time the Ma Family received funding from Xue Songzi, a Demonic Path Gu Immortal of the Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land?" Hei Loulan said amiably.
Ma Yingjie's jaw went slack, and cold sweat poured down his face. He was rendered speechless.
As a Golden Bloodline family, secretly communicating with a Demonic Path Gu Immortal — without question, this violated the rules established by Ancestor Giant Sun.
"Hei Loulan — could he be settling accounts now? This is bad. Right now he holds the knife and I am the meat on the chopping block. To destroy the Ma Family, all it would take is one casual word from Hei Loulan!" Ma Yingjie was extremely tense. Revitalizing the Ma Family was his lifelong wish. The Ma Family was his very lifeblood.
"Hahaha." Hei Loulan burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the entire study. "Patriarch Ma, there is no need to be nervous. As long as you cooperate obediently, wealth and glory will come rolling in."
"Please speak, Patriarch." Ma Yingjie said through gritted teeth.
Those who understood the times were heroes. The situation left him no choice but to bow his head.
"What?"
But what Hei Loulan said next left Ma Yingjie's face frozen in astonishment. He stood there like a statue.
……
Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land.
Majestic snow peaks towered overhead. The firmament was a brilliant azure, shimmering with radiant light.
The Fifth Branch Peak.
Within the Ice Lake Palace, a negotiation was nearing its end.
Xue Songzi's expression was one of anxious frustration as he looked at Demon Lord Longdan before him. He said impatiently: "Demon Lord, don't forget. Who was it that lent you Immortal Yuan Stones during that emergency and paid off your debts for you? It was me! Now I'm running into a small trouble and seeking your help, yet you're pushing back and stalling like this — it's truly disheartening. Is this the sort of petty man the great Demon Lord Longdan turns out to be?"
Demon Lord Longdan smiled as he savored his tea, his tone measured: "Songzi, please watch your words. I have remembered all the kindness from before and haven't forgotten a single bit. But this time, Songzi, your trouble is no small matter. If I help you, I'll be offending the Hei Family Gu Immortals. My business in the Precious Yellow Heaven has only just started to gain momentum — it cannot withstand such a blow."
Xue Songzi made his living selling snowmen and was quite wealthy. But in recent months, his business in the Precious Yellow Heaven had suffered severe impacts from the Hei Family.
Hei Family Gu Immortals were capturing snowmen in large numbers and selling them at low prices, greatly disrupting the rules and profits of the snowmen slave trade.
This was a different kind of conflict, far-reaching in its implications. In order to protect his source of wealth, Xue Songzi had no choice but to fight back, barely holding his ground against the Hei Family Gu Immortals in a stalemate.
Though he was wealthy, after all, he was but one individual.
Compared to the superpower that was the Hei Family — built up over tens of thousands of years — he still fell far short.
Thus, gradually unable to hold on any longer, he began reaching out to nearby Gu Immortals for aid.
Demon Lord Longdan's calm, sitting-pretty attitude infuriated Xue Songzi: "Demon Lord, stop beating around the bush. Tell me straight — what will it take for you to lend a hand?"
Demon Lord Longdan laughed heartily, his piercing eyes fixed on Xue Songzi: "Songzi, I know you have a Hundred-Year Life Span Gu in your possession. If you hand it over to me, I will give you my full support!"
Upon hearing this, Xue Songzi shot up from his seat, pointing a finger at Demon Lord Longdan: "You actually have the nerve to make such a demand?"
Demon Lord Longdan raised an eyebrow, his voice dropping to a low tone: "Why wouldn't I have the nerve? Who would lend a hand for nothing? Xue Songzi, I advise you not to be impulsive. If you point at me again, I will lose my patience."
"Hmph." Xue Songzi knew he was no match for Demon Lord Longdan. He let out a cold snort, withdrew his finger, and stormed out with a flick of his sleeve.
Demon Lord Longdan made no effort to stop him, watching his departing figure with a dark expression and letting out a cold snort of his own. He had long found Xue Songzi disagreeable — the man rode high on his wealth and acted supremely arrogant in daily life.
When he had borrowed Immortal Yuan Stones from Xue Songzi back then, the man had actually dared to charge him usury. Xue Songzi had exploited his crisis to make a huge profit.
Demon Lord Longdan had suffered this silent loss and had kept that grudge in his heart ever since.
Xue Songzi, his face ashen, returned to his Seventh Branch Peak.
With no outsiders around, he settled into a cross-legged position on his meditation cushion, and his taut expression finally collapsed as he began to sigh and groan.
"Had I known it would come to this, I should never have gotten involved in the Royal Court's struggles." He was filled with deep regret.