The undercurrents among the great families had long surged beneath the surface, and now, even the illusion of calm could no longer be maintained.
In a side chamber of the Huang clan's ancestral hall, Huang Xi sat silently after hearing a scout's report. His fingers tapped unconsciously against the edge of the table, producing a crisp, anxious rhythm.
The internal strife within the Gao family was intensifying. Gao Yuan had secretly gained support from the Bing family, while Gao Zhi had already made contact with the Luo family. That piece of news struck Huang Xi like a cold blade—straight to the chest. The Luo family, that financial titan, was renowned for its loans and manipulations. Once Gao Zhi relied on their capital, the Gao clan would gradually slip beyond the control of Tianze's traditional powers. That wouldn't just be a shift within the Gao family—it could impact the Huang clan's grain trade interests and destabilize the entire eastern region of Tianze Prefecture.
Huang Xi could not allow that to happen.
"If we let Gao Zhi rise unchecked, the Gao family will fall into Luo hands, and we will lose our last line of defense," he said in a low voice to a trusted aide, his eyes shadowed. "Gao Zhi must not win."
After a long period of contemplation, Huang Xi made his decision.
He personally penned a secret letter and sent it by urgent courier to the Bing family, requesting a private meeting with their patriarch, Bing Han. Though he knew full well that the Bing family—proud of its military might—was unlikely to ally easily, the circumstances had changed. If the Luo family succeeded in infiltrating the Gao clan, the Bing family's ambitions to dominate the eastern trade routes would be reduced to ashes. For once, Huang Xi and the Bing family found themselves sharing a common interest.
Three days later, Bing Han arrived quietly in a border town under Huang family control for a clandestine meeting.
In the dimly lit hall, the two men sat facing each other with little need for words.Bing Han, wrapped in a black fox-fur cloak, exuded a chill as if he had brought the mountain winds with him.Huang Xi, robed in muted tones, wore a solemn face filled with calculation and resolve.
"You want me to abandon Gao Yuan and support Gao Zhi instead?" Bing Han was the first to speak, his voice laced with barely veiled sarcasm.
Huang Xi smiled faintly, but his eyes remained icy. "Gao Yuan is overly ambitious. He fancies himself the master of the game, but in truth, he's merely a tool. If he gains too much power, he will inevitably turn on those who helped him. Gao Zhi, on the other hand—his ambitions are limited. He's easier to control. With the right amount of support, he can be made to serve our interests."
Bing Han fell silent, his fingers slowly brushing the hilt of his sword.He had already considered this. Supporting Gao Yuan might suppress Gao Zhi for the moment, but once Gao Yuan grew strong, the Bing family's commercial routes would become his hostage.Gao Zhi, for all his fiery ideals, still relied on external aid—and that made him far more manageable.
"You mean to help Gao Zhi ascend," Bing Han said slowly, "and then devour the Gao family from within?"
"Exactly," Huang Xi's voice was calm but resolute. "Once Gao Zhi wins, the Gao clan will be dependent on us. With the Luo family pushed out, we can turn around and pressure him into surrendering the medicinal fields and artisan workshops. At that point, the Gao clan will be little more than our vassal."
Bing Han remained quiet for a long while, then gave a cold smile and nodded slowly.
Thus, a secret alliance was forged.
Huang Xi moved quickly.He quietly mobilized the Huang family's private guards under the pretext of "border defense," gathering them near a desolate town adjacent to Gao territory.At the same time, the Bing family deployed a "merchant protection unit" under the guise of ensuring trade safety, and pressed forward aggressively.
Their troops were like icy rivers beneath the winter frost—silent on the surface, yet treacherous below.
Meanwhile, Huang Xi dispatched envoys to Gao Zhi's camp, offering "essential assistance" on one condition: that Gao Zhi propose a formal motion at the Gao family council to reform the patriarchal system.Though it appeared to be a political reform, the true aim was to use Gao Zhi as a puppet, dismantling Gao Yuan's faction from within.
Gao Zhi harbored doubts, but with Gao Yuan pressing him hard and Luo family funds arriving too slowly, he had no better choice. He accepted the Huang family's hand.
In a single night, the situation shifted.
The cracks within the Gao family split wide open.The rift between the First and Second Branch became a public schism.Medicine shops in the market began to shutter their doors, and artisans whispered nervously in alleyways. Everyone could sense that a storm was coming.
Gao Yuan sensed something was amiss and urgently summoned his allies, only to find that Huang family agents had already infiltrated his ranks.Bing family reinforcements, which he had hoped for, never arrived.He began to suspect the worst—that the Bing family had changed sides.
"Gao Zhi… Huang Xi… Bing Han…"Gao Yuan muttered through clenched teeth, his knuckles white with tension.He finally understood—he was being isolated.
At that very moment, Huang Xi stood atop a tall tower in a border town under Huang family control, gazing into the misty horizon.
A cold smile curled on his lips.
The survival of the clan allowed for no softness.To carve out a future, one must be willing to do whatever it takes.
The wind over Tianze blew harder still—like the call of war echoing across the land.
The footsteps of battle were drawing near.