"Young friend Bai Qi, I am truly sorry for not introducing myself previously, but please give me a few moments of your time to explain myself, as well as the summons of my young master." Having crossed the gates, still flanked by the shocked guard captain and nobleman, the Warrior King and mustache man gave an apology nod as he ushered Bai Qi into what looked like a traveler's tavern just two turns away.

"Senior, there is no problem. I will wait for your arrangements and explanations." Bai Qi had accepted the invitation on a whim, feeling that it was more of an opportunity than a threat, so while he wasn't trusting enough to follow such arrangements without knowing what was going on, he kept his calm while analyzing the man that called upon the only server in the dim-lit and somewhat dirty barroom floor to rent a room on the second, private one.

***

"Young friend Bai Qi, thank you for being so patient." As if the tavern was some high-end establishment, it actually took the mustached man far more than a few breaths to get a private space assigned to them, and so, after entering it, a simple hundred feet room with nothing more than a floor table and a few cushions, the man said with a grateful nod.

"As I said, there is no need to worry, senior. I am glad to be invited by you, even if I am still uninformed of the reasons." Bai Qi remained polite, but hinted that an explanation was necessary instead of unnecessary apologies. With Ma Su standing behind, her cultivation concealed to the utmost. And with this man being just a 2nd level Warrior King, a fact that Bai Qi found after some observation, there was really nothing to worry about, except for a scuffle if the latter had some ideas about Bai Qi had, or what they thought he could have.

*Hahaha*

After laughing a few moments, the man excused himself while introducing himself, "I am happy to meet such a straightforward youngster. My name is Zhu Hu, and I am the current bodyguard of the young master, or frankly, the now young lady of the [Sima Family] based here in the city."

"Sima..? Young lady..?" While Bai Qi's knowledge about the current state of the plane was low, he did know of the [Sima Great Family]. In fact, he had even met one of their Young Lords in [Shoumen] city as the latter forced his path with armored guards and [Azure Demonbreed] horses.

"...albeit they are the weaker one of the [Ten Great Families] and can be hardly compared even to a 2nd tier power from our region..." Bai Qi recalled the words of Qiu Zemin, the [Fish Gazing Sect] inner disciple he had met during the auction in [Shoumen] almost right after his arrival on the plane.

"Oh, so Young friend has heard of the great family! While this will make things easier, it also means that Young Friend Bai Qi has no idea about the branches of the noble families in the [Great Forest] Region?" Hearing Bai Qi's questions, Zhu Hu didn't answer directly but asked a question of his own.

"It is so indeed, senior." With his name out and nothing to hide as Bai Qi, as, after all, his arrival on the plane had been under the name of Chen Guang, Bai Qi nodded before following up with a simple explanation, "Since I have no actual master and grew up following my own visions of cultivation and the help of some met-by-chance seniors, I didn't pay much attention to events around and simply traveled around while training. Not that I would miss on one of the [Ten Great Families] that rule their own region just southwest from here." Knowing that his answer was a bit rude, Bai Qi, in the end, decided to slightly sweeten it - by mentioning the so-called great family he learned about by chance.

Not that he forgot to slightly improve his worth while upping the stakes, making himself a self-made genius and not someone with a high and mighty background, as it would be expected, at least, from his results in the few incidents he had appeared under the name of Bai Qi.

"...I see. Then I should start my explanation with a few more details for Young Friend to understand what our young lady would like to request from you." While rumors did say that Bai Qi popped out from nowhere and had participated in the events in the [Void Palace] and [Pride Island] by chance, only backed by a few cultivators and beastmen he was friends with, Zhu Hu had his reservations about that. But now, seeing and hearing the young, not even twenty years of age, genius, as what else could one tag someone who could jump over realms, Warrior Lord, he couldn't help but believe.

_______

Deng Guiying, the gate-guarding Elder from [Shoumen], had taught, directly or indirectly, several things about the plane. The people the latter assigned also did the same, not to mention Bai Qi's experiences and everything he got from mingling with the beastmen. Thus, while his knowledge of the current situation in the [Great Forest] region and the plane in general was somewhat lacking, he still had enough to guess a few things.

Thus, while he feigned some ignorance before Zhu Hu, it wasn't so much as to gain a lot of information but to confirm what he already knew while finding what areas he was still lacking.

Basing himself on the information from [Shoumen] city about the plane and especially the noble families present in the [Great Forest] region, Bai Qi recalled what he surmised and was said to pay attention to or even somewhat participate in:

In the vast Great Forest, noble families held some influence, though not as much as their counterparts in neighboring regions. Their status was determined by their wealth and unique or ancestral cultivation methods, which propelled them into positions of power, albeit weaker than the actual tiered powers. As a result, a fragile balance of alliances and rivalries developed between them and the tiered powers. Both sides sought resources, support, or secret methods from the other.

However, beneath the veneer of stability lay a diversity of aspirations. Some noble families wished for a return to the golden age before the Overlord took control of the region eight hundred years ago. Others dreamed of ascending to the echelons of power enjoyed by the prestigious ten-family region, imagining themselves as overlords with complete authority over their domains and enough combined power to rival all other overlords.

For any discerning cultivator navigating this labyrinth of ambition, the temptation to align with these noble aspirations could be alluring. The promise of rising to new heights of influence and prestige beckoned like a siren's call in the night.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

However, the treacherous currents of political intrigue threatened to crush hopes against the jagged rocks of betrayal. One misstep and the unwary genius, as none other than nobles could accept, could find themselves caught in a web of deceit from which escape seemed impossible. After all, whether a new or old noble family, everyone had rivals and enemies who would never allow any opponent's genius to succeed.

And so, as Deng Guiying had explained, it was equally dangerous to join either camp without being sure. After all, each had something to offer. The only difference was that the nobles were below the official tiered powers, as they weren't part of the region's power system. And yet, as Bai Qi now learned, the Elder had failed to say that even the [Ten Great Families] had actual branch families inside the region, and so, it wasn't just a matter of an internal battle if one chose a backing, but an actual fight between two overlords!

***

Zhu Hu's narrative diverged significantly from the conventional understanding of the plane's history, which Bai Qi learned from various sources, particularly in his elevation of the [Ten Great Families] as the paramount originator of cultivation. According to his account, noble clans and families should be exalted as the true progenitors of cultivation, contrary to the prevailing belief that Sects, Dojos, and Academies were established to disseminate knowledge among the nascent human tribes.

In Zhu Hu's rendition, a select few tribes had obtained the coveted secrets of cultivation from distinct sources, thus laying the foundation for every power within the plane. In the context of the human race, he asserted that everyone, including the so-called [Fake Powers], which should be better only called in tales of escape, defection, or criminality, would trace their lineage back to the revered 14 original human tribes. Among these tribes, only the [Ten Great Families] were deemed legitimate successors, with all other claimants dismissed as mere imposters masquerading as true powers, including the other three great Human factions.

And while he showed favor to the current overlord-tier powers as the [Great Forest Sect] or the [Eternal Sect], or when going far overboard, the [Sky Tear Sect] - the main power of the sect far before the other overlords established themselves - as they indeed were great human powers, Zhu Hu still mentioned that they all should have to pay homage to the nobles stemming from the original 14 tribes, or their current inheritors in what was now the [Ten Great Families] region.

With that difference, it was clear that his words about the noble families that weren't even candidates for tiered powers inside the [Great Forest] region except if they fully submitted as vassals to the Overlord, were far different from [Shoumen] Great Elder's words. And indeed, in Zhu Hu's explanation, while the tiered powers were indeed great, they all depended on the resources and disciples from the dozens of noble families that remained in the region.

Even if some of these nobles were just far-off relatives, at most sharing a surname with the real originators of Martial Arts as the [Ten Great Families], they still were respected and held considerable power.

_______

After giving a shortened explanation about the noble families' situation in the [Great Forest] Region, Zhu Hu arrived at what had made him contact Bai Qi. He had deliberately mentioned that even if weaker than tiered powers, the noble families had wealth and geniuses enough to rival them, as the intentions of the young lady of the local [Sima Family] was to recruit Bai Qi as a proxy for a fight, and Zhu Hu had expanded his explanation as to interest Bai Qi in the ample reward that he would get just for agreeing, what to mention the one for actually winning.

While Bai Qi was interested in accumulating renown and connections, he wasn't so much interested in getting into an unknown situation that already smelled fishy.

Thus, he slowly expressed his doubts, taking the chance to observe the local Sima's young lady's bodyguard expressions.

***

After clearing all the details and suspicions and learning everything that Bai Qi wanted to know, he accepted Zhu Hu's offer, or rather, Sima Yijun's offer. Zhu Hu left after briefing Bai Qi on his task and providing a detailed explanation. As his presence would only be required the next day, Bai Qi decided to finish his tea while talking with Ma Su about her own task, which involved visiting Lan Yanzhi.

However, in the end, their conversation touched upon the [Sima Family] business - Ma Su worried about Bai Qi's getting involved in a conflict between noble families without her present, as the plan was for her to leave as soon as possible.

"Are you sure about getting involved in this dispute? From the looks of it, the local [Sima Family] is fairly weaker than even 4th-tier powers, and while Zhu Hu tooted his horn about their wealth, it's clear that if he's the bodyguard of the lady and one of the strongest cultivators in the family, their resources are scarce at best." In short, in Ma Su's mind, neither the reward nor the connections gained from this task would merit the risk. She hadn't interfered in Bai Qi's decision about the matter, but now, being alone, she questioned him.

"Mmm, you are right, but I accepted it not because I expect much in terms of rewards or the connections this pretty-low noble family can give me. Their relationship with their distant relatives, the [Sima Great Family] is also inexistant, so that's not a reason either." Bai Qi agreed with Ma Su's opinion. But he didn't continue explaining until Ma Su asked.

"Then why? Even if the task isn't so hard for you, considering that the opponent is just a member of the local nobility and his cultivation is just at the 8th level of the Warrior Lord realm, why risk crossing one family for another?"

"What interested me is the disputed item's origin. You may recall that back in the [Void Palace], among the spoils I gathered, there were two pairs of sabers made of [Saint's Alloy]. And now that I learn about a sword of the same material and making is disputed here, I am fairly interested in finding out where it came from and who is the craftsman." Bai Qi explained.

"So, you are interested in the craftsman? Or in the material?" Ma Su was perfectly aware of Bai Qi's achievements as a refiner, so either of these two reasons appeared logical to her.

Seeing him nod twice, confirming that it was actually both, she calmed down, considering it no further. Little did she know that Bai Qi omitted that the sabers had been the weapons of two [Sha Zhu Company] bandits, the same group in which, just a few months ago, Ma Su had been a Vice-leader.

After all, she hadn't recognized the sabers when he showed them during their travels, so she probably didn't know much. Thus Bai Qi decided against ratlting the memories of her previous times to the quickly changing female cultivator.

"Now, with that out, and with this small risk being just one for the sake of curiosity accepted by you," Bai Qi lightly chuckled before turning serious, "I will leave Lan Yanzhi situation entirely up to you. Respect her decision, but if the situation isn't good or she has troubles, either solve them or directly take her away. In less than a month it's the arranged date to meet up with everyone in [Shoumen], and I expect her to be present and with no hidden troubles."

"Understood." Ma Su cupped her hands and bowed before turning around and taking her leave, intending to reach the teleportation formation in the city and move to the [Guanming] city where the [Radiant Orb] martial school was located. She didn't voice her thoughts in the end, knowing how Bai Qi was against her self-enforced vassalage.