Chapter 257

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As expected, Ying Fei was just as unimpressive as he had imagined. He was instantly shocked and exclaimed: “Nan Fengyun? Are you Nan Fengyun’s disciple? My apologies, my apologies!”

Qiu Xidao heard this and smiled. He opened his folding fan and fanned himself leisurely, thinking to himself, Now you understand how formidable this young master is, don’t you? Hurry up and apologize. Considering that you’re here to celebrate Master Ma’s birthday, I’ll give you some face. Hmph, but if, when the time comes, you present gifts to the old master and don’t include me, this young master will make sure you regret it.

However, Ying Fei suddenly changed his tone and said: “But, Young Master, if I recall correctly, the leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance is Zhang San, isn’t he? How is it that there are suddenly nine alliance leaders? And isn’t this Nan Fengyun the lowest-ranked among the eight deputy leaders?”

Qiu Xidao’s face flushed red. Ying Fei wasn’t wrong. What he had said earlier wasn’t wrong either—ordinarily, no one would refute such words. Giving face to others without spending a single coin of his own, who wouldn’t be happy to do so? But now that Ying Fei had pointed it out so plainly, Qiu Xidao’s face was immediately thrown to the ground. Yet, he couldn’t refute it. The leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance was indeed Zhang San, a name so common it couldn’t be more common—hmph, even more ordinary than Zhang Xiaohua’s name! The others were all deputy leaders, and Nan Fengyun was indeed ranked last among the eight deputy leaders. But even if he was the lowest among them, he was still a towering figure in the martial world!

Qiu Xidao, both embarrassed and furious, snapped: “You there, this is the martial world! Since the Ma Residence exists within the martial world, then it naturally follows its rules. The Heaven’s Way Alliance holds a prestigious position in the martial world—how could I not have the right to speak in the Ma Residence?”

His anger made him a little hysterical, causing him to fall right into Ying Fei’s trap. In truth, as the legitimate grandson-in-law of the Ma family, he naturally had the right to speak. But he had always taken pride in being a disciple of the Heaven’s Way Alliance, never even considering his status as the Ma family’s grandson-in-law. So now, instead of relying on his rightful identity, he had foolishly argued from the perspective of his sect.

Seeing Qiu Xidao fall into his trap, Ying Fei chuckled and said: “The martial world belongs to martial artists, not the Heaven’s Way Alliance. Likewise, the Ma family is the Ma family, not the Heaven’s Way Alliance. What right do you have to speak here?”

Qiu Xidao grew even angrier and roared: “If my Heaven’s Way Alliance has no right, then who do you think you are? What gives you the right to speak here? This young master even gifted a fully matured ginseng—what have you offered as a birthday tribute?”

At the entrance of the Ma Residence, the two continued their war of words. Though they had said quite a bit, only a brief moment had passed before Old Master Ma finally arrived, fashionably late. In truth, it wasn’t that he had deliberately delayed his arrival. He had been accompanying Qiu Xidao in the courtyard, admiring the chrysanthemums and trying to guess his intentions. However, just as they were conversing, Qiu Xidao had suddenly bolted from the courtyard like a streak of lightning, leaving the elderly man standing in front of the chrysanthemum terrace, baffled. What did I just say that made my dear grandson-in-law so flustered? Or does he have some urgent matter to attend to? After all, when nature calls, even the most pressing matters must wait!

By the time Ma Rulong arrived at the entrance, he had not yet stepped outside when he overheard someone arguing with his precious grandson-in-law. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. Who in this residence doesn’t know Qiu Xidao’s place in my heart? Who would dare act unruly in front of me? Could it be one of the guests here to celebrate my birthday?

He had already made up his mind—if the offender turned out to be an unimportant guest, he would make sure they paid the price!

But the moment he stepped outside, he was instantly stunned. His gaze did not fall on his beloved grandson-in-law, whom he usually admired, but instead landed on Qin Shiyue’s silver hair. It was as though that silver hair was a priceless treasure, making it impossible for him to look away.

Ma Rulong had never met Qin Shiyue before, but Ying Fei had visited a few times, and aside from Ying Fei, the person he was most familiar with from the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult was Qin Shiyue. Ying Fei often mentioned that striking silver hair—so why was he here now? Wasn’t it still some time before their scheduled meeting?

Ma Rulong hurried forward and sternly reprimanded: “Xidao, don’t be rude!”

Hearing Ma Rulong’s rebuke, Qiu Xidao was taken aback and somewhat displeased. However, he was no fool—he knew when to hold back. Quickly stepping aside, he waited for Ma Rulong’s explanation. Let’s see what kind of figure this Qin Shiyue and Ying Fei really are!

Sure enough, Ma Rulong addressed Qin Shiyue with great politeness, saying: “This is Qin Shiyue, Qin Daren, a renowned figure in the martial world. You must not offend him.”

Then, Ma Rulong gave Qin Shiyue a deep bow and said, “I was unaware of Qin Daren’s arrival and failed to personally greet you at the gate. That was discourteous of me. I ask for your understanding.”

Qiu Xidao wasn’t a fool. Seeing this, he immediately understood that Qin Shiyue must be someone important. However, Ma Rulong’s introduction was rather vague—he simply called him ‘Qin Daren’ without specifying his affiliation. A title like ‘Daren’… could he be an official? Looking at the attire of Qin Shiyue and his companions, Qiu Xidao became even more convinced of his assumption. Moreover, in recent years, Ma Rulong had been considering retirement due to his age, and there had indeed been signs of him establishing connections with officials. If someone from the government had come to congratulate him on his birthday, it would certainly make sense.

Yes, that must be it! Coming empty-handed yet leaving with full sleeves—this has been the way of officials since ancient times!

Upon thinking this, Qiu Xidao couldn’t help but feel a sense of disdain. I am a direct disciple of the Heaven’s Way Alliance. Even if it’s the government, ordinary officials are hardly worth comparing to me! And as for Ma Rulong, what kind of high-ranking official could he possibly be acquainted with? Thus, Qiu Xidao stepped forward and cupped his fists, saying: “I wonder under which esteemed official Brother Qin serves? If we are acquaintances, it would be good to make introductions so that we can all get to know each other. As for the matter of the whip earlier, it can easily be settled.”

Ma Rulong immediately realized that Qiu Xidao had completely misunderstood the situation. Qin Shiyue’s identity was not something that could be openly discussed in front of so many people. This kid is usually quite clever, so why is he causing me trouble today? But Qiu Xidao wasn’t just his grandson-in-law; he also represented the Heaven’s Way Alliance. If they were in the privacy of the residence, he could have scolded him outright. However, in front of so many people, he had to give him some face. Hurriedly, Ma Rulong grabbed Qiu Xidao’s sleeve again and said: “Xidao, why won’t you listen to your grandfather? Mind your manners and apologize to Qin Daren at once!”

He deliberately emphasized the word “grandfather”, hoping that Qiu Xidao would recognize his deeper meaning. Yet, whether it was because his mind was clouded or he had simply gotten stuck in his own train of thought, Qiu Xidao only had one notion in his head: He’s just some government official—what can he do to me?

Smiling, he turned to Ma Rulong and said: “Grandfather, you should know that when I was in the Heaven’s Way Alliance, I often came across these types—people with empty words and greedy hands. If you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. It’s better to teach them a lesson right away and snuff out any future trouble. Besides, rest assured, Grandfather. The Heaven’s Way Alliance has connections with some highly ranked officials. There’s no need to fear these idle people. Furthermore, he dodged my whip just now—I should have a word with his superiors so they understand that even the Horse King has three eyes!”

[TL_Note: The phrase “馬王爺有三隻眼” (“Horse King has three eyes”) is a reference to Horse King (馬王爺), a mythical or folk deity figure in Chinese culture, often depicted as having a third eye. In this context, it suggests that the authorities (官府) or someone powerful is watching everything and cannot be deceived.]

Ma Rulong was utterly helpless. Aren’t you just making things worse with your so-called good intentions? Even if Qin Shiyue were from the government, ‘A county magistrate is not as powerful as the one in charge right now’. Qiu Xidao’s connections might reach high-ranking officials, but those officials sat far away in lofty halls. Why would they care about a tiny place like Xinji Town? And with Qin Shiyue’s temperament, snatching away a mere horsewhip was the least of his concerns. If he wanted to take Qiu Xidao’s life, it would be as easy as lifting a finger.

Yet, Ma Rulong absolutely could not reveal Qin Shiyue’s identity!

And why was that? If he couldn’t say it aloud, couldn’t he just whisper it to Qiu Xidao? Why did it have to be so difficult?

The truth was, despite Ma Rulong’s standing in the Jianghu, he hadn’t truly caught the Heaven’s Way Alliance’s attention before. The only reason they valued him now was his connection to the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult. The Heaven’s Way Alliance wanted to pull him over to their side and extract information about the cult. Qiu Xidao’s visit to the Ma residence was precisely for that purpose. But now, Qin Shiyue had arrived early, causing these two factions to cross paths head-on.

Although Ma Rulong leaned toward the Heaven’s Way Alliance, he didn’t want to outright antagonize the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult—not before he was fully prepared. If he openly told Qiu Xidao—whether loudly or in a whisper— with who Qin Shiyue was, that would be as good as declaring to Qin Shiyue: I, Ma Rulong, am working with the Heaven’s Way Alliance.

If he does not say anything, then his relationship with the Heaven’s Way Alliance can be explained as: My granddaughter and a direct disciple of the Heaven’s Way Alliance are deeply in love and have married—this is the will of heaven. I do not have much of a connection with the Heaven’s Way Alliance. My relationship with Qiu Xidao is purely a personal family connection and has nothing to do with his sect.

For Ma Rulong to weigh all these complexities so clearly in just a moment spoke volumes about his wisdom despite his age. But the clearer he saw the situation, the more troubled he felt. Who would have thought that my two backers would end up confronting each other like this? If only one had arrived before the other! Then I could have pulled Qiu Xidao aside and told him—this is the very person of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult your master warned you about, the one even I tread carefully around. Now get lost and stop making a mess here!

Seeing Qin Shiyue’s smile deepen while Ying Fei’s face turned icy, Ma Rulong panicked. Without further hesitation, he seized Qiu Xidao’s clothes and shouted: “Someone, escort Young Master Qiu to the main hall for tea!”

The household attendants, who had been waiting on standby, immediately stepped forward. Half-supporting and half-dragging, they pulled Qiu Xidao into the Ma Residence. Qiu Xidao, still thinking that Ma Rulong was afraid of the government officials, turned back as he walked and called out: “Grandfather, you don’t need to be scared of them! They’re just paper tigers! Later, I’ll introduce you to some high-ranking officials—I guarantee they’ll back you up!”

Ma Rulong forced a bitter smile and pretended not to hear. He stepped forward, bowing deeply once more and saying, “I beg Lord Qin and Lord Ying’s forgiveness. The child has been spoiled and doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. This old man apologizes to the two of you on his behalf.”

Ying Fei turned around and looked at Qin Shiyue, only to see that Qin Shiyue’s expression remained as usual, with just a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. Then he said: “Old Ma, you’re quite lucky—you’ve found yourself a grandson-in-law from Heaven’s Way Alliance. You’ll have someone to rely on in your old age!”

The words carried a double meaning, sending chills down Ma Rulong’s spine.