Second update, seeking subscriptions and monthly passes~~~

...

Old Master Lei had not anticipated that a young man like Qin Fang would be so assertive. Faced with a Level 8 Grandmaster like himself, and many Grandmaster-level experts, the young man still dared to directly press for a palace coup…...

"What a recklessly courageous kid!"

Although their current positions were different, this did not prevent Old Master Lei from forming his opinion of Qin Fang, summarized in just four words—recklessly courageous.

Indeed, those who practiced martial arts were often too rigid and easily broken… Many have been ruined by this trait.

Yet, on the path of the Martial Way, it was exactly this kind of stubbornness, straightforwardness, foolish bravado, and the momentum of a calf not fearing a tiger that were most needed.

In the Martial World, Level 8 Grandmasters were few and far between. Facing such powerful opponents, just the aura they exuded could make the legs of lesser, young experts go weak. The oppression of such differences in level was truly terrifying.

Yet Qin Fang still pressed for a coup. Indeed, the four words "recklessly courageous" were very fitting.

"Although I am the head of the Lei Family, the affairs of the Lei Family have always been decided through collective wisdom and effort. Since you feel that our Lei Family has acted somewhat dishonorably in this matter, I think it's best to let everyone state their opinion…"

Old Master Lei had lived a long life, and his shrewdness far surpassed that of Qin Fang. Qin Fang was plotting a coup, yet little did he expect the old master to sidestep the issue with a simple Tai Chi maneuver, deflecting it with ease.

"What collective wisdom and effort... Such an old fox!"

Qin Fang couldn't help but silently despise Old Master Lei in his heart. He knew quite a bit about the affairs of the Lei Family, partly from what his master, Cai Pingyuan, had told him and partly from what he heard from Tiger Lei.

The Lei Family had established themselves through martial prowess, and each Family Head had always been the strongest expert among them, except in certain special cases, such as a consensus of popular support…

But such special cases were rare, almost negligible.

Old Master Lei's strength had reached the Level 8 Grandmaster, and there were not many in the Martial World who could rival him. The Lei Family certainly had many experts; there were several at Level 6 Grandmaster, and even one at Level 7 Grandmaster. But there was only one Level 8 Grandmaster—Old Master Lei himself—solidifying his absolute authority in the Lei Family.

Regarding this engagement, if Old Master Lei did not also have some personal interest in the matter, how could Lei Peng dare to be so impudent? With just one word from Old Master Lei to cancel the engagement, Lei Peng would surely calm down immediately, even with the support of the Heavenly Pool Sect!

Yet Old Master Lei remained silent, clearly intending to take advantage of the situation for the benefit of his grandson and the Lei Family.

Now that Qin Fang had crippled Lei Peng, all their plans had fallen apart, and Old Master Lei found it difficult to say much. Basically, it was time for him to speak up.

As for the talk of collective decision-making, that was nothing but an excuse. However, Qin Fang really had no good way to counter such an excuse. He couldn't very well tear his face off with Old Master Lei, as that would truly do him no good.

One thing Qin Fang had to admit was that Old Master Lei's demeanor was impeccable. He was being so aggressively challenged by a younger generation, yet there was still a faint smile on his face, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

"Let's all talk about it…"

Old Master Lei waved his hand magnanimously, as if very democratically asking for the members of the Lei Family to express their own opinions, and at the end, he would recognize the choice of the majority.

"Dad, the Lei and Cai families have been close for nearly a hundred years. The Cai Family is now in decline, with just this lone heir left. It's understandable that Uncle Master Cai would make such an arrangement at the end of his life…"

"Third Uncle, Brother Four is right. I think we should let this matter go…"

"Yes, it's just not worth it to harm the nearly century-long relationship between our two families over such a trivial matter…"

"Young people nowadays are not like us back then. They care about love and freedom. This girl from the Cai Family and Peng'er have barely met twice, and yet we are talking about marriage. It really is too hasty…"

With the situation coming to this point, Qin Fang's previous interactions with Tiger Lei were finally paying off. Although the old master had not made his stance clear, his intentions had been understood by the people of the Lei Family.

With Qin Fang pressuring for a coup, and it being inappropriate for the old master to express his opinion, naturally, the members of the Lei Family would state it on his behalf, and most of them were against Lei Peng, constituting a vast majority. Even if there were a few people against canceling the engagement, they couldn't make much of a wave.

Sure enough, with everyone adding their voices one after another, a very clear result soon emerged—more people were leaning toward canceling the engagement…...

"Well then, since everyone feels that this engagement has affected the nearly hundred-year relationship between our Lei and Cai families, I now declare..."

This outcome was within expectations, and Old Master Lei's expression revealed nothing as he immediately acceded to the consensus, preparing to announce this final decision.

At this point, Qin Fang and Cai Qing finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief, as the heavy stone that had been weighing on their hearts could now be somewhat eased.

"Hold on..."

But pivotal moments rarely go smoothly. Just as Old Master Lei was about to agree to dissolve the engagement, someone immediately spoke up.

"Elder Lei, to preserve the family legacy, this request from nephew Qin is indeed reasonable. However, this marriage engagement was agreed upon by you and Master Cai, and although it now lacks legal effect, we, being part of the Martial World, absolutely cannot just cancel it on a whim..."

The speaker was, of course, Shangguan Tianling. The main orchestrators of this incident were him and his nephew Lei Peng, and now that Lei Peng had fallen, having been taken down by Qin Fang, it was impossible for Shangguan to feel at ease.

What he could not accept even more was the fact that Qin Fang was clearly blackmailing the Lei Family, but looking at Old Master Lei's intention, it seemed he was clearly ready to agree to Qin Fang's proposal to dissolve the engagement, which was obviously something Shangguan could not tolerate.

Consequently, Shangguan Tianling's eyes flickered, and he immediately came up with a plan.

"Furthermore, if this marriage engagement weren't confirmed, then naturally, Peng'er's marriage would be under your authority, Old Master... But this engagement has been set for over twenty years, and has already become an established fact. It is not merely the Lei Family's affair anymore, and as Peng'er's uncle, I think I should have a say in this matter, shouldn't I?"

At these words, the expressions of those present subtly changed.

Perhaps Qin Fang's coercion had made the Lei Family members quite unhappy, but similarly, many within the Lei Family were not pleased to watch Lei Peng take this step.

In a family as large as the Lei Family, only one person can finally ascend to the position of Family Head. Now that the Seven Tigers of the Lei Family were of comparable strength, all hovering around Level 5, whoever could take this step would then be closer to the position of Family Head.

Those who supported Lei Peng were naturally from his own branch of the family, but the other branches were clearly unlikely to agree. They would rather see Lei Peng sink down and leave the battle for headship for good.

But the words of Shangguan Tianling made them quite displeased; after all, the engagement between Lei Peng and Cai Qing was still a family affair of the Lei Family. Yet with Shangguan's words, it was as if he was trying to pull Lei Peng out of the Lei Family, recommending the Heavenly Pool Sect as a backer to renegotiate the matter.

However, while Qin Fang could take advantage of the discord within the Lei Family to force their hand, involving the Heavenly Pool Sect meant that he would not have the capacity to affect the situation.

Old Master Lei asking for everyone's stance essentially revealed the expected outcome; if there would be any complications, they would surely come from Shangguan Tianling.

Tiger Lei and Qin Fang had an agreement beforehand; Tiger would only ask for the Lei Family's help at such a moment, but clearly, Shangguan Tianling was not someone he could influence.

Cai Qing, whose tension had just eased, suddenly tensed up again upon hearing Shangguan Tianling. She knew something of his identity, especially his relationship as Lei Peng's uncle, which was quite worrisome for her.

At such a moment, she felt utterly incapable of handling it alone; Qin Fang became her only source of support. The hand holding Qin Fang's arm could not help but tighten, betraying her nervousness.

"It's okay, I'm here..."

Qin Fang gently patted Cai Qing's arm, signaling her to stay calm, offering also his gentle reassurance.

That Shangguan Tianling would oppose him was expected by Qin Fang. The reason he had not erupted in anger earlier was obviously because he was concerned about Lei Peng's safety.

But now that the Lei Family was about to announce the dissolution of the engagement, it was, of course, something Shangguan was unwilling to see and he immediately stood up to express his opposition.

And to be honest, Shangguan Tianling was not a simple character; he hit the nail on the head right away. Although the reasoning he used was a bit far-fetched, it was indeed plausible.

An external nephew's marriage is a big deal for an uncle, so Shangguan Tianling asserting he had a say in this marriage matter was not something Qin Fang could dispute.

Since Qin Fang had foreseen Shangguan Tianling's attempt to disrupt, he naturally could not be unprepared. After momentarily settling Cai Qing to one side, Qin Fang calmly approached Shangguan Tianling.

"Mr. Shangguan, what you've said is indeed logical. This marriage may indeed have some relation with the Heavenly Pool Sect, but that's mainly with regards to your Shangguan Family alone..."

This point was also logical. Although the Shangguan Family was an important family within the Heavenly Pool Sect, they could not entirely represent the sect.

"Initially, I really should not be so opposed to this marriage. Brother Lei Peng can be considered a young hero of his time, and matching my master sister would indeed be considered an equal and fitting match..."

Qin Fang's words stunned many, including Cai Qing, who was somewhat confused about whether Qin Fang was "switching sides."

"However, upon arriving in Capital City, I accidentally discovered something that made me have to oppose this marriage..."(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.