Qin promised to provide them with sufficient protection, but his stay in Qingzhou City would be limited to just ten days.

Zhang Zhe, Fan Jiasheng, and Xia Laohei immediately held an urgent consultation to figure out how to best utilize this short window.

Their objective was to bring the entirety of Qingzhou under the control of the Northern Twenty Gangs. Currently, only the northern part of Qingzhou was within their sphere of influence; the city itself was held by a minor immortal cultivation family named the Liao clan.

Zhang Zhe and the others spent considerable effort investigating the background of this family.

The Liao clan had once been glorious; rumor had it that a thousand years ago, they were a major immortal family, boasting a Core Formation cultivator and over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators, once controlling the court politics of the entire Southern Liang Kingdom.

Later, the Lu immortal cultivation family rose in power within the Southern Liang Kingdom. After several fierce struggles, the Liao immortal family was defeated by the Lu family, forcing them to retreat from the Southern Liang capital.

The secular branch of the Lu lineage smoothly assumed the royal status of the Southern Liang Kingdom, replacing the secular branch of the Liao family.

In almost every immortal cultivation family, there is an inherent division between the cultivation members and the secular members. Since not everyone is naturally suited for cultivation, only offspring possessing spiritual roots can enter the cultivation world, while those without must live in the mortal sphere. It has long been a tradition in the Spiritual Mist Cultivation World and its secular counterpart for the secular descendants of a major immortal family to govern the mortal state they inhabit, holding the reins of political power.

Within an immortal family, the cultivation members hold the decisive influence. The stronger the cultivators are, the better life the secular members can maintain. In return, the secular members must dedicate their efforts to serving the interests of the cultivators. A larger secular population also increases the probability of producing cultivators with spiritual roots.

When the Liao clan fell and their Core Formation cultivator was killed, the remaining family members retreated to the borders of Qingzhou, having lost the ambition to contend with the Lu clan, settling for a secluded existence. The Lu clan, having also suffered significant losses in their conflict, decided against further pursuit. They enfeoffed the secular Liao family as the "Outsider Kings" of Qingzhou, granting them authority over the military and political affairs of that single region.

At that time, even though the Liao family was defeated, they still had several Foundation Establishment cultivators alive, qualifying them as a mid-tier immortal family, capable of holding onto Qingzhou.

However, Qingzhou was not a particularly peaceful territory; itinerant cultivators often passed through, leading to frequent disturbances.

The Liao family’s standing within Qingzhou began to falter. Over a century passed, and their remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators died off one by one. They had not produced a cultivator with high spiritual talent in a long time, leading to a decline in successors. No cultivator above the Foundation Establishment stage had emerged since. Only a few Qi Refining cultivators managed a strained existence, barely maintaining control. Despite several challenges from other cultivators, they managed to hold Qingzhou City, but their depleted strength eventually led to a complete collapse.

The Lu family naturally stopped showing deference. The military and political authority over Qingzhou City was reclaimed from the Liao hands.

Now, the secular Liao family held only the empty title of "Outsider King" presiding over Qingzhou, long having lost the actual power to command the local garrisons. They controlled only a few local martial arts gangs, their strength withered to near nothingness. They had devolved into an unremarkable minor immortal family, with only three Qi Refining members barely managing to control the local gang forces within Qingzhou City and struggling against external expansion.

The northern part of Qingzhou now belonged to Zhang Zhe and his three companions. The west, south, and east were being gradually eroded and controlled by seven other low- and mid-tier Qi Refining cultivators. Several of these independent cultivators had established their influence over decades, controlling numerous local gangs.

Because the ten days Ye Qin had offered were too short to eliminate all rivals within Qingzhou in one sweep, Zhang Zhe and the others decided to focus on eradicating the minor Liao immortal family in Qingzhou City first, securing control over the local martial gangs. The other independent cultivators scattered across the prefecture posed less immediate threat; they could deal with them later. Their ambition did not permit swallowing the entirety of Qingzhou’s gang network at once.

With the target selected, Zhang Zhe immediately organized the action plan.

The Qinghong Inn, where Ye Qin was staying, would serve as the temporary headquarters for the Northern Twenty Gangs, with Ye Qin providing an absolutely secure protective barrier. Within a one-mile radius, no other cultivator would be able to enter.

Zhang Zhe dared not ask Ye Qin to lead the charge; therefore, all specific operational tasks would be executed by the Zhang siblings, Fan, Xia, the four of them, along with the top-tier and peerless martial artists of the Northern Twenty Gangs.

If the operation failed, Ye Qin would cover their retreat.

In essence, Ye Qin’s sole role was to provide protection. If everything went smoothly, he would barely need to lift a finger, only intervening if they faltered.

Despite seemingly doing very little, Ye Qin’s presence was critically important. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his mere existence was enough to suppress any Qi Refining cultivator, even an entire minor family.

With Ye Qin's protection, the Zhang siblings, Fan, and Xia felt no need to worry about their safety or the security of their base from sneak attacks, allowing them to concentrate superior manpower against the Liao family within the city.

Conversely, without Ye Qin's safeguard, they would have needed to spend vast sums of wealth and significant manpower, likely over half a year, to establish a truly secure foothold within Qingzhou City before daring to strike at the remnants of the Liao family—and even then, victory would not be guaranteed. The efficiency would likely be far less than what Ye Qin offered.

Thus, the ten days of protection Ye Qin provided, though brief, felt like a gift of charcoal in the snow to the four of them.

Zhang Zhe concluded the operational arrangements and sought Ye Qin’s opinion.

Ye Qin generally agreed with the plan; such an arrangement suited his intentions perfectly. He had no desire to personally engage a small immortal family. Naturally, he felt no significant moral burden regarding this action against the Liao clan. The rise and fall of immortal families were natural occurrences; when one declines, it must yield its territory to emerging powers.

Zhang Zhe and the others’ move against the Liao family in Qingzhou City had long been anticipated. Ye Qin’s involvement merely expedited and stabilized this transition, minimizing the cost for the Zhang clan in taking the city.

After explaining his plan, Zhang Zhe glanced at his sister, Zhang Qiao. Though listening, her thoughts were likely focused mostly on Ye Qin. He looked back at Ye Qin, whose expression was impassive, giving away nothing of his thoughts.

Zhang Zhe sighed inwardly.

One reason he had invited Ye Qin to join them was that with Ye Qin present, taking Qingzhou would be effortless; expanding to neighboring prefectures would also be easy. But the more significant motivation was a "selfish" one: his sister was over twenty, and it was time she found a suitable match. Six years prior, he had intended to betroth her to his cousin, Xu Qing, which was why he brought her to Xian Yuan City. But when Xu Qing callously abandoned her to join an immortal sect, Zhang Zhe completely abandoned that idea and brought Zhang Qiao back to Qingzhou. In the intervening years, no suitable candidate had appeared—someone who was also from a cultivation background, yet whose character was trustworthy. Such people were exceedingly rare.

If Ye Qin could be persuaded to stay, it would solve two problems at once, but that seemed highly improbable.

Zhang Zhe considered it but ultimately gave up on persuading him. Ye Qin was forging a path in the true cultivation world, while they operated in the martial Jianghu—a vast difference separated the two paths.

Asking Ye Qin to abandon the immortal realm for the Jianghu would be forcing the impossible. The only reason Ye Qin agreed to assist them was the connection they forged back in Xian Yuan City. Otherwise, why would a Foundation Establishment cultivator concern himself with trivial matters of the Qingzhou Jianghu?

Zhang Zhe gave a wry smile. “Brother Ye is unwilling to become the supreme leader of our Northern Twenty Gangs, yet you render us such a great service. We have no adequate way to repay you.”

Ye Qin raised a hand and smiled lightly. “You owe me a favor. Perhaps I will call it in one day.”

“If Brother Ye ever needs our services, just say the word!”

“We brothers accept this debt,” Zhang Zhe, Xia Laohei, and Fan Jiasheng said, exchanging serious glances. The Jianghu has its own code of ethics; favors are valued above all else. Knowing Ye Qin’s character, he wouldn’t offer help without reason; there might be a time when they could be of use to him, and they were ready to repay that debt.

Xia Laohei silently added another thought: it wasn't just a favor he owed. He still recalled how Brother Ye had saved him in the Spiritual Mist Canyon when his leg was injured, providing several bottles of antidote. Without those elixirs, he wouldn't just have a leg injury; his cultivation base might have plummeted. Ye Qin hadn't mentioned it, but he would never forget.

Night fell, and a heavy snow began to blanket the Qingzhou territory, turning the entire city stark white. The biting wind was sharp as knives. The streets and alleys were deserted; the city lay in pitch darkness as the common folk huddled under their quilts at home.

Yet, in the central district, within the Liao Royal Residence, the lights burned brightly, refusing to be extinguished all night.

Dozens of martial arts leaders—the heads and elders of over ten major and minor local gangs in Qingzhou City—had gathered in the main assembly hall of the Liao Residence, braving the severe cold for a late-night meeting.

These gang leaders, usually figures of immense prestige in Qingzhou City, stood bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly, eyes fixed pleadingly on Old Lord Liao sitting on the dais, hoping for a single word of guidance to restore their confidence.

But Old Lord Liao, now seventy or eighty with white beard and hair, sat rigidly on the lacquered throne. His face was stone, his eyes dull, and his expression vacant as he stared out at the darkness beyond the residence. His countenance was even gloomier than the snowy night outside.

Without a command from Old Lord Liao, the gang heads and elders dared not speak.

It was common knowledge throughout Qingzhou that the Northern Twenty Gangs were eyeing Qingzhou City, intending to seize it—even the street vendors and local ruffians knew the news.

These local gang leaders were, naturally, even more aware.

Several days prior, the Northern Twenty Gangs had sent nearly a hundred elite martial artists into the city, an act that had already alarmed the local factions. They had been closely monitoring every move of the Northern Twenty Gangs, poised for a confrontation at any moment.

However, engaging the Northern Twenty Gangs required the approval of Old Lord Liao. For centuries, the Liao Royal Residence had been the locus of command for all gangs in the prefecture. In recent years, gangs in some of the outlying counties had openly rebelled and broken free from the Wangfu's control. Factions like the Northern Twenty Gangs, the Southern Gang, the Northern Gang, and the Eastern Gang had established themselves independently, ignoring the Wangfu’s decrees.

Now, only the gangs within Qingzhou City still recognized the Liao Residence as their master. Without an order from the Lord of Liao, they dared not move rashly.

But for some inexplicable reason, the usually hot-tempered Old Lord Liao, who had claimed he intended to crush these rebels, had instead watched those rascals from the Northern Twenty Gangs enter Qingzhou City and openly settle at the Qinghong Inn without giving the order to fight.

Tonight, all the major and minor local gangs in Qingzhou had suddenly received an ultimatum from the Northern Twenty Gangs, delivered in an extremely harsh tone, demanding their surrender. Any gang that did not surrender voluntarily before dawn would see its leadership, from the Fragrance Master upward, massacred.

This news ignited immense fury and terror among the local gang leaders, causing them to gather at the Liao Residence late into the night, demanding that war be declared against the Northern Twenty Gangs.

Yet, Old Lord Liao seemed to be hesitating, perhaps wary of something, refusing to assent. The leaders of Qingzhou’s local gangs felt a deep chill, a coldness in this snowy night that bordered on despair. (To be continued. For the next part of the story, please log in to m for more chapters, supporting the author and genuine reading!)