The old Prince, summoning his strength, laid out the strategy for countering the Northern Gang's challenge. The various guild leaders of the city followed his orders, hastily accepting their commands to prepare for a bloody confrontation with the Northern Gang. These local guilds in Qingzhou City boasted anywhere from two to three thousand men, with the largest commanding over ten thousand; mobilizing such large forces was no simple task.

The passage of an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the manor, the sky was gradually brightening—dawn had arrived, the deadline for the Northern Gang's ultimatum. Unexpectedly, however, the Northern Gang did not carry out the massacre they had threatened against any guild that failed to surrender before sunrise.

On the contrary, the entire Qingzhou City was eerily still.

A heavy snow from the previous night had left the air biting cold; as the sun rose, almost no citizens were active in the streets. Aside from the occasional bark of a dog, the chilling quiet was absolute.

The scouts sent out by the local Qingzhou guilds had also detected no unusual movement within the city.

The leaders of these guilds, however, grew uneasy, unable to fathom what the Twenty-two Northern Gangs were plotting. Their entire livelihoods were tied to Qingzhou City, unlike the Northern Gangs who operated elsewhere. If the Northern Gangs disregarded the code of the martial world and started a slaughter in Qingzhou, the local guilds stood to suffer devastating losses.

Just as these leaders were filled with apprehension, the sharp sound of galloping hooves shattered the stillness along the main street.

A burly man in green robes, gripping a bow, rode a swift horse to a spot about a dozen zhang from Prince Liao's manor. He reined in the horse, channeled his inner zhenqi, and shouted towards the mansion: "Northern Gang Protector, Wei Feng, under the command of the Chief Leader, requests an audience with Old Prince Liao. I bear a letter for the Prince's review."

Having spoken, he swiftly retrieved an iron-feathered arrow, already fitted with a rolled-up letter, from his quiver. With a whoosh, the arrow shot through the air, embedding itself deep into the main gate of Prince Liao's manor. The green-robed man then spurred his horse and galloped away.

The four guards bearing sabers at Prince Liao's gate stood frozen, daring not to give chase. These gatekeepers were merely ordinary First-Rate Masters, no match for a Protector of the Northern Gang. The lead guard pulled the iron-feathered arrow from the gate; it had penetrated a solid three cun deep, piercing through the iron plating affixed to the wooden door.

That man just now possessed the power of a Divine Archer; only such immense arm strength could achieve that!

The guard clicked his tongue secretly, removed the letter attached to the shaft, and rushed into the main hall of the manor to present it to the Old Prince. The Protector's loud shout had been audible throughout the entire residence; the guard's words were hardly necessary.

Old Prince Liao took the letter. It contained only a few brief sentences. After reading it, his expression grew grave. He muttered to himself, This old man underestimated the methods of the Northern Gang's Chief Leader. To think he intends to seize Qingzhou City in this manner.

He looked toward the guild leaders assembled in the hall, who were all waiting expectantly.

"The Chief Leader of the Northern Gang, in this letter, has drawn a line in the sand with this Prince. He demands a formal challenge to my Prince Liao's manor."

Old Prince Liao held up the letter, paused for a moment, and continued, "The letter proposes three methods to determine the ownership of Qingzhou City. Method one: The Northern Gang and the Qingzhou City guilds will each send fifty elite masters to engage in a fight to the death at the mass grave on the southern slope outside the city. The victor prevails; the loser surrenders. Method two: Each side establishes strongholds within the city and attacks the other. The side whose stronghold is captured must immediately submit to the other. Method three: An unrestricted free-for-all, where both sides use every means necessary—guild skirmishes, assassinations, poison—until one side can no longer bear the pressure and voluntarily surrenders. The Northern Gang's Chief Leader proposes these three methods and leaves the choice to Prince Liao's manor. You are all men of the martial world—what are your opinions on the three methods proposed by the Northern Gang's Chief Leader?"

The guild masters were stunned. The Northern Gang intended to settle the conflict according to guild rules? This was unexpected and secretly pleased them. Since the Northern Gang wished to proceed by established martial customs, things could be discussed.

Shen Li, the lean, inconspicuous old man who led the Iron Palm Guild, was known among the Qingzhou leaders for his prudence and shrewdness.

He stepped forward and said respectfully, "Old Prince, according to martial custom, the three methods proposed by the Northern Gang's Chief Leader are all legitimate. By offering three options for us to choose, the Northern Gang clearly intends to subdue us Qingzhou guilds using open, honorable martial means. If we refuse, we will likely lose the respect of our men. Although the Northern Twenty-two Gangs offered three conditions, we can practically only choose between the first and the second. The third method, an unrestricted chaotic slaughter, would result in excessive casualties for both sides; I believe it is impractical and unsuitable. As for which to choose, we must request the Old Prince's decision."

The guild masters whispered among themselves, nodding in agreement.

Old Prince Liao sat high upon his seat in the main hall, holding the letter, eyes closed in deep thought.

Method one, the fight to the death, must be ruled out immediately. The four Chief Leaders of the Northern Twenty-two Gangs were all Cultivators. Any one of them entering the fray would be enough to guarantee victory. Prince Liao's manor, however, could not field any Cultivators in response. He himself was in his twilight years, lacking the vitality for such a martial contest. His son refused to leave the Qingyun Daoist Temple to involve himself in these guild affairs, and his grandson, for safety, absolutely needed to leave Qingzhou City and seek refuge elsewhere. If Prince Liao's manor engaged in a fight to the death with the Northern Gang, they were almost certain to lose, so this option was eliminated first.

Method three, mutual destruction, carried too high a cost. The leaders of the Qingzhou guilds would never agree to it. Although martial men were accustomed to facing death, how many guild leaders with vast assets were willing to constantly dance on the edge of a blade?

The only remaining option was, in fact, the second method. That is, each side establishes a stronghold, and whoever loses theirs must voluntarily surrender and submit. This carried the minimum cost, and the casualties among the rank and file would not be excessive. No matter who won or lost, there would still be room to maneuver. Moreover, the local Qingzhou guilds were intimately familiar with the city layout, enjoying the advantage of the terrain, making it easier to defend their own positions. Perhaps there was a slim chance of victory.

"Let us contest the outcome using the second method against the Northern Gang. Please trouble Guild Master Shen to make a trip and convey this Prince's intentions to the Northern Gang's Chief Leader."

Old Prince Liao's face darkened as he spoke slowly.

Shen Li immediately agreed and, taking several trusted experts with him, headed for the Qinghong Inn to seek an audience with the Northern Gang's Chief Leader. For several days now, most of the Northern Gang's experts had been concentrated near the Qinghong Inn, forbidding local Qingzhou guilds from approaching it. Why the Northern Gang chose a single inn as their base of operations within the city confused Shen Li greatly.

However, Shen Li did not concern himself with that. The Northern Gang's Chief Leader intended to replace Prince Liao's manor and control all the various guilds in Qingzhou City, large and small. That was the crucial point.

Shen Li was not inherently against this transition. The Northern Gang replacing Prince Liao merely meant swapping the master overhead. As long as the Iron Palm Guild's influence and territory remained untouched, everything else was negotiable.

He arrived with his confidantes at the Qinghong Inn and politely informed the Northern Gang members guarding the premises that Shen Li requested an audience with the Chief Leader and had words from Old Prince Liao.

The leader guarding the Qinghong Inn was Zhang Rong, the paternal cousin of Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Rong scrutinized the thin old man before him and sneered, "So it is Guild Master Shen of the Iron Palm Guild. I have long admired you. You are not yet qualified to meet the Chief Leader of our Northern Twenty-two Gangs. Tell me, what message does Prince Liao have for the Chief Leader? I can relay it for you."

Shen Li choked slightly, then forced a dry laugh, "Old Prince Liao has decided on the method of establishing strongholds to compete. Our Qingzhou guilds will use Prince Liao's manor as our base. Once the Northern Gang manages to breach the interior of Prince Liao's manor, all of us Qingzhou guilds will surrender. May I ask where your side intends to establish its base?"

Zhang Rong nodded, returned to the Qinghong Inn to seek instructions from Zhang Zhe and the others, and came back after the time it takes to steep half a cup of tea. He pointed behind him towards the Qinghong Inn and said to Shen Li, "The Chief Leader has decided that the Northern Gang will use the compound of this Qinghong Inn as our base. The deadline is six days. The first three days will be for Prince Liao's manor to make the first move, with no limit on numbers. If you possess the ability to assault every courtyard, inside and out, of the Qinghong Inn, our Northern Gang will leave Qingzhou City without another word and never set foot here again. The final three days will be for the Northern Gang to attack Prince Liao's manor. If Prince Liao's manor is defeated, they must withdraw from Qingzhou City, and all local Qingzhou guilds must also surrender."

Shen Li was momentarily stunned and looked towards the Qinghong Inn, knitting his brows. Although the Qinghong Inn was one of the few luxurious inns in the city, it was hardly a place with high walls and deep courtyards, easy to defend and hard to attack. Any side of the inn could be infiltrated. Defending such a place would likely not be easy. Conversely, Prince Liao's manor was a true deep compound, with walls not only tall but incredibly thick, almost comparable to a small fortress. Even mobilizing an army would take considerable time to breach it. The Northern Gang had only occupied the Qinghong Inn for a few days; they likely hadn't had time to set up many traps. On what basis did the Northern Gang speak with such confidence that they could hold the Qinghong Inn?

He asked, "If, after six days, you have failed to conquer Prince Liao's manor, and our Qingzhou guilds have failed to take the Qinghong Inn, what then?"

Zhang Rong smiled disdainfully. "Why ask the obvious? If both sides achieve a stalemate, then Qingzhou City will naturally be divided equally between the Northern Gang and Prince Liao's manor. Prince Liao's manor must yield all territory south of the city."

Shen Li said no more and took his leave.

Qinghong Inn.

Upon receiving Prince Liao's reply that the conflict would be settled by strongholds, the Zhang siblings, along with Fan Jasheng, Old Hei Xia, and the others, felt a surge of pleasant surprise. Zhang Zhe had originally intended to launch a full-scale assault and purge the local Qingzhou guilds. However, he had been persuaded otherwise by Ye Qin.

The chaotic guild warfare in Zhuqi County six years prior still left a deep shadow in Ye Qin's heart. He did not want the succession of old and new powers in Qingzhou City to be excessively bloody. A peaceful transition achieved through simpler means would be best. This strategy of "three choices, one selection" was entirely Ye Qin's idea, which is why the Northern Gang had suddenly changed tactics and taken control of the Qinghong Inn.

"Brother Ye is indeed from the martial world; he grasps the measure needed to handle the Qingzhou guilds perfectly," Zhang Zhe expressed deep admiration. "Regarding the third method, the losses from a guild free-for-all would be too significant, so the guild leaders would certainly reject it. Prince Liao's manor would then choose the first or the second method based on their perceived strength. If Prince Liao's manor felt their strength inadequate for a direct clash, they would choose the second method, immediately falling into Brother Ye's trap. Prince Liao's manor could never imagine that a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator would set up a restricting formation array in the Qinghong Inn. Even if they allowed the Liao family's cultivators to attack aggressively, they wouldn't be able to break through even half a step. In a contest of strongholds, they are doomed to lose." (To be continued. For future developments, please visit www**m for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)