Ye Qin arrived before the grand mansion. The burly man at the gate looked him over, announcing that he was the self-proclaimed Shi Zong Piao Ba Zi (Key Master) and wished to see their Zong Piao Ba Zi (Head Master).
The twenty guards standing at the gate were all first-rate masters, their internal energy profound and their gazes sharp. Yet, they could not meet Ye Qin’s calm, clear eyes directly, unable to discern his depth in the slightest.
The head guard recalled the great powers of the Zong Piao Ba Zi. Those the Zong Piao Ba Zi associated with were naturally figures akin to immortals, and a sudden chill went through him.
Daring not to delay, he hurried inside the estate to announce the visit. Ye Qin waited outside for only a short while before he saw a beautifully dressed woman, clearly in the attire of a newlywed, emerging from the deep courtyards, accompanied by the head guard.
“Brother Ye, is that you?” The woman’s face broke into a look of pleasant surprise upon seeing Ye Qin, and she rushed forward to greet him. “Little Sister Zhang, it has been several years, are you well?” Ye Qin paused for a moment before reacting, offering a slight bow with a faint smile.
This woman dressed as a bride was precisely Zhang Qiao. The clever and sweet girl he had met years ago in Spirit Mist City was now clad as a new bride, clearly having married.
“Little Sister is very well, Brother Ye. You seem not to have changed at all over these years.” Zhang Qiao’s surprised gaze lingered on Ye Qin’s faintly smiling face, her words caught in her throat.
After a long pause, it turned into a soft sigh. What she was thinking remained unknown.
Ye Qin could naturally sense the complexity within her gaze and sighed faintly himself. The vast difference in lifespan between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Qi Refining cultivator predetermined that they had no fate together.
He could not spend the remainder of his life yearning for a companion. Therefore, he wisely chose silence and avoidance, preventing any excessive affection from blooming.
Zhang Qiao led Ye Qin into the mansion. Along the way, they spoke of the events of the past few years.
Two years prior, under the arrangement of her brother Zhang Zhe, she had married a secular Confucian scholar from Qingzhou. To Ye Qin’s surprise, this man was none other than Liao Wangye Mo Yifan’s registered disciple, Hu Jun, the top scholar of the Southern Liang Kingdom ten years ago.
This man possessed profound learning and exceptional talent, and hailed from an official family in Qingzhou. Shen Jun held great reverence for cultivators, and the couple respected each other like guests, living a relatively happy life.
A cultivator marrying a mortal carried an undertone of condescension. The primary reason for the marriage was to forge an alliance to reconcile the Twenty-Eight Northern Gangs with the Liao Wangye’s Mansion, allowing Zhang Zhe to control the territory within Qingzhou City.
After defeating several rogue cultivator factions in Qingzhou, they established the Qingzhou Gang, governing all major and minor martial arts organizations in Qingzhou. The Qingzhou Gang was now considered a dominant local power within the martial world of the Southern Liang Kingdom.
Ye Qin gave a slight nod. Shen Jun was someone he had met once; his character was quite decent.
Although he was a mortal scholar, to be able to minimize entanglement in the conflicts of the cultivation world was perhaps a blessing. Zhang Zhe marrying his sister to a mortal likely meant he wished to avoid further involvement in cultivation world disputes.
Zhang Qiao led Ye Qin to a separate courtyard within the estate. Zhang Zhe, Fan Jiasheng, Old Black Xia, and others were seated on stone chairs in the courtyard, deep in discussion, their faces etched with worry.
Upon seeing Zhang Qiao and Ye Qin enter the courtyard, they were overjoyed and quickly stood to greet them with clasped fists. “Ah, Brother Ye has arrived!” “Brother Ye, years apart, we brothers missed you terribly!” “Haha, I wondered why the magpies on the trees kept chattering this morning—turns out Brother Ye was coming!
Brother Ye, where have you been all these years? Why haven't you visited your brothers in so long?” “Heh heh, I took a trip to the Northern Qi Kingdom and only just returned to Immortal Fate City a few days ago.
I’m in the Southern Liang Kingdom on some business and decided to pay my respects to a few brothers. Why the long faces just now?
Have you run into trouble?” Ye Qin quickly noticed the trace of melancholy lingering in their eyes despite their excitement and inquired. Trouble in the cultivation world could be a catastrophe for Qi Refining cultivators, but hardly anything for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As long as it wasn't too serious, he would not refuse to offer assistance. Zhang Zhe sighed heavily.
“Brother Ye, it’s nothing else, just the anxiety over the great turmoil in the cultivation world. For several years now, wars have erupted in the two major cultivation realms, with cultivators from various sides fighting fiercely over territory.
The situation grows tenser by the day. More and more fleeing cultivators are appearing near Spirit Mist City.
Low-level cultivators like us can only temporarily avoid the storm. Brother Fan and I, along with Brother Xia, have been discussing countermeasures, but no matter how much we ponder, we cannot make a decision.
It’s fortuitous that Brother Ye has arrived; perhaps you can help us decide. What are your thoughts on how to proceed?” Ye Qin smiled and asked.
He should have foreseen the wide reach of the great cultivation world wars. Qingzhou, this remote corner of the Southern Liang Kingdom, would inevitably be affected.
They needed to prepare early to avoid being caught off guard later. Zhang Zhe continued, “We have discussed two options.
Brother Fan believes we should abandon our territory in Qingzhou and flee directly to Spirit Mist City for refuge. Brother Xia argues we should remain in the Southern Liang Kingdom and continue to manage the territory we worked so hard to establish, making a decision based on how the situation evolves.
But neither opinion can lead to a final decision.” “And what is your opinion?” Ye Qin asked. Zhang Zhe replied, “My view is that we can pursue both paths simultaneously.
We stay in the Southern Liang Kingdom for now, while preparing a residence in Spirit Mist City. If the situation deteriorates, and cultivators from Sky Vault Plain or Ten Thousand Moon Lake arrive in the Southern Liang Kingdom, we will immediately flee to Spirit Mist City.
After all, it’s only a few hundred li from here to Spirit Mist City, a short journey to reach it. I’ve already arranged for my sister to travel to Spirit Mist City during this time to prepare a residence there.” “That sounds excellent.
Why can’t you decide then?” Ye Qin was puzzled. Even he would have done the same.
Zhang Zhe sighed bitterly, “The real problem lies with the Lu family.” “What about the Lu family?” Ye Qin asked with confusion. Zhang Zhe continued to explain bitterly, “The Lu Clan is the only great cultivation family in the entire Southern Liang Kingdom, and they are the rulers here.
Any force at the Prefecture or County level within the Southern Liang Kingdom must pay tribute to the Lu family. Two years ago, when I replaced the Liao Wangye’s Mansion and became the hegemon of Qingzhou, the Southern Liang Lu family did not make trouble for us; they tacitly approved my takeover from the Liao clan.
However, from that year onward, I had to substitute the Liao Wangye’s Mansion in paying an annual tribute of spirit materials to the Lu family in exchange for their protection. The problem is right here.
If I abandon Qingzhou now and flee to Spirit Mist City, I can avoid this massive year-end tribute. We would retain much more wealth.
But if we stay in the Southern Liang Kingdom, the year-end tribute is unavoidable. If we pay the tribute only for cultivators from Sky Vault Plain to slaughter us afterward, it would be disastrous.” Ye Qin listened carefully, thought for a moment, and asked, “How much do you have to pay the Lu family every year?” Zhang Zhe replied, “The annual tribute to the Lu family consumes at least half of the Qingzhou Gang’s income.
Whether we stay or go directly concerns whether we must pay this year’s tribute or not.” Ye Qin’s mouth gaped in surprise. “That much?
That rate is a bit too high, isn't it?” Zhang Zhe was extremely helpless. “The Southern Liang Kingdom belongs to the Lu family; no one dares defy the rules set by the Lu family.
If we don't pay tribute to them, we simply cannot establish ourselves in the Southern Liang Kingdom.” He paused. “Brother Ye, which of these two ideas do you think is better?” Fan Jiasheng and Old Black Xia both looked toward Ye Qin, eagerly awaiting his decision.
Ye Qin pondered for a while. The great wars in the major cultivation realms are very strange.
He was unclear about the attitude of the high-ranking members of the Spirit Mist cultivation world’s sects. However, one thing was clear: the sects of Sky Vault Plain and Ten Thousand Moon Lake were attacking fiercely, while the cultivation sects of the Spirit Mist Realm had yet to organize any large-scale counterattack, instead amassing troops in Spirit Mist City.
It seemed the main battlefield would be around Spirit Mist City. If the great cultivation world was to engage in a large war, the main theater of operations would likely be Spirit Mist City.
The Southern Liang Kingdom bordered the edge of Spirit Mist City. The fighting here would surely be the most intense, and this area would definitely suffer immense destruction.
He estimated that within one or two years, the fighting would reach the Southern Liang Kingdom area. It would be better to evacuate the Southern Liang Kingdom for Spirit Mist City before the end of this year, saving a large sum intended for the tribute to the Lu family,” Ye Qin stated after thinking it through clearly.
After careful consideration, Zhang Zhe finally made up his mind. “Since Brother Ye also advocates for withdrawal, let’s proceed this way.
We have accumulated some wealth over the years; we will purchase a residence in Spirit Mist City and transfer over as much as possible. By the way, Brother Ye, what business brings you to the Southern Liang Kingdom this time?” Ye Qin smiled.
“Indeed, I have an important matter to attend to in the Southern Liang Kingdom, intending to pay a visit to Lu Family Fortress. I know very little about the Lu family and was hoping to ask you few local experts to clarify the situation there—the more detailed, the better.” “Lu Family Fortress?” Zhang Zhe, Fan Jiasheng, and Old Black Xia exchanged glances, deeply surprised.
As cultivators native to the Southern Liang Kingdom who frequently dealt with the Lu family, they knew a lot about them. Lu Family Fortress was not an easy place to visit.
Except for the annual tribute, they rarely went there. They explained the situation of Lu Family Fortress to Ye Qin.
A thousand years ago, the Lu Clan was merely a small cultivation family in a remote prefecture of the Southern Liang Kingdom, Ningzhou. Later, the Lu family mysteriously rose to prominence, defeating the original hegemons, the Liao Clan.
Especially now that the Lu family had produced an exceptionally talented cultivator, Lu Zhangyou, who entered the premier sect of the Spirit Mist cultivation world, the Ancient Artifact Sect, and later became a Core Formation Ancestor of the sect, with his power ranking first. The Southern Liang Kingdom subsequently became the exclusive domain of the Lu family.
The Southern Liang Kingdom had dozens of prefectures, but the Lu family only operated in a few resource-rich prefectures. The other prefectures were too poor, and the Lu family did not wish to expend the energy managing them, allowing weaker cultivator forces like Zhang Zhe’s to govern, provided they paid the annual tribute.
Ningzhou, the location of Lu Family Fortress, was the Lu family’s ancestral land and the prefecture where their power was most deeply rooted. No other cultivation family or rogue cultivator faction dared to intrude there.
After all, a family possessing a Core Formation cultivator and holding strong ties with the Ancient Artifact Sect was not someone easily offended. “Brother Fan has taken the tribute wealth to Lu Family Fortress twice and is somewhat familiar with the situation there.
Perhaps Brother Fan can accompany you on your visit to Lu Family Fortress,” Zhang Zhe suggested. “No need.
It will be more convenient for me to go alone,” Ye Qin refused, shaking his head. His current endeavor to seize the spiritual fruit was extremely dangerous.
If any accidents occurred at Lu Family Fortress, or if he ended up fighting and killing Lu family cultivators, it might implicate them, which would be inappropriate. Going alone would grant him fewer reservations.