Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Pingyang County, Yiyue Hall

When Shangguan Jin Hong received the message from Chai Yu Guan, he was sitting in the council hall enjoying tea.

The message consisted of only one sentence:

"The young masters have added Wuyuetang Gongzi Yu and Liuyuetang Zhuo Donglai, while Ximen Chuixue will be stationed in Pingyang."

Shangguan Jin Hong paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

"Interesting." Shangguan Jin Hong put down his teacup, a slow smile curving his lips.

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, three hundred Dragon Scale Guards were conducting night training. Leading them was a one-armed man; his long sword slashed down, the sound of it cutting through the air like a ghost's wail. Thirty-eight crossbows gleamed a cold blue light in the moonlight; each one was a masterpiece crafted by the Divine Mechanism Pavilion over three years, capable of piercing even a Grandmaster's protective aura.

"Jing Wuming".

"Here." A cold voice came from the shadows, like a blade slicing through stone.

Shangguan Jin Hong didn't turn around: "Send orders to the Yiyue Hall to fully cooperate with the expansion of the Wuyue Hall and Liuyue Hall. Give them whatever they want: territory, manpower, and resources."

"Yes."

Jing Wuming's voice remained flat, just like his expression.

Shangguan Jin Hong turned around, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. Six halls, six powerful figures. Internal competition, external cooperation—this was the rule set by Li Chenzhou, and also Shangguan Jin Hong's favorite method.

Competition is the source of motivation.

He picked up the teacup again and drank it all in one gulp.

Guangling Prefecture City, Eryuetang

Chai Yuguan sat in the accounting room, with a thick set of account books in front of him.

He had already received the news from Gongzi Yu and Zhuo Donglai.

He didn't react much.

He didn't even put down the calligraphy brush in his hand.

For him, having two more or fewer hall masters wouldn't affect his control over the economic lifeline of the Azure Dragon Society. Money, grain, salt, iron, canal transport, and trade routes—these were the real powers, not the realms and titles associated with fighting and killing.

"Master." Dugu Yi's voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of urgency that was barely perceptible. "The people from Fengmanlou have moved again."

Chai Yuguan raised his head and narrowed his eyes.

Like an old fox hearing the hunter's footsteps—not out of fear, but to assess the distance.

"Where?"

"Outside the grain shop in the south of the city."

Chai Yuguan thought for a moment and said calmly, "Don't worry about it. Let them investigate; what they find is what I want them to find."

Dugu Yi remained silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the deeper meaning of those words.

"Yes."

The footsteps faded into the distance.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard..." Chai Yuguan muttered to himself, shaking his head, "You don't even know which way the door of the Eryue Hall faces."

Xunyang Mansion - Puppet Manor

The Carefree Marquis stood in the underground secret chamber.

"Master." The gray-clad man's voice came from outside the door, respectful yet trembling slightly—every time he walked into this corridor, he would be so frightened by the wax figures that his legs would go weak.

Marquis Xiaoyao wiped his hands, picked up a piece of white silk, and carefully wiped away the dust that wasn't actually there between his fingers.

"explain."

"The young master has sent word that two new members have been added: Young Master Yu of the May Hall and Zhuo Donglai of the June Hall."

Marquis Xiaoyao folded the white silk, put it in his sleeve, and turned to walk out of the secret room.

As he walked down the corridor, the wax figures on both sides stared at him—some in terror, some in anger, some in despair, and some in a hysterical grin. Every expression was frozen in time in the wax.

"Understood," he said calmly. "Pass down the order: March Hall will cooperate with May and June Hall's expansion. Provide full support in terms of territory, manpower, and intelligence. But there's one condition—"

He stopped and glanced back at the man in gray.

Those eyes held no emotion, as clean as two dry wells.

"No one is allowed to approach within a thirty-mile radius of Doll Manor. For every one who comes, I'll have another wax figure."

The man in gray shivered. "Yes."

The carefree Marquis re-entered the secret room and closed the door.

He stood in front of the new wax figure, tilted his head and examined it for a while, then suddenly reached out and pushed the corner of the wax figure's mouth upwards.

"This looks much better," he murmured to himself.

Yanmenfu · Siyue Hall

Lei Sun sat in the hall, holding a battle report in his hand.

The battle report arrived by fast horse from the front lines, its edges still stained with blood. The April Hall had further encroached upon the territory of the Iron Blood Hall in two more prefectures; the Iron Blood Hall's defensive line had retreated to the border between Yanmen Prefecture and Wuwei Prefecture. Of the two prefecture commanders, one fled, and the other surrendered.

He simply folded it up and placed it under the single-edged sword on the table, its handle already gleaming from being polished.

"Master." The subordinate strode in from outside the door, knelt on one knee, and said, "Young Master has added the May Hall and the June Hall. The Masters are Young Master Yu and Zhuo Donglai."

"understood."

Whether the new hall master is an asset or a hindrance is irrelevant to him. What matters is the Iron Blood Hall, that juicy piece of meat he's already taken the first bite of, and he'll never let go.

"Pass down the order to continue the advance," Lei Sun said, his voice not loud, but each word seemed to hammer into the ground. "The Iron Blood Hall's envoy is still waiting for the Four Dragon Heads to receive him. While they are still waiting—take over two more prefectures."

"Yes."

After his subordinates left, Lei Sun stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall.

Abandoned post station outside Guangling Prefecture city, several days later

The Netherworld King is still waiting for news.

He was waiting for news that Dongfang Weiwo had left Guangling—as long as that young marquis left, even if he couldn't complete his mission, at least he hadn't taken action, and the Dongfang family wouldn't blame him.

This was a way out he had chosen for himself.

A seemingly respectable but actually pathetic way out.

But after waiting for five days, no news came.

The letter was a secret report, delivered overnight by a spy from the White Lotus Sect. The envelope had an inverted lotus flower drawn on it, indicating that it was urgent.

The Netherworld King opened the envelope, glanced at it, and his face immediately darkened.

"Your Majesty, news has come from Pingyang County—" The spy knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, "Dongfang Wei has not left. He is still at the Zhenfu Division branch, and everything is as usual. He practices his skills, reviews official documents, eats meals, and goes to bed as usual every day. He even went to the market in the south of the city."

The Netherworld King's brows furrowed into a tight knot.

"He didn't leave? What right does he have not to leave?"

He slammed the secret report on the table, stood up, and paced back and forth.

"Hasn't the news already been spread? The White Lotus Sect wants to take his life—anyone who hears this should pack their bags and run away overnight, right? And here he is, strolling through the market?"

The undercover agent cautiously raised his head: "We don't know either. Maybe... he doesn't believe us? Maybe he thinks the White Lotus Sect wouldn't dare touch him?"

The Netherworld King stopped in his tracks and glared fiercely at the hidden stake.

"You think I wouldn't dare to touch him?"

The undercover agent hurriedly kowtowed, "Your subordinate misspoke! That's not what I meant—"

The Netherworld King waved his hand, not pursuing the matter further.

Because he knew that the informant was telling the truth.

He really didn't dare to touch Dongfang Weiwo.

"Your Majesty," the informant asked cautiously, "should we... send a few people to test the waters? We don't necessarily have to actually fight, just scare him a little and make him back down?"

The Netherworld King thought for a moment and then slowly nodded.

"Alright. Send a few Grandmaster-level subordinates down, but don't reveal their identities or actually harm Dongfang Weiwo. Just scare him a little."

"Understood." The undercover agent acknowledged the order, then added, "But... what if he doesn't know what's good for him?"

The Netherworld King remained silent for a moment.

"No," he said, as if trying to convince himself. "A junior like me isn't worth risking my life for."

After the hidden agents withdrew, the Netherworld Dharma King stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards Pingyang County.

As dusk approached, the western clouds hung low, like a crouching beast. He had a feeling that things wouldn't be that simple.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

"never mind."

He muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the empty post station, "A few Grandmasters are enough to scare a junior. As long as I don't take action myself, the Dongfang family won't blame me. At most, I'll lose a few subordinates, but I can just report it as an 'accidental death,' and the sect won't pursue the matter."

He turned and walked back into the depths of the post station, sat down on the dusty futon, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

But I could never calm my mind.

That night, at the third quarter of midnight, three White Lotus Sect assassins at the Grandmaster level quietly infiltrated Pingyang County.