NOVPUBNew Yu Era, year 1322, early September
Three days ago, the news that the Hou Clan had taken the lead in gathering hosts from all the influential martial forces of Hexi’s three prefectures at the Golden Wind and Drizzle Building, collectively deciding to establish the Hexi Prefecture, was not just causing a buzz in Wanyang County. As the conference at the Golden Wind and Drizzle Building came to an end, those returning forces took the news back with them, and almost everyone on the land of Hexi had come to know of it.
In the entirety of Hexi’s three prefectures and twelve counties, with a population of over ten million, there were not just those thirty-five influential forces. In fact, there was an even greater number of common civilians and a significant amount of wandering martial artists.
On the 30th of August, the Holy Church officially captured Wanyang County and simultaneously declared that the reinforcing armies from Longxiang and Yangping prefectures had been completely wiped out, leaving the control of the three prefectures of Hexi in the hands of the Holy Church, and it was no longer a secret.
In the following days, Hou Family Warriors, flying the banner of the Holy Church, frantically hunted down people who previously held positions in the Sword Control Bureau and those related to them in the three prefectures, causing widespread panic and fear. Families felt at risk, fearing ties to the Sword Control Bureau—a stranger’s face becoming too dangerous to approach.
In truth, as long as they had no connection to the Sword Control Bureau, the Hou Clan wouldn’t harm them. But the problem was that without any signs of restraint, the Hou Clan’s excessive hunt for personnel related to the Sword Control Bureau continued for three full days. They couldn’t help worrying that such hunts might become routine, and that the Holy Church’s way of governing the three prefectures of Hexi might continue in this fashion.
Due to these speculations, quite a number of wandering martial artists with financial means and cultivation had already taken their families and left Hexi.
As the saying goes, "It’s hard to leave one’s homeland," but when it comes to surviving for oneself and one’s family, other considerations go out the window.
Fortunately, on the third of September, warriors from the Hou Clan scattered throughout the counties of the three prefectures all returned to Wanyang County. They also issued an announcement stating that the task of hunting down personnel related to the Sword Control Bureau had been completed. Only then did the people of Wanyang County breathe a sigh of relief. Many who were planning to leave decided to wait another couple of days to see which way the wind would blow.
It was at this time that Golden Wind and Drizzle Building publicly announced the upcoming establishment of Hexi Prefecture, which immediately set ablaze the citizens of Wanyang County. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Simply forming Hexi Prefecture wouldn’t have been enough to excite the citizens so much, but what was key was that the Golden Wind and Drizzle Building also disclosed another condition given by the Holy Church to Hexi Prefecture:
The newly established Prefect of Hexi Prefecture would be elected jointly by all influential forces, and all affairs within the prefecture would also be decided by the local people. Outside of establishing the Prison Admin Department and collecting taxes, the Rakshasa Holy Church would not interfere with any affairs within Hexi Prefecture!
If the idea of not being incorporated into Xingnan Prefecture and the new establishment of Hexi Prefecture was already good news for the people of the three prefectures, then this additional condition was a tremendous and unexpected delight.
Whether it was the influential forces of the three prefectures, the wandering martial artists, or the common people, whether motivated by their own interests or by nature, no one liked having someone else ruling over them.
Previously, the three prefectures of Hexi were governed by Xuzhou, which had little authority in this area due to the Tongtian River. Now that Hexi had changed hands and was no longer separated by the Tongtian River, they had anticipated surely being incorporated into Xingnan Prefecture and constrained by its authority. Unexpectedly, the Rakshasa Holy Church still granted them such a great degree of autonomy...
In no time, the citizens of Wanyang County were spreading the news, which, within just a short three days, had become common knowledge throughout the three prefectures of Hexi.
In the center of Wanyang County City, behind the Golden Wind and Drizzle Building, what had been the Sword Control Bureau of the Wanjian Holy Sect now sported the prominent signboard of the Hou Clan. Passersby upon seeing the sign expressed their envy.
In the Golden Wind and Drizzle Building, two slender women, one dressed in grey and the other in blue gowns, were sitting by the window, glancing sideways at the gate of Hou’s residence with eyes carrying a hint of sharpness.
"Thousand-Faced Handsome Man Hou Yuxiao, Zhaoyang’s Demon Scholar Hou Yuduan, these two names—I’ve nearly grown calluses on my ears hearing them in Jinling. Sister, doesn’t the Hou Clan now rule the three prefectures of Hexi?"
The woman in the grey to the side, who had been intently observing the Hou residence, was not annoyed by her sister’s interruption and, nodding slightly, revealed a worried expression. In a soft voice, she said, "Being able to defeat a Great Grandmaster of the Fourth Realm head-on, even if it was truly aided by military formations and blood energy, those Hou Brothers must at least possess the cultivation of a Second Realm Grandmaster. Grandmasters under thirty years old, if mentioned within Holy Lands or top-level major forces, naturally wouldn’t cause such a stir.
But the problem is, these two come from a third-rate force, and according to our investigation, they’ve just advanced to an influential status this year. What’s more, Hou Yuxiao is even the family head of the Hou Clan. This is too bewildering to ponder, and it’s hard not to cause a sensation," she ended with a sigh.
The woman in blue, sensing her sister’s troubled tone after a moment’s thought, inquired softly, "Sister, are you worried that our target this time might be related to the Hou Clan?"
"Isn’t it already related?"
"So far, all the evidence we’ve gathered only suggests that the Hou Clan might have ties to the Qinglong Association’s Fang Jinghong, right? It’s not certain yet, is it?"
Zhu Qing shook her head and whispered: "The Qinglong Association has only shown themselves three times to date. The first was the Third Dragon Head, Fang Jinghong, who killed Tong Long of the Ling Cheng Escort Agency in May this year; then the Second Dragon Head, Fang Longxiang, on July 26th at Shengxin Residence, killing Yan Sannu, the deputy sect master of the Shaying Sect; the third was the commotion during the Rakshasa Festival night in Tongling, which has been confirmed to be orchestrated by the Qinglong Association in collusion with demons."
