Chapter 68: Expansion, Omen

"But who should be notified first?"

At this moment, Bai Tong stroked their whiskers slightly, a hint of difficulty in their eyes.

Those elders had all greeted them.

One misstep could offend someone.

"Forget it, other masters can be forgiven, but that Demon Star cannot be provoked; if she finds out that the main list has a disciple appear without informing her, she might come looking for trouble and have me hung up…"

Bai Tong felt a sudden chill, then a strand of spiritual light condensed in their hand, transforming into a spirit that flew deep into the foothills of Divine Mountain.

In an instant, Bai Tong shifted their gaze, then sealed another spiritual imprint with a different frequency in their hand; moments later they notified another immortal peak deep within Divine Mountain.

……

Fengyang Commandery inside and out underwent a baptism of heavy rain, as if renewed; the city no longer bore the desolate air of sunset over western hills, but instead teemed with vitality.

The refugees gathered from all directions on the streets were no longer lethargically piled up awaiting death's arrival; instead, they wore hopeful looks, anticipating the coming year.

After the heavy rain, they had already begun, in twos and threes, to plan their return to their hometowns and resume farming.

Many refugees strained to scrape together travel funds, when suddenly news arrived.

The three great clans of Fengyang Commandery joined with the other large and small families of the commandery to simultaneously open their granaries, opening warehouses to donate grain and supplies to aid the refugees in returning home, instantly drawing the attention of countless refugees.

Before each granary, crowds swelled to overflowing in an instant.

In front of the Zhang family's granary, at this moment Zhang Lu and Hu Shan were loudly calling out, simultaneously greeting their companions to maintain order, while inside the granary Zhang Jian was busy opening one large hemp rice sack after another; the Zhang family's retainers took out rice scoops and were distributing rations to the queuing populace.

"My lord, there are far too many people; relying solely on giving out grain, even if we emptied the granary's stores, it would probably still not be enough!"

Gazing at the rapidly dwindling mountain of rice inside the granary, Zhang Lu's face showed a pang of distress.

As his stature grew, his physique increasingly resembled that of his father Zhang Hu—broad and sturdy, with a tiger's back and bear's waist, his height shooting up even faster than Zhang Jian's.

This bookboy is more like a thug!

"Mid-autumn is upon us, and new rice will soon arrive, but this method is truly inefficient; moreover, even if they make it back home, they may not survive the harsh winter months!"

Zhang Jian furrowed his brow slightly.

But he knew the Zhang family had already done their utmost.

Any further exertion would damage their vital energy, affecting the Zhang family's overall situation.

"Like this: later I'll write a letter, and you have Xiao Xie rush it back. Our Zhang family isn't just planning to reopen the water-mill workshop in the commandery city; we also need labor for the blacksmith's shop and the sword shop."

"Also, we could have Father contact the maternal grandfather to see if we can reopen road repairs and embankment work as relief labor!"

Zhang Jian now exhausted his own knowledge, extracting a portion of the ancient sword-forging technique remaining in his mind; its core several skills—whether selecting materials and ores, or choosing land and water, folding and hammering, combining steel, secondary quenching—are unique, and the weapons forged thereby, while not surpassing the age, are still of high quality.

A single ancient sword-forging technique capable of forging superior blades will absolutely help the Zhang family rise even higher at this time.

Of course, Zhang Jian's decision to bring out the ancient sword-forging technique now is also deliberate; the Zhang family has already become a prominent clan of the commandery, possessing both soft and hard power sufficient to protect its interests, lest they become a disaster.

Zhang Lu noted this, and soon had people prepare to send a letter back to Fengxi County.

Zhang Jian is currently the vanguard of the Zhang family in Fengyang Commandery, and must seize the opportunity to firmly establish their foundation.

He knew that once the three great clans joined forces to topple the commandery governor's office, any large‑scale expansion thereafter would be far from easy.

……

The Zhang family, with great fanfare, recruited personnel, selected sites, bought shopfronts, and even won over hearts, reclaiming part of the influence of the various heterodox sects within and without Fengyang Commandery; at this point, all major powers inside and outside Fengyang Commandery were clear as day.

Those capable of intervention were either too preoccupied with their own troubles to last the day, or were allied with the Zhang family, or simply unwilling to lightly offend them.

Those lacking the means to intervene, even if eager, were quickly crushed by the capable agents the Zhang family brought in.

The Baiyou Qi family lent aid in the light, while the Qingzhu Gang's He Xiong and other minor faction experts lent support in the shadows; everything was progressing toward a favorable outcome.

Meanwhile, the Zhang family's prestige gradually rose to truly match that of a commandery‑class clan.

While expanding, the Zhang family also did not forget the great enemy within the commandery governor's office; now is the time to seize the shifting situation, thoroughly suppress that figure in the governor's office—or drive them back to Haojing—so as to secure this hard‑won victory.

And the key, naturally, is to obtain evidence of the commandery governor's office covertly attacking the tribute ships and looting the tribute goods.

Although at the time the governor's office covered its tracks flawlessly.

The vast White Water washed away every trace.

But now the White Water Dragon Lord has revived, the White Water Divine Bureau again has a master, and on the Dragon Lord's domain, seeking out the governor's office's meddling traces has become tractable.

……

At the Qi mansion, Qi Wan Shi was in the flower hall when a tall matron beside her vividly recounted the recent changes of the Zhang family.

It was nothing more than how many shops they had acquired, how many prime plots they had chosen, or hearsay of their dealings with officials; Qi Wan Shi listened and nodded silently.

She had also clarified her father‑in‑law's attitude: this was to form a full alliance with the Zhang family, wholeheartedly helping them gain a firm foothold in Fengyang Commandery.

As for the marriage alliance, she wholeheartedly endorsed it; the basic choice had been settled on Qi Yuhua, and the two families had already reached a tacit agreement on this matter.

Qi Wan Shi herself was quite satisfied; in fact, she originally had several backup candidates, such as the young marquis of the Dingnan Marquis Manor, whose ancestral home lies in Fengyang Commandery and who returns each year to pay respects.

The Dingnan Marquis Manor is also a military lineage, with deep roots in the armed forces.

Qi Wan Shi had also personally seen that young marquis; his bearing among peers was quite remarkable.

Besides that, there is also the Wan family far away in the capital; her natal clan also has many suitable young men, and furthermore there are several prominent clans in the capital.

No matter which commandery‑class clan or scholar‑gentry lacking connections of status and kin, after Qi Wan Shi's investigation she still chose the Zhang family.

This was not because the Zhang family's status had risen; a newly promoted commandery‑class clan would not carry much weight in Qi Wan Shi's eyes, but rather because of the friendship between Qi Yuan Si and the Zhang family.

Moreover, Qi Yuhua herself was willing.

Since the daughter herself was willing, Qi Wan Shi had nothing more to say.

Seeing the matron finish, Qi Wan Shi said, "You've done well; later you can go again to Yuhua's place—she wants to hear this news even more than I do!"

"Yes!"

The matron's face also broke into a smile.

She had followed Qi Wan Shi for decades, able to personally witness her young lady gaining a most suitable husband, and naturally she was delighted as well.

……

Deep in the White Water, inside the dust-covered Dragon Palace, Bai Nu furrowed his brow; the splendid palace from a thousand years ago had already become a ruin, this ruin had been frequented an unknown number of times by those spirit monsters, the interior was empty and deserted, and this only made Bai Nu even more resentful.

Seeing Bai Li Ying's calm expression before him, Bai Nu felt even more angry.

He said in a deep voice, "That brat despises your monster form?"