Chapter 602

180,000 li from Peaceful City, amidst mountains guarding it, lies a fertile plain spanning tens of thousands of li.

Here, once the territory of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, is now a fief of a third‑rank marquis under the Azure Hill Divine Kingdom.

At the heart of the plain stands a mighty city a hundred li across, towering proudly. The current patriarch of the Heavenly Horse Marquis lineage, a third‑rank fief of the Azure Hill Divine Kingdom, Ximen You of the Heavenly Horse Marquis, stands before his manor's gate, looking up at a medium‑sized warship hovering a hundred zhang above the ground.

Huang Lang stood with his hands behind his back on the warship's prow, looking down from above at Ximen You.

"Heavenly Horse Marquis, the Prince holds you in high regard. Not only does he value you, the Heavenly Horse Marquis, but he also values your clan's inherited 'Heavenly Horse Heavy Cavalry'. The Prince intends to form a powerful assault cavalry, and your clan's Heavenly Horse Heavy Cavalry will be its core."

Huang Lang smiled at the conscription edict in Ximen You's hand: "Sign the conscription edict, and from now on we will be colleagues. Your family, your fief, lie within the Prince's lands; in the future, serve the Prince well… a dukedom awaits."

Ximen You held the conscription edict in one hand, staring coldly at Huang Lang: "Sir Huang, you told me a dukedom awaits… but that's too distant. How many people have you today fed with such empty promises?"

Huang Lang smiled without a word; he had indeed said the same to several marquises of comparable status to Ximen You.

Ximen You laughed: "Look, look, indeed… drawing cakes in the void, Sir Huang, this tactic is superb. I'm merely curious about one thing: the Prince's own domain is just the Nine Provinces; if his promises came true, and we native magnates of the Nine Provinces produced a dozen dukes, would the Prince give up all his lands to enfeoff us?"

Huang Lang narrowed his eyes at Ximen You; tonight, Ximen You was the first to raise this question.

After a moment's thought, Huang Lang smiled: "Heavenly Horse Marquis, do you think our Prince's future holdings are limited to the Nine Provinces alone?"

Ximen You also laughed: "Otherwise? What do you think, Sir Huang? Today the Prince's actions… such a world‑shaking momentum, such a heaven‑crashing resonance—I have heard them crystal clear."

Dark clouds roiled across the sky, and within them a faint thunderous roar could be heard.

Ximen You pointed toward Peaceful City and let out a heavy sigh: "The Prince himself… is in an awkward position. Since receiving his fief in Azure Hill City and returning to Jade Province, he has suffered over a dozen assassination attempts."

"The loyalists of the former dynasty will not spare the Prince… and as for the nobles and officials of the Azure Hill Divine Kingdom, just listen, just listen—what did our Prince do when you delivered the conscription edict just now?"

"What grandeur, what domineering presence—he single‑handedly overturned nearly the entire court of senior ministers!"

"Indeed, with a national‑treasure divine artifact in hand, for a prince that is more than enough to establish his foundation—what does he have to fear?"

Shaking his head, Ximen You let out a long sigh: "But are we afraid, Sir Huang? Frankly, Prince An is now an enormous pit of fire… you wouldn't, would you, force us to jump into it alive or dead?"

Ximen You sighed, tossed the conscription edict back to Huang Lang, and refused Wu Tie's conscription.

Ximen You and his clansmen behind him cursed heaven and earth in their hearts, blaming Linghu Qingqing for assigning Wu Tie's fief to them, forcing them into helplessness and making them subjects of Prince An.

Today's matter has been laid bare.

In the future, the Ximen clan's days in Jade Province will not be easy; having refused Wu Tie's conscription, do they still hope for good days?

But surely it's still better than surrendering to Wu Tie?

Refusing Wu Tie merely offends a single prince.

Accepting Wu Tie would offend the entire Azure Hill Divine Kingdom.

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Ximen You gritted his teeth and refused Wu Tie's conscription; he and many of his clansmen seemed to see a future where the Ximen clan's industries would be ruthlessly crushed by Prince An's mansion.

After all, Prince An has never been a benevolent man.

Even when he was the Duke of Jade Province, he slaughtered so many prominent clans there; what minor third‑rank marquis family would he dare not touch?

And the Ximen clan's greatest support at court… their greatest backing was once a prince of the Sima clan. But the Great Jin Divine Kingdom has fallen, and the Sima clan has long been relocated to the Jin State fief to live together; the Ximen clan's support, whether useful or not, what do they have to oppose Wu Tie with?

Huang Lang caught the conscription edict tossed back by Ximen You and examined it seriously.

"Give it more thought? Heavenly Horse Marquis, don't disappoint the Prince's kindness… if the Ximen clan aligns with our Prince, you will surely not be shortchanged in the future. For instance, tonight's starlight tempering—the Prince will open a special channel just for you, granting a hundredfold benefit."

Huang Lang pointed to the thick clouds overhead, so dense they seemed to envelop the whole world.

Above the Heavenly Horse Marquis's manor floated over a hundred and twenty Heavenly Dao divine artifacts—these are the Heavenly Dao divine weapons painstakingly forged by the clan's forefathers over the years. For a third‑rank marquis household to gather the materials and craft over a hundred and twenty such artifacts is already the limit of their strength.

The Ximen clan differs from the Lan family of Lan Changqing; the Ximen clan is of a military lineage, skilled in battle but not in management. Although their rank is far higher and their lands much larger than the Lan family's, financially they are far weaker.

Moreover, the Ximen clan must maintain troops; their private army, the Heavenly Horse Heavy Cavalry, is the kind of elite heavy cavalry that even Wu Tie eyes with desire.

As for the Lan family… the Lan folk keep only a handful of household guards; in terms of financial drain, we are not on the same level at all.

If over a hundred and twenty Heavenly Dao divine artifacts could receive sufficient astral force tempering, there is a great chance they would transform from acquired to innate, giving rise to ample spirituality and becoming innate spirit weapons, their power at least increasing three‑ to five‑fold.

The Ximen clan's elite combat power could thus rise severalfold overall—a tremendous leap for the clan's foundation.

But if we miss this divine boon, miss the seven nights of starlight tempering, it is unknown how long it would take for those hundred‑odd Heavenly Dao divine weapons to advance.

A wave of disgust rose in Ximen You's chest; he glared angrily at Huang Lang and said in a low voice: "Could Prince An possibly still cover the sky with one hand? We have a full seven days… even if we waste a day or two, we still have enough time to temper the divine weapons."

Huang Lang gazed deeply at Ximen You: "You mean the Heavenly Horse Marquis intends to leave the Nine Provinces and temper your divine weapons elsewhere?"

Ximen You's face twitched.

Huang Lang gave a faint smile: "The Prince said, those who leave these few nights must not return."

Huang Lang lightly tossed it; the conscription edict flashed with spiritual light, flying back to hover before the pallid Ximen You.

"The Prince said, during these seven nights when the starlight shines upon all, those who sign the conscription edict will be his left and right arms, and he will certainly not shortchange them."

"Even those who do not sign the edict, as long as they stay peacefully at home, are good commoners. The Prince has never mistreated the law‑abiding good folk… of course, they must truly be 'law‑abiding'!"

"As for those unwilling to sign the edict, yet taking their clansmen and their clan's Heavenly Dao divine artifacts abroad to receive starlight tempering… heh, as subjects of the Prince's domain, refusing to serve the Prince is bad enough, but hoarding divine weapons and building up forces… what do they intend? Rebellion, of course."

Huang Lang's mouth twitched, his grin as strange as a weasel paying New Year's respects to a hen.

"Heavenly Horse Marquis, head of the Ximen clan, think it over… think it over… hmm, are you willing to be the Prince's left and right arms, or to be good commoners on his lands… or to become… treacherous ministers and rebels?"

Ximen You's body stiffened, and the many Ximen clansmen behind him also went rigid, unable to speak for a long while.

"Think it over, think it over…" Huang Lang urged earnestly: "The Heavenly Horse Heavy Cavalry is highly valued by the Prince. The Ximen clan's skill in raising war beasts as mounts and training cavalry is also greatly appreciated. After all, on the Prince's lands, the Ximen clan is one‑of‑a‑kind!"

"Precisely because he values it… the Prince does not want any mishaps." Huang Lang smiled at Ximen You: "He doesn't want a single accident."

Ximen You asked Huang Lang in a grave tone: "What if I, together with my clan, insist on leaving this sky‑darkening black cloud, and insist on tempering the Heavenly Dao divine weapons our ancestors have stored for generations into innate spirit weapons?"

Huang Lang smiled at Ximen You: "Didn't I just say that? If the Heavenly Horse Marquis truly does that, he must never return… the Heavenly Horse Great Prairie, the countless war beasts grazing there, and the Ximen clan's houses, lands, forests, and mines—all will become the Prince's."

A young man of the Ximen clan, about eighteen or nineteen, his hair bristling with rage, surged from the crowd and pointed at Huang Lang, shouting furiously: "But what right do you have? This Heavenly Horse Great Prairie is the legacy our Ximen clan has built generation after generation in service to the divine state!"

Huang Lang tilted his head at the youth: "You say your clan has served the divine state for generations and amassed this estate… may I ask, which divine state has the Ximen clan served?"

The young Ximen's face turned deathly pale, and Ximen You and the others likewise went stiff‑jawed, speechless.

Huang Lang said calmly: "Now, these Nine Provinces are the Prince's fief; you must remember that."

"How did our Prince obtain this fief of the Nine Provinces? Because he truly rendered great service to the Azure Hill Divine Kingdom, eradicating the most destructive remnants and traitors of the former dynasty!"

"And you—you have not accomplished a single thing!"

You think that, with a flimsy letter of allegiance, you can get the present emperor to accept you? Hah, that's simply a joke!

Look clearly, look carefully—how many landless, newly minted royal relatives, eyes red, are scouring the world for profitable lands?

Besides surrendering to our prince, if you Tianma Marquis family do not abandon your ancestral business and willingly become commoners, you will inevitably face extermination. Do you believe it?

You may not believe it… but consider for yourselves: how much confidence does the emperor have in you?

Hah, the emperor is now busy dealing with the invading army of the Great Martial God State, and has no time to pay attention to you, these titles left over from the previous dynasty.

But as this young man said, you have served the Divine State generation after generation, and your ancestors earned this fief through accumulated merit.

Your ancestors were loyal to the previous dynasty… not to the Qingqiu Divine State!

Summoning letter, it's right here… consider carefully, think it over." Huang Lang smiled at Ximen You: "Tianma Marquis, in our prince's territory, following the custom of all fiefdoms, we naturally need to establish a military ministry. The left minister of the military ministry already has a candidate, but among the various halls under the military ministry, the position of Hall Master of the Tianma Hall and commander of the Tianma Heavy Cavalry Regiment is vacant and awaiting appointment.

You… must… definitely… consider… clearly!" Huang Lang, word by word, slowly and solemnly warned Ximen You.

The warship suddenly shot up into the air and quickly disappeared into the black clouds.

In the black clouds, a huge vortex visibly formed out of thin air, swallowing the warship in one gulp.

The black clouds shrouded the Hundred Provinces; wherever the black clouds covered, Wu Tie could, with the power of the God‑Striking Whip, teleport the warships he had sent out through the void, appearing arbitrarily anywhere beneath the black clouds.

Otherwise, with the men he sent out, it would be impossible in a single night to visit each of the great clans on the Kyushu territory, no matter how.

It was a long night, yet also a brief night.

When the starlight in the sky gradually stalled and a hazy black curtain slowly spread from the highest reaches of the firmament, obscuring the stars and moon, Huang Lang, Li Ergouzi, and the others, who had been busy all night, finally came to a stop.

On Wu Tie's fief in Kyushu, several dozen families holding second‑ or third‑rank ducal titles, whose fiefs included several commandery seats, boldly left their lands, taking their core clansmen and the heavenly‑dao divine artifacts left by their ancestors' sacrificial refinements, and departed leisurely.

Some marquis‑title families hesitated for a while, then also left.

Among the families with earl titles, only a very few, either having powerful marital ties or being branches of a major clan or power, departed.

Others, including the most hesitant Lan Changqing et al., gritted their teeth, pricked their fingertips, and heavily stamped their blood seals on the summoning document crafted by Wu Tie's secret method… After a moment's hesitation, the more fastidious Lan Changqing and company still used a brush to carefully write their names and clan origins on the summoning document.

Indeed, stamping a fingerprint on the summoning document feels, no matter how you look at it, like signing a deed of self‑sale.

Using a brush to sign one's name is somewhat more dignified.

Of course, it's essentially the same thing, but in form, Lan Changqing and the others absolutely cannot be careless.