Immortality Cultivation: I Can increase My Stats Using Clansmen's Qi-Blood

The following day, at dawn.

When the sky was yet to fully brighten,

And a faint chill still lingered in the air,

In the Da Feng Dynasty, Zijin Prefecture.

Within an imperial palace vast in its expanse, radiating an aura of majesty and solemnity,

Stood a hall that housed only two people.

At that moment, the matter at hand concerned the new Emperor of the Da Feng Dynasty, ruler over the two prefectures,

Feng Wumian, whose combined strength was unmatched in the entire dynasty.

He sat quietly in the main seat, his right hand resting on the edge of the Golden Throne.

His head was propped on the palm of that right hand,

His gaze placid and leisurely as he looked into the distance,

His eyes devoid of focus, his face betraying no emotion.

It seemed as though he was pondering something.

Standing beside Feng Wumian, clad in unadorned gray attire, with long gray hair,

Was a middle-aged man of seemingly remarkable presence.

He stood silently by the side of the new Emperor, Feng Wumian.

"Zhong Yu..."

Suddenly, Feng Wumian glanced at the man named Zhong Yu with the gray hair beside him.

He couldn't help but call out softly.

"Your Majesty..."

Zhong Yu stepped forward slightly and then bowed slightly, clasping his hands together,

A look of utmost respect on his face.

"Now, nearly a million elite soldiers clad in armor are gathered on the border of Qingcheng Prefecture,"

"Qingcheng Prefecture, vast as it is, teeters on the brink of danger,"

"What do you think, my younger brother..."

"What will he do next?"

As Feng Wumian watched Zhong Yu beside him, he asked in a low voice.

Within this dimly-lit hall that accommodated just the two of them,

Zhong Yu, with his head slightly bowed, after a moment of contemplation, spoke quietly to Feng Wumian before him, "The terrain of Qingcheng Prefecture has always been subpar. Zijin Prefecture, Changqing Prefecture, Luo Mountain Prefecture, and that neutral prefecture—they're like a vast net, trapping Qingcheng Prefecture with no hope of breaking free.

Apart from doing their best to defend, what else can Qingcheng Prefecture do?"

Feng Wumian heard this.

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

"Like a vast net?"

"Doing their best to defend?"

As he thought, Feng Wumian couldn't help but laugh.

Though Feng Wumian, Feng Wuhen, and Feng Wuyi,

The three were indeed leading figures of the younger generation from the Royal Feng Family,

It didn't mean there were no conflicts among them.

The look on Feng Wuyi's face after he had taken Qingcheng Prefecture,

Even now, Feng Wumian remembered it distinctly.

Qingcheng Prefecture was wealthy, with vast land and a large population,

Its grain and salt production

Almost accounted for half of the entire Da Feng Dynasty.

Moreover, initially,

The geographical positioning of Qingcheng Prefecture was not as poor as it had become.

At the beginning, there had been opportunities for Qingcheng Prefecture to expand.

The appeals of Luo Mountain Prefecture, Qingqu County, and the Liang Family,

That was the best chance for Qingcheng Prefecture.

However, it was a pity.

His overly greedy younger brother believed he had Qingqu County Liang Family in his pocket,

Which resulted in the Liang Family of Qingqu County, even at the cost of forsaking their centuries-old foundation in Qingqu County,

Deciding to inflict mutual destruction with Qingcheng Prefecture.

"As of now, Qingcheng Prefecture is like a turtle trapped in a jar, about which I am not overly concerned,"

"It is that Changqing Prefecture near Qingcheng Prefecture,"

"And that other prefecture which has chosen a neutral stance,"

"That seem to warrant particular attention,"

As Feng Wumian spoke from the main seat,

Within the hall, by Feng Wumian's side,

Zhong Yu's brows couldn't help but wrinkle slightly,

And a hint of confusion crossed his face.

However, it was only a moment later,

That he seemed to realize something,

Then he quietly asked the new Emperor, Feng Wumian, beside him, "Your Majesty, could it be you suspect that Changqing Prefecture is colluding with Qing'an Prefecture, which has decided to remain neutral?"

Feng Wumian nodded silently, then spoke with a somewhat grave expression, "Just a few days ago, a secret message came from within Qing'an Prefecture, claiming that the Prefect there appears to have ties with my second brother within Changqing Prefecture..."

"If it were merely some ties, then it wouldn't matter,"

"But if Changqing Prefecture and Qing'an Prefecture, these two prefectures, were colluding...

"Then matters would become quite troublesome,"

...

As Feng Wumian's words trailed off,

The atmosphere in the hall

Suddenly became somewhat more subdued.

Changqing Prefecture, Anqing Mansion.

If these two prefectures were separate, the new Emperor Feng Wumian would have no fear,

But if these two joined forces,

And chose this critical juncture to stand aside and watch, aiming to benefit from the aftermath,

Or say, when he was engaged in intense conflict with Qingcheng Prefecture,

Feng Wuhen from Changqing Prefecture decided to intervene,

Either scenario would be highly unfavorable for Feng Wumian.

Moreover, these were not his greatest concerns.

His biggest worry was the Luo Family from Luo Mountain Prefecture located below Qingcheng Prefecture.

Previously, the Luo Family already controlled Luo Mountain Prefecture and Changping Prefecture,

Their influence gradually taking shape.

And now, the Luo Family also occupied the entire territory of Chenguan Prefecture,

Thus, the Luo Family truly ruled over the lands of three prefectures.

Though the areas of these three prefectures were not particularly large or exceptionally wealthy,

Regardless, the lands of these three prefectures were real.