Li Lu knew the answer to Cheng Zongyang’s question quite well.

After all, if not for the warning from Zhao the Seventh—arranged by Cheng Zongyang himself—he never would have escaped that deathtrap.

So, he knew exactly how many factions were involved back then. He answered without hesitation, "Six."

Cheng Zongyang fell into thought once more.

He remained lost in thought until Li Xian returned with Ma Yue, pulling him from his reverie.

"Greetings, my lord," Ma Yue said happily, clasping his fist in salute upon seeing Cheng Zongyang.

"You’ve done well," Cheng Zongyang said with a slight smile. "You’re back early. Did everything go smoothly?"

Ma Yue knew what Cheng Zongyang was asking. He clasped his fist and said, "My lord, it’s because things went so smoothly that I’m back early. That, and we ran into the Foreign Race taking over Shangyong County Town on the way."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Tell me in detail what you saw."

"Yes, my lord." Ma Yue clasped his fist.

Ma Yue then recounted the events once more, and Cheng Zongyang listened intently.

After he finished, Cheng Zongyang asked about a few points of particular interest. Once he received clear answers, he said to Ma Yue,

"You may go for now. I’ll find you later."

’All my things are at Ma Yue’s house; I’ll need to retrieve them.’

"Yes, my lord." After clasping his fist to Cheng Zongyang, Ma Yue offered a salute to the others present before departing.

After Ma Yue left, Cheng Zongyang turned to Li Lu, his expression turning serious.

"We need to consolidate, Brother, and we need to do it fast! There can be no delays. Once we’re integrated, we’ll execute the plan we laid out—the sooner, the better. I’m afraid the Foreign Race Influence meant to take over Jade Peak County is already on its way."

Li Lu was taken aback. "Consolidating these four Gangs won’t be that quick!"

According to their plan, Li Lu had established a Gang in each of the County Town’s four districts to control and manage each area. But that was merely for administrative convenience.

Later on, regardless of whether the Foreign Race took over or Da Liang reclaimed the territory, the four Gangs were to be consolidated to avoid future trouble.

And now, Cheng Zongyang was telling him to consolidate them immediately.

"Slow or not, you have to make it fast," Cheng Zongyang said. "Once they arrive, if your Power hasn’t been consolidated into a single force, you’ll be the first one they target for elimination."

Startled again, Li Lu asked, "What’s your plan for after that?"

"I’ve brought my men. We’ll start by occupying the shops and houses we designated as our home base. After you consolidate your forces, you’ll secure more territory. Otherwise, what was the point of our plan?"

"And the location? West City or South City?"

"West City!"

Cheng Zongyang’s reply was firm and decisive.

"Our two groups will occupy West City, pulling all our forces back into that district. We’ll leave the other three districts to the Foreign Race Influence. That way, they’ll have their own territory and won’t be forced into a bloody conflict with us over space. At the same time, it’s like drawing a line down the middle—we each control our own area."

Zhao the Seventh and his men were somewhat bewildered.

They were completely in the dark about the consolidation plan, but as Cheng Zongyang spoke, they began to grasp the gravity of the situation.

None of them had even reached Entry Grade yet. If a fight broke out with the Foreign Race Influence, one could only imagine the fate awaiting Unranked fighters like them.

Li Lu pressed him, "Will they really let us just occupy West City?"

"We don’t own West City; we’re just occupying it," Cheng Zongyang explained. "They can move into West City as well. But regardless of whether they choose to start a war over it, we must be prepared."

Li Lu asked urgently, "How do we prepare?"

As he spoke, his brow furrowed deeper. "Between us, you and I are the only real fighters. The rest haven’t even reached Entry Grade. And even if they did, how could they possibly be a match for those Foreign Race Martial Artists?"

"The men I brought with me this time are all Eighth Grade," Cheng Zongyang stated.

At this, Li Lu froze.

He stared at Cheng Zongyang in disbelief, his gaze flickering to Zhou Zhendong, who stood behind him.

’Based on his vital energy, I’d assumed he was merely Entry Grade. Who would have thought he was actually Eighth Grade!’

Zhao the Seventh and his three companions fell silent, their faces grim.

They had all opted for conventional Body Forging training because they couldn’t stand the searing heat of the medicinal decoctions. Even so, they had only just reached the threshold of Entry Grade.

But now, seeing that a man around Cheng Zongyang’s age was already an Eighth Grade Martial Artist—and that even the men he’d brought along were Eighth Grade—how could they not fall silent?

Cheng Zongyang paid no mind to their shifting expressions and continued,

"The men I brought are all Eighth Grade Martial Artists. Their combat Abilities are decent, so generally, those families won’t attack us rashly."

"After all, taking us out would cost them dearly. I refuse to believe those families are all united and on friendly terms. When the time comes, we’ll find a way to make them think twice."

"Besides, they can’t all be Martial Artists. I estimate their number of actual fighters is limited."

Cheng Zongyang then explained the rules set by the Thirteen Royal Families to Li Lu.

The Royal Families didn’t interfere in conflicts between the Lower Three Grade Families, so Cheng Zongyang didn’t mind if they made a move on him. In fact, he could use it as an opportunity to seize control of the entire West City.

The only reason he hadn’t already planned to do so was that he wanted to assess the situation first.

He wanted to avoid appearing too aggressive, which might cause them to unite against him—a troublesome outcome.

Besides, what he needed now was time.

The grain outside the city hadn’t been harvested yet, so he had to exercise some restraint. It wouldn’t be too late to make his next move after he had a clearer picture of their strength.

When Li Lu learned of this rule, he felt a great sense of relief. If the Thirteen Royal Families wouldn’t interfere, they had less to fear. And if they were only dealing with Lower Three Grade Families, it meant their Martial Artists wouldn’t be overwhelmingly powerful, nor would there be too many of them.