Watching Zhou Zhong leave, Zhou Ti sank into reflection.
Their father had fallen in the Southern Border. That had been the hardest time for the entire family. Zhou Ding had stepped forward to shoulder the duties of the eldest legitimate son and, under the witness of the Aged Grandmaster, succeeded as head of the family.
Facing the constant threat of destruction, the Zhou Clan Western Sect had united as one, hacked through thorns and brambles, and carved out a world of its own. That was human harmony; there were also favorable timing and geographical advantage...
The southeastern prefectures had originally been the Great Prince's fief. They later descended into chaos, yet the Great Prince's legacy remained. Zhou Daqian had once joined forces with the Great Prince to destroy the Ten Southern Demons, and that bond still endured.
The Zhou Clan Western Sect swiftly seized the opportunity presented by the power vacuum in the southeastern prefectures and swept across several prefectures in one stroke.
Beyond favorable timing, there was also geographical advantage. Nearby Lihuo Prefecture was guarded by Zhou Nanwang, while the Southern Border was an even friendlier power.
Before long, the Zhou Clan Western Sect had put down firm roots in the southeast. It changed from the Left Prefecture Zhou Clan into the Southeastern Zhou, growing ever more prosperous.
But the Imperial Capital would not simply watch them grow stronger.
Soon, undercurrents surged. Abnormal movements erupted one after another among the prefectures in all directions; heavy troops were stockpiled, their swords pointed at the southeastern prefectures.
Overnight, the Southeastern Zhou was once more driven to the brink of destruction, just as it had been on the night they received word of Zhou Daqian's death.
Zhou Ding sought out Zhou Ti. The moment they met, he said, "All I know is