Meng Zhao had no interest in the grudge between Beitang He and Beitang Shu. He merely consoled him,
"It was nothing more than a few entanglements from your youth. There is no need for the Heir Apparent to dwell on it. The urgent matter is to find a way to fob off Prince Fu's demands. Otherwise, if we truly provoke a backlash from the Demonic Path, we will have no end of trouble."
As one of the three largest cities in the Northern Lands, and given its former special political status, Lingwu City was a place where dragons and snakes mingled. The local powers were indeed formidable, but there were also no shortage of fierce dragons crossing the river from elsewhere. The Demonic Path was one of them.
Most of Lingwu City's underground forces had ties they could not sever from the Demonic Path.
Sheer force was not enough to fear. No matter how strong they were, they could not surpass the Yangwu Army under Meng Zhao's command. With a single order, even Grandmasters could be swept away.
Yet the most troublesome thing about the Demonic Path was how it climbed the pole once given an inch, its ties with local powers large and small as countless as threads of silk. Tug one hair, and the whole body moved.
Take Meng Zhao's three nominal in-law families, for instance—the Ding, Zhuo, and Xun Families, the three foremost families of Lingwu City. They appeared upright and righteous, but in secret, at least one of them had dealings with the Demonic Path. That was what it truly meant to eat from both the black and white paths.
Leaving aside the three foremost families, Meng Zhao himself had tangled ties with the Demonic Path.
There was no need to mention the Demon Venerable Hall.