Their first meeting had been fairly pleasant. Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng temporarily took up residence in a small courtyard within the City Lord's Mansion. Once Zhou Jiankang had identified the traitorous forces within Sifang City and found five hundred trustworthy people, they would return to the Northern Territory together.
During this time, they would merely be passersby in Sifang City, offering assistance at most if the city encountered some troublesome opponent.
The two of them could also take this opportunity to properly look around Sifang City.
Zhou Jiankang swiftly summoned, in his capacity as City Lord, the heads of the Zhou Family, Fu Family, and Zhang Family to the City Lord's Mansion for discussion.
The Zhou Family head Zhou Yuanming, the Fu Family head Fu Yanqing, and the Zhang Family head Zhang Baiyu were all Great Grandmaster-level powerhouses. Within their respective clans, each was a figure whose word carried the weight of the Nine Tripods, one who meant what he said.
The three of them rarely even managed family affairs. Most of their time was spent in secluded cultivation, seeking the spark of inspiration needed to advance into the supreme realm of Celestials. Compared to worldly power, they longed more for transcendence and progress in their own martial paths.
Only when some major event concerning the life or death of Sifang City occurred would they be summoned to discuss a feasible solution.
After receiving Zhou Jiankang's message, the three were greatly surprised. They summoned the people assisting in overseeing their families and learned that nothing unusual had happened lately, which left them even more puzzled. Since nothing had happened in Sifang City, how dare Zhou Jiankang disturb their cultivation?
Thus, when the three arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, none of their expressions looked pleasant, and their faces were