Western Chu, Inner Capital Circuit.
By administrative division, Western Chu had twelve circuits in all. The Inner Capital Circuit was home to Shendu Prefecture and lay firmly under the Xiao Clan's control. It was the richest and most prosperous region in Western Chu.
Western Chu had three threats without and three troubles within.
The external threats were Northern Qi, Southern Jin, and the Southern Border.
The internal troubles were Heavenly Sword, Heavenly Blade, and Heavenly Martial, which had emerged after the Heavenly Sect split into three. Compared to these three powers that claimed land and ruled as kings, the other first-rate factions within Western Chu could practically be called well-behaved.
Qingxu Sect and Great Awakening Temple disciples rarely roamed the martial world; they were model righteous sects. The women of Unrivaled Palace and Sword Heart Studio might be unreasonable, habitually siding with kin over reason, but their infighting was merely entertaining themselves and could even be called a merry affair. Forget Sword Manor and White Cloud Manor were both businesspeople seeking wealth; outwardly harmonious, and as long as the money was enough, they were unwavering royalists.
There was little need to say about the three Heavenly Sect factions. Beat gongs in ten places, and the three of them would be found in nine. They were the Western Chu court's greatest hidden scourge, a stubborn disease in the pillars of the state. Though they styled themselves as subjects, every one of them was wild and unruly, carrying more than a little of the air of worthy ministers choosing their lord—and then slaying him.
Since ancient times, when a lord wished his minister dead, the minister had no choice but to invite his lord to die. The Xiao Clan of Shendu and the three Heavenly Sect factions had openly and covertly battled