Outside the window, the five-colored plum blossoms were in full bloom, and birdsong drifted in from the garden from time to time. Inside the loft, on the dark-red star locustwood table by the window, lay two Sect Black Invitations representing Great Xia's most powerful sects. Another Sect Black Invitation was in Zhang Tie's hand, which he idly toyed with.
"No need to inspect it. In Hua Clan tradition, iron is an inauspicious metal, which is why this Sect Black Invitation is made of iron. The material itself is ordinary, but what it signifies is not. Throughout Great Xia, at present, only the six great sects are qualified to issue Sect Black Invitations..."
Ever since the Golden Power Way incident, not only had the six great sects openly expelled the Golden Power Way from Great Xia's sectarian organizations, but even Yan Feiqing no longer regarded the Golden Power Way as a Great Xia sect.
There were only Yan Feiqing and Zhang Tie in the loft. One hand gently stroking her lower belly, Yan Feiqing explained the origins of the Sect Black Invitations to Zhang Tie. Her tone had lost its former composure.
"A Sect Black Invitation is how the six great sects declare war. Their targets are likewise sects or clans within Great Xia. Once the six great sects issue one, the receiving sect has only two choices: surrender and admit its wrongdoing, or fight them!"
"Fight?" Hearing that, Zhang Tie shifted his gaze away from the Sect Black Invitation and looked at Yan Feiqing with a frown. "Send people out to brawl like street punks in a city?"
"Of course not. For knights, that would be completely unnecessary. The Sect Black Invitations of the six great sects are actually the product of compromise and contention between the authority of the