After the Medieval Era, the Central Land had fallen apart, the various states warring without end. Every great aristocratic clan employed its own methods, until the land finally settled into a standoff between two powers, one in the south and one in the north.
As early as the founding of the Southern Dynasty, the Langya Wang Clan had crossed eastward to Jiankang, backing different lineages in turn. Amid the ever-shifting political currents of the Southern Dynasty, they had always managed to keep their footing.
No matter who sat on the throne, the Langya Wang Clan had always ranked among the second or third greatest noble houses at court.
It was precisely this prestige, accumulated over a thousand years, that allowed the Langya Wang Clan to retain a somewhat detached position at court even now, when they had begun to decline.
In truth, whether Great Liang continued to exist was not important to the Langya Wang Clan. What mattered was that whoever replaced Great Liang, the Langya Wang Clan should still have a place in the new dynasty.
Inside a small tower at Elegant Clear Estate, a middle-aged man wore a Daoist robe, a wooden hairpin casually tucked into his hair. He held a copy of the Yellow Court Scripture and slowly turned its pages.
Several prayer mats lay opposite him, occupied by five elderly men whose white beards reached their chests. Though each was advanced in years and withered in frame, the gleam in their eyes showed that their cultivation remained formidable.
Six Reverted Elixir cultivators sat within this small tower.
"Four Void Steps, eighteen Reverted Elixirs."
An old man slowly spoke. "Those are all the experts our household can currently deploy."
"Wei Huaiwen's army is at Gushu. Jiankang lies right beneath his nose; we must find a way to