The Zhao Clan branch headquarters in Jiangling City was in chaos.
The branch head, still seething from the humiliating defeat, the loss of loyalists, and people calling for his removal, stood on a raised platform before his remaining forces and assembled retainers.
His face was twisted with rage, veins bulging on his forehead as he raised a sealed scroll from the main Zhao family in the imperial capital high above his head.
The courtyard was packed with armed guards, stewards, and loyal supporters, their faces reflecting a mixture of anger, fear, and desperate determination.
“Enough!” he roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls like thunder.
“The Wan Clan has gone too far.
Kidnapping our children, massacring our loyalists, and humiliating us in our own city.
The main family has given us permission to act.
Today, the Zhao branch declares open war on the Wan Clan!”
A thunderous roar of approval rose from the crowd.
Fists pumped into the air, swords were drawn and raised high, and shouts of vengeance filled the courtyard.
One of the senior guards stepped forward, his face red with fury.
“Branch Head, tell us how we will crush them!
Those Wan dogs sent us the heads of our brothers in silk-lined boxes.
They must pay with their lives!”
The branch head unfurled the scroll dramatically, holding it up for all to see.
“The main Zhao family agrees.
They are furious at the insult to our name.
They have authorized full mobilization of our branch forces and promised reinforcements if needed.
We will not wait for them to strike again.
We will burn their warehouses, blockade their trade routes, and bring that arrogant brat Tianqi to his knees!”
A middle-aged steward raised his voice next, his tone venomous.
“That so-called Patriarch thinks he can play god in Jiangling.
He kidnapped our children and tortured the Peng women.
He turned the city against us with his filthy tricks.
We must show him that the Zhao Clan is not to be trifled with!”
The branch head paced across the platform, his voice rising with each step.
“Listen to me, all of you!
For too long we have tolerated the Wan Clan’s arrogance.
Their previous patriarch was a tyrant, but this new one is a devil wearing a smiling mask.
He pretends to be reformed while sending assassins in the night and displaying our people’s heads like trophies.
No more!
Today we declare open war!”
He pointed toward the city beyond the compound walls.
“Messengers are already being dispatched.
By nightfall, every corner of Jiangling will know that the Zhao branch has declared war on the Wan Clan.
We will raise banners high.
We will mobilize every guard, every ally, every resource we have.
Trade routes will be blockaded.
Their merchant caravans will be attacked.
Their warehouses will burn.
And when the time is right, we will storm their residence and drag Tianqi and his whore mother into the streets!”
A young captain shouted from the crowd, “What about the public?
Many are calling for your removal because of the deaths!”
The branch head’s face twisted with contempt.
“Let them call!
Once we crush the Wan Clan, they will sing our praises again.
Fear is the only language these merchants understand.
When the Wan Clan lies in ruins, the people of Jiangling will remember who protected their interests.
The main family supports us.
That is all that matters.”
An older retainer stepped forward, concern mixing with anger in his voice.
“Branch Head, the Wan Clan has shown they have hidden forces.
The way they knew every name on our loyalist list…
it was unnatural.
Are we prepared for their shadows?”
The branch head slammed his fist against the wooden railing.
“We are prepared!
We will strike hard and fast.
No mercy.
Their Matriarch thinks she can torture our allies and get away with it.
Their Patriarch thinks he can kidnap Zhao children and survive.
They will learn the true power of the Zhao name.
We will take their women, burn their silk, poison their medicines, and leave their precious pureblood empire in ashes!”
The crowd roared again, louder this time.
Swords clashed against shields in rhythmic approval.
Banners bearing the Zhao emblem were unfurled and raised high, waving in the wind like a declaration of impending violence.
“War!
War on the Wan Clan!” the chant began, spreading through the entire compound.
The branch head raised his arms, silencing the crowd momentarily.
“Messengers, go!
Spread the word across the city.
Tell every merchant, every guild, every citizen that the Zhao branch will no longer tolerate the Wan Clan’s tyranny.
Any who stand with them will share their fate.
We fight for honor.
We fight for justice.
We fight for the Zhao name!”
As the messengers rode out, the branch head turned to his closest advisors.
“Prepare the forces.
Attack their outer warehouses tonight.
Show them we are serious.
And send word to our remaining allies.
The time for subtlety is over.”
The declaration spread rapidly through Jiangling City.
By afternoon, public squares and teahouses buzzed with the news.
Some cheered the Zhao stand, while many others expressed fear at the coming conflict.
The Wan Clan’s recent victory had earned them respect and fear in equal measure, but the Zhao declaration ensured that the first major conflict was far from over.
XXXX
In the Wan Clan main hall, Tianqi received the declaration with calm composure.
The scroll from the Zhao branch lay open on the table before him, its arrogant words clear under the lantern light.
Mu Ronghua stood beside him, her elegant hand resting on his shoulder, her graceful presence radiating quiet strength and obsessive devotion.
“They have finally shown their hand,” Tianqi said coldly, his voice steady and ruthless.
“We will crush them completely.
Mobilize our forces.
Prepare the defenses and ready our hidden assets.
This war ends with the Zhao branch erased from Jiangling.”
He turned to the assembled elders, stewards, and guard captains who had gathered quickly after the news arrived.
The hall was filled with focused tension, but there was no panic, only determination.
Tianqi’s recent victories had forged them into a more unified and confident force.
“First,” Tianqi continued, pointing to a large map of Jiangling City spread across the central table, “we reinforce all outer warehouses and trade outposts.
Double the guards on every caravan.
Use the new standardized contracts to call in favours from our strengthened allies.
The neutral houses that benefited from our reforms will provide additional escorts if needed.”
One senior steward nodded eagerly.
“We can reroute several shipments through safer paths using the promissory note system you introduced, Patriarch.
It will reduce our exposure.”
“Exactly,” Tianqi replied.
“Simultaneously, I want our intelligence network expanded.
The Silent Lotus and our regular scouts will monitor every Zhao movement.
Identify their supply lines, their weak points, and their remaining loyalists.
We strike surgically, not recklessly.”
An elder raised his hand.
“What about public perception, Patriarch?
The city is still buzzing from the previous strikes.
Many are already calling for the Zhao branch head’s removal.”
Tianqi’s smile was cold and calculating.
“We use it.
Spread controlled rumours that the Zhao branch is acting against the interests of Jiangling’s merchants.
Emphasize how their aggression threatens everyone’s prosperity.
Our public image as reformers will make the Zhao look like the aggressors.
Mu Ronghua spoke next, her voice elegant and authoritative.
“The Silent Lotus is ready, my son.
They can infiltrate Zhao warehouses and compounds without leaving traces.
We can disrupt their logistics from within while your open forces handle the visible battles.”
The planning continued for over an hour.
Tianqi laid out detailed strategies: defensive formations for the clan residence, pre-emptive strikes on Zhao supply caravans, financial pressure through their new banking connections, and cultivation resources prioritized for the most loyal guards.
Every member contributed ideas, but Tianqi’s vision guided them all.
The clan moved with disciplined efficiency.
Tianqi’s reforms and recent victories had unified them.
They prepared for conflict with quiet determination.
One by one, the elders and captains received their orders and left the hall to execute them.
When the last retainer departed and the heavy doors closed, only Tianqi and Mu Ronghua remained.
Mu Ronghua turned to him immediately, her alluring eyes burning with pride and hunger.
She dropped gracefully to her knees before him, her elegant hands sliding up his thighs.
“You were magnificent in there, my son.
The way you commanded them, the precision of your plans…
it made Mother so wet for you.”
She freed his hardening length from his robes, stroking him slowly with both hands.
“Let Mother reward her brilliant Patriarch.”
Tianqi leaned back in his seat, one hand gently resting on her long dark hair.
“Then worship me, Mother.”
Mu Ronghua smiled with obsessive devotion and leaned forward, taking him into her warm, wet mouth in one smooth motion.
She moaned loudly around his length, the vibration sending pleasure shooting through him.
Her head bobbed with loving intensity, her tongue swirling skillfully along the underside as she took him deeper.
“You taste so good,” she whispered after pulling back for a breath, her hand continuing to stroke him.
“Your seed is divine nectar to me.
A sacred gift from my beloved son.”
She took him deep again, relaxing her throat to swallow almost his entire length.
Her elegant fingers massaged his balls gently while she sucked with passionate devotion.
Soft, wet sounds filled the hall as she worshipped him, her red earrings swaying with every movement of her head.
Tianqi groaned, his grip tightening in her hair.
“You are perfect, Mother.
No one else could ever please me like this.”
Mu Ronghua’s eyes looked up at him, filled with pure obsessive love as she sucked harder.
She varied her pace skillfully, sometimes slow and teasing with long licks, other times fast and eager, hollowing her cheeks to create intense suction.
Her free hand slipped between her own thighs, pleasuring herself as she served him.
She pulled back again, strings of saliva connecting her lips to his throbbing cock.
“I live for this.
For pleasing you.
For swallowing every drop of your divine seed.
It strengthens me.
It binds me to you completely.”
She dove back down, taking him to the back of her throat and holding there, her throat muscles massaging him.
Tianqi’s hips twitched involuntarily as pleasure built rapidly.
“I’m close, Mother,” he warned, voice husky.
Mu Ronghua moaned eagerly around him, doubling her efforts.
Her head moved faster, her hand pumping the base of his shaft in perfect rhythm.
With a deep groan, Tianqi released.
Thick pulses of his seed flooded her mouth and throat.
Mu Ronghua swallowed every drop greedily, her eyes never leaving his face, moaning with satisfaction as she drank his essence like the divine nectar, she claimed it to be.
When he finished, she continued sucking gently, milking every last drop before pulling back with a soft pop.
She licked her lips clean, smiling up at him with blissful devotion.
“Your seed is the most precious thing in the world to me, my son.
Thank you for feeding Mother.”
Tianqi pulled her up into his lap, kissing her deeply, tasting himself on her tongue.
The first major conflict had ended in overwhelming victory for the Wan Clan, and their private celebrations only grew more intense.
End of Chapter 21
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