Xian Du's military banner left the Northern Court and headed south. The gaunt man sat silently in the carriage, his expression grim.0

Mount Yue's power had always been fragmented. It was only during the reign of Jianixi that the land had united under one rule, with families of Mount Yue from the western foothills of Mount Dali crossing over to pledge allegiance. The rest of Mount Yue’s small or big kings ruled alongside esteemed families, dividing power further with the priesthood.0

Xian Du had kept priests firmly in check during his rule. Now that he sought to mobilize troops, only a handful out of the thousands of villages scattered across a thousand kilometers responded.1

They’re all testing me… waiting for Mount Wu’s reaction.0

Aside from his own five thousand elite soldiers, Xian Du had only managed to gather three thousand irregular troops. Even with careful planning, they might not reach Moonlight Valley within a week. This was making him increasingly...0