Chapter: 350

"Tongya elder came early, but it's letting you wait for the noble family lord."

"Not at all, not at all," replied Li Tongya. "It's actually teaching me about the noble family's elegant demeanor."

Li Tongya nodded politely, and Yu Muqiu immediately looked up, put down his wine cup, and squinted at him with a puzzled expression, unsure of what he was thinking.

The two chatted for a few sentences before all the families arrived. Only two families on the lake had built their own temples: one was the East Shore's Yu family, and the other was the North Shore's Fei family. Li's position was arranged beside Yu Muqiu, directly opposite the Fei family, which was quite eye-catching. Li Tongya furrowed his brow, saw Yu Muqiu staring at him, and had to take a seat.

The host of the Fei family, who was also a temple builder, wore brocade robes and looked like a carefree young man, much younger than Yu Muqiu. He smiled slightly at Li Tongya, and Li Tongya just glanced at him before nodding lightly, as if they both understood something.

Yu Muqiu saw that all the families were seated, nodded slightly, stood up, and laughed loudly, saying, "Everyone has arrived on time, which is a great credit to my Yu family. I thank you all here."

The families below quickly rose to their feet, not daring to speak out of turn. Yu Muqiu waved his hand, interrupting the conversation, and continued by himself: "Since the Sishen Temple retreated from society, this Wengzhai Lake has been divided into two parts by Qingchi Temple and Jingjin Gate. The two families have been quarreling endlessly, and there has never been a peaceful day on the lake. Small and large families rise and fall, with some even perishing, all for over three hundred years now. This chaotic state is unbearable. Everyone's had enough, I think."

Below, Lu Siyi was taken aback, cursing inwardly: "Each family is living well, but who would want to come out of your Yu family's trouble... You say it nicely."

"What he's saying is right!" "Not wrong."

Yu Muqiu nodded slightly and glanced at Li Tongyan, who was standing silently by his side. He then turned back to look at a middle-aged man with a tranquil expression, as if waiting for something to blossom, and laughed:

"It's fortunate that the Golden Gate retreated, Qingchi Temple advanced northward, and Wengzhai Lake finally has a unified force in charge. This day has finally arrived."

"My son took the oath of the Yuanwu Peak, and I beseeched the master of the Yuanwu Peak to report to the main peak, dividing the entire Wengzhai Lake into one administrative zone, separating it from Lingxia Prefecture. My Yu family will establish twelve towns as a prefecture, called Mulin Prefecture, from which all you friends can offer your tributes without going to Lingxia Prefecture; instead, you can offer them in my Mulin Prefecture."

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As soon as this was said, a huge wave arose among the crowd at the front, with each family's expression varying greatly. They all started whispering to one another, including Li Tongyan, who slightly nodded his head and finally knew where Yu Muqiu got his confidence from.

"One family builds its foundation, disciples enter the Yuanwu Peak for cultivation, seeking to establish a prefecture on their own and control the destiny of the families around Wengzhai Lake. But then, they coincidentally encountered the destruction of the city at Wan Yue Lake, rebuilt it to control commerce, with heaven and earth working in favor of Yu Muqiu's family. If everything goes as planned, Yu Muqiu's family will truly be sitting atop the throne of lake dominance!"

"Just because Yu Muqiu is ruthless and decisive, he has bet too heavily on his own abilities, being overly anxious and straightforwardly controlling all families. He might inadvertently bring about the opposite result..."

Yu Muqiu scanned the faces of the other families, including that of a middle-aged man with a white robe and a cup, who was frowning at Li Tongyan. Despite not knowing each other's names or having ever met before, they both shared similar interests stemming from Yu Muqiu's family's strong influence.

The crowd fell silent immediately, and the families surrounding Yu Muqiu's family also clammed up, with everyone knowing that these two matters were life-or-death issues. Who else would dare to speak out?

"Everyone... how do you see it?"

Yu Muqiu sneered coldly at the reaction of the crowd below, not caring about most of the families' responses. His gaze lingered on a few families who had disciples cultivating within their own sects or relied heavily on powerful backing. Seeing them all bow their heads in silence, Li Fei and his family remained silent as well.

"Luo Si! How does your Luo family see it?"

"It's better to take the initiative and do it ourselves, naturally..."

He continued talking until he reached this point, then couldn't say another word, Yu Muqiu gazed around with a cold face, but then smiled again:

"If no one has any objections, we'll just settle things here in the city, and at that time, I hope everyone can be gracious."

Li Tonghai sneered to himself inwardly: JrNovels.com