Since the Jiang Family split apart and fragmented into numerous smaller families, Moongaze Lake became a hidden source of profit for the Xiao Family. Although they did not demand tribute, the Xiao Family had controlled the various mines, spirit springs, and treasured lands on the eastern shore for over two hundred years.0

Ultimately, in the eyes of the various families around the lake in earlier years, the Li Family was nothing more than a puppet propped up by the Xiao Family on the buffer zone of the southern shore. Following orders, the Li Family dismantled the Yu Family’s marketplace which led the Yu Family into gradual decline.0

From a grand strategic perspective, Xiao Chuting merely played a single move, with minimal effort. Yet he managed to circumvent the ban on...1