Liu poured them both another cup of the wine then put the gourd back in his storage ring,
"Heimu Village is within the authority of Tieling County that extends for tens of thousands of miles in every direction. Most of Tieling is wilderness that is yet to be established. Which is why we're allowed to create this village in the first place."
Liu Changfeng wet his throat with the wine then continued,
"Above this county are four other counties, including the one where the Liu, Chen, and Zhang clans originate. There is Qingshan in the Northwest, Yunhe to the Northeast, and Lanyue to the west of Qingshan."
Liu Changfeng paused and then Wu Tianmo asked,
"And the last county?"
Liu Changfeng smirked,
"All of the counties have the great Eternal River flowing through them. At the source, is the founding county of the Eternal River Empire that we are a part of. Longyuan."
Liu Changfeng continued,
"Within the empire there are four Kings under the Emperor, each county outside of the imperial county is ruled by these kings."
Wu Tianmo was starting to sweat, how much didn't he know? Was he truly so insignificant in the grand scheme of things?
"Who is our king?"
Liu Changfeng answered,
"The king of Tieling County, is Han Zhenwei. All of Tieling County is his royal domain."
Liu Changfeng sighed and waved his hand dismissively,
"We could talk for days about this vast land but for now the general empire structure is enough."
Wu Tianmo was eager to know about the surrounding areas, however he wasn't sure why the Liu Patriarch was telling him all of this.
Liu Changfeng's face became firm,
"Now that you know the general structure of our empire, we can get back to the core reason I'm here."
Liu Changfeng paused organizing his thoughts for a moment,
"The Zhang Clan has taken it upon themselves to reach out to the Han Royal family. After offering tribute they asked them to establish the Zhang Family as the City Lord."
Wu Tianmo felt a bead of sweat glide down the back of his neck,
"It's a bit early for that.... The village is very young."
Liu Changfeng nodded,
"You're correct, however, after this forest is developed further and a population threshold is met the village turns into a city. At that time, taxes can be levied and a city lord will be promoted. For now, a village chief is what the royal family authorized. Generally the royal family wouldn't involve themselves, but the tribute must have been substantial."
Wu Tianmo immediately understood why the plans for the village expansion were being created.
Liu Changfeng continued,
"I would estimate that within ten years this village will become a city that will be ruled by the Zhang family. They're the strongest among us and now they have the largest backing. While you were in seclusion a meeting of the Patriarchs was called, which is where all this information came from."
Wu Tianmo didn't really care, he was only one person. In the other Patriarch's eyes his clan was merely a paper tiger with no real backing. However he would take note of their discrimination and pay it back at a later time.
Wu took a big gulp of the remaining wine,
"So the last scroll you gave me..."
Liu nodded,
"Yes, now that the Zhang Clan has the backing of the Han Royal Family, Zhang Guowei is officially the Village Chief of Heimu. This information will be revealed to the village in three months. The Zhang Clan is intending to host quite the feast to announce it. Anyone of importance will be there."
Wu Tianmo sneered,
"So this order that you gave me is from the new village chief? Tsk...?"
Liu Changfeng also was unhappy and his face showed it,
"Yes, all cultivator clans are required to have one cultivator join the local defense force. This force will be called the Blackwood Guard. They intend to establish this group at the feast."
Wu Tianmo felt a bit of pressure and raised his voice,
"What of my Wu Clan? As the only member they can't intend to force me to join this force as a mere soldier! It's outrageous."
Liu sighed,
"Wu Patriarch, calm yourself. One of two things will happen, you will be allowed to lead this force which would befit your rank as a patriarch. Or you will be given an exemption for a period of time."
This caused Wu Tianmo to calm down a bit yet he realized he was forgetting a part of his mission,
"That.. makes sense. I guess I have been too caught up in cultivation to realize what was happening around me."
All Wu Tianmo wanted to do was to cultivate this new cultivation technique but his goal was always to rebuild the Wu Clan. This must be done simultaneously.
Liu nodded then proposed and looked at Ling'er,
"Wu Patriarch... You're progressing on your cultivation goal, have you considered your other task?"
Wu Tianmo's face flushed,
"I haven't paid appropriate attention to it. I lost myself in seclusion, and time went by quickly. I always aimed to be married by now."
Jiang Ling'er's face flushed.
Wu Tianmo glanced at Jiang Ling'er, to him marriage was about continuing his bloodline. Yet he also understood others, especially mortals with a limited lifespan took some convincing.
Ling'er thought to herself,
Does he mean me? I mean... Father has been talking with the Zhang Clan quite a lot lately. If I don't marry Wu Tianmo, father will likely force me to marry that damn Zhang Minghao or one of his brothers!
Liu Changfeng asserted,
"Allow me to guide you as an elder, just this once. You need to get married and take some concubines, you're young and if your goal is truly to establish a clan. You can't wait until you're old like me."
Wu Tianmo snuck a glance at Ling'er to gauge her reaction, it was then that she spoke for the first time this whole meeting.
"Ling'er is willing!"