No one disturbed Huang Wen as he thought over Madame Zhang Hu's request.

Finally he answered, "I will do my best to free Uncle Zhang Hu from the grand elder's possession. I believe I know a bit about how it work and with time will come with a way to solve it. I also agree to follow the plan, to let Uncle Xia and Uncle Chen to lead part of my army to have their own bases. However, I have my own condition. I want both uncle to give their daughters, Xia Yue and Chen Yao to be my wife ..."

When Huang Wen reached that part, Chen Yao interrupted him angrily, "Huang Wen, are you mad?"

"Chen Yao! Be quiet!", to her surprise, her father reproached her.

"Father !?"

"Chen Yao, my daughter, let him explain himself first and forgive your father. This time, I might not be able to let you freely make a decision for yourself.", Chen Fang spoke gently.

No matter how he toned it down, his daughter stared at him in disbelief. Chen Yao never expected such words from her father. For a moment, everyone's attention turned from Huang Wen to Chen Yao and her father. Chen Fang said nothing but had his eyes on his daughter firmly. At first, Chen Yao refused to back down, but after a while she sighed and relented.

Her mother gently pulled her to corner and quietly murmured at her ears to console her.

"I have my own reason. I promise, I won't harm them, I will treat them good, provide for them and protect them. But just as the grand elder wants a hostage, I need one too. Uncle Xia and Uncle Chen will take 2/3 or my army away and set their own base. Is there any guarantee that they won't work together with Uncle Zhang to attack me from three sides?"

Chen Yao and Xia Yue wanted to argue and opened their mouth, but they saw how Madame Zhang Hu, Chen Fang and Xia Bao, listened quietly. And they suddenly had some doubts, what if Huang Wen's suspicion was reasonable after all?

"Aunty Zhang said that Uncle Zhang is possessed by the fairy's grand elder. I'm not saying that it's a lie, but I haven't prove it myself and in our current situation, following Aunty Zhang's plan, there will be a long time before I can see Uncle Zhang in person to try to see if it's the truth. Even if it is. Doesn't mean the situation won't change in the future. And instead having me, Uncle Xia and Uncle Chen to balance the power of the fairies, things might turn the other way."

"That's why I want some sort of guarantee. I know both uncles love their family much. That's why I want both of their daughter. So will that be okay?", Huang Wen ended.

Xia Bao without any hesitation nodded his head. Chen Yao stared at her father and bit her lips, when she saw her father sighed unwillingly and nodded his head. She might say a thing or two, if her mother didn't prevent her from it.

However Madame Zhang Hu frowned and said, "But if you marry them two, wouldn't it make Zhang Xuan's position in danger? The grand elder will see her less valuable and using his position as her father, he might make a decision that you will regret. What if he marry Zhang Xuan to someone else?"

Huang Wen replied, "I will leave it to Aunty Zhang, I believe Aunty Zhang will be able to convince the grand elder, to send Zhang Xuan to me."

Madame Zhang Hu studied Huang Wen's expression and carefully replied, "You have grown shrewder in such a short time. I will do just as you say. Do I have your words that you will sincerely give your all to save my husband?"

Huang Wen nodded his head, "I will."

"But then, how you guarantee it?", Madame Zhang Hu asked.

Huang Wen calmly replied, "When the bank lend money to someone, they ask for a guarantee. Not the other way around."

To Chen Yao and Xia Yue surprise, his answer didn't make Madame Zhang Hu angry. She rather pleased to hear it.

Chuckling, she said, "Well, I guess we have to trust you to solve our problem with the fairies."

"But be warned boy, I like wise guy but I hate those who betray my trust.", still smiling Madame Zhang Hu spoke earnestly.

"I won't betray your trust.", said Huang Wen.

"I do hope so... for both of us.", said Madame Zhang Hu.

That was how Zhang Hu, Huang Wen, Chen Fang and Xia Bao set forth and occupied cities around Fuzhou and Nanping. Within months, they managed to secure the entire province.

Madame Zhang Hu and Zhang Hu successfully convinced the grand elder to give Zhang Xuan to Huang Wen. Huang Wen married Zhang Xuan, several months after he married Chen Yao and Xia Yue. Some people bad mouthing him behind his back. But no one dared to critique him openly. And his loyal follower pleased with anything he did. In their eyes, it was just another conquest, another proof of the superiority of their leader.

Next to Nanping, Pan Wei managed to occupy Sanming and set it as his base. He didn't tarry to expand his influence to the west and north of Sanming. Zhang Hu, or the grand elder, kept his promise. They didn't compete in gaining territories and helped each other in defense.

At the end of the seventh month, the entire Fujian, Jiangxi and the eastern part of Guangdong already secured under their rule. Some sort of peace and order was maintained.

Meanwhile, the lord demon Wang Yuxue's expansion to the west and south, were met with resistance by people from Yunnan, led by a priestess with a tribe of fairies behind her back and one high level zombie general. While his expedition to the east met with resistance from Pan Wei and Zhang Hu.At the end of the seventh month, Wang Yuxue stuck with Hunan, western part of Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou. He was still had the largest territory among the other rulers in the land and decided to manage his current territories and build his army, before trying to push even further.

At the other side of the map, after his temporary peace pact with the grand elder, Wang Yuehei successfully took Ningde from PLA. But rather than securing his base in Ningde, he chose to avoid Zhang Hu. He spent a month to rebuild his army and then through the sea launched an attack to the much bigger city, Shanghai. From there, he rapidly expanded his territory and secure the whole province.

Wang Yuehei didn't stop there but try to take advantage of his zombies army and the chaos, to advance even further to the north and occupied the capital, Beijing. He managed to advance as far as Shandong but then stopped at Hebei.

In the north, most of the survivors gathered around Beijing, including people who had high levels of cultivation. Combined them with the army, they managed to stop the advance of Wang Yuehei's threatening army at Hebei. Whatever left from the central government still ran the show there.

Another strong army was formed in Sichuan led by a coalition of high level cultivators, backed up by another tribe of fairies. It was quite similar to the situation in Fuzhou, with Zhang Hu, Pan Wei, Huang Wen, Chen Fang and Xia Bao. With their leadership they managed to create order in Sichuan.

But other provinces such as Shaanxi, Hubei, Henan and others, were not as fortunate. Within those several months, those province turned into the wilderness. Any survivors most likely already reached safe place, such as Yunnan, Fujian, Sichuan and Beijing. While the other were forced to live and serve Wang Yuehei or Wang Yuxue.

The rest of that years was spent in some sort of peace, each force were rebuilding their territories and armies.

End of part -1.

*Note, sorry if the end of part-1 came abruptly. It's just that I'm not as good a writer as I want to be. I try to keep writing and hopefully write a better one.

The part-2, probably will be about the mc's journey in cultivation since he need to find a way to fight the grand elder who possess his father in law. And winning all the territories won't matter if he doesn't grow strong enough to stop the demon king.

In the beginning, the plot should be part-1 introduction -> part-2 warring states -> part-3 cultivation. But, as much as I want to write something like Water Margin or Romance of Three Kingdom, I think I need to know my own limit for now. So I put the 2nd part to the background.

I'd like to say, thanks to those who still read this far. I'm totally, sincerely grateful to have your visits, comments, etc.

I haven't decided it yet, whether I go on with the 2nd part, taking a hiatus, write another fiction or just trying to fix my grammar. I enjoy writing but at the same time I also realize that I still have many problems with my grammar, not to mention with the writing technique in itself.

ADD:: Perhaps it's a bit selfish to ask. For anyone who want to read the 2nd part of this story, please leave a comment in this last chapter of the 1st part.

Thanks ^_^