Daqian Martial Saint

After getting a general grasp of the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, Chen Ping’an’s gaze fell upon a token. The token was a brilliant gold, exquisitely carved with dragons and phoenixes. The word "Ruyi" was engraved on both the front and back.

"It’s an access token from the Ruyi Treasure Pavilion!" Chen Ping’an recognized it after a brief inspection.

The Ruyi Treasure Pavilion conducted business throughout Canglong Province and even occasionally ventured beyond its borders. In addition to the items sold in the Treasure Pavilion, it also periodically organized exclusive, private trade gatherings.

These gatherings were far more exclusive, requiring a personal invitation from the Ruyi Treasure Pavilion to attend.

The owner of an access token, naturally, was on the priority invitation list.

Chen Ping’an was well aware of this, having done business with the Ruyi Treasure Pavilion before. Unfortunately, the value of his transactions had never been high enough to qualify for an access token.

’A trade gathering... I’ll hold onto this for now. It might be useful later.’ After a moment of thought, Chen Ping’an pocketed the token.

The last of the items was a small pile of bottles and jars.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an didn’t have to guess; the bottles and jars were all clearly labeled.

’Tracking Powder... This is good stuff. I’ll take it!’

’Healing Elixirs. Nice! I’ll take these!’

’Enchanting Soul Powder... Hmm, interesting. Not bad at all!’

"..."

After taking inventory, Chen Ping’an stowed away all the bottles and jars. He had to admit, the Mountain Elder truly lived up to his reputation as a master on the Dragon and Tiger Chart; these items were all exceptional.

After taking care of everything, Chen Ping’an was still reeling with excitement. He had only intended to try his luck and was fully prepared to leave empty-handed. He never imagined...

The rewards from this trip had far exceeded his wildest expectations!

Chen Ping’an looked at the skeleton sitting in meditation on the stone bed. The bones themselves had a faint golden sheen. Judging by the clothes, which were rotted beyond recognition, the man must have been dead for quite some years.

Chen Ping’an gazed quietly at the Mountain Elder’s skeleton, and after a moment’s thought, he bent at the waist and gave a deep bow.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Chen Ping’an straightened up and scanned his surroundings, a sharp glint in his eyes.

’It’s time to leave!’

...

The fallout from Feng Shixian’s death had not yet settled in White Stone City when another piece of news began to spread rapidly.

The Weishui Garrison had selected a suitable candidate to assume the position of Commander-in-Chief of the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau, who would also serve as the Outer Patrol Envoy for the Long’an Trade Route. The appointment was effective immediately!

"A new Commander-in-Chief? It’s not Chen Ping’an!?"

"They’ve already chosen someone so quickly? And he’s taking office immediately?"

"That was fast! What’s the new Commander-in-Chief’s background? Go find out! Now!"

"Find out everything you can, and be quick about it!"

The city’s various powers grew curious about the new Commander-in-Chief. They began to make inquiries, using every channel and connection at their disposal.

But when news came back that the new Commander-in-Chief had reached Celestial Rain Descending Realm Perfection, possessed formidable combat prowess, and was ranked among the top five Qi Realm experts in all of Weishui County City, the city’s factions could no longer sit still.

"What is this?! We just got rid of Feng Shixian, and now they’re sending a Fu Wanyu."

"When Feng Shixian died, I thought the boot was finally off our necks. Looks like... sigh, I celebrated too soon."

"A Martial Arts Master at Celestial Rain Descending Realm Perfection... to be a mere city Commander-in-Chief? Is the Weishui Garrison finally getting serious?"

"Pass the order down: tell our people to lay low. Don’t give them any excuses to cause trouble!"

"Every one of you, be careful! Don’t stir up any trouble!"

"..."

The new Commander-in-Chief’s overwhelming power scared the various factions in White Stone City into silence.

Fu Wanyu!

The man had not yet set foot in White Stone City, but his name was already seared into the mind of every faction.

Two days after the news broke, Chen Ping’an returned to White Stone City alone. His return was noted by some of the factions, but it didn’t cause much of a stir.

At this moment, the attention of the city’s factions was fixed entirely on the new Commander-in-Chief. They showed little interest in Chen Ping’an’s movements.

In White Stone City, it was the new Commander-in-Chief who would ultimately call the shots.

This was especially true given that the new Commander-in-Chief’s Martial Arts Realm was even more formidable than that of the late Feng Shixian.

By sending such a top-tier Martial Arts Master, the Weishui Garrison was making its stance perfectly clear: no matter what shady characters were lurking in White Stone City, there would be no trouble.

Faced with such a powerful show of force from the Weishui Garrison, the factions that had been itching to make a move gradually settled down.

...

"Lord Chen." As Chen Ping’an walked through the gates of the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau, a constable greeted him respectfully.

The atmosphere within the Pacification Bureau had been grim for the past two days. Feng Shixian’s death had been a heavy blow to everyone.

Chen Ping’an gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Even after he had walked a fair distance, he could still faintly hear the constables at the gate whispering among themselves.

"The new Commander-in-Chief... I really thought it would be Lord Chen! What were the higher-ups thinking, appointing someone else?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. That’s not for us to discuss!"

"Heh, there’s no one else around. What’s the harm in talking amongst ourselves?"

"Sigh... Lord Chen is powerful, but compared to the patriarchs and alliance leaders in the city, his Martial Arts Realm is ultimately too weak. He can’t control the situation!"

"Who says he can’t? Didn’t he just wipe out the Quicksand Gang and the Crocodile Gang a few days ago? Did you see any of the city’s families or gangs dare to make a peep?"

"You don’t get it! The other factions stayed quiet not because of Lord Chen, but because Lord Commander Feng was on his way back! If news of Commander Feng’s death had gotten out then, do you think they would have been so well-behaved?"

"So you’re saying... it wasn’t Lord Chen keeping them in line, but Commander Feng, who wasn’t even in the city?"

"What else could it be? Even though Commander Feng wasn’t here, he’s still the head of the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau. He holds the official title, and everyone knew he’d be back sooner or later. Of course the other factions had to be careful. If they went too far, they’d have to face a reckoning."

"Oh, I see."

"That’s why Lord Chen can only be second-in-command. You still need someone at the top who can really keep everyone in line!"

"Sigh, Lord Chen is still young, after all. If he just had a bit more time..."

"But time waits for no one! Sigh..."

"..."

The few constables at the gate thought Chen Ping’an was too far away to hear them. In reality, ever since breaking through to the Profound Light Realm, his hearing had improved to an almost unbelievable degree. As long as he wanted to, he could hear them with perfect clarity.

Chen Ping’an didn’t bother listening to the rest of their conversation.

’From the sound of it, they’re actually disappointed I didn’t get the Commander-in-Chief position. Looks like I’m quite popular here in the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau!’

Chen Ping’an smiled, shook his head, and walked into his office.

"My Lord, these are the documents you requested." Chen Ping’an had barely sat down when Cheng Renjing knocked and entered.

Cheng Renjing looked grim; it was clear Feng Shixian’s death had affected him deeply.

"Just put them there," Chen Ping’an said, looking up.

He’d asked Cheng Renjing to gather some information, but he hadn’t expected him to be so efficient. ’Results in less than two days,’ he thought.

Chen Ping’an offered a few words of comfort before dismissing Cheng Renjing.

Feng Shixian’s body had already been transported to Weishui County City. A memorial service would also be held here in White Stone City to commemorate his contributions.

However, they would have to wait for the new Commander-in-Chief to arrive and set a date before they could formally hold it, as a sign of respect for the new arrival.

After Cheng Renjing left, Chen Ping’an’s gaze fell upon the documents before him.

The Mountain Elder!

These were biographical records of the Mountain Elder.

He had gained enormously from this trip, even receiving the inheritance of a Divine Skill. In a way, he had inherited the Mountain Elder’s legacy. It was only natural that Chen Ping’an would want to learn more about him.

’For example, did the Mountain Elder have any enemies...’

’Hmm, better to be careful.’

’I’d rather not get hunted down and killed for some unknown reason because I was ignorant of the situation and accidentally exposed this inheritance.’

With that in mind, Chen Ping’an slowly opened the file and began to read through it patiently.