Daqian Martial Saint

It was already dark by the time Chen Ping’an left the Weishui Garrison.

"Lord Chen, our time was too short today. We must arrange another time to have a proper drink and get to know each other better!" The one speaking was Zhao Lianzhi, the head of the Dispatching Bureau, who was seeing Chen Ping’an off with a wide smile.

The Dispatching Bureau handled all personnel assignments, large and small, within the Weishui Garrison system. Since it wielded authority over appointments, the position of its head was naturally an incredibly prestigious one.

The head, Zhao Lianzhi, was a genuine Standard Commander Level official, a full rank higher than Chen Ping’an’s new position.

A person of his stature would normally never personally escort someone all the way to the Garrison entrance. In Chen Ping’an’s case, however, it wasn’t strange at all.

He had reached such a high position at a young age; who could say how far he would go in the future? Building a good relationship with such a figure in advance was, by any calculation, a winning move.

Besides Zhao Lianzhi, there were seven or eight others at the Garrison entrance, but he was the highest-ranking official among them.

"Lord Zhao, this is far enough," Chen Ping’an said with a smile. "We’ll have a chance to drink later."

"Hahaha, Lord Chen, you’re a straightforward man." Zhao Lianzhi was extremely satisfied with Chen Ping’an’s attitude. Whether they actually drank wasn’t important; what mattered was that Chen Ping’an was reciprocating his friendly overture.

As they spoke, a horse-drawn carriage pulled up to the Garrison entrance.

"Lord Chen, your carriage is here. Please, get in. It’s late, and you must be tired from your long journey. You should head back and get some rest," Zhao Lianzhi said with a polite smile.

As an Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist, he wouldn’t tire so easily. This was mainly just an expression of concern.

"Xiaodeng, see to it that Lord Chen is well taken care of."

"Yes, Lord Zhao," Deng Yi responded respectfully.

"Lord Chen, after you." With a deferential bow, Deng Yi helped Chen Ping’an into the carriage.

As the group saw him off, the carriage slowly began to move. Chen Ping’an waved to them from the window.

The officials from the Garrison smiled and waved back.

If the heads of the various subordinate garrisons had witnessed such a scene, their jaws would have dropped in shock.

These core members of the Weishui Garrison’s bureaus, who usually couldn’t be bothered to give them the time of day, were acting with such fervor.

As the carriage drew away, Chen Ping’an lowered the curtain and sat alone, replaying the events that had just transpired inside the Garrison.

After Deng Yi had led him inside, the first person he met was Zhao Lianzhi. Upon seeing him, Zhao Lianzhi had been incredibly enthusiastic, fussing over him with endless questions about his well-being.

After a while, even the way the subordinates in the Dispatching Bureau looked at him had changed.

The inner workings of an organization were said to be complex, but when you boiled it down, they were also quite simple. ’When someone is favored by a direct superior, which subordinate would dare to treat them poorly?’ Every single one of them had been impossibly courteous.

After Zhao Lianzhi had thoroughly inquired about Chen Ping’an’s time in White Stone City, he brought him to Liu Yuanhua’s office.

Liu Yuanhua, Deputy Commander of the Weishui Garrison (Vice Capital Commander Level). Within the Weishui Garrison system, his status was second only to the Commander-in-Chief.

Aside from his role in the Garrison, Liu Yuanhua was also one of the Liu Family’s real power elders, serving as their representative within the Weishui Garrison.

Such a man was one of the most prominent figures in all of Weishui County City.

"Lord Liu, the Commander-in-Chief of White Stone City, Chen Ping’an, is here." Arriving at the office door, Zhao Lianzhi, despite being a bureau head himself, appeared utterly deferential.

"Come in." A deep voice called out, and Zhao Lianzhi led Chen Ping’an inside.

"I, Chen Ping’an, pay my respects to Lord Liu." The office was immense. A burly-looking figure was hunched over a long desk. Chen Ping’an didn’t look too closely, simply cupping his fists in a salute.

Liu Yuanhua looked up, revealing a square-jawed face as his gaze fell upon Chen Ping’an.

Hm?

The Seed of Profound Light between Chen Ping’an’s eyebrows stirred slightly as he faintly sensed an inexplicable scrutiny.

’A Qi Observation Technique?!’

The Profound Light Realm was where one first began to touch upon Divine Wonders. In addition to their standard cultivation techniques, some Profound Light Cultivators also practiced unorthodox auxiliary arts, like Fang Qixian’s Concealing Breath Technique.

Chen Ping’an remained impassive, maintaining his posture with a bowed head and cupped fists.

"You may rise! A fine young man indeed!" Liu Yuanhua’s voice rang out.

"Thank you, Lord Liu." Chen Ping’an’s expression was calm, completely unworried about the risk of his cultivation being exposed. ’With the Golden Finger Panel, forget Liu Yuanhua. Even if a vastly more powerful cultivator were here, they wouldn’t be able to see through my concealment.’

After the initial pleasantries, Liu Yuanhua began asking about Chen Ping’an’s personal situation. He asked relatively little about affairs in White Stone City, focusing mainly on Chen Ping’an himself.

"The two previous commanders, Feng Shixian and Fu Wanyu, both died in quick succession. What are your thoughts on that?" Liu Yuanhua’s gaze was electric as he looked at Chen Ping’an, a clear intent to test him in his eyes.

Chen Ping’an lowered his head slightly. "My Lord, for both to die in succession, with such precise timing and in such specific circumstances... I fear there is a hidden hand at work!"

"Oh?" A faint smile touched Liu Yuanhua’s lips. "And what do you suppose was the reason for killing them?"

"I’m afraid they were in the way of something," Chen Ping’an said, a glint in his eye.

"Interesting. Very good, indeed!" Liu Yuanhua nodded with a smile. "Are you interested in joining my Liu Family?"

...

The sound of a horse neighing as the carriage came to a halt pulled Chen Ping’an’s thoughts back to reality.

"Lord Chen?" Deng Yi’s humble voice drifted in from outside.

"What is it?"

"Lord Chen, it seems some noble sons are fighting over a woman up ahead. They each have a group with them and have blocked the road. Should we take a detour, or..." Deng Yi respectfully asked for instructions.

The Inner City was home to countless powerful factions, and their second, third, and fourth-generation scions ran rampant. Brawls would break out from time to time for all sorts of reasons—a dispute over a certain Cultured Courtesan, losing face in an argument, and so on.

However, these young masters were also quite discerning. Their families had drilled into them who they could provoke and who they couldn’t. As a result, such incidents rarely escalated too far. In the end, an elder from one of the families would step in and resolve the situation.

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment before replying, "Let’s take a detour."

"Yes, Lord Chen." Upon hearing this, Deng Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

Anyone arrogant enough to block a road in the Inner City was, at minimum, a core descendant of a first-class influence. It was even possible they were from the direct lineage of a Noble Family.

Chen Ping’an might not fear such people, but a mere Steward from the Dispatching Bureau like himself certainly couldn’t afford to offend them. Chen Ping’an’s willingness to take a detour was, for him, the best possible outcome.

Hearing the relief in Deng Yi’s voice, Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but shake his head.

’If I didn’t take the detour,’ he thought, ’and just forced the carriage through, I’d end up in a conflict with these Noble Family Descendants. Would it play out just like in those old novels? I’d beat the young one, then the old one would show up, and eventually, I’d make a stunning comeback, suppressing them all one by one to establish my reputation.’

’Speaking of which, the incident with Fang Rui was a perfect example. I beat the young one, the old ones came for revenge, and they all died by my hand. I just wonder if that will stir up more trouble down the road.’

At this thought, Chen Ping’an was struck by a surge of emotion.

’Ah, life... It truly is a fascinating journey. No one can predict what will happen next! Everything is an unknown!’

’Perhaps a nobody today will become an unattainable titan tomorrow. And perhaps a titan today will, in the future...’

’...end up crushed beneath my heel!’