Daqian Martial Saint

"Sir, I’d like a bowl of soft tofu pudding, two fried dough sticks, and a baked wheat cake!"

"Right away, sir."

"Sir, it’s you!"

"Sir, you must not live around here. I haven’t seen you in so long. I’ve been hoping you’d stop by!"

"I’ve been busy with a few things lately, so I haven’t been out much."

Old Man Hao stared blankly at Chen Ping’an as scenes flashed through his mind.

He suddenly remembered—the first time he had seen him was the very day the new Deputy Commander had taken office in White Stone City!

’So... he’s the Lord Commander?’

Old Man Hao’s head was spinning. No matter how he racked his brain, he never would have imagined that the head of the White Stone City Garrison Commandant’s Office would be eating breakfast at his humble tofu pudding stall—let alone chatting with an old man like him, who already had one foot in the grave.

’This was just...’

Mounted on an imposing horse, Chen Ping’an was laughing and chatting with his subordinates when his expression flickered. He had spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. His gaze met theirs, and seeing that they were looking back at him, a brilliant smile spread across his face.

"Long time no see!"

...

The enthusiasm of White Stone City’s citizens was greater than Chen Ping’an had expected. Even when he reached the gates of the Garrison Commandant’s Office, a crowd of people was still following close behind.

"My Lord, you’ve been away so long. Everyone has been eagerly awaiting your return!" Shan Qiwang said with a fawning smile.

"Indeed, my lord. You are deeply loved by the people, and they are all showing it through their actions!"

"That’s right."

The others around them chimed in, expressing how important their Commander-in-Chief, Chen Ping’an, was to them all. Their fawning praise was plain to see.

Chen Ping’an smiled without speaking.

’At my current station, I’m bound to have more than just one or two bootlickers. Learning which words to take to heart and which to let pass is a lesson I still need to master.’

"We respectfully welcome the Lord Commander’s return!" the constables at the gates of the White Stone City Garrison Commandant’s Office shouted in unison, their faces full of admiration as they welcomed Chen Ping’an back.

"Good!" Chen Ping’an raised a hand and swung himself off his horse. Then, welcomed by his subordinates, he strode through the main gates of the White Stone City Garrison Commandant’s Office.

’The Garrison Commandant’s Office is the same, but my state of mind upon returning is completely different!’

When he had left, he was merely a Deputy Inspection Envoy, newly promoted to Vice Commander Level, and had to travel to Weishui County City to complete the paperwork. Now, upon his return, he held sole authority over the peripheral patrols of the Trade Route, was a genuine Standard Commander Level, and was even on the observation list as a Candidate for Commander-in-Chief.

’A figure like me is now a hot commodity, even within the whole of Weishui County!’

"Brother~"

Not long after Chen Ping’an stepped through the main gates of the Garrison Commandant’s Office, his expression shifted as he heard an incredibly familiar voice.

Seeing the girl running toward him, a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time spread across Chen Ping’an’s face.

After Chen Ping’an completed his promotion procedures and was reassigned to patrol the periphery of the Trade Route, he knew he wouldn’t be able to return for some time. He had sent a letter to White Stone City, arranging for Chen Erya to be well protected.

He had never forgotten the cautionary tale of the Blood Oath Alliance.

Keeping her in their residence, even surrounded by masters, would offer limited protection. Fortunately, the Garrison Commandant’s Office had a rear courtyard designated for the Commander-in-Chief’s residence. And so, he had the little girl and Peony move into the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

’In all of White Stone City, what place could possibly be safer than here?’

Who could have imagined that Lord Commander Chen, the ruthless and merciless man who had made heads roll across White Stone City, could have such a tender moment?

Shan Qiwang, Cheng Renjing, and the others stood far back, not daring to disturb the Lord Commander’s good mood in the slightest.

"Brother~ you’re back!"

The little girl blinked, looking over the brother she hadn’t seen in so long.

"Yes, I’m back!" Chen Ping’an said with a smile. "Well now, it’s been a while. Erya, you’ve gotten taller!"

"No, I haven’t!"

"..."

Though they hadn’t seen each other for several months, there wasn’t the slightest bit of distance between the siblings as they caught up on each other’s lives.

"Brother, I was so engrossed in my reading that they didn’t dare disturb me, which is why I didn’t come to the gate to greet you..." The little girl stuck out her tongue cheekily.

Of course Chen Ping’an wasn’t going to blame the little girl for that. "It’s fine," he said.

He then grew curious about her studies and casually asked what books she was reading.

The little girl casually named a few, but Chen Ping’an was surprised to find he didn’t even recognize the titles. They weren’t common books available on the market, but delved into much more profound territory. Upon brief inquiry, he learned that her tutor was present, so he sent a man to summon them.

Chen Ping’an had arranged for this tutor himself. She was highly renowned in White Stone City and was very selective about her students. But no matter how selective she was, when the head of the White Stone City Garrison Commandant’s Office wanted something done, his subordinates would naturally find a way to arrange it perfectly.

This tutor came to the Garrison Commandant’s Office every day to give lessons to Chen Erya. She took one day of rest every ten days.

Chen Ping’an met Chen Erya’s tutor in the main hall of the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

The tutor was, in fact, a woman. Her face showed some age, but she was impeccably dressed and carried with her a striking scholarly air.

"Greetings, Lord Commander." Upon seeing Chen Ping’an, the female tutor seemed rather reserved.

As brilliant a scholar as she was, she would not dare show the slightest hint of presumption in front of the Commander-in-Chief.

To put it bluntly, her life, her fortune, and every aspect of her family’s well-being rested on a single whim of Chen Ping’an.

’If I were to offend this man, my household would likely know no peace!’

She had heard rumors of the Lord Commander’s methods—he was a brutal, ruthless man whose actions had struck terror into the hearts of everyone in White Stone City, high and low.

When faced with such a man, she was naturally as cautious as could be.

She just hadn’t expected him to be much gentler than she had imagined.

"Hahaha, no need for formalities! Please! You are Erya’s teacher, which makes you a distinguished guest of mine!"

Chen Ping’an’s attitude put the female tutor slightly at ease, and her responses became much more natural.

In the ensuing conversation, Chen Ping’an came to understand Chen Erya’s academic progress. With her current level of knowledge, the little girl was already on par with an adult who had spent ten years in arduous study.

Chen Ping’an hadn’t expected the little girl’s academic progress to be so rapid in just a few months.

’It seems her academic talent is far more astounding than I ever imagined.’

’Such talent can’t be wasted while she’s under my care.’ Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but give her academic future more serious thought.

The Daqian Dynasty was founded on martial might, but it was governed through civil administration. Even the great Noble Families, in addition to retaining Martial Dao masters, would also patronize scholar-retainers to act as advisors and strategists.

It was said that in the Dynasty’s two great Academy Palaces, the Jixia Academy and the Yin Yang Academy, they taught everything from political strategy to celestial phenomena and divination. If one could achieve mastery on the level of a Celestial Human, comprehending the workings of heaven, earth, and nature, then Guardians of the Dao would willingly follow them to the death, protecting them with their very lives.