Chapter 74 - 73: Insubordination Is Punishable by Death
Inside the Council Hall of the Linyuan City Garrison Mansion.
Five Captains, all at the Qi Casting Realm, sat in a circle. Some were old, some were young; the younger ones were in their thirties, while the older ones were past fifty.
"I’m just saying, the new Lord Guardian should be arriving soon. Even if we don’t go out to formally welcome him, we should at least acknowledge his arrival within the Garrison Mansion."
The one who spoke was Lu Wenxing, an elderly Captain well over fifty with salt-and-pepper hair, who couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.
"Welcome him? Who made it a rule that we have to welcome a new Guardian Envoy when he takes office?"
Huo Tianying, the youngest of the five Captains, looked at Lu Wenxing and said sarcastically, "Old Lu, are you scared? Can’t wait to start sucking up to the new boss already?
Don’t forget, you accepted a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill from me. Without that elixir, your son would never have broken through to the Blood Movement Realm with his meager talent!"
Lu Wenxing shrank back and promptly shut his mouth.
Seeing this, the other three Captains didn’t dare to say another word.
A month ago, the previous Guardian Envoy of Linyuan City, Peng Jing, had died. Since then, Huo Tianying had been plotting to become the new Guardian Envoy himself.
Among these five Captains, Lu Wenxing was the oldest, but his strength was average. At his age, he had reached his lifetime limit at the Qi Casting Realm.
Huo Tianying, on the other hand, was already at the Middle Stage of the Qi Casting Realm despite being only in his early thirties. He was undeniably a young prodigy.
Most importantly, his older sister was a concubine to Qi Yuanming, the Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture. Qi Yuanming had already promised to pull some strings with the Hall Master on his behalf.
Since there were currently no available Martial Artists at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm within the White Tiger Hall, it was highly likely that Huo Tianying would be appointed to take charge of Linyuan City, despite only being at the Qi Casting Realm.
To this end, Huo Tianying had even given gifts to Lu Wenxing and the other three Captains to ensure their future cooperation.
The four of them had no ambition to compete with Huo Tianying, so they naturally accepted the gifts and readily agreed to support him.
But who would have thought that after a month of waiting, instead of Huo Tianying’s appointment, a new Guardian Envoy would be parachuted in from above—and another one at the Qi Casting Realm, no less. How could Huo Tianying possibly swallow such an insult?
Thus came today’s show of force.
Lu Wenxing and the others didn’t want to make an enemy of the new Guardian Envoy, but they also didn’t want to offend Huo Tianying, leaving them in a rather difficult position.
"I’m not some big shot. There’s no need for a welcome."
Just then, the doors to the Council Hall were suddenly pushed open. Chen Yuan stood in the doorway, a smirk on his face as he looked at the men inside.
The expressions on Lu Wenxing and the others’ faces changed instantly.
’This new Guardian Envoy has incredibly sharp hearing. Did he hear everything we just said?’
Huo Tianying, however, looked completely unfazed. ’So what if he heard?’
"I am Chen Tian. Highly regarded by Master Feng, I have been appointed as the Guardian Envoy of Linyuan City. I look forward to working with you all."
Chen Yuan offered a cupped-fist salute with a faint smile.
But the men present didn’t immediately return the salute. Instead, they instinctively glanced at Huo Tianying.
Huo Tianying gave a perfunctory salute, a fake smile plastered on his face. "Huo Tianying, My Lord."
Only after seeing Huo Tianying return the gesture did the others follow suit.
"Lu Wenxing, My Lord."
"Yu Dong, My Lord."
"Shen Xingming, My Lord."
"Song Gang, My Lord."
Chen Yuan waved a dismissive hand and walked to the head seat of the Council Hall, sitting down.
Seeing Chen Yuan take the very seat he had coveted and dreamed of sitting in, the corner of Huo Tianying’s eye couldn’t help but twitch.
"Gentlemen, I am new here. If there is anything I don’t understand, I will have to rely on your support."
At that moment, Huo Tianying suddenly spoke up. "Lord Chen, there’s no need to be so humble. To have become a Guardian Envoy at the Qi Casting Realm, you must surely possess some extraordinary abilities.
As it happens, we have an urgent, unsolved case right here in Linyuan City. It’s been on hold, just waiting for you, Lord Chen, to take over."
"Oh? What case is that?"
Huo Tianying said gravely, "The previous Guardian Envoy, Peng Jing, was ambushed and killed while out on patrol, but we have yet to identify the culprits.
Now that you, Lord Chen, are in charge of Linyuan City, it is only right that you investigate this case thoroughly, find the murderers, and bring justice to Lord Peng. Only by doing so can you win everyone’s respect!"
The expressions of Lu Wenxing and the other three men changed.
’That bastard Huo Tianying is truly ruthless, digging such a huge pit for the new boss right from the start.’
’The case of Peng Jing’s death is a complex one; more than one faction was involved in the attack. Whoever investigates it is asking for trouble.’
’If this new boss actually tries to investigate, he might end up dying an even more miserable death than Peng Jing.’
Chen Yuan looked at Huo Tianying with a wry smile. "Captain Huo has a point. This case should indeed be investigated.
I’ve heard that while Qingyang Palace outside Linyuan City is called a Daoist Temple, its members act like bandits. They are tyrannical in their ways, so it’s highly likely they were the ones who killed Lord Peng.
I want all of you to go and assemble all the White Tiger Guards in Linyuan City immediately. We will encircle and annihilate Qingyang Palace!"
There were five major powers in and around Linyuan City: three major families, a gang, and a palace.
This "palace" was Qingyang Palace, located several miles outside the city. It was a popular place of worship, and it just so happened to contain something Chen Yuan wanted.
Chen Yuan couldn’t be bothered with how the previous Guardian Envoy had died, and he certainly had no interest in avenging him.
But this pretext gave him a justifiable reason to openly take what he wanted.
Huo Tianying’s brow furrowed. ’What in the world is he talking about?’
The Daoists of Qingyang Palace had a good relationship with him and had sent him a fair share of gifts in the past.
’Is this Chen Tian insane? Why did he suddenly drag Qingyang Palace into this?’
"Lord Chen, don’t be reckless. The Daoists of Qingyang Palace have always kept to themselves, chanting their scriptures outside the city. What could they possibly have to do with Lord Peng’s death? If you want to investigate, you should start from within Linyuan City itself."
Chen Yuan, who had been smiling genially just a moment ago, suddenly darkened his expression. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"
Huo Tianying replied coolly, "I’m not telling you how to do your job, My Lord. But we at Zhenwu Hall must also abide by the rules.
Although Zhenwu Hall is nominally responsible for suppressing the martial arts world of Ning Province, we still need evidence to act. Otherwise, how can we expect to command respect?
If this incites unrest among the local Jianghu Forces, how will you answer to the Hall Master?
My Lord, you shouldn’t think being a Guardian Envoy is easy. Governing a city involves countless entanglements. Every step is like walking on thin ice.
It’s fine if you don’t understand—you can learn. But you cannot act so recklessly."
’Walking on thin ice in a piss-ant little city like this? He’s a useless coward who thinks everyone else is as useless as he is.’
Chen Yuan stared at Huo Tianying and said in a cold voice, "I said to assemble the White Tiger Guards and annihilate Qingyang Palace. Are you, Captain Huo, planning to disobey a direct order?"
Seeing that Chen Yuan was completely unyielding, Huo Tianying’s expression turned cold. He stood up abruptly, snorted, and said:
"Chen Tian! You’re treating the Linyuan City Garrison Mansion like a joke!
Arbitrarily attacking local Jianghu Forces... if this causes public outrage, can you bear the responsibility?
Acting so wantonly and recklessly the moment you take office! I will definitely report you to the Inspector and the Hall Master!"
Standing to the side, Lu Wenxing and the other three were completely stunned.
’Things were fine just a moment ago. How did it escalate so suddenly and violently?’
At that moment, a smile suddenly appeared on Chen Yuan’s face as he looked toward Lu Wenxing and the others.
"You all saw it. As a Captain of Linyuan City, Huo Tianying has disobeyed orders, shown gross insubordination, and attempted to use his authority to defy his superior. These are crimes punishable by death!"
Huo Tianying’s expression changed drastically. "Chen Tian! You’re spouting vicious slander!"
The words had barely left his mouth when True Qi erupted from Chen Yuan’s body. A domineering Demonic Qi surged forth like a tidal wave in a vast ocean.
He threw a punch, and it produced a deafening boom.
Huo Tianying never imagined that Chen Yuan would attack without a moment’s hesitation.
He immediately retreated, hastily crossing his hands in front of him as a large mass of golden True Qi condensed to block Chen Yuan’s punch.
But Chen Yuan’s foundation of power was profound, and the Demonic Qi cultivated from his Other-Transformed Self-Free Celestial Demon Secret Manual was exceptionally domineering and pure.
As the punch landed, it shattered Huo Tianying’s Protective True Qi. He instantly felt an immense force wash over him, and with a spurt of blood, he was sent flying back several steps!
Chen Yuan took a single step, his body shooting forward like a cannonball as he threw another punch.
Huo Tianying roared, frantically burning his Qi Blood until his golden True Qi was tinged with a bloody hue.
He could feel it—Chen Yuan was trying to kill him!
’How dare this madman? How dare he resort to infighting the moment he takes office?’
Zhenwu Hall’s predecessor, the Celestial Martial Alliance, had been a crude organization in its early days, rife with members fighting for credit and engaging in internal strife.
Later, Liu Suifeng established strict rules: military merits were to be distributed down through the ranks, stealing credit was strictly forbidden, and superiors were not allowed to kill their subordinates at will, on pain of severe punishment.
Therefore, let alone killing a Captain like him, even if Chen Yuan wanted to kill the lowest-ranking Third-class White Tiger Guard, he would still have to follow the rules.
Killing without just cause was a grave crime!
Huo Tianying threw a punch, his golden-red True Qi surging and roaring.
But he wasn’t trying to fight Chen Yuan to the death; with a shift of his feet, he intended to flee.
A single punch from Chen Yuan had been enough to shatter his courage.
That incredibly powerful, pure, and profound True Qi—as boundless as an oceanic abyss—had even made Huo Tianying feel as though he were facing a master of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
’As long as I can escape,’ he thought, ’I’ll go find my brother-in-law, Inspector Qi Yuanming of Kaiping Prefecture, and have him lodge a fierce complaint against this Chen Tian before the Hall Master!’
’Even if it doesn’t get him killed, he’ll be skinned alive!’
Their fists collided. The pure Demonic Qi on Chen Yuan’s punch instantly tore through and shattered Huo Tianying’s golden-red True Qi.
Huo Tianying let out a muffled grunt. The webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand instantly split open, and it felt as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer.
Using the force of the blow, Huo Tianying shot backward, trying to escape.
But in the next instant, Chen Yuan’s right hand coiled around his arm like a spirit snake, yanking him back forcefully!
Before Huo Tianying could react, the Shattering Jade Strength, infused with Demonic Qi, erupted and instantly twisted his right arm to pieces.
Huo Tianying had just let out a pained scream, his face a mask of terror. "Don’t kill me! My brother-in-law is Qi Yuanming, the Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture! If you kill me, you’ll be severely punished! I’ll assemble the White Tiger Guards and have them obey your orders right now! We can talk about this! Don’t kill me!"
But Chen Yuan acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He threw another punch, and a powerful surge of Demonic Qi exploded outward. Huo Tianying’s body was thrown like a ragdoll, sent flying out of the room, shattering the main doors and landing in the open space outside the Council Hall.
With that last punch, Chen Yuan had unleashed his True Qi at point-blank range, blasting a bloody hole straight through Huo Tianying’s chest.
His Life Force was tenacious; even with such an injury, he didn’t die instantly. He foamed at the mouth with blood and struggled twice before his breathing ceased.