Chapter 107 - 106: Cui Guan
Feng Wushang was in high spirits on the way back to the White Tiger Hall.
The relationship between the Hall Masters of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu was not good; they were always scheming against each other.
Today, thanks to Chen Yuan, that scoundrel Cui Wenzhong had been thwarted, and he himself had stolen the show when rewards were being handed out. Feng Wushang was feeling utterly content.
So, as a return favor, aside from the Inspector position Chen Yuan had already secured, Feng Wushang didn’t mind giving him a few more benefits.
"Chen Yuan, though your time in Linyuan City hasn’t been long, you’ve been there for some time now. Now that you’ve been promoted to Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture, do you have anyone to recommend for the position of Guardian Envoy of Linyuan City?"
Feng Wushang was a penny-pincher; he certainly wouldn’t give Chen Yuan any truly substantial benefits.
But a position like Guardian Envoy was something Feng Wushang could decide on his own, so he didn’t mind offering it up to sweeten the deal for Chen Yuan.
Otherwise, it would make him, the Hall Master, seem a bit too stingy.
Chen Yuan was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Feng Wushang to take the initiative to offer him a benefit.
Since Feng Wushang had made the offer, Chen Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony.
"Thank you, Hall Master. I believe Captain Lu Wenxing of Linyuan City is senior enough. He has spent his entire life in Linyuan City and is more than qualified to be promoted to the position of Guardian Envoy."
Feng Wushang nodded and said, "Very well. After you assume your post as Inspector, the position of Guardian Envoy will go to Lu Wenxing."
Feng Wushang had some recollection of Lu Wenxing.
He was an old-timer who had joined back in the days of the Celestial Martial Alliance. Although his abilities weren’t outstanding, he was diligent and had never made any major mistakes. Moreover, he had been in Linyuan City for a sufficiently long time.
With such a record, no one would have much to say about him becoming Guardian Envoy. At the very least, it would be more convincing than when Chen Yuan had first become Guardian Envoy.
Upon returning to the White Tiger Hall in Lujiang Prefecture, Feng Wushang used an Array to broadcast the transfer orders for Chen Yuan and Lu Wenxing throughout the Eight Prefectures and Forty-Two Cities.
After collecting the Guardian Envoy’s Armor and Token for Lu Wenxing, Chen Yuan headed straight back to Linyuan City.
As soon as he returned to the Linyuan City Garrison Envoy’s Mansion, several Captains and a crowd of White Tiger Guards from Linyuan City were already waiting at the entrance to greet him.
This reception was a world away from the one he’d received when he had first taken office.
"Congratulations, my lord, on your promotion to Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture!"
With Lu Wenxing leading the way, everyone congratulated him in unison.
This wasn’t mere flattery; it was heartfelt.
Although Chen Yuan’s time in charge of Linyuan City hadn’t been long, every time they went on a mission with him, they had made a fortune.
Of the spoils they seized, Chen Yuan only kept some Spiritual Elixirs, and the rest was either distributed among them or given to the Hall Master.
They had seen stingy superiors who ate all the meat themselves and didn’t even leave the bones for their subordinates.
They had also seen superiors who ate the meat and were willing to share some of the soup with their subordinates; those were already considered rare.
But Chen Yuan was on another level—it was as if he gnawed on the bones himself and gave all the meat to them. Where could you find a boss like that?
Having received so much, this band of White Tiger Guards was as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood during raids and exterminations, their blades moving so fast they left afterimages.
They feared that if they were too slow to act, they would be letting down Lord Chen’s generosity.
Of course, they didn’t know that to Chen Yuan, those worldly riches were the bones. The Spiritual Elixirs and Medicines that could enhance his cultivation were the real meat.
"Alright, I’ve received your good wishes."
Chen Yuan handed the Armor and Waist Token to Lu Wenxing. "Old Lu, you should have received the news of your promotion to Guardian Envoy. From now on, Linyuan City is in your hands."
Lu Wenxing excitedly took the Armor and Waist Token, his hands trembling slightly as he bowed deeply to Chen Yuan. "This subordinate thanks you for your patronage, my lord! If you have any orders in the future, this subordinate will go through fire and water and will not hesitate to die ten thousand deaths!"
Lu Wenxing had never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that he would one day become a Guardian Envoy.
He also knew that if Chen Yuan hadn’t pulled some strings, the position of Guardian Envoy would never have fallen to him.
Yu Dong and the other Captains looked at Lu Wenxing with eyes full of envy and jealousy.
’That old fellow sired a good son!’
Initially, all of them, including Lu Wenxing, had kept a respectful distance from Chen Yuan.
But who would have thought that Lu Li would catch Chen Yuan’s eye and be held in high regard? This had forced Lu Wenxing to passively side with Chen Yuan, and now he had reaped such great rewards as a result.
"I’m heading to Kaiping Prefecture to take up my post. Lu Li will come with me as my Personal Attendant. Also, pick twenty young and sharp White Tiger Guards to accompany me to Kaiping Prefecture."
Lu Li exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, my lord!"
Even though his own father had become the Guardian Envoy of Linyuan City, Lu Li still felt that following Lord Chen was more exciting.
Linyuan City now only had one remaining power, the Cyan Scale Gang, and they were just a dog leashed by Lord Chen.
If he stayed in Linyuan City, there would surely be no more excitement, and that would be far too dull.
For a young man like him, he was definitely more willing to stay by Lord Chen’s side.
It was getting late, so Chen Yuan decided to rest in Linyuan City for the night and head to Kaiping Prefecture to assume his post the next day.
However, just as Chen Yuan was about to fall asleep, a slight noise came from outside.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, but then came two soft knocks on the door.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open gently, and a Martial Artist at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm walked in. He bowed to Chen Yuan and said, "This subordinate, Cui Guan, has been ordered by Military Advisor Liu to join Lord Chen’s command and await your orders."
This Cui Guan was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with a steady temperament and a plain appearance—the type of person who would disappear in a crowd.
But the aura he exuded was solid, indicating a firm foundation, and he carried a restrained killing intent, clearly possessing a great deal of combat experience.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn’t expected Liu Suifeng to move so quickly.
"Is it just you?"
"Besides myself, there are thirty others. Five are at the Qi Casting Realm, and twenty-five are at the Blood Movement Realm. They are all waiting outside the city for your orders, Lord Chen. Here is our personnel information. Lord Liu said that once you take charge of Kaiping Prefecture, you can enlist us into the Zhenwu Hall."
Cui Guan handed over a booklet containing all their information.
Of course, this information was likely all fake. Liu Suifeng had said that these people, secretly cultivated through the Shadow Guard, couldn’t see the light of day and needed to be legitimized through Chen Yuan’s authority.
Within Zhenwu Hall, the nomination of an Inspector, regardless of who proposed it, required the approval of the Main Hall. A Guardian Envoy’s appointment required the approval of a Hall Master.
As for ordinary Captains and White Tiger Guards, the rules were not as strict.
An Inspector was authorized to recruit Captains and White Tiger Guards to build their own team. The number of White Tiger Guards in a single Prefecture City could even exceed a thousand.
Slipping in thirty people, as Liu Suifeng had done, was completely inconspicuous and was exactly what Chen Yuan wanted.
The people in Kaiping Prefecture were all left behind by the previous Inspector, Qi Yuanming, and many were likely his trusted confidants.
Now that Qi Yuanming was dead, Chen Yuan wasn’t sure if those people would be sensible or not. It would be more convenient to bring some of his own men.
That was why Chen Yuan had earlier asked Lu Li to pick some people to go with him to Kaiping Prefecture.
But while there was no issue with the loyalty of Lu Li and the others, their strength was too weak.
Now, Cui Guan’s arrival with his men compensated for this shortcoming.
"Understood. Wait outside the city with your men. You’ll come with me to Kaiping Prefecture tomorrow."
Cui Guan nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, my lord."
After speaking, he exited the room without making a sound. His Lightweight Skill was also quite impressive.
「The next morning」Chen Yuan left the city with Lu Li and the others, heading for Kaiping Prefecture.
Outside the city, Cui Guan was waiting with his men. Lu Li glanced at Cui Guan’s group with curiosity but didn’t venture to ask any questions.
Chen Yuan, however, handed the roster of Cui Guan’s men to Lu Li. "They are all White Tiger Guards and Captains I recruited from the Jianghu. Once we get to Kaiping Prefecture, you will register their information."
Lu Li nodded, but he guessed in his heart that this group’s background was anything but simple.
It wasn’t as if he had never seen Independent Practitioners from the Jianghu before. Judging by their aura alone, he could tell that this group was definitely not made up of ordinary Jianghu People.
However, Lu Li knew what should be asked and what, even under threat of death, should not be mentioned.
Before he left, Lu Wenxing had reminded him that as long as he did one thing while by Lord Chen’s side, his future would be limitless.
And that was to ’obey.’
Kaiping Prefecture was not too far from Linyuan City. After more than half a day’s travel, the group arrived outside the Prefecture City.
As a Prefecture City, Kaiping Prefecture was far more magnificent and prosperous than Linyuan City, and the Inspectorate’s Mansion was also grander than the Garrison Envoy’s Mansion.
With Chen Yuan just taking office, none of the Captains at the Inspectorate’s Mansion dared to try any petty tricks like a show of force to intimidate him. They all stood obediently at the entrance of the Inspectorate’s Mansion to welcome him.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but that they simply lacked the strength.
Kaiping Prefecture had a total of fifteen Captains, all of whom were at the late-stage Qi Casting Realm or its peak.
Once someone broke through to the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, they would naturally seek the position of Guardian Envoy of a city rather than remain a Captain.
Fei Bin, for instance, had been a Captain under Qi Yuanming. After advancing to the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, he went to Linzhong Prefecture to become its Guardian Envoy.
Therefore, these Captains in Kaiping Prefecture were either not strong enough or lacked the seniority. How could they dare to challenge Chen Yuan?
"Your subordinates greet you, my lord!"
The group of Captains bowed in salute, their attitude at least appearing humble.
Chen Yuan waved his hand. "No need for formalities. I trust you are all quite familiar with me."
A Captain in his forties, thin and scrawny with a slightly sleazy look, chuckled and said, "Who in our White Tiger Hall doesn’t know of Lord Chen’s great renown?"
"What I mean is, Qi Yuanming must have cursed my name in front of you all quite often, right?"
At these words, the Captain was momentarily speechless, his expression turning awkward.
Chen Yuan was right. The first time they had heard his name wasn’t due to some great renown, but because Qi Yuanming cursed him every day in the Inspectorate’s Mansion.
"No need to be nervous. Qi Yuanming is already dead, and I’m not one to dwell on the past.
Whether you were Qi Yuanming’s trusted confidants or subordinates he despised, you will all be treated equally by me.
I trust that none of you are idiots who would remain loyal to a dead man."
Chen Yuan stared at the Captains of Kaiping Prefecture and said in a deep voice, "However, now that Kaiping Prefecture is under my command, you will do things according to my rules.
The rule of Zhenwu Hall is that rewards and punishments are clearly distinguished, and my rule is the same."