Chapter 173 - 171: The Fire Pit
Chen Yuan left the Council Hall, his face an emotionless mask, showing neither joy nor anger.
He had anticipated Feng Wushang’s change in attitude, but he hadn’t expected it to come so quickly.
Previously, Feng Wushang had tolerated Chen Yuan because Chen Yuan was tactful and brought him many benefits.
The problem was that Chen Yuan’s rise was simply too fast, so fast that Feng Wushang was left reeling.
In particular, the token that Chao Hongtu had given Chen Yuan this time granted him authority over most of the other Inspectors. This made Feng Wushang feel an even greater threat.
He was already old, but Chen Yuan was still young.
The problem was, even though he knew he was old, he wasn’t ready to step down. He still wanted to rake in money for a few more years.
If Chen Yuan were still the same man he used to be, Feng Wushang’s attitude wouldn’t have changed.
But the Chen Yuan of today was someone Feng Wushang could not tolerate.
Just then, Du Tianfeng walked over and sighed. "I had heard there might be a change regarding the Kaiping Prefecture position, but I never thought the Hall Master would be so impatient."
"Lord Du, what’s the story with this Xu Feizhou? How did he suddenly become the Hall Master’s adopted son?"
Du Tianfeng said, "That fellow comes from a Martial Dao Family in Taining Prefecture, where the Main Hall is located. His family was savvy enough to provide a lot of support back when our Zhenwu Hall was rising, but they never directly joined.
Xu Feizhou wasn’t the Xu Family’s heir, so he joined Zhenwu Hall early on to seek a future for himself, and he’s been serving in the Main Hall ever since.
He spent some time in the Po Jun Guard, but he apparently had a habit of holding back and shirking his duties, which earned him the displeasure of the commander, who kicked him out. He then joined the Celestial Martial Guard.
A few months ago, the Xu Family’s heir died in an accident, and Xu Feizhou suddenly became important to the family. They gave him a significant amount of resources to help him break through to the Condensing Truth Realm.
Just as an Inspector position opened up in our White Tiger Hall, he heavily bribed the Hall Master and got himself transferred from the Celestial Martial Guard to the White Tiger Hall.
Normally, he should have taken charge of the vacant Yangshan Prefecture, but instead, he did everything he could to fawn over the Hall Master.
He claimed he was unappreciated in his family, that his own father treated him poorly, and that meeting the Hall Master was like meeting his real father. He said he wanted to take care of the Hall Master in his old age, and eventually cajoled him into adopting him as a son.
Because of this, he managed to avoid taking up his post in that pit of fire, Yangshan Prefecture, and has just been waiting.
It wasn’t until a few days ago, when news of your return came from the Main Hall—along with the fact that the Grand Commandant gave you a token granting you authority over other Inspectors—that the Hall Master started hinting he might make a move on your position."
A strange look crossed Chen Yuan’s face. "Lord Du, how do you know all this in such detail? It’s as if you saw it with your own eyes."
Du Tianfeng sneered. "This all came from the White Tiger Guards who serve the Hall Master. After becoming the Hall Master’s adopted son, that fellow Xu Feizhou started acting like he owns half of the White Tiger Hall.
He’s incredibly attentive to the Hall Master, always asking after his well-being, but he berates and scolds the other Guards in the White Tiger Hall at the slightest provocation to show off his authority. Of course, this has made the men under him unhappy.
So, it didn’t take long for word of his actions to spread throughout the entire White Tiger Hall."
Du Tianfeng’s tone was thick with disdain and disgust, and in truth, every Inspector in the White Tiger Hall felt the same way.
Regardless of their strength, all of them had clawed their way up to their Inspector positions through merit and seniority.
For a sycophant like Xu Feizhou to come in, adopt a father, and immediately be placed on equal footing with them was even more unacceptable than when Chen Yuan became an Inspector at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
Chen Yuan nodded in understanding and suddenly asked, "Why do you say Yangshan Prefecture is a pit of fire?"
"Because it’s the very definition of one."
Du Tianfeng gave a wry smile. "Yangshan Prefecture is indeed the largest prefecture city within the White Tiger Hall’s sphere of influence. In terms of area alone, it’s even bigger than Lujiang Prefecture, it’s just not as well-located or prosperous.
Logically, a prefecture city this large should generate a huge amount of tax revenue, but in reality, Yangshan Prefecture’s tax collection is the lowest of the White Tiger Hall’s eight prefecture cities.
The reason is that the Jianghu Forces within Yangshan Prefecture are too strong—so strong that no Inspector has ever been able to suppress them.
Yangshan Prefecture is named after a scenic local mountain, Yangshan Mountain. On that mountain are four Sects, known as the Yang Mountain Four Sects, which together boast more than ten powerful experts at the Condensing Truth Realm.
Among them, the patriarch of the Thunder Shock Sect, ’Thunder Shock Hand’ Wen Cangyuan, is a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm. His fame in the Ning Province Martial World is immense. Although he’s old and frail and has been retired from the Jianghu for over a decade, his prestige is not to be underestimated.
Back when our Hall Master first took charge of the White Tiger Hall, Wen Cangyuan hadn’t yet retired from the Jianghu. When the Thunder Shock Sect held a celebration, the Hall Master himself had to personally attend and offer his congratulations.
In a situation like that, what can the local Inspector possibly do? They can only bow and scrape before the Yang Mountain Four Sects, carrying out their duties in frustration and humiliation.
The previous Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture, Yu Yousong, is in his sixties this year. But for a Martial Artist at the Condensing Truth Realm, being in one’s sixties at most means their Qi Blood and strength will no longer increase; they’re far from the point of retirement or decline.
The reason Yu Yousong chose to retire was because he wanted a transfer to another prefecture city but there were no openings, and on top of that, he couldn’t stand the humiliation anymore. So, he retired in a fit of anger.
Otherwise, who would be willing to give up the position of an Inspector in charge of an entire prefecture city?"
Du Tianfeng gently shook his head and sighed.
He and Yu Yousong weren’t particularly close, but they had been colleagues for many years, and the man was a senior in Zhenwu Hall.
’If I were stuck with such a difficult prefecture city, I probably couldn’t last either.’
"So, Lord Chen, whatever you do, don’t jump into that pit of fire. You just made a name for yourself and rendered meritorious service. The Main Hall is bound to give you preferential treatment.
You can absolutely go to Military Advisor Liu or the Grand Commandant and have them sort this out for you, get you transferred to a different prefecture city.
The Hall Master being petty in the past was one thing, but this time, Lord Chen, you’ve returned after rendering great service.
For the Hall Master to target you like this for the sake of that good-for-nothing adopted son... it’s truly disheartening."
When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves. If even Chen Yuan, who had performed so brilliantly, was treated this way by the Hall Master, what hope was there for the other Inspectors?
"Thank you for the warning, Lord Du, but now is not the time to go to the Grand Commandant."
’I really brought honor to Zhenwu Hall this time. At the very least, no one in the Jianghu can say that Zhenwu Hall has no worthy successors or is suffering from a talent gap.
But Chao Hongtu already gave me the token. If I can’t even handle a small matter like this and have to run to Liu Suifeng and Chao Hongtu just to suppress Feng Wushang, it would make me look utterly useless.
Most importantly, Feng Wushang is the Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall. A distant official is no match for the man on the spot.
Even if I can get them to solve this problem for me this time, what about the next? Can I run to the Main Hall every single time?
So, I might as well teach that Xu Feizhou a lesson and let Feng Wushang know that I’m not someone to be trifled with!
Before, our relationship was decent enough. I gave gifts, and he got things done. Now that Feng Wushang has decided to drop all pretenses, I have no intention of enduring it. I’ll just have to meet him head-on.’
"In that case, Lord Chen, you should still be careful."
After offering this piece of advice, Du Tianfeng departed.
Chen Yuan didn’t go to Yangshan Prefecture to take up his new post right away. Instead, he first returned to Kaiping Prefecture.
Normally, he was supposed to conduct a handover with Xu Feizhou, but it was clear Chen Yuan had no intention of doing so.
In Kaiping Prefecture, Cui Guan, Lu Li, Yang Zhicai, and the other White Tiger Guards were present, as were Guan Zhenshan and his son from the Celestial Star Ranch.
They had also received the news that Chen Yuan was to take charge of Yangshan Prefecture. It struck them as strange, so they had all gathered in Kaiping Prefecture to wait for him.
Upon seeing Chen Yuan return, everyone bowed in unison to congratulate him.
"Congratulations on making a name for yourself in the Jianghu, My Lord!"
Chen Yuan waved his hand. "I’ve heard that far too much lately. It’s just a bit of fame on the Hidden Dragon Rankings; it doesn’t count as truly making a name for myself in the Jianghu."
"My Lord, you’ve trampled geniuses from top Sects and Families underfoot. How could that not count as making a name for yourself in the Jianghu?"
Yang Zhicai offered the compliment, then asked, "By the way, My Lord, why did news come from the Hall Master that you are to be transferred to Yangshan Prefecture, and that this Xu Feizhou will take charge of Kaiping Prefecture?
That fellow is nothing but a sycophant. What right does he have to come here and reap the rewards? And Yangshan Prefecture is a pit of fire!"
The White Tiger Hall’s territory was only so large, and some of the veterans in the hall knew all about the situation in Yangshan Prefecture.
Everyone present was one of his trusted subordinates, so Chen Yuan didn’t hide anything from them. He said calmly, "The Grand Commandant gave me a token this time, granting me the authority to command all Inspectors in a critical moment.
This status is nearly equivalent to a Vice Hall Master. Our dear Hall Master no longer trusts me and wants to use this opportunity to suppress me."
Cui Guan said in a low voice, "What do you plan to do, My Lord? I will follow all your commands."
He was a man cultivated by Liu Suifeng. Since Liu Suifeng had told him to listen to Chen Yuan, he would only listen to Chen Yuan. He couldn’t care less who the Inspector was.
Lu Li quickly added, "This subordinate will follow your lead and your lead alone, My Lord! I won’t recognize anyone else!"
"Me too!" Yang Zhicai hurriedly said.
He had spoken a little too slowly just now, allowing Lu Li to beat him to it.
Guan Zhenshan said directly, "The Celestial Star Ranch owes its life to you, Lord Chen. Naturally, we will only obey you.
And it’s not just the Celestial Star Ranch. For any of the Jianghu Forces in Kaiping Prefecture, making an enemy of you, My Lord, is the same as making an enemy of the Celestial Star Ranch!"
Their relationship with Chen Yuan was now completely bound together. Even if Xu Feizhou had Feng Wushang backing him, they would only recognize Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan was quite confident in them. None of these men were idiots; they knew which side to stand on at a time like this.
"In that case, let’s use every trick in the book. Let’s show this Xu Feizhou that the position of Inspector isn’t so easy to hold."
A cold glint appeared in Chen Yuan’s eyes. "You are all veterans of Zhenwu Hall. You’re no strangers to the methods of insubordination used within the hall.
Master Guan should also know how the local Jianghu Forces resist Zhenwu Hall.
Xu Feizhou wants Kaiping Prefecture, doesn’t he? It’s easy to enter Kaiping Prefecture, but much harder to leave. I’d like to see if he can keep his seat warm!"