Chapter 71 - 70: Liu Suifeng
Liu Feiyan had heard her father, Liu Suifeng, say more than once that Zhenwu Hall’s power and prestige had waned in recent years, making it increasingly difficult to keep the Jianghu Forces of Ning Province in check.
Moreover, Zhenwu Hall was suffering from a generational gap in talent, with few outstanding individuals among the younger generation.
This Young Hero Chen was an Independent Martial Artist, with no sect or faction, and he had saved her life.
’I can recommend him to Zhenwu Hall. That way, I can repay him for saving my life, and Zhenwu Hall gets a talented young prodigy. Wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?’
At this thought, Liu Feiyan felt she was incredibly clever, certain she had inherited her father’s sharp mind.
Beside her, Uncle Zhong watched Liu Feiyan with a resigned look.
’The young miss is wonderful in every way, except she’s not the sharpest. She acts so rashly, without a second thought. She’s nothing like the daughter of ’Tiansuanzi’ Liu Suifeng.’
’There’s no problem with having this Young Hero Chen join Zhenwu Hall, but it can’t be arranged directly by Miss Liu.’
’She’s Liu Suifeng’s daughter; her every action represents his will.’
’If this Chen Tian joins Zhenwu Hall this way, he’ll automatically be seen as part of Liu Suifeng’s faction. Everything he does will reflect on Lord Liu.’
’So, even if he is to join, it’s best that he does so by passing through Zhenwu Hall’s official channels and assessments.’
But of course, Liu Feiyan had just blurted it out, and Uncle Zhong hadn’t been able to stop her in time.
But Uncle Zhong was still uneasy. He looked at Chen Yuan and asked hesitantly, "Little Brother Chen, I was wondering... who was the great personage you mentioned you’d offended back in You Province?"
Chen Yuan looked at Uncle Zhong with a faint, unreadable smile. "Sir, I haven’t even agreed to join your Zhenwu Hall, and you’re already starting to interrogate me?"
"Uncle Zhong! What are you doing?"
Liu Feiyan cried out in displeasure, "Brother Chen is our savior! So what if the people he offended in You Province were the Murong Family Patriarch and the Sun-piercing Alliance Leader?"
"This is Ning Province, not You Province! Can’t our Zhenwu Hall protect its own? We’ve fought the Emperor himself before! Why should we be afraid of other forces?"
Uncle Zhong gave an awkward laugh. "That’s not what I meant. Also, Miss, you should be a bit more discreet. After all, Zhenwu Hall has accepted the Court’s amnesty. It’s not good to be badmouthing the Court, at least not in public."
Liu Feiyan pouted, then turned to Chen Yuan with a look of utmost sincerity. "Brother Chen, our Zhenwu Hall doesn’t care about your background, only your accomplishments. It’s the perfect place for Independent Martial Artists to thrive."
"We also have our own Alchemists. Even the lowest-ranking Third-class Martial Guards receive Elixirs as part of their monthly stipend."
"And you won’t have to worry about your enemies from You Province coming after you. Once you join Zhenwu Hall, you’re one of our own."
"I can’t speak for other places, but here in the territory of Ning Province, absolutely no one will dare to touch you!"
Chen Yuan contemplated for a moment before clasping his hands. "Since Miss Liu has put it that way, I won’t be coy. I must ask you to make the recommendation, then."
"You saved my life, Brother Chen. What’s there to be polite about?"
Liu Feiyan clapped Chen Yuan on the shoulder, a bold and natural gesture that made the corner of Uncle Zhong’s eye twitch as a wave of worry washed over him.
’My lady has nothing of a woman’s bearing. How will she ever get married in the future?’
Liu Feiyan’s and her party’s horses had been killed, but the Poison Wolf Thieves’ mounts were still there.
Before they left, Liu Feiyan made sure to bring her maid’s body back with them.
She had a forthright personality, not at all like a sheltered young lady from a noble house. She didn’t normally use maids; Liu Suifeng had insisted she take one on this trip.
Although she hadn’t been particularly close to the maid, the girl had died because of her, and Liu Feiyan couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
The four of them mounted up and rode toward Taining Prefecture, the heart of Ning Province.
A small settlement was a city; a large one, a prefecture.
You Province was vast but sparsely populated, consisting mostly of small cities like Lianshan City. There were few large cities that qualified as a prefecture.
Ning Province, on the other hand, was enormous, so it had numerous Prefecture Cities, each governing several smaller cities.
The Taining Prefecture before them was the largest Prefecture City in all of Ning Province. Its walls were tall and magnificent. Countless merchants, pedestrians, and wandering Jianghu People passed through its gates, a picture of extreme prosperity. The Zhenwu Hall headquarters was located right in the center of Taining Prefecture.
As they entered the city, Chen Yuan observed his surroundings carefully. The Zhenwu Hall Martial Artists guarding the city gates were dressed strangely—not like Court soldiers, but not like ordinary Jianghu People either.
Court soldiers wore full suits of armor. In contrast, the Town Martial Guards of Zhenwu Hall wore only pieces of Light Armor—a breastplate, pauldrons, and bracers—over close-fitting black garments.
Those with the words "Zhen Wu" engraved on their breastplates were Town Martial Guards directly under the command of Zhenwu Hall.
An insignia of a Cyan Dragon marked the Cyan Dragon Guards of the Cyan Dragon Hall, while a White Tiger marked the White Tiger Guard.
They were dressed this way because Zhenwu Hall no longer fought against the grand armies of the Court; their opponents were now mostly Jianghu People.
Full heavy armor was necessary when facing the Court’s armies, but against Jianghu People, flexibility and agility were paramount. Heavy armor would only hinder their combat effectiveness.
Liu Feiyan led Chen Yuan and the others toward the center of Taining Prefecture, where a crimson inner city stood.
The inner city was built entirely of red brick, its architecture grand and imposing. A faint, solemn, and murderous aura emanated from within.
This red inner city was the home of Zhenwu Hall.
Liu Feiyan led Chen Yuan into Zhenwu Hall, guiding him through a maze of corridors until they arrived at a secluded courtyard home.
Opening the gate, they found a winding path that led to a tranquil garden. The environment was elegantly understated, dotted with rare spiritual trees that gave off a subtle, pleasant fragrance.
"Dad! I’m back!"
Liu Feiyan called out cheerfully.
It was only at times like this that she seemed like a young woman.
"AHEM! Why are you back so late this time?"
The door to the house slid open, and a middle-aged man in a moon-white scholar’s robe emerged.
The man was refined and handsome, with a full head of silver hair. His complexion, however, was pale and sickly.
Despite his tall frame, he leaned on a cane, his body slightly stooped.
This was the man before them: one of the top three figures in Zhenwu Hall, its Military Advisor, ’Tiansuanzi’ Liu Suifeng.
Chen Yuan couldn’t sense the slightest hint of an aura from him. The Liu Suifeng before his eyes seemed like nothing more than a frail, sickly scholar.
But at his peak, this man had been a Grandmaster who had reached the Divine Platform Realm of the Eight Realms of Martial Dao.
"Oh, we just ran into a little trouble on the way."
Liu Suifeng’s eyes narrowed. "Trouble?" he said softly. "You reek of slaughter. Old Zhong and Li Fan are injured, and Lu’Er is missing. This was no ’little trouble.’ Old Zhong, what happened?"
Liu Feiyan immediately started trembling, not daring to utter a word.
She had never dared to lie to her father, not even as a child. He could see right through her little tricks in an instant; she had absolutely no privacy from him.
Uncle Zhong sighed and recounted the entire incident to Liu Suifeng from beginning to end.
When he had heard everything, Liu Suifeng coughed, let out a long sigh, and lightly rapped Liu Feiyan on the head.
"Oh, you... you’ve been disobedient since you were little. I’ve had this injury for decades. If it could have been cured, it would have been cured long ago. Was it your place to go searching for medicine for me?"
Liu Feiyan pouted but didn’t dare to talk back.
Then, with a placid expression, Liu Suifeng said to Uncle Zhong, "Send the order. Have the Guardian Envoy stationed around Desolate Heaven Ridge lead his guards to exterminate the bandits in the area. They have one month. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty escape."
Uncle Zhong quickly bowed his head. "Yes, my lord!"
Watching from the side, Chen Yuan was taken aback.
’This man might look sickly, as if he could drop dead at any moment.’
’But in reality, back in the days of the Celestial Martial Alliance, he was a key figure who raised the banner of rebellion and took the Court head-on. He would unleash all sorts of wicked, immoral schemes as if they were worthless trinkets. The man is the very definition of ruthless.’
’His daughter was attacked, and even though all the Poison Wolf Thieves were already dead, he still couldn’t stomach the insult. He had to slaughter a wave of bandits to vent his anger and make them pay.’
’Any bandits who die in this purge will just be victims of collateral damage.’
Only then did Liu Suifeng turn his gaze to Chen Yuan, his expression gentle. "Thank you, Young Friend Chen, for saving Feiyan’s life."
Chen Yuan quickly clasped his hands. "Lord Liu, you’re too kind. It was a small matter."
"Your ’small matter’ saved the only thing I have left to live for."
Liu Suifeng stroked Liu Feiyan’s head, his eyes filled with tender affection. "My life is what it is. This daughter is the only thing I can’t let go of. If something had truly happened to her, killing every bandit in Ning Province would have been too little, too late."
With that, Liu Suifeng fixed his gaze on Chen Yuan. "Old Zhong says you offended a great personage in You Province, and that’s why you’ve fled to Ning Province seeking refuge."
"I won’t ask who you offended. You only need to remember that within the domain of Zhenwu Hall, no other power can touch you."
"You saved Feiyan’s life, so I will naturally grant you a promising future."
"But you must remember this: once you join our Zhenwu Hall, you must never betray it."
"You will be joining Zhenwu Hall under my recommendation. However, in my sick and crippled state, I don’t manage many of its affairs anymore. Therefore, you must be mindful of Zhenwu Hall’s rules."
"As long as you act within those rules, I will have your back."
"You are an intelligent man. You should understand what I mean."
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and clasped his hands toward Liu Suifeng. "Lord Liu, rest assured. I will take these words to heart."
Liu Suifeng’s meaning was clear. Because Chen Yuan had saved Liu Feiyan’s life, that debt alone was enough for him to protect Chen Yuan and grant him a future, regardless of who he had offended in You Province.
At the same time, however, since Chen Yuan was joining under his recommendation, he would be branded as a member of his faction.
Liu Suifeng was gravely ill and had not been involved in daily affairs for years, so his influence was greatly diminished from what it once was.
Chen Yuan could not use his name to act recklessly. But as long as he operated within the rules, no matter what trouble arose, Liu Suifeng could handle it.
Seeing that Chen Yuan had understood the underlying meaning of his words, Liu Suifeng nodded in satisfaction.
’He’s a sharp one, after all. I enjoy dealing with intelligent people.’
Beside them, Liu Feiyan glanced at her father, then back at Chen Yuan.
’Dad always speaks in riddles, saying one thing and meaning another. How can Brother Chen understand all that?’
Seeing his daughter’s completely clueless expression, Liu Suifeng felt a headache coming on.
’I wouldn’t call myself a peerless genius, but my mind is sharp enough.’
’So how did I end up with a daughter who can’t think around a single corner?’
"Alright. Feiyan, take Young Friend Chen to get some rest. There happens to be a council meeting within Zhenwu Hall tomorrow. I’ll arrange a position for him then."
Liu Suifeng waved his hand, dismissing them.