Chapter 175 - 173: A Familiar South Sea Pavilion
Outside the Inspectorate Office.
An elderly man in green robes, his expression slightly agitated, strode into the Inspectorate Office.
The old man was in his sixties. He had a powerful build and a Condensing Truth Realm cultivation. His Qi Blood showed no signs of depletion, but his hair was already graying.
Seeing the old man, Zheng Qu’an and the others were all stunned.
This was none other than the previous Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture, the retired Yu Yousong.
"Lord Yu? Haven’t you already retired and left?"
Yu Yousong sighed. "This old man is useless. I couldn’t fight the Yang Mountain Four Sects and only ended up thoroughly disgraced. What else could I do but retire? Stay here and be an embarrassment?
I was originally planning to leave, but then I heard the new Inspector was Lord Chen, so I decided to come back and take a look.
I’ve heard all about what Lord Chen did back when he wiped out the Blood God Sect and took charge of Kaiping Prefecture. He’s much more capable than this old fossil.
Just because I was helpless against the Yang Mountain Four Sects doesn’t mean Lord Chen will be."
Yu Yousong looked at Chen Yuan, his expression turning solemn as he cupped his fists. "Lord Chen, I won’t hide it from you. I’ve been so utterly frustrated these years in Yangshan Prefecture, and I just can’t swallow this insult!
If you don’t want to step into this pit of fire and wish to find a chance to transfer away, I won’t say another word. We can all just go our separate ways. If we can’t afford to offend them, we can at least afford to hide.
But since you intend to make a move against the Yang Mountain Four Sects, even though this old man is useless, I’m willing to lend a hand!
I may no longer be the Inspector, and I may be retired, but I am still a man of the Zhenwu Hall!"
Chen Yuan hadn’t expected Yu Yousong to have such an attitude.
However, when a Condensing Truth Realm expert who was once an Inspector offered to help, Chen Yuan certainly wasn’t going to refuse.
"Elder Yu, you are as vigorous as ever. To have your help is like giving a tiger wings.
Besides, I’ve only just arrived in Yangshan Prefecture and don’t have much understanding of the local Jianghu Forces.
Elder Yu, you were in charge of Yangshan Prefecture for so many years. You must be very familiar with the Yang Mountain Four Sects, right?"
Yu Yousong heaved a sigh. "Back in the day, I also wanted to fight them, so naturally, I gathered a great deal of intelligence on them.
It goes beyond familiarity; I even know some of the secret histories of the Yang Mountain Four Sects.
Unfortunately, this old man’s strength was insufficient, and the Hall Master was unwilling to provide support. This led to the Yangshan Prefecture Inspectorate Office being too weak to fight them at all."
After sighing, Yu Yousong said gravely, "Lord Chen, the power of the Yang Mountain Four Sects cannot be underestimated. The history of these four sects is longer than even our Zhenwu Hall, and their foundations are all extremely deep.
The Yang Mountain Four Sects occupy the four cardinal directions of Yangshan, and they are the Thunder Shock Sect, the Mystic Light Sect, the Yanxia Sect, and the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.
Among these four, the Thunder Shock Sect is the strongest. Its ancestor, ’Thunder Shock Hand’ Wen Cangyuan, is a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster. At his peak, he possessed a cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Primordial Pill Realm.
However, he is over one hundred and fifty years old this year and has entered a stage of Qi Blood decline. But as long as his Primordial Pill remains, he can still maintain a certain level of combat strength.
Furthermore, the Thunder Shock Sect alone has six powerful experts at the Condensing Truth Realm.
The remaining three sects are roughly equal in strength. The Mystic Light Sect and the Yanxia Sect each have four Condensing Truth Realm experts, while the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion is slightly weaker, with only three.
However, the Pavilion Master of the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion, ’Heavenly Light Flying Shadow Sword’ Du Xiaochen, is very powerful. He reached the Peak of the Condensing Truth Realm several years ago.
Among the Yang Mountain Four Sects, he is the Martial Artist most likely to break through to the Primordial Pill Realm."
Chen Yuan nodded in understanding.
’So that’s why Feng Wushang is unwilling to provoke the Yang Mountain Four Sects.’
’If these four sects join forces, the number of their Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists would be greater than even the White Tiger Hall.’
’Of course, Feng Wushang’s own strength is certainly greater, but he doesn’t want to completely fall out with the Yang Mountain Four Sects.’
’It’s not that he doesn’t dare, he just finds it too troublesome.’
’For Feng Wushang, nothing is more important than making money.’
"Do these four sects really have no rifts between them? Can they truly present a united front against outsiders?"
Yu Yousong pondered for a moment before saying, "These four sects jointly occupy Yangshan. They have always shared in both loss and glory.
However, in my years here, I’ve managed to uncover some secret information. It’s just hearsay, though—I have no proof.
Du Guangnian, the son of the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion’s Pavilion Master Du Xiaochen, was once a rare young prodigy in Ning Province. He had already stepped into the Qi Casting Realm by the age of eighteen.
But five years ago, while he was out, Du Guangnian was injured by a mysterious person and afflicted with a strange poison. As long as he uses his Inner Strength and Qi Blood, they will be devoured by the poison.
Because of this, Du Guangnian was essentially crippled. He couldn’t use his Martial Arts at all, and he was even tortured by the strange poison daily, living a life worse than death.
According to the information I’ve gathered, before the incident, Du Guangnian had a conflict with Wen Chengze, the son of the Thunder Shock Sect’s Sect Leader. They even came to blows.
Wen Chengze’s status is also extraordinary. Not only is he the Sect Leader’s son, but he is also of the direct bloodline of the Thunder Shock Sect’s ancestor, Wen Cangyuan.
Although the Thunder Shock Sect is called a Sect, in reality, the position of Sect Leader has been held by the Wen Family’s Direct Lineage ever since Wen Cangyuan.
Not long after the conflict between Du Guangnian and Wen Chengze, Du Guangnian was crippled. So at the time, rumors spread that Wen Chengze had secretly done it.
But afterward, Wen Cangyuan personally intervened. He used his Thunder Technique True Qi to seal the poison within Du Guangnian’s Dantian. Although it couldn’t completely expel the poison, it could prevent Du Guangnian from being tortured by it day and night.
However, he is still unable to circulate his True Qi. The moment he tries, the poison will immediately spread.
Since then, Wen Cangyuan has helped Du Guangnian seal the poison every year. Du Xiaochen is immensely grateful to him, and the rumors about Wen Chengze being the culprit fell apart on their own.
But I always feel that something isn’t right about all this. It’s too much of a coincidence. Still, it’s just a suspicion; I have no proof."
Chen Yuan stroked his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
’The more I hear about this poison afflicting Du Guangnian, the more it sounds like the Heaven-Devouring Poison that Ming Gongqiao of the South Sea Pavilion developed.’
’It’s just that the Heaven-Devouring Poison acts extremely quickly. Even without circulating True Qi, it will gradually devour a Martial Artist’s Qi Blood. Circulating it makes the process even faster.’
’But with the poison Du Guangnian has, if he doesn’t circulate his Qi Blood, he is only tortured by it and won’t die immediately. Furthermore, a Primordial Pill Realm Martial Artist like Wen Cangyuan can temporarily seal it. The Poison Power isn’t that strong.’
’With the Heaven-Devouring Poison used by Yan Jiuyi and the others at the Furnace Opening Assembly, besides a Cultivation Technique with astonishing Attribute Power like the Celestial Fire Secret Manual, no one else could expel it.’
"Elder Yu, can you find out if any Martial Artists from the South Sea region came to Yangshan Prefecture around the time Du Guangnian was crippled five years ago?
And whether Wen Chengze, or anyone connected to him, had any contact with these Martial Artists from the South Sea."
Yu Yousong nodded. "Five years ago, I was still thinking about fighting the Yang Mountain Four Sects, so I paid close attention to them and investigated them thoroughly. A lot of information was archived. I’ll have someone look into it right away."
After speaking, Yu Yousong finally realized that he was no longer the Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward.
"I forgot myself. The current Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture is you, Lord Chen. This old man has overstepped his bounds."
Chen Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Elder Yu, don’t mind it. Right now, I can’t even tell one White Tiger Guard in Yangshan Prefecture from another. It’s better for you to handle these matters, Elder Yu.
You were in Yangshan Prefecture for several years and are familiar with this place. I’ll be relying on you to help coordinate things when we deal with the Yang Mountain Four Sects."
The current staff in Yangshan Prefecture was just a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled men. Chen Yuan truly didn’t care for such a small amount of authority.
Besides, he had always lived by the principle: if someone shows me a foot of respect, I’ll show them a yard.
Although Yu Yousong was a senior, he never acted like one, adopting a very humble attitude before a newcomer like Chen Yuan. Naturally, Chen Yuan would give him the respect he deserved.
Hearing this, Yu Yousong breathed a sigh of relief.
’Young men are often full of vigor. My words just now could easily have been seen as me being unable to read the situation, using my age to throw my weight around.’
’But from the looks of it now, although this Lord Chen is rumored to be domineering and arrogant, he isn’t petty in the slightest.’
Yu Yousong nodded and immediately had someone begin the investigation.
Back then, Yu Yousong had put in a great deal of effort to deal with the Yang Mountain Four Sects and had collected a lot of information.
He clearly remembered the period when Du Guangnian was crippled. He had someone retrieve the case files and, after careful examination, he actually found something.
"Lord Chen, you are truly incredible! How did you know there were Martial Artists from the South Sea at that time?"
Holding the case file, Yu Yousong said, "Just before the conflict between Du Guangnian and Wen Chengze, a group of Martial Artists from the South Sea did indeed come to Yangshan Prefecture. It seems they were searching for an extremely obscure and rare Spiritual Medicine.
However, they didn’t have any contact with Wen Chengze. They did interact with Liang Yunhao, a disciple of the Mystic Light Sect’s younger generation. It was Liang Yunhao who sold them that obscure Spiritual Medicine.
And Liang Yunhao is a good friend of Wen Chengze; he’s been running around with Wen Chengze for years.
If we can prove that the ones who crippled Du Guangnian back then were this group of Martial Artists from the South Sea, it will be enough to sow discord among the Yang Mountain Four Sects!"
Yu Yousong’s expression was slightly agitated.
For so many years, he had been helpless against the Yang Mountain Four Sects. Who would have thought that as soon as Chen Yuan arrived, he would find a breakthrough?
"The only difficulty now is that too much time has passed. It’s been five years. I’m afraid we won’t be able to find any evidence."
Chen Yuan said lightly, "Evidence? We don’t need evidence. We just need to lay these clues before the father and son pair, Du Xiaochen and Du Guangnian. They will naturally understand."
Elder Yu, there are two things I need to trouble you with. First, have someone send a message to the Yang Mountain Four Sects, telling them to hand over the tax revenue from all these years.
Courtesy first, soldiers later. When we at the Zhenwu Hall do things, we must at least have a justifiable cause.
Second, find some people to secretly spread a rumor in Yangshan Prefecture. Say that a Divine Doctor has come to Yangshan, one who excels at curing poisons. Lure the father and son, Du Xiaochen and Du Guangnian, down from the mountain.
The people spreading the news cannot be from the Zhenwu Hall, or it will arouse the other party’s suspicion and vigilance."
"Rest assured, Lord Chen. I have stayed in Yangshan Prefecture for many years, after all. I still have some connections."
Yu Yousong was slightly excited, feeling a touch of youthful vigor despite his age. Upon hearing the plan, he immediately began to carry out Chen Yuan’s instructions, feeling no discomfort at all about being directed by a junior.
He had been the Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture for so many years and had endured more than enough frustration.
If they could topple the Yang Mountain Four Sects this time, forget just taking orders from Chen Yuan—he might even consider acknowledging Chen Yuan as his adoptive father.