Chapter 229 - 228: When Did Our Town Martial Department Lose Its Prestige?
"Elder He, I’m not trying to complain, but..."
"Has our Town Martial Department lost all its prestige?"
"A few measly families dare to disrespect the Town Martial Department like this?"
Wei Shang said, his voice tinged with anger.
On the other end of the line, Elder He fell silent.
After a long moment, he finally spoke in a low voice, "You’re right. Since when did the Town Martial Department lose its prestige?"
"If you ask me, we should just pick a few families and make an example of them!"
"No matter what, the Town Martial Department is not something they can afford to underestimate!"
"Otherwise, sooner or later, they won’t just ignore the Town Martial Department. They’ll be shitting and pissing all over our heads!"
Wei Shang continued to urge him on.
"For now, you don’t need to worry about this matter. Continue your protection detail and ensure Lin Yi’s safety at all costs. The authority of the Town Martial Department cannot be trampled upon by anyone. We will reclaim the prestige we have lost!"
"Just remember your mission!"
Elder He’s tone had become incomparably cold.
Even through the phone, Wei Shang could sense his killing intent.
"Elder He, don’t worry. With Feng Lei and me here, no one can touch Lin Yi!"
"No matter who they are... Oh, right, Elder He, can I ask one more question?"
"Speak!"
"Is Lin Yi... the White Tiger Martial God?"
Wei Shang mustered his courage and voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind.
He and Feng Lei had guessed Lin Yi’s identity from the very beginning.
After all, anyone who warranted personal protection from the Town Martial Department was bound to have an extraordinary background.
But Lin Yi was just a martial arts exam candidate from the Old District. What kind of prominent status could he have in the New District?
Recalling the recent appearance of the Star Constellation White Tiger omen, it was easy to guess the reason.
Elder He was silent for a long time before he said, "Yes. He’s not only the White Tiger Martial God, but also Yi Nanshan’s grandson. That’s why you’re assigned to protect him personally—to prevent Lin Yi from being disturbed by outside forces!"
"Oh, and soon enough, he might also become the closed-door disciple of the Elder Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain!"
"Huh?"
Elder He either said nothing or dropped one bombshell after another.
The White Tiger Martial God.
Yi Nanshan’s grandson.
The Elder Celestial Master’s closed-door disciple?
Each of these titles was more staggering than the last, each identity more incredible than the one before.
First, the Town Martial Department itself is subordinate to the Martial God.
The previous Martial God left several hundred years ago, and no one knew if he was still alive.
Even if he were alive, it was unclear if he could ever return.
Now, Lin Yi was set to become the second Martial God.
The Town Martial Department would naturally have to follow Lin Yi’s lead.
Until he fully matured into a true Martial God, the Town Martial Department had a duty to protect him.
Until he truly became the White Tiger Martial God...
’Besides that, Lin Yi is also Yi Nanshan’s grandson?’
Yi Nanshan’s status in the New District was, needless to say, immense.
As one of the seven Defenders of the Martial Arts Alliance, he was a supreme existence.
Furthermore, the Yi Family behind Yi Nanshan was even more formidable.
He had three sons and two daughters in total.
His younger daughter was Lin Yi’s mother, Yi Xiaoqing.
Back in her day, she had been the New District’s prodigy, a rising star of martial arts talent.
Countless people had high hopes for her future, but she was love-struck and threw her own path away.
Yi Nanshan’s elder daughter, Yi Xiaoying, was a professor at the Weapon Research Institute.
All military weapons, armor, and even some Magical Artifacts came from the Weapon Research Institute.
Its authority throughout the entire New District was unquestionable.
Her daughter, Tang Qinru, was also an extraordinary person.
Her main professions were physician and Alchemist.
She held a considerable status in the New District as well.
Then there was Tang Baichuan, the principal of Xingwu University.
Although the Tang Family was a minor family in the New District, they had been making a name for themselves in recent years by leveraging the Yi Family’s reputation.
They were an existence that ordinary people dared not provoke.
Besides them, there were Yi Nanshan’s three sons.
All of them were generals defending the Restricted Areas, each leading their own army.
They were stationed there year-round, battling the exotic beasts within those Restricted Areas.
Who would dare to provoke a family like this?
If you offended Yi Nanshan, who could possibly stand against his three sons returning with their armies?
What’s more, Yi Nanshan had two more forces under his command.
One was the Golden Robe Guard, and the other was the Tiger Guard.
They were both elite units. Although they suffered some losses in the battle at Wushan, it didn’t hurt their core strength. It wasn’t even a scratch.
So, with the Yi Family as his background, Lin Yi’s status naturally carried even more weight.
What shocked Wei Shang even more was that even the Elder Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain wanted to take Lin Yi as a disciple?
And a closed-door disciple at that?
’If he really becomes his disciple, then Lin Yi will have Dragon Tiger Mountain backing him as well.’
Although Dragon Tiger University was more famous than Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Daoists on the mountain were a notoriously tough bunch, each one more formidable than the last.
They were famous for being fiercely protective of their own, especially the Elder Celestial Master.
He couldn’t tolerate his disciples suffering the slightest grievance. If he found out his disciple had been wronged, he would mobilize the entire sect and descend the mountain to demand an explanation.
’These three powers all surround Lin Yi.’
’Who would still dare to have designs on him? It wouldn’t be as simple as having a death wish anymore.’
’It would be a crime serious enough to have your entire clan exterminated...’
"You are not to mention what we’ve discussed today to anyone!"
"Especially Lin Yi’s identity. Don’t tell him for now. Just focus on keeping him safe. Understood?"
Elder He added as a final reminder.
Wei Shang nodded quickly. "Elder He, rest assured, I’ll remember!"
"Good. That’s all for now."
With that, Elder He hung up. Wei Shang raised a hand and gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
’Right now, it feels like an invisible mountain has landed on my shoulders. My small frame can’t bear this much weight.’
’Before, I thought this mission was too simple. To think it required the Town Martial Department to personally handle the protection detail. Looking at it now, I was too naive.’
He even felt that for someone of Lin Yi’s status, assigning just him and Feng Lei to protect him was a bit too confident.
’They should add at least a few more people. That would be safer. Otherwise, this responsibility is just too heavy. It’s crushing me to the point where I can’t breathe.’
"What did Elder He say to you? You two were chatting for so long."
Seeing that the call had ended, Feng Lei walked over and asked.
Wei Shang’s expression was grave. He shook his head and said, "Nothing much. He just warned us to be extra careful lately. Those old bastards from the Martial Arts Alliance might make a move on Lin Yi!"
"The Martial Arts Alliance is making a move? Does that mean Lin Yi’s identity as the White Tiger Martial God is confirmed?"
Feng Lei pressed eagerly.
Wei Shang nodded. "Yeah, Elder He confirmed it. He is the White Tiger Martial God. It’s just that we all hope he can slowly grow into the role on his own."
"But those old bastards from the Martial Arts Alliance, especially Old Yao, want to control the Martial God!"
"So the burden on our shoulders is heavier than you can imagine!"
Hearing this, a flash of killing intent crossed Feng Lei’s eyes.
"Then let them come. I’ve heard those old bastards from the Martial Arts Alliance are all Martial Arts experts. I’d love to test just how much stronger they are than us!"
CRACKLE—
The next moment, Feng Lei clenched his fist.
His entire arm was immediately enveloped in a violet bolt of lightning.
The lightning coiled and intertwined around his arm, emitting a crackling sound.
If a punch with such power landed on someone, it would cause grievous injury, if not death.
Wei Shang gave Feng Lei a deep look.
’There were some things he hadn’t told him, like Lin Yi’s other identities. He had to be cautious now. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Feng Lei. Anyone who could enter the Town Martial Department was sworn to loyalty until death. He was just worried Feng Lei had a big mouth and might accidentally let something slip. That would be a huge problem. So he chose to bear it all himself. To shoulder all the pressure alone.’
"Alright, stop showing off your little electric current. Let’s go out and see how Wei Nan and the others are doing with their cultivation."
Wei Shang stood up and said with a light chuckle.
Feng Lei nodded, retracting the violet current on his arm.
He followed Wei Shang outside.
Just as they arrived at the Cultivation Field, they were surprised to find Lin Yi sitting inside as well.
The two of them exchanged a glance and both smiled.
However, neither of them went in.
To Wei Shang and Feng Lei, cultivating spiritual apertures was something for beginners.
As 6-star Martial Artists, they had already moved on to the next stage of cultivation.
Qi and Blood purification.
For Martial Artists at their level, if they wanted to continue improving their cultivation, they had to purify their Qi and Blood. The purer, the better.
As a result, the progress of their cultivation slowed down.
Normally, they could increase their Qi and Blood by 50% in a day.
But after purification, the source qi they could obtain was only between 10% and 15%.
And that was only if the refinement was effective.
Sometimes, they couldn’t even refine 10%.
That’s why their advancement through the realms became increasingly slow.
Only by pursuing this refinement could they break through to 7-star.
And after reaching 7-star, cultivation would become even more difficult.
At that moment, Lin Yi sensed that someone was watching him.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Wei Shang’s.
Wei Shang smiled at him.
Lin Yi gave a slight nod before closing his eyes again.
He continued to cultivate his spirit and open more spiritual apertures...
「Midday.」
In the principal’s office.
Tang Baichuan had a fawning expression on his face, personally serving tea and pouring coffee.
The dignified principal of Xingwu University was acting so humbly.
In the entire New District, there were only two people who could make him act so subserviently.
One was his ex-wife, Yi Xiaoying, and the other was his daughter, Tang Qinru.
Sitting on the sofa at this moment was none other than his ex-wife, Yi Xiaoying.
Yi Xiaoying wore a military uniform, exuding a valiant and heroic aura.
Her short hair made her look even more sharp and capable.
She was clearly a woman in her forties, but she still looked so youthful and beautiful that anyone seeing her on the street would mistake her for being in her late twenties or early thirties.
"Is there anything else you need? Just let me know!"
After busying himself, Tang Baichuan sat down on the sofa across from her and spoke.
Yi Xiaoying glanced at him. "I came today to see my nephew. How is Xiaoyi doing? Is he being bullied at your school?"
"No, no, of course not! Who would dare bully Lin Yi? They’d have to have a death wish!"
"You can rest assured. Your nephew is my nephew too. How could he possibly be bullied at Xingwu University? If he were, I’d have to resign as principal!" Tang Baichuan was acting like a total suck-up.
Every word was meant to curry favor.
Yi Xiaoying nodded. "That’s good. It’s already midday. Why don’t you arrange for me to meet with him..."
Before she could finish her sentence, suddenly, there was a knock on the office door.
Then, a person hurried in with a grave expression and said, "Principal Tang, Ch-Chen Hao’s father is here!"
"Who? Chen Qisheng is here? Tell him to wait. Can’t you see I’m busy?"
Tang Baichuan said with a look of annoyance.
However, before the secretary could say anything else, the sound of footsteps approached from outside.
A voice was heard before the person came into view.
"Is Principal Tang so busy that even Mr. Chen can’t get a moment of your time?"