Chapter 96: Turmoil
Chapter 96: Turmoil
Yu County, one of the seven counties of Jade Province, was governed by the City Lord of Yu City, who held the official rank of a fifth-grade official in the imperial court. Even during the heyday of the Great Xuan Dynasty, a county governor held significant power and influence in the region.
The same was true in the present day. The Xue family was the most influential in Yu City, surpassing the other three major families in both foundation and overall strength. Among the four powerful families in the inner city, the Xue family was undoubtedly the strongest, followed by the Xie family, then the He family, and lastly, the Yu family. The smaller families were not worth mentioning.
Currently, the Great Xuan Dynasty's power had waned, and its decrees struggled to reach the local regions. The annual taxes and tributes from Yu County were no longer sent to the Great Xuan court but instead to the Seven Mysteries Sect, which nominally ruled over Jade Province under the Great Xuan Dynasty. In reality, the province had already splintered.
City Lord Shuai Huai Kong of the Xue family was a second-generation member, with older first-generation figures above him. However, in terms of strength, Shuai Huai Kong was in his prime, having reached the Five Viscera Realm. He was even more powerful than the aging previous head of the Xue family, surpassing him by a third. This was one of the reasons why the Xue family held an advantage over the other three families.
After all, there was more than one cultivator in the Five Viscera Realm, and Shuai Huai Kong was still in his prime at just over fifty years old. Unlike the other three families, the previous head of the Yu family had already reached old age, and the other two families were in a similar situation, albeit slightly better. They were all in their twilight years. It could be said that after reaching the Five Viscera Realm, the cultivator's essence and blood transformed into primordial energy, prolonging their lifespan and maintaining their strength for longer. Even in their seventies or eighties, they could still exhibit power far surpassing that of the Bone Forging Realm.
In contrast, cultivators in the Bone Forging Realm did not possess such abilities. At their peak, they could maintain their strength until around fifty years old, but after sixty, their essence and blood would decline, and various aspects of their cultivation would significantly deteriorate, never returning to their former glory.
In the solemn main hall of the City Lord's Mansion, made entirely of purple locust wood, Shuai Huai Kong sat in a grandmaster's chair. He had a clean appearance, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and a short beard. He looked to be in his thirties or forties. At this moment, he held a green jade teacup in one hand, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"Thunder Intent?" He mused. "Interesting."
Standing respectfully before him was Yan Guang, the Outer City Magistrate, reporting various matters.
Shuai Huai Kong held the green jade teacup in one hand and lightly stirred the tea with a jade-colored lid in the other. "The Xie family? Doesn't seem likely. The Yu family... also doesn't seem likely."
Regarding He Mingxuan's death, he had no clues, except for the certainty that it wasn't the Xue family. Whether it was the Xie family, the Yu family, or even the He family going insane, that was unknown.
He couldn't pinpoint which family it might be, but he felt all of them were possible.
Shuai Huai Kong pondered further.
He considered not only the possibility of the Xie family, the Yu family, or even the He family being involved but also the likelihood of external forces from outside Yu County being involved. After all, the Xue family had rivals outside the city, and there were those who wished to stir up chaos in Yu City. If they could instigate a conflict between the He and Yu families, they might be able to profit from the turmoil and gain a foothold in Yu City.
"City Lord, the He family has filed a complaint against Xu Hongyu for dereliction of duty, claiming that the Southern District, under her jurisdiction, has become lawless, leading to the nighttime assassination of the Deputy Magistrate. They demand Xu Hongyu's removal from her position as the Southern District Magistrate..."
Yan Guang reported in a low voice.
Shuai Huai Kong snapped out of his thoughts and took a sip of tea. "Hmm, the complaint is reasonable."
He set down the teacup and said calmly, "The He family has lost a member of their heir lineage. It's normal for them to take advantage of the situation. We shouldn't favor any particular family. You handle it impartially. The position of Southern District Magistrate can be given to the He family, but the Deputy Magistrate position must be filled by someone from another family."
With He Mingxuan's death, Shuai Huai Kong temporarily didn't want to get involved until he had a clearer understanding of the situation. He preferred to remain a neutral observer but also wanted to prevent the He family from causing too much trouble. He needed to maintain a certain level of control, especially in the Southern District, where the positions of both the Magistrate and Deputy Magistrate couldn't be given entirely to the He family. If the He family insisted on removing Xu Hongyu, then a Deputy Magistrate position must be left open for someone else.
"Understood," Yan Guang replied.
Shuai Huai Kong's reaction and handling of the situation were as Yan Guang had expected. In truth, Yan Guang had wondered if the Xue family was involved and if Shuai Huai Kong had a hand in it. However, based on Shuai Huai Kong's response, it seemed he was unaware.
It must have been the Xie family or the Yu family.
After a brief pause, Yan Guang continued, "Speaking of which, last night, He Mingxuan seemed to have ordered Zhuang Ge, the second-in-command of the Black Cloud Bandits, to take action. It appears he was targeting Chen Mu, the Patrol Commander of Willow Grove, but he was ambushed on the way and died in the alleys of Willow Grove, his body torn to pieces and barely recognizable."
"Zhuang Ge?" Shuai Huai Kong asked casually. "Just a bandit. It doesn't matter if he's dead. You mentioned Chen Mu. What's so special about him that He Mingxuan wanted him dead?"
Yan Guang thought for a moment. "Last night, Chen Mu led a team to intercept a batch of prohibited goods from the He family. He seems to have extraordinary talent. At just twenty-five years old, he has cultivated an extreme level of copper skin and iron flesh within a few short years and mastered two power forms. He's a talent discovered by Xu Hongyu from the lower ranks, with a clean background. I've considered recruiting him for the Xue family before..."
"Extreme skin and muscle training, and he possesses two power forms? That's indeed impressive. But since Xu Hongyu has personally promoted him, there's no need to interfere. Let's not get involved in this matter."
Shuai Huai Kong spoke indifferently.
According to Yan Guang, Chen Mu had some talent, but it wasn't significant to the Xue family. After all, the Xue family ruled over an entire county and had numerous talented individuals. They were also responsible for introducing various genius disciples to the Seven Mysteries Sect, and they had encountered countless talented individuals.
The Seven Mysteries Sect had high standards for their disciples, expecting them to comprehend power forms by the age of sixteen and master an intention realm by twenty-four! There were even those born with copper skin and iron bones, possessing immense strength and a vajra body!
Such prodigies were born in the seven counties of Jade Province every year. Compared to these truly gifted and naturally talented individuals, Chen Mu sounded impressive but still fell short. He couldn't catch the attention of the Seven Mysteries Sect.
Of course, the Xue family's vision wasn't as lofty as the Seven Mysteries Sect, but a talent like Chen Mu was still worth recruiting. However, there was no need to forcibly compete with the Yu Clan for him. The Yu Clan undoubtedly valued Chen Mu much more.
After all, in recent years, the Yu Clan had been struggling with a lack of young talent. Most of the talented individuals in the region had been snatched up by the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Xue family. On top of that, they were constantly targeted by the He family, making talents like Chen Mu even more scarce.
"Yes."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Yan Guang responded and bowed before leaving.
Xue Huai Kong's gaze fell upon the green jade teacup on the table.
"The Yu Clan... what a pity."
In truth, the Yu Clan hadn't been completely devoid of talent in recent years. Xu Hongyu's father, Xu Yichuan, was a gifted genius of his generation, a neglected talent. Even if he had joined the Seven Mysteries Sect, he would have had the ability to enter the inner sect.
If it weren't for his unexplained disappearance, he would have likely already advanced to the Five Viscera Realm and become a figure on par with Xue Huai Kong.
Currently, the Yu Clan also had some disciples studying under the Seven Mysteries Sect, but they were all outer sect disciples. Only one had barely managed to enter the inner sect, and according to Xue Huai Kong's knowledge, this person wasn't as talented as Xu Yichuan had been.
Looking at it now, it seemed unlikely for the Yu Clan to have such a figure again.
...
Willow Grove City Guard Office.
In the main hall of the office, Chen Mu sat quietly in a chair, flipping through basic records and account books on the table.
After dealing with He Mingxuan, he had immediately returned to the City Guard Office and, along with Shang Qinglai and the other enforcers and patrolmen, guarded the carriage frame overnight. So far, no one had come looking for them.
It was clear that the commotion caused by He Mingxuan's death was much greater than that of this batch of goods. According to Chen Mu's knowledge, the entire main district of the Southern District, surrounding He Mingxuan's residence, had been thoroughly investigated by the He family.
No one from the He family had come to Willow Grove yet.
However, early this morning, an order had come from the Outer City Magistrate of the Inner City, bypassing the Southern District City Guard Headquarters. It directly commanded all three shifts of patrolmen and the patrol commander of the Willow Grove City Guard Office to be on standby at all times.
Chen Mu didn't need to go home early. He had a simple meal at the City Guard Office and spent the rest of the time flipping through various records and some miscellaneous books. After all, the chaos outside had nothing to do with him.
What did the death of He Mingxuan, a Thunder Intent Master and a fully-trained Sinew Transformation expert, have to do with a small patrol commander like him?
But.
This matter would eventually affect him.
If the He family couldn't find the culprit, they would likely take out their anger on others. Last night, Chen Mu had intercepted a batch of the He family's goods, which were now stored in the courtyard behind the main hall of the City Guard Office. Once the He family discovered this, there would be trouble.
The He family's investigation was slower than Chen Mu had anticipated. Perhaps they were under pressure from the higher-ups at the headquarters and couldn't use this opportunity to act recklessly. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky, well past noon, that someone finally arrived at the Willow Grove City Guard Office.
"Commander Chen, someone from the Inner City is here."
Shang Qinglai entered Chen Mu's hall and quietly reported, his heart sinking.
The commotion in the Southern District was so big that it couldn't be hidden. By now, the enforcers knew what had happened. He Mingxuan, the Deputy Director of the Southern District City Guard Headquarters, had been assassinated by an evil cultivator last night in his own courtyard! This was a huge scandal!
Who was He Mingxuan? He wasn't just a Deputy Director; he was also a direct descendant of the He family in the Inner City!
With the death of a direct descendant, the He family would surely turn the Southern District upside down. Moreover, they had intercepted a batch of the He family's goods last night... If it weren't for He Mingxuan's death, intercepting the goods might not have been a big deal. But now, with the severity of the situation, they were likely to be directly dragged into the vortex of conflict between the He and Yu Clans!
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the pond suffer.
How could they, as small enforcers, bear the wrath of the He family?
"I understand."
Chen Mu put down the book in his hand as he listened to Shang Qinglai's report, his expression calm.
Shang Qinglai looked at Chen Mu and couldn't help but grimace. "Commander Chen, you don't know... Director He from the headquarters died last night in his own home. This matter is going to blow up."
Chen Mu glanced at Shang Qinglai and said calmly, "Why are you worried? We acted on orders last night. The carriage frame was carrying prohibited goods, so what does it have to do with other matters?"
As his words fell, a wave of footsteps approached, and soon a team of people dressed in the Inner City City Guard uniforms rushed in. The leader wore armor and carried a short spear with red tassels, a cold smile on his face. "Commander Chen, you're quite calm. But you said you were acting on orders last night's cross-border arrest. I want to know whose orders you were following."
Before Chen Mu could speak, a soldier beside him spoke up in a cold voice, "This is Deputy Director Zhang from the Inner City City Guard Office! Pay your respects!"
"Paying respects to Deputy Director Zhang."
Shang Qinglai and the other enforcers who had just rushed in all broke out in cold sweat and quickly knelt to pay their respects.
The City Guard Office was divided into inner and outer offices. The outer office had four directors for the four districts—South, North, East, and West—while the inner office had only one director, with four deputy directors and two assistant directors.
The Deputy Director of the Inner City City Guard Office held a seventh-rank official position. Although he wasn't a deputy director of the outer office and didn't have direct jurisdiction over the Southern District, he was still one rank higher than Xu Hongyu. For Shang Qinglai and the other enforcers, he was already a high-ranking official.
Moreover, the Inner City City Guard Office didn't employ ordinary patrolmen. Every one of these soldiers was a well-trained elite warrior who had undergone orthodox training, far superior to those in the outer office. Although their overall numbers were much fewer than those in the outer office, their strength was much greater.
(End of Chapter)
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