Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 100: Chapter 96 Turmoil

City Lord's Mansion.

Yu County was one of the Seven Prefectures of Yu State, and the City Lord of Yu City was also the Prefectural Governor of Yu County, a Substantive Fifth Grade official of the Imperial Court. Even during the golden era of the great Da Xuan, a Prefectural Governor was a powerful local official with immense authority.

As it is now, the situation is much the same. The Xue Family is the most powerful clan in Yu City. In terms of foundation and overall strength, they surpass each of the other three families, unequivocally taking first place among the four leading families of the Inner City. The Xie Family comes next, followed by the He Family and the Yu Family, with smaller clans barely worth mentioning.

Nowadays.

With the decline of the Da Xuan Dynasty Court, its edicts barely reach the localities. The annual tax silver and various tributes from Yu County are no longer delivered to the Da Xuan Dynasty Court, but to the Seven Profound Sect, which governs Yu State. Officially, Yu State is part of the Da Xuan territory, but in reality, it has long since fragmented.

Xue Huaikong, the City Lord, is the second generation of the Xue Family currently in power. Although there still are even older first-generation members, in terms of strength, Xue Huaikong is at his prime, having entered the Five Viscera Realm, making him three parts stronger than the previous generation's elderly head of the Xue Family.

This is another reason why the Xue Family is stronger than the other three.

After all, the Xue Family does not have just one person in the Five Viscera Realm, and moreover, Xue Huaikong just crossed his fifties and is still in his prime, unlike the other three families. The Yu Family's earlier generation head is already at a very advanced age, and although the other two are somewhat better off, they too are of venerable age.

It can only be said that upon entering the Five Viscera Realm, the transformation of Qi-Blood into Yuan Gang bestows longer life and the ability to maintain strength longer, ensuring they can still exert strength far superior to those in the Bone Tempering Realm even into their seventies and eighties.

In contrast, the Bone Tempering Realm does not have this capability. Its peak period is around fifty, and after sixty, their Qi-Blood begins to decline. After seventy, their condition deteriorates significantly, and they no longer possess their former capabilities.

In the solemn and dignified central hall of the City Lord's Mansion, made entirely of purple locust wood.

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Xue Huaikong sat on a Grand Preceptor's chair, looking neat with his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a short beard, appearing to be only in his thirties or forties. He currently held a green jade-colored glazed teacup, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"Thunderclap Artistic Conception? Interesting."

Standing respectfully in front of him was the Metropolitan Commander of the Outer City District, Yan Guang, who was reporting various matters one by one.

Xue Huaikong held the green jade teacup in one hand and gently flicked the lid to stir the tea a couple of times with the other hand, then raised his head to look at the ceiling, "The Xie Family? Doesn't seem like it. The Yu Family... doesn't seem like it either."

Regarding He Mingxuan's death, he knew nothing. The only certainty was that it definitely wasn't the Xue Family who made the move. As to whether it was the Xie Family or the Yu Family, or if the He Family had gone insane? That was unknown.

None of the families seemed likely, yet all seemed possible.

Even.

Xue Huaikong thought deeper.

He not only considered the possibility of the Xie Family, the Yu Family, or even the self-sabotage of the He Family but also thought about potential external influences from outside Yu County. After all, his Xue Family had rivals too, and plenty of people would like to see Yu City thrown into chaos.

If they could instigate a dispute between the He Family and the Yu Family, they might succeed in stealing chestnuts from the fire and get a share of the pie in Yu City.

"City Lord, the He Family has submitted a plea accusing Xu Hongyu of malfeasance. She oversees the highly disordered South City District, which led to the overnight assassination of the Deputy Head Officer. We hope to remove Xu Hongyu from her position as the Chief Constable of South City District..."

Yan Guang reported in a low voice.

Xue Huaikong returned to his senses, took a sip of his tea, and said, "Hmm, the plea is reasonable."

He put down the cup and said indifferently, "A legitimate heir of the He Family has died. It's natural for them to make an issue out of it. This matter doesn't require favoring any family. Handle it neutrally. You can assign the position of the Chief Constable of South City District to the He Family, but the Deputy Head Officer's position must be taken over by someone from the Yu Family."

The death of He Mingxuan from the He Family left Xue Huaikong unclear about the situation for now; thus, he did not wish to get involved. It was better to stay passive, but he couldn't let the He Family act out uncontrolled either.

Control needed to be kept within a certain range, such as the positions of the Chief and Deputy Constables of South City District, which should not all be managed by the He Family. If the He Family insisted on displacing Xu Hongyu, then a position for the Deputy Head Constable would have to be offered.

"Understood."

Yan Guang acknowledged.

Xue Huaikong's reaction and handling did not surprise him. In fact, he only wondered if this incident was related to the Xue Family or if Xue Huaikong was involved. But judging by Xue Huaikong's reaction, it seemed he was unaware.

So it must be the doing of the Xie Family or the Yu Family.

After a brief contemplation, Yan Guang said, "Speaking of which, last night He Mingxuan seemed to have ordered Zhuang Ge, the second in command of the Black Cloud Bandits, to strike. It is suspected that he went to assassinate Chen Mu, the Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove District, but was ambushed on the way and died in the streets of Wutong Grove District, his body nearly beyond recognition."

"Zhuang Ge?"

Xue Huaikong casually said, "A bandit, dead is dead, no big deal. What's so different about this Chen Mu that He Mingxuan would target him?"

Yan Guang thought for a moment and said, "Last night, Chen Mu and his men intercepted a shipment of contraband belonging to the He Family across jurisdictions. It seems he has exceptional talent. At just twenty-five, he has perfected the limit of Skin Toughening and Body Refinement, mastering two forms of Blade Momentum.

He is a talent Xu Hongyu uncovered from the lower ranks, with a background that is very clean. I had previously considered whether to recruit him to serve the Xue Family..."

"Perfected Skin Toughening and Body Refinement, you say? And he also possesses two forms of Momentum. That is indeed quite impressive, but since he was personally brought up by Xu Hongyu, there's no need for us to interfere. We shouldn't meddle too much in this matter."

Xue Huaikong spoke indifferently.

From what Yan Guang said, while the young man had some talent, to the Xue Family, it wasn't anything special; after all, the Xue Family rules over an entire prefecture which is abundant with talents. Furthermore, the Xue Family is also responsible for bringing various talented individuals to the Seven Profound Sect, and they have seen countless prodigies.

After all, the Seven Profound Sect's requirements for a True Disciple are to comprehend Momentum by the age of sixteen and Artistic Conception by the age of twenty-four!

There are also those who are naturally born with Copper Skin and Iron Bones, possessing immense strength and a Vajra Body!

And such outstanding talents, in the Seven Prefectures of Yu State, emerge every year. Compared to these truly exceptional and naturally perceptive individuals, Chen Mu may sound impressive, but still doesn't compare and wouldn't catch the eye of the Seven Profound Sect.

Of course, the Xue Family isn't as discerning as the Seven Profound Sect, and a talent like Chen Mu is still within their range of interest. But there's no need for a forceful recruitment against the Yu Family, who undoubtedly places a much higher value on Chen Mu.

After all, in the last few years, the Yu Family has had no one to follow in their footsteps, and most of the local talents have been scooped up by the Seven Profound Sect and the Xue Family. They have also been constantly targeted by the He Family, making such talents quite rare for them.

"Yes."

"Then I will take my leave."

Yan Guang responded with a sound, bowed, and then retreated.

Xue Huaikong's gaze shifted to the cyan jade glazed teacup on the table:

"The Yu Family... what a pity."

In fact, the Yu Family has not been without talent over the years. Originally, Xu Hongyu's father, Xu Yichuan, had unmatched talent and intelligence and was considered a missed genius. Even if he had gone to the Seven Profound Sect, he would have had the ability to be admitted to the Inner Sect.

If he hadn't disappeared without a reason, he would have likely stepped into the Five Viscera Realm by now, becoming someone who could match him.

The Yu Family currently has some disciples under the Seven Profound Sect, but all are from the Outer Sect. Only one has barely managed to enter the Inner Sect, and that person, to his knowledge, is not as good as Xu Yichuan was back then.

Looking at it now,

it seems the Yu Family will no longer have such individuals.

...

Wutong Grove District City Defense Division.

In the Main Hall Office, Chen Mu sat quietly in the chair, flipping through the basic records and account books on the desk.

After dealing with He Mingxuan, he returned to the City Defense Division immediately and, along with Shang Qinglai and a group of Head Constables and constables, guarded the cargo overnight. So far, no one has come knocking.

Obviously, compared to this batch of goods, the commotion caused by He Mingxuan's death was much bigger, drawing all attention to that matter. To his knowledge, the main area of South City District, surrounding the residence where He Mingxuan lived, was being turned upside down by the people of the He Family in their investigation.

For the time being, the He Family's people have not come to Wutong Grove.

But early this morning, an order from the Outer City Metropolitan Commander in the Inner City came, bypassing the City Guard General of South City District, demanding that the three shifts of constables in Wutong Grove City Defense Division as well as the Head Constables and Prefecture Chiefs, be on standby at all times.

Thus, Chen Mu didn't need to return home and had an early meal casually at the City Defense Division. When he had nothing else to do, he would read various records and miscellaneous books in the Division. With the chaos outside, it had nothing to do with him anyway.

The He Family is out to capture a villain who masters the Thunderclap Artistic Conception and has achieved Tendon Changing Perfection — what does that have to do with him, a mere Prefecture Chief?

However,

this matter will sooner or later spread to his end.

If the He Family cannot find the person, they will likely take their anger out on others. Since he intercepted a batch of the He Family's goods last night, which are still stored in the courtyard behind the Hall Office of the City Defense Division, it's inevitable that there will be trouble once the He Family's investigation leads here.

The He Family's investigation is slower than Chen Mu expected, or perhaps they are facing some pressure from higher ups, preventing them from taking advantage of the situation to act recklessly. It wasn't until the sun was high and noon had passed that finally, someone arrived at Wutong Grove City Defense Division.

"Prefecture Chief, people from the Inner City have come."

Shang Qinglai walked into Chen Mu's Hall Office and reported in a low voice, his heart silently filled with bitterness.

With such a big commotion in South City District, naturally, it couldn't be hidden for long. By now, these Head Constables knew what had happened — the Deputy Head Officer of the City Guard General, He Mingxuan, was assassinated by a villain at his own home last night!

It was an earth-shattering event!

Who was He Mingxuan? He was not just a Deputy Head Officer, but also a direct descendent of the He Family from the Inner City!

A direct descendant of the He Family was killed. Wouldn't that turn South City District inside out? The key point was that they had done something last night, intercepting a shipment of the He Family's goods...

If it weren't for the death of He Mingxuan, intercepting a shipment might not have been a big deal, but now that a serious incident had occurred, their place was inevitably going to be drawn into the whirlpool of conflict between the Yu Family and the He Family!

When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.

These mere Head Constables, how could they bear the wrath of the He Family?

"Hmm, I see," Chen Mu replied upon hearing Shang Qinglai's report, calmly setting down the book in his hand.

Looking at Chen Mu's demeanor, Shang Qinglai couldn't help but grimace and said, "Sir, you might not know yet... the Head Officer of the Chief Constable died last night, in his own house. It's going to be a big deal."

Chen Mu glanced at Shang Qinglai and replied indifferently, "What's there to panic about? We were acting on orders last night, and what the He Family's carriage was carrying was contraband. What does it have to do with other matters?"

As his voice fell,

a rush of footsteps was heard, and then a group of people wearing Inner City City Defense uniforms streamed in. The leader, clad in armor and holding a red-tasseled short spear, sneered, "Prefecture Chief Chen sure is calm. But you said that you crossed the border to capture criminals last night on someone's orders. I would like to know — on whose orders?"

Before Chen Mu could speak, an armored soldier on the side said coldly, "This is Deputy Governor Zhang from the Inner City City Defense Division! Aren't you going to pay your respects?"

"Greetings to Deputy Governor,"

Shang Qinglai and the Head Constables who followed him in promptly sweated profusely and hurriedly knelt to pay their respects.

The City Defense Division is divided into Inner and Outer Divisions, with four Chief Constables in the Outer City and only one in the Inner City, but also with four Chief Officers and two Deputy Governors, plus one Governor.

A Deputy Governor of the Inner City City Defense Division holds a Substantive Seventh Grade official position. Although not the direct superior of the Deputy Governors of the Outer City, and not directly ruling over the Outer City, he is still a rank higher than Xu Hongyu. For people like Shang Qinglai and the Head Constables, he is an immensely important figure.

Furthermore, the Inner City City Defense does not appoint ordinary constables; each of these armored soldiers is strictly trained elite military personnel, far surpassing ordinary constables in capability. Although their number is much less than that of the Outer City City Defense Division, their strength is far superior.