Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Internal and External

Xu Hongyu returned to her Hall Office with a cold expression.

Indeed, she did not have any intelligence or evidence pointing to He Mingxuan, yet such a suspicion was unnecessary as Chen Mu, whom she had promoted to Head Constable and had not even temporarily transferred to the Chief Constable, would not draw any attention.

Additionally, the fact that so many could silently enter Ninth District, even bypassing Min Baoyi's surveillance, indicated that there were collaborators within the City Defense Division.

Apart from He Mingxuan, she could think of no one else. Nowadays, with various matters becoming more tangled and complex, she truly had no inclination to play the calculating games with He Mingxuan. Employing such a forceful approach to deter him was a move of desperation.

"Miss, a message from Head Constable Min,"

Upon Xu Hongyu's return to her private side hall, a servant girl dressed in a short green robe approached her, holding a slip of paper. The servant girl did not address Xu Hongyu as Chief Constable or even as Lady Xu.

This servant, Xiao He, had been with Xu Hongyu from a young age and had grown up alongside her. She had trained in martial arts with Xu Hongyu and now held no rank or position in the City Defense Division, yet she was one of Xu Hongyu's closest confidantes.

"So you want your sister to go train in the Inner City?"

Xu Hongyu took the note from servant Xiao He, glanced at it, and nodded slightly, "That seems fine, approved. You handle this matter, send her to the Yu Family Martial Arts Gym and say she's my person."

Xiao He replied softly, "Yes, ma'am."

"All right, you may leave now. I need to rest a while,"

Xu Hongyu waved her hand, and Xiao He bowed slightly before leaving.

Xu Hongyu was left alone, lying quietly behind a low table, her eyes revealing a hint of weariness. She was really not adept at engaging in these power maneuvers, manipulating various parties, and constructing power bases. It was far simpler to fight and kill, and sometimes she truly wished she could slash away the insincere smiles of He Mingxuan and others.

Yet, holding her position as Chief Constable, she couldn't just act on these impulses.

Killing someone with a sword was easy, but explaining the aftermath was impossible without resigning and stepping down from her position as Chief Constable, which would mean handing over the entire South City District City Defense Division to someone else and failing to account to the Yu Family.

Often, to avoid being exploited as a pawn, she had to keep a low profile and pretend to be profoundly deep.

Fortunately, Xiao He was there to help her strategize.

When the time came, when a more suitable person from the Yu Family took over as Chief Constable, she would be relieved. After that, she would rather escort salt transport fleets, trek through mountains and waters, fight robbers, and vanquish demons than do this kind of work.

She was tired in her heart.

...

Meanwhile

Chen Mu had returned home.

He mentioned to Chen Yue the possibility of arranging for her to train in the Inner City.

The young girl agreed readily. Although she did not enjoy martial arts, since it was arranged by Chen Mu, she would make sure to follow through, with the principle of not making trouble for Chen Mu even if she couldn't be of help to him.

Chen Mu did not realize what Chen Yue was thinking and assumed that she was also keen on practicing martial arts, having fed her stories for two to three years about Hua Mulan taking her father's place in the army, the Empress who chose not to seek immortality but to wait for her brother's return in the mundane world...

Essentially, he wanted to cultivate a spirit within the young girl that was no weaker than anyone else's, making it easier for her whether she pursued literature or martial arts in the future.

The next day.

After Chen Mu had finished practicing the Skin Toughening Method in the morning, the old servant reported that a woman had come to visit.

He had thought it was Xu Hongyu herself who had come, and was remarkably surprised, but when he reached the door to welcome her, it turned out to be a young girl dressed in a simple green outfit, not as coldly beautiful as Xu Hongyu, yet possessing the delicate charm of a jade lotus.

Furthermore, from her every move, one could tell that she was skilled in martial arts, her steps were steady and her breathing was long and smooth, giving Chen Mu the impression that she was no less capable than Min Baoyi from the Prefecture Chief, a rarity in the Outer City District, let alone a young woman.

"I am Chen Mu, and this young lady is..."

"I have served the Chief Constable from a young age and hold no official position, Lord Chen can just call me Xiao He. The young lady sent me to escort your sister to the Inner City." Xiao He gave Chen Mu a slight bow, her demeanor confident and gracious.

Seeing this, Chen Mu returned the bow, inwardly marveling that Xu Hongyu truly came from a noble family, with even her maids standing out so brightly, their behavior calm and polite, and deeply skilled in martial arts, profoundly unfathomable.

"Yue'er!"

Chen Mu turned his head and called out.

When the old servant had come to report earlier, he had already asked Chen Yue to prepare.

After calling out, Chen Yue arrived at the doorway, first glancing at Xiao He, then blinking and saying, "Sister, are you the Chief Constable? You're so pretty."

Xiao He smiled slightly, saying, "I am merely the young lady's maid, with a modest appearance hardly comparable to hers. Your sister has charm and grace. This age is not too late for starting martial arts practice, and you might achieve something extraordinary in the future."

While discreetly observing Chen Mu and Chen Yue, she inwardly nodded slightly, thinking that the young lady really had an eye for people. The siblings each had their virtues; Chen Mu's demeanor was calm and his eyes bright, his actions and behavior showed no overstepping, and his perceptiveness was extraordinary, having mastered Blade Momentum on his own, promising a significant future.

As for Chen Yue, although currently she showed no aptitude for martial arts, and one couldn't see her inherent potential, she seemed naïve and cute yet her eyes were lively.

The words that had just innocently popped out seemed like a naïve girl's genuine expression, but having followed Xu Hongyu for many years and having seen countless characters as a maid, she could vaguely discern that it was partly genuine and partly intentional.

If the mistress could be just a bit…

Alas.

Xiao He shook her head slightly inwardly, but on the surface, she smiled and said to Chen Yue, "If you are ready, then follow me. I have some rules of the Yu Family Martial Arts School to explain to you on the way."

Chen Yue, with her naive and adorable big eyes, said, "Can I… can I still come back to see my brother after I go to the Inner City?"

Before Xiao He could respond, Chen Mu reached out and flicked Chen Yue's forehead, saying, "You focus on practicing martial arts well in the Inner City, and I will visit you when I'm free. Once you've mastered your skills, you can go wherever you want."

The Inner City and the Outer City are truly two different worlds.

According to what Chen Mu has learned so far, martial arts schools in the Inner City, especially those like the main hall of the Yu Family that adhere more closely to the chivalric code, reflect a certain style of worldly wandering.

To practice martial arts in an Inner City school, you must either belong to a powerful family or be wealthy and capable, often unexposed to the Outer City's fierce struggles over mere scraps of bread, thus perceiving the world quite differently.

Like the Outer City.

Occasional homicides happen, like a certain gentry brutally killed at home.

Sometimes it is not marauders who murder during the night, but young martial artists from the Inner City "practicing chivalry."

Many young martial artists also frequently travel together out of the city to hone their skills by hunting demons and beasts, clearing bandits from outside the city, all vying for fame; Xu Hongyu was once among them.

Having experienced the harsh reality of the Outer City's lower strata, stepping into the Inner City to grow and experience such an environment was, in Chen Mu's view, a good thing. It would allow her to develop a broader understanding of the world and gradually form her own perspectives.