Within the command tent, Chongxuan Chuliang sat in a chair, gazing at the enormous map hanging before him.
Chongxuan Sheng stood carefully behind him, making not the slightest sound.
After a long while, Chongxuan Chuliang suddenly said, “Jiang Chen is indeed a talent, but he has his own ideas and principles. He won’t be loyal to you without limits, which makes him difficult to control.”
“What I need isn’t loyalty. It’s a friend,” Chongxuan Sheng said.
Something seemed to cross Chongxuan Chuliang’s mind, and his eyes became complicated for an instant. “Those in high positions have no friends.”
“Jiang Chen is someone who keeps his promises and honors his word. He seems mild, but his pride runs deep in his bones. If I only took his subordinates, I’d merely be creating an enemy for myself. I might as well have kept my distance from the start.”
“Looking at him, I’d almost say he’s developed feelings for a place like Qingyang Town. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“On the contrary, that is precisely what makes it precious!” Chongxuan Sheng said. “Scheming and treacherous people, cruel killers, cold and heartless men—we have no shortage of such people in the Chongxuan family. Has Qi, or the whole world for that matter, ever lacked people like that? They’re everywhere, overflowing like a plague!”
“People like Jiang Chen are the precious ones, the ones who earn people’s trust. It’s not that he needs us; it’s that we need someone who acts in the light. Besides him, who else do we have who can establish himself as a banner in Qingyang Town and win the people’s hearts?”
“Marshal, sometimes I think,” Chongxuan Sheng said, “if one day I lost everything and could only face Chongxuan Zun with nothing at all, who would still stand at my side? Fourteen certainly would. Jiang Chen probably would too.”
“And apart from them, I can’t find a second person who ‘probably would.’”
“That is why I support him so strongly.”
After listening, Chongxuan Chuliang neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, “What do you make of that Zhang Yong?”
“The case of the Fengxian Zhang clan’s extermination was ordered to be thoroughly investigated by the Eleventh Prince, with the Azure-Badge Constable Lin Youxie in direct charge. The killer possessed cultivation in the Inner Fane realm, but his identity is unknown.”
Chongxuan Sheng did not speak directly of Zhang Yong. Instead, he brought up the Inner Fane expert who had wiped out the entire Fengxian Zhang clan.
“He didn’t fight the Azure-Badge Constable, which means he was afraid of exposing his origins.
“Once he was discovered, he immediately killed himself. That means he had long been prepared to sacrifice his life.
“A man who isn’t even afraid of death, yet fears exposing his origins—that means what he was plotting behind the scenes was far more important than his own life or death.
“What stands above life and death is either love or hatred. And I lean more toward the latter.”
Chongxuan Chuliang said nothing.
Chongxuan Sheng continued, “The inherited cultivation arts have long since been lost, no famous weapons remain, and not much of the clan’s property is left! What could there be about the Zhang clan of Fengxian Commandery that would make someone plot so meticulously? After thinking it over, there’s only that once-glorious ‘Fengxian Zhang surname.’”
“It seems not to have left behind a single flaw, but the matter itself is the flaw.”
“Let Zhang Yong follow the Eleventh Prince. I have no intention of snatching this talent.”
Only then did Chongxuan Chuliang nod. “You’ve developed some discernment in judging people and matters. For that reason, I can place a little more trust in your choices. But you violated military law, and the crime cannot be escaped. Go claim a hundred strokes of the military rod yourself.”
In the army, Chongxuan Sheng did not dare to grin and joke around. He merely straightened his face, performed a proper military salute, and lifted the tent flap as he left.
…
…
After breaking through to the Soaring Dragon realm, one gained the ability to tread the void and walk through empty air, allowing flight from the ground. That alone greatly expanded the space for battle and enriched one’s tactical choices.
With a superior escape art like Flame Meteor, Jiang Chen, leaving Xiang Qian behind, returned to Qingyang Town before long.
Riding the might of a great victory and bearing the merit of resisting the epidemic poison, the whole of Qingyang Town could be said to be united as one, soldiers and civilians alike.
There was no order of Jiang Chen’s that could not be carried out smoothly.
Among the tasks Chongxuan Sheng had asked him to handle, one was to gather the relevant “evidence of crimes” committed by the Four Seas Merchant Alliance in Jia City. Given the current situation, that was truly simple.
Although Steward Qian had fled toward the border in blind panic and was ultimately killed after Chongxuan Sheng learned the news about the Dragon Mask, several extraordinary cultivators of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance had also died at the hands of the Bone Path, while a few martial artists remained behind.
To be absolutely factual, what the Four Seas Merchant Alliance had done throughout the State of Yang during this period... As for so-called “evidence of crimes,” there was no need to expend any effort gathering it. You could grab a handful anywhere.
There was no need to dwell on these trivial matters. In short, the situation in Qingyang Town had been settled.
As for the former and current city lords of Jia City both being killed by Jiang Chen—especially the new city lord, Shi Jing, who belonged to the faction of Song Guang, governor of Rizhao Commandery—Song Guang’s attitude would require careful consideration going forward. But judging from the current situation, the upper echelons of the State of Qi were probably already overwhelmed, and would have little time to deal with affairs in a small town like Qingyang.
The Bone Path behind the Dragon Mask was certainly the most dangerous point, but Rabbit Mask’s ambush of Dragon Mask had played a major part in Dragon Mask’s death. The internal problems within the Bone Path would likely make it difficult for their top combatants to extricate themselves.
As for the Bone Path’s Holy Lord... Chongxuan Sheng had revealed that Chongxuan Chuliang had been paying attention to him for a long time.
Overall, there was certainly danger, but opportunity existed alongside it.
Jiang Chen’s choice to remain in Qingyang Town was not entirely a fit of hotheadedness.
In Xiang Qian’s room, the man lay sprawled on the bed, looking deeply emotional, with the imposing air of someone prepared to remain there until the end of time.
When Jiang Chen walked in, he did not even move his eyes. In a feeble voice, he said, “I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“Why would you say that?”
Jiang Chen sat on the edge of the bed and casually spun the fruit plate.
“What’s your relationship with that fatty? Fellow disciple? Friend?”
Jiang Chen picked up a pear, thought for a moment, and replied, “A friend, and a partner.”
“He must have tried to stop you.” Xiang Qian seemed to have no part of his body that could move except his mouth. “He doesn’t look like someone who would go soft... though he does look harmless enough.”
Jiang Chen flicked the pear with a bent finger. The peel and core fell away on their own, leaving only clean, white flesh in his hand.
“Your analysis is quite accurate.” He took a bite, letting the pear’s juice flow through his mouth, and said with some satisfaction, “But I told you, I would come back.”
“Oh, come on!” Xiang Qian suddenly shouted in indignation.
“‘Oh, come on’?” Jiang Chen asked, puzzled as he ate the pear.
“Shouldn’t fruit be given to an injured person?”
“Peel it yourself... Did I stop you?” Jiang Chen asked.
Xiang Qian lifted his head, seemingly wanting to sit up, but then lay back down. “Forget it. Morals are declining and people are no longer what they used to be. I knew that already.”
Jiang Chen finished the flesh in three or four bites before saying, “Don’t worry. Here in Qingyang Town, there should be no one who can see through your sword array. I’ll tell Zhu Biqiong to forget about this, and I’ll order Zhang Hai to swear a blood oath. My friends won’t say a word either. The only thing we need to consider is that Rabbit Mask got away. She won’t cover for you, and may even exaggerate your strength.”
Xiang Qian had been fidgeting and hemming and hawing for so long, all because he was worried that his sword array might be exposed.
To be honest, Jiang Chen was curious about a sword array that could give a Soaring Dragon cultivator the killing power of the Inner Fane realm.
But it clearly involved Xiang Qian’s greatest secret. If he did not want to speak of it, Jiang Chen would never ask.
As for why his attitudes toward Zhu Biqiong and Zhang Hai differed, the reason lay in how the two had performed in the earlier battle.
Although Zhang Hai’s strength was indeed weak, he had loafed far too much. Even Dugu Xiao dared to strike at Rabbit Mask, while Zhang Hai, an extraordinary cultivator, had killed only a few guards of Jia City from beginning to end.
To put it plainly, after this battle Zhang Hai had lost Jiang Chen’s trust and was no longer part of the circle. Even if Jiang Chen did not drive him away immediately, he would gradually distance himself from him.
Xiang Qian thought for a moment. “The Bone Path may not be able to see through it.”
Rabbit Mask’s ambush of Dragon Mask showed that there were problems within the Bone Path. As for Rabbit Mask herself, it was only natural for her to hide whatever she could and exaggerate Xiang Qian’s flying swords.
And placing one’s hopes in the Bone Path’s ignorance...
All one could say was that Xiang Qian had grown accustomed to avoiding reality.
Although his strength could be called formidable, he often refused to face problems directly.
“You’d better prepare for the worst,” Jiang Chen said.
“The worst...?” Xiang Qian closed his eyes and said nothing more.