Swordholder

What followed was a tremendous shock!

Yang Guoguo and hundreds of others rushed into the Desire Building in the early hours of the morning, but none of them came out alive!

And the one who walked out of the Desire Building early in the morning was none other than the young captain!

And that lively and adorable little girl, a little Wuxiang Guardian.

Both of them were dressed in the attire of the Wuxiang Guard, with languid expressions and somewhat tired faces.

Chen Yuan and Nuomi seemed oblivious to the figures and gazes on the surrounding houses. They walked straight to a corner of the street and sat down at a table.

The owner of the breakfast shop is a monster with eight arms.

He has the face of an honest and simple man, but his eight hands can be extended, making him extremely efficient at work.

Seeing that Chen Yuan and his companion were Wuxiang Guards, they dared not neglect them and hurriedly served them steamed buns, meat buns, white porridge, and other food as instructed.

Chen Yuan glanced at the breakfast shop owner in surprise.

This boss is something else; he's not afraid of himself and still runs a shop in this place.

However, he didn't think much of it and instead looked away, slowly starting to eat.

The same goes for glutinous rice. During the months spent at the Chen family's house, it gave up its previous habit of wolfing down food... because it was no longer hungry and there was no shortage of food, so the way it used to fight for food naturally changed.

hiss!

On the surrounding pavilions and rooftops, countless creatures watched the human boy slowly eating white porridge and steamed buns, and they all gasped in astonishment.

A chill ran down my spine and straight to the top of my head!

Those two little devils killed hundreds of members of the Yang family last night!

Are you still leisurely having breakfast here now?

Are they acting with impunity?

Or do they simply not take the Yang family seriously?

Soon, the crowd slowly dispersed, secretly thinking that Tianshan County would no longer be peaceful.

But many others suppressed their boiling passion and wanted to stay and watch the excitement.

As the sun rose higher, the entire Beishan Ninth Street became lively again, as if nothing had happened.

However, countless eyes were constantly focused on the Human Desire Building.

And then there was Chen Yuan, who, after having a full breakfast, packed a bag of steamed buns to take home.

······

Upon entering the main hall of the Desire Tower, Meng Gu, leading all the women, had already cleaned the place spotlessly.

They even rinsed it with water and wiped the floor clean with their clothes.

Upon seeing Chen Yuan and his companion return, all the women wore complex expressions, involuntarily taking two steps back, their eyes filled with fear.

The man in front of me killed countless people last night.

Although they had all rested last night and kept their doors tightly closed, how could they possibly sleep in this world and environment?

Then they heard the howling of ghosts and wolves, which was especially eerie.

At this moment, they all had dark circles under their eyes and were yawning repeatedly, but they still forced themselves to cheer up.

"Have some steamed buns, everyone."

Chen Yuan smiled and asked Nuomi to distribute the steamed buns to everyone.

The group of women looked on in astonishment, staring at Chen Yuan as if he were a monster, before blankly accepting the warm buns.

Suddenly, a thin mist clouded the eyes of all the women, and their cold hearts seemed to warm up with the warmth of the steamed buns.

They nibbled on the food, turned their backs, and their shoulders twitched slightly.

Chen Yuan was surprised by their reaction, but he didn't pay it any mind.

At this moment, Zhou Ye glanced at the women with a complicated expression, then walked over, tugged at Chen Yuan's sleeve, and pointed to a private room in the corner.

"Um?"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

There sat a middle-aged man in brocade robes with a fair complexion, ruddy skin, and white teeth, who was smiling at him.

"That's Xu Zhilong, the younger brother of former Chief Secretary Xu Zhihua, and a strong candidate for the position of Chief Secretary this time."

Zhou Ye immediately spoke in a low voice beside him, his expression solemn, "He is the director of the Eight Divisions."

Chen Yuan nodded, walked over, and sat down opposite him.

"Would you like breakfast?"

Chen Yuan asked casually, since he had already bought enough, and handed over the meat bun in his hand.

"Perfect timing, I haven't had breakfast yet either."

Xu Zhilong nodded, took the meat bun from Chen Yuan, and began to eat it elegantly.

They ate in very small bites, chewing slowly and carefully.

As he ate, he said, "Is this from the octopus vendor at the end of the street? It tastes really good. No wonder he's been able to do business on this street for over ten years."

Chen Yuan didn't speak, but leaned back lazily in his chair, crossed his arms, and patiently watched the man.

Zhou Ye, watching from a distance, wore a strange expression and occasionally cast curious glances his way, but dared not eavesdrop.

After finishing the meat bun in his hand, Xu Zhilong licked his fingers and even took out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers very clean.

His fingers were very white, beautiful, long, and with distinct knuckles.

He folded the handkerchief neatly, tucked it into his pocket, then looked at Chen Yuan, smiled, and said, "You killed Yang Guoguo."

Chen Yuan nodded. "According to the laws of the Great Xiang Empire, she trespassed on my territory and tried to kill me. I acted in self-defense, and she deserved to die."

"hehe!"

Xu Zhilong laughed, "That's relative to equal status; in that case, your actions were self-defense."

But you are the captain, and she is the director. Even if she was at fault first, killing her still constitutes one crime: insubordination.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

"Yang Guoguo's father is named Yang Liu, and he is the chief of the Enforcement Division. He will soon bring his guards to arrest or kill you on charges of 'insubordination.' Your claim of self-defense is untenable."

Xu Zhilong continued.

Chen Yuan remained calm, shrugged, and said, "Yang Liu hasn't arrived yet, so you must have used your connections. Tell me, what are your conditions?"

"That's great! You're a smart one!"

Xu Zhilong's lips curled into a wicked smile. He rested his chin on his hands and leaned forward slightly. "Cooperate with me and help me ascend to the position of Grand Master of the Wuxiang Sect."

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Why does this guy's movement look a bit effeminate?

Am I qualified?

Chen Yuan laughed, "I'm just a newcomer, a squad leader, and a human cultivator at that. How can I help you?"

"I will help you become a director. Once you are a director, your status will be the same as Yang Guoguo's, and there will be no question of insubordination."

Xu Zhilong was completely confident.

Chen Yuan nodded; that was indeed a good idea.

"The Grand Chief will be selected from among all the Chiefs. Chiefs can recommend each other. Of course, the final decision still depends on the approval of the Chief of the Wuxiang Court. However, the Chief of the Zhijian Court will generally agree, as it is an internal matter of the county city and he will not interfere much."

Xu Zhilong paused here, then continued, "Of course, this is just one way to improve."

"Another one is to capture a large number of sword bearers, including the chief sword bearer. Once you have this great achievement, you can directly become the chief sword bearer."

Chen Yuan nodded, staring into Xu Zhilong's eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Xu Zhilong said this.

"Then I can't become the director, there's still Ma Ling'en above me."

Chen Yuan said jokingly.

As for Yang Guoguo, whom he killed, she was from the Tenth Division, and someone from the Yang family will soon take her place.

Whose turn is it to him?

Therefore, there is no place for him.

"You killed Yang Guoguo, and they will soon turn against you. When that happens, I will back you up, and several of my friends who are directors will also back you up..."

Xu Zhilong narrowed his eyes, a sinister glint in them. "Whether you can become the director then will depend on your methods."

Chen Yuan looked at the man for a while, then smiled and said, "Alright, it's a deal. You help me become a director, and I'll help you become a grand director."

He agreed.

Whatever Xu Zhilong's purpose may be, as long as we don't let him fight a high-ranking law enforcement official so quickly, that's fine.

As for why he was chosen...

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment.

He squinted, watching Xu Zhilong's departing figure, and pondered to himself... Could it be that he had used the banner of the Lord of Wangdong Prefecture?

His claim that he was a man of the Lord of Wangdong Prefecture within the Nine Departments of Wuxiang could not be hidden from the others.

That's possible, and that's the reason.

For the rest of the day, no one dared to cause trouble.

Zhou Ye was worried all day, and finally came to find Chen Yuan in the evening, saying in shock, "Lord Chen, the Prefect and the other Wuxiang Division Chiefs have subdued Chief Enforcement Officer Yang."

"Um?"

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Does Xu Zhilong really have this ability?

Zhou Ye spoke with a complicated expression, "This morning, Yang Liu went crazy when she found out Yang Guoguo was dead. She gathered everyone and was determined to come and fight you to the death."

"But the prefect and several department heads stepped forward, saying that everyone here is an official, and if officials fight each other, wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?"

Chen Yuan stared at Zhou Ye until his gaze darted away, then laughed, "Heh, the hatred of killing your son, a mere official infighting, a reason to make a fool of yourself—does Yang Liu care about that? Tell me, what else happened?"

In Chen Yuan's view, even if the prefect and Xu Zhilong came out to speak for him, they would probably have to pay a huge price.

Otherwise, why would Yang Liu give up so easily?

As for the enormous price to be paid...?

The prefect and Xu Zhilong are not Chen Qingcang, so naturally they wouldn't go to great lengths for themselves.

There must be someone else making a move.

He couldn't help but glance at Zhou Ye, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"The letters between the Yang family and the Swordholder were found during the search, and Yang Liu became a suspect in the Swordholder's internal spies."

Zhou Ye made a startling statement.

Chen Yuan was slightly surprised.

He was branded as a traitor within the Swordholder organization?

Even if Yang Liu was unwilling, she would have to wash off the excrement on her body before she could come and fight him.

That's interesting. It seems like someone wielding the sword is helping him.

Chen Yuan couldn't help but look at Zhou Ye.

"Hehe, Lord Chen, why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhou Ye smiled, his expression calm.

Chen Yuan withdrew his gaze, turned around, and went upstairs to cultivate.

What he will likely face next is a fierce storm.

You need to have the strength to face it.

For the next few days, the entire Tianshan County was peaceful and calm.

However, everyone still sensed that a storm was brewing, and many people turned their attention to Beishan Ninth Street and also to the Yang family.

------

Tianqing County City.

Niu Sengru, Sun Chengzong, Lu Sidao and others have always harbored resentment towards Chen Yuan.

Upon learning that the other party had gone to Tianshan County to take up a post, he was even more restless, wishing he could go and kill Chen Yuan before he would be satisfied.

But the words of that white-robed man were like a sword floating overhead!

If they dare to touch Chen Yuan, the sword will fall at any moment!

Chen Yuan is the medicinal ingredient for that important figure in the Western Frontier!

Who dares to make a move?

Kill the whole clan!

"Ha, do we really have to kill Chen Yuan ourselves?"

Just when everyone was at a loss, a handsome young man dressed in flowing white robes walked in.

He glanced at the high-ranking officials of Tianqing County in the arena and chuckled mockingly, "Why don't we just have the higher-ups of Tianshan County kill him?"

"Especially Chen Yuan's superior, Ma Ling'en!"

"Tell him that as long as he kills Chen Yuan, we can use our connections in Tianshan County to help him ascend to the position of Grand Minister!"

As soon as the young man finished speaking, many people in the room had their eyes light up!

That's right. The higher-ups in Tianshan County weren't warned, so naturally they wouldn't know that Chen Yuan was the medicinal ingredient for that important figure in Xijiang Prefecture!

Niu Sengru, Sun Chengzong, and others immediately took action.

Although Chen Yuan was chosen by the person in the Western Frontier Prefecture to be used as a medicinal ingredient, he would die sooner or later.

But they wanted Chen Yuan to die sooner!

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