Swordholder

Tianshan County City, Ninth Division.

Ma Ling'en received a message from the Lightning Bird in Tianqing County and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Zapdos is a type of alien creature with extremely high flight speed, and it is the main means of communication between county towns.

The red-haired old man approached him, asking in confusion, "Lord Ma, what has happened?"

Ma Ling'en handed the note to the red-haired old man, then put his hands behind his back and began to ponder.

He was still excited about Yang Guoguo's death, but not long after, he received news that angered him.

That human brat under my command actually hooked up with Xu Zhilong?

This is something he cannot tolerate.

Just as he was considering whether to join forces with the Yang family to kill that brat, he received a letter from the Tianqing government.

"What? That kid isn't one of Lord Wangdong's men?"

He's actually the young master of the Chen family! The Chen family pulled a huge favor to get that kid a position as a Wuxiang Guard here?

The red-haired old man spoke in surprise, then his face filled with disdain, "Hmph, what is the Chen family?"

"That's right!"

With his hands behind his back, Ma Ling'en's gaze was cold. "As long as we kill Chen Yuan with a legitimate reason, even the Princess of Zhendong will have nothing to say!"

She couldn't reach this point, and we, on the other hand, have the friendship of the Tianqing County government!

"I'd even be more confident of becoming the Chief Secretary!"

The red-haired old man narrowed his eyes. "Sir, that..."

"Taking advantage of the recent uproar caused by the remnants of the Sword-wielding faction in the city, we are convening a meeting of all department heads and team leaders..."

Ma Ling'en narrowed his eyes and said impatiently, "And while we're at it, put that brat Chen Yuan on the table and put him to trial!"

"Yes, he committed insubordination; we should suppress him first!"

The red-haired old man also spoke excitedly.

Ma Ling'en looked at him and said, "You should immediately contact the director of the Yang family and the captain of the Yang family, and ask them to cooperate with us at the meeting."

"good!"

The red-haired old man immediately went to make arrangements.

Ma Ling'en closed his eyes, his lips twitching slightly, and a sinister voice escaped his lips.

"As my subordinate, you dare to collude with Xu Zhilong? You stupid pig who doesn't know his own death!"

------

Ma Ling'en, in his capacity as head of the Ninth Division, convened a meeting of all division chiefs and above, and quickly gained the approval of several division chiefs.

In particular, the other party's pretext was to discuss how to root out the remnants of the Sword-wielding clique that had recently appeared in the city.

Upon hearing this news, Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes and quickly realized that the other party was trying to deal with him.

However, he didn't care. He straightened his clothes and walked towards the Wuxiang Mansion with Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye looked worried and was very uneasy the whole way.

Chen Yuan remained calm. Halfway there, he encountered Xu Zhilong and several of his department head friends.

They glanced at Chen Yuan in surprise, their expressions complex.

Few human cultivators have been able to stir up trouble at the Wuxiang Sect.

Now, one has appeared!

He was still a human boy.

"The time has come."

Xu Zhilong said in a low voice, "They are going to make trouble for you, and the Yang family has also proven their innocence. Even Prefect Zhu can't hold them back."

"Next, we recommend you to become the new director and take charge of apprehending the remaining members of the Sword-wielding clique."

"At that time, you confidently guarantee that you will be able to capture the remnants of the Sword-Holding Clan!"

"If we can't catch them, you can vouch for them with your life, and with our support, we'll definitely be able to shut up the gossip..."

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened.

So that's how it works!

Good guy!

He became the director himself and made a solemn pledge?

If we can't catch the remnants of the Sword-wielding faction, we'll die?

Then, in the process, he would be qualified to be at the same level as Yang Guoguo!

They are also qualified to recommend Xu Zhilong for the position of Chief Director.

Xu Zhilong, seeing Chen Yuan's meaningful gaze, smiled and said, "Don't think I'm trying to trick you. Once I become the Chief Director, wouldn't it be easier to protect you?"

Chen Yuan didn't speak, but nodded slightly, inwardly chuckling to himself.

I'm afraid that once you become the chief director, the first person you'll target is me, in order to reconcile with the Yang family.

As for that Prefect Zhu?

···

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened.

In the past few days, he has also interviewed several high-ranking officials.

The prefect's name seems to be Zhu Xin.

It's a woman.

Wow, a female prefect is quite a rare find.

Chen Yuan thought to himself.

Zhou Ye, standing to the side, had a flickering gaze and felt uneasy.

Although they had spent a few days together, for some reason, he didn't want anything to happen to Chen Yuan.

······

Soon, they gathered on the third floor of the Wuxiang Mansion, inside a huge hall.

In the middle of this place is an oval stone table that is about ten meters long.

Around the stone table sat a dozen or so department heads.

As for the captains standing around, there were more than a hundred of them.

In this place surrounded by beasts, Chen Yuan, as a human, instantly attracted a lot of attention.

Chen Yuan ignored him completely and stood in the corner with his arms crossed.

"Is everyone here? Let's begin the meeting."

The leader, a fat, middle-aged man, spoke in a hoarse voice.

Chen Yuan looked over, and Zhou Ye explained from the side.

"That's Zhu Xiong, the director of the First Division."

"He is backed by the Zhu family, the family behind the prefect, and their power is considerable."

"Lord Zhu doesn't want his clansmen to compete for the position of Chief of the Wuxiang Clan. Otherwise, Zhu Xiong would also be a strong competitor."

Chen Yuan nodded, "So that's how it is."

Next, Zhu Xiong angrily recounted the recent rampant activities of the remnants of the Sword-wielding clique in the city, which he described as utterly outrageous.

In particular, some remnants of the Sword-wielding faction dared to assassinate some high-ranking officials of Tianshan County, which enraged everyone.

Having explained the reason, Zhu Xiong then broke down the tasks of each department and made sure to root out the remaining traitors who held the sword!

Even within the Wuxiang Sect, there might be spies working for the Sword Bearer!

These words caused a stir among many people, who began to look at each other's posts.

But everyone present carried a hint of demonic bloodlust; who could possibly be the swordsman?

Even Chen Yuan's aura of demonic energy was extremely strong.

Some even thought he was a demon or an evil spirit.

The Swordholder?

Dogs don't believe it!

Zhu Xiong spoke again, suggesting that a certain department take on this main task!

Our job is to root out the remaining members of the Sword-Wielding Clique!

Upon hearing this, everyone shrank back.

Who dares to step forward?

The swordsman is not easy to deal with; not only can you not get money from him, but you can also easily get killed.

Because those sword-wielders were all desperate men, each one fearless of death!

"I believe the most important thing in finding the Swordholder is that this Chief of the Formless Division is also a 'person'!"

Only humans can truly understand humans!

At this moment, Xu Zhilong, who had been squinting and had a handsome face, slowly spoke.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.

"Oh? What insightful opinion does Lord Xu have?"

Zhu Xiong seemed to have expected this, and looked at Xu Zhilong.

"I believe that the director in charge of apprehending the remnants of the Sword-wielding clique should be targeting humanity!"

Xu Zhilong looked at the crowd and once again made a startling statement.

"Heh, but among the directors present, which one is human? Lord Xu, have you lost your mind?"

Upon hearing this, many people's eyes immediately turned strange, and they all looked at the speaker.

That was Ma Ling'en.

Xu Zhilong looked at him, his eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed in them.

"Hehe, don't look at me like that, I'm just telling the truth."

Ma Ling'en shrugged and said, "Among all the directors, even those who are human have consumed demon-transforming pills or beast-transforming pills, turning them into demons or half-beasts. Where are there any intact humans left?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

indeed so.

All those who are Wuxiang Guardians will require them to consume either the Demon Transformation Pill or the Beast Transformation Pill.

Only by shedding a layer of "human skin" can one be considered a qualified Wuxiang Guardian.

"Then why not just choose one from among the team leaders—someone with both ability and drive?"

Xu Zhilong wasn't annoyed and slowly opened his mouth.

"Hehe, even the captains are eating..."

Ma Ling'en was about to retort when he suddenly froze.

He suddenly realized what Xu Zhilong was thinking.

He couldn't help but look at Chen Yuan in the corner.

Oh shit!

Good guy!

Xu Zhilong actually wanted to...

Promote that kid to director?