Chapter 189 - 187: Comparing People Will Be the Death of You; Comparing Goods, One Gets Thrown Away

"Why are you stopping me?"

Cui Guan frowned, clearly displeased.

'At my speed, that scoundrel Xu Feizhou couldn't have escaped.'

"We can't kill him even if we catch up, so what's the point? It's better to let him flee in disgrace."

Yang Zhicai shook his head and asked, "Can Lord Chen replace Feng Wushang and take control of the White Tiger Hall right now?"

Even someone like Cui Guan, who wasn't one for deep thought, shook his head. "Of course not. The four Hall Masters are all Martial Arts Grandmasters of the Primordial Pill Realm, and they're all deeply established."

"No matter how great Lord Chen's achievements, and even with the token from the Grand Commandant that gives him authority over other Inspectors, there's no way he can replace Feng Wushang."

"And there you have it. Lord Chen can't afford a complete falling-out with Feng Wushang right now."

"That's why we can't kill Xu Feizhou yet. It's enough to humiliate him and let him slink back to the White Tiger Hall in shame."

"After what just happened, I doubt Xu Feizhou will dare show his face in Kaiping Prefecture again. This prefecture still belongs to Lord Chen."

Yang Zhicai chuckled slyly and immediately wrote a report on the situation in Kaiping Prefecture to send to Chen Yuan.

......

「Yangshan Prefecture」

Chen Yuan had just emerged from his seclusion.

He had gained a great deal from his battle with Wen Cangyuan, a true Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Furthermore, the medicinal power of the Strongest Divine Pill he had taken earlier had yet to be fully absorbed. The battle helped him completely digest the remaining energy, solidifying his foundation and allowing him to smoothly break through to the Condensing Truth Realm Middle Stage.

Yu Yousong walked in, and upon seeing Chen Yuan had emerged, he laughed heartily. "Lord Chen, congratulations! This is a threefold blessing!"

"Oh? What's all this good news?"

Yu Yousong smiled. "First, Lord Chen, your aura has grown deeper and more solid. Your cultivation must have advanced. That's the first piece of good news."

"Second, word of you slaying Wen Cangyuan in Yangshan has spread throughout Ning Province. The Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower has updated the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and your rank has soared. You are now listed at number eighteen."

"And third, there's news from Kaiping Prefecture. Even in your absence, Lord Chen, your former subordinates forced that Xu Feizhou to flee back to the White Tiger Hall in disgrace."

"He didn't even last three days in his post as Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture before he was sent packing. Now the local Jianghu forces are stirring up trouble, so I expect the Hall Master will have to beg you to go back and regain control."

Chen Yuan had left Kaiping Prefecture for Yang Zhicai and the others to handle, but he hadn't expected them to be so efficient. They had driven the man out in just three days.

Taking the reports on the Hidden Dragon Rankings and Kaiping Prefecture, Chen Yuan first glanced through the rankings.

After almost every battle involving one of its listed prodigies, the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower would gather information and update the rankings.

Countless people had witnessed the battle in Yangshan, so the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower naturally received the news and decisively placed Chen Yuan within the top twenty.

At the level of the top twenty, everyone was a prodigy in the Condensing Truth Realm, and many even had battle records of fighting against those in the Primordial Pill Realm.

Next, Chen Yuan carefully reviewed the report from Kaiping Prefecture.

After reading it, Chen Yuan gave a slight nod.

Yang Zhicai and his men had done a good job. They were fast, yet they showed restraint.

'I could have a falling-out with Feng Wushang now, but not a complete one. Sparing Xu Feizhou's life was acceptable.'

Yu Yousong chuckled. "The Hall Master has really painted himself into a corner this time. He stubbornly insisted on having Xu Feizhou take over Kaiping Prefecture. I bet in the end, it will still be yours, Lord Chen."

But a cold glint appeared in Chen Yuan's eyes. "He takes Kaiping Prefecture when he pleases, and now he expects me to go back just because he says so? What does he take me for?"

"This matter won't be resolved so easily without a proper explanation."

Yu Yousong looked at Chen Yuan in astonishment.

'From the sound of it, is Lord Chen preparing to challenge Master Feng?'

「Meanwhile, in the White Tiger Hall」

Anger flared in Feng Wushang's eyes as he looked down at the pale-faced Xu Feizhou kneeling on the ground before him.

"Useless! A piece of trash is a hundred times more useful than you!"

Feng Wushang sent Xu Feizhou sprawling with a vicious kick and roared, "Chen Jiutian went to Yangshan Prefecture, single-handedly wiped out the Yang Mountain Three Sects, and took control of the entire prefecture with ease, all while climbing the Hidden Dragon Rankings!"

"And you? I gave you the title, I gave you the men, and you couldn't even manage Kaiping Prefecture after Chen Jiutian had already put everything in order! Now you come crawling back in utter disgrace."

"The local Jianghu forces are laying siege to the Zhenwu Hall Government Office! This is something that has never happened since the founding of the Zhenwu Hall, and it happened on your watch!"

"Xu Feizhou, you're a real prodigy, you are!"

Xu Feizhou kept his head down, gritting his teeth. "Godfather! Your son... I was set up by that bastard Chen Jiutian!"

"He runs Kaiping Prefecture like his personal iron fortress! Internally, the White Tiger Guards refused to obey me. Externally, the Jianghu forces are nothing but Chen Jiutian's attack dogs."

"In a situation like that, how was I supposed to fight him? This siege on the Inspectorate's Mansion by the Jianghu forces—he orchestrated it from the shadows!"

"Do you have any proof?"

Feng Wushang glared at Xu Feizhou in exasperation. "What damn good are your words without proof?"

"When Chen Jiutian went to Yangshan Prefecture, he had less than a hundred old and feeble men. On top of that, he had to face the Yang Mountain Four Sects. You think that was easier than your assignment in Kaiping Prefecture?"

"You're useless, and all you know is how to shift blame. If I'd known it would be like this, why would I have ever given Kaiping Prefecture to you?"

Feng Wushang was truly beginning to regret his decision.

As the saying goes, comparisons are deadly. Put two men side by side, and one will inevitably fall short.

Chen Yuan had gone to Yangshan Prefecture, and Xu Feizhou had gone to Kaiping Prefecture. One returned with great achievements, while the other came back utterly disgraced and defeated.

The difference between them was simply immense.

'This godson of mine really is useless.' At that moment, Feng Wushang even found himself thinking how wonderful it would be if Chen Jiutian were willing to acknowledge him as a godfather.

'If that were the case, I wouldn't have to be so wary of suppressing his rise.'

"Godfather, what do we do now?"

Xu Feizhou raised his head, looking at Feng Wushang with trepidation.

Feng Wushang snorted. "What else can we do? I'll have to summon all the Inspectors to a meeting and clean up your mess!"

'Although Xu Feizhou is useless, he has given me a great deal.'

'Besides, he's my publicly acknowledged godson. I can't just abandon him, otherwise, I would be the one to lose face.'

After the summons was sent out, numerous Inspectors arrived at the White Tiger Hall the next day.

Chen Yuan, of course, was among them. And he hadn't come alone; he brought Yu Yousong with him.

When the other Inspectors saw Chen Yuan, their expressions were complicated.

Previously, most of them had been jealous of him.

'By what right did a young man like Chen Yuan get to climb above them?'

But after his accomplishments in Yangshan Prefecture became known, that jealousy vanished instantly.

If they were being honest with themselves, had they been thrown into the pit of fire that was Yangshan Prefecture, they would have fared no better than Yu Yousong.

But Chen Yuan had done the impossible. He had forged and broken alliances, dividing the Yang Mountain Four Sects. He had fought a Primordial Pill Grandmaster as a Condensing Truth cultivator, slain Wen Cangyuan, and completely shattered the balance of power in Yangshan Prefecture.

Such an achievement required both incredible ability and immense strength.

Just then, Feng Wushang entered the Council Hall, with Xu Feizhou trailing behind him.

All eyes turned to Xu Feizhou, but this time their gazes were filled with derision.

They had all heard what happened in Kaiping Prefecture. The fool didn't know his own limits and had completely botched the assignment. He had managed to get the Inspectorate Office besieged by local Jianghu forces, something unprecedented in the history of the Zhenwu Hall.

In a way, this feat had made Xu Feizhou famous throughout the Zhenwu Hall.

Feng Wushang cleared his throat and looked at Chen Yuan, his expression amiable. "I've heard about your accomplishments in Yangshan Prefecture. Well done."

"I recall you wanted to stay in Kaiping Prefecture, didn't you? How about this: I'll transfer you back."

Chen Yuan gave Feng Wushang a wry smile. "If I'm transferred back to Kaiping Prefecture, what about Xu Feizhou? Will he be going to Yangshan Prefecture?"

The corner of Feng Wushang's mouth twitched. "Xu Feizhou has made a grave error. He will be confined to the White Tiger Hall for now and will not be assigned to govern any Prefecture City."

Even he wasn't shameless enough to suggest sending Xu Feizhou to Yangshan Prefecture.

Besides, with Chen Yuan's methods, Xu Feizhou would be eaten alive if he went there.

Chen Yuan said flatly, "Hall Master, we Inspectors expend great effort to take charge of a Prefecture City and manage the local Jianghu forces."

"I was in Kaiping Prefecture for several months. You told me to go to Yangshan Prefecture, and I went."

"Now, I've been in Yangshan Prefecture for less than a month, and you want to send me back to Kaiping. You can't just jerk people around like this."

"If you have some dissatisfaction with me, Hall Master, you can say it plainly. Why must you single me out like this?"

"The Zhenwu Hall has four halls. I don't have to stay in the White Tiger Hall. If it comes to it, I can just go to Military Advisor Liu or the Grand Commandant and request a transfer to another hall."

"I'm confident that with my contributions to the Zhenwu Hall, getting assigned to a different Prefecture City as an Inspector won't be difficult."

Feng Wushang's expression changed instantly. He stared at Chen Yuan, his gaze deadly.

'He dares to threaten me!?'

'The Chen Yuan of before was at least respectful. Even when I forcibly took Kaiping Prefecture from him, he only dared to aim his scorn at Xu Feizhou, not at me.'

But now, in front of all the other Inspectors, he dared to threaten him directly. Rage surged in Feng Wushang's heart.

However, he managed to suppress the anger before it could fully surface.

He was now caught between a rock and a hard place.

Chen Yuan was right. His rank on the Hidden Dragon Rankings had risen once more, making him a symbol of the Zhenwu Hall's prestige.

Given his great achievements, if Chen Yuan went to Liu Suifeng and Chao Hongtu, they would certainly help him transfer. They would, in turn, reprimand Feng Wushang for his jealousy of talent and his poor personnel decisions, which had led to this disaster in Kaiping Prefecture. It was even possible they would force him into early retirement.

As for personally going to Kaiping Prefecture to suppress Guan Zhenshan and the others, Feng Wushang could do it, but it wouldn't be worth the cost.

Having presided over the White Tiger Hall for so long, the one thing Feng Wushang desired above all was stability.

If he personally stepped in to clean up Xu Feizhou's mess, what would the other Inspectors think? In the future, when another Prefecture City had a problem, would he intervene or not?

And if the situation blew up and word reached Chao Hongtu, would the Grand Commandant decide that he, Feng Wushang, was old, past his prime, and force him into early retirement?

Therefore, the Kaiping Prefecture situation had to be resolved quickly and quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Feng Wushang stared at Chen Yuan. "Then, Inspector Chen, how do you think the current chaos in Kaiping Prefecture should be resolved?"