Chapter 190 - 188: Qin Suguang Asks for Aid

Chen Yuan's sarcastic remarks were met with Feng Wushang's surprising tolerance, causing the other Inspectors to exchange odd glances.

'Has the Hall Master backed down? Is he afraid to completely fall out with Chen Jiutian?'

In the past, though Feng Wushang had been petty and stingy, he still possessed a certain authority.

But now, because of the incident with Xu Feizhou, Feng Wushang's authority had been greatly diminished.

This gave the Inspectors present a shared thought: 'The Hall Master isn't all that impressive after all.'

Since Feng Wushang had yielded, Chen Yuan didn't press his advantage too aggressively.

He could afford to have a falling-out with Feng Wushang now, but it wasn't yet time for a complete and total break.

"Actually, the chaos in Kaiping Prefecture is quite easy to solve. Although Lord Yu Yousong is retired, he's old but still vigorous, possessing a wealth of both strength and experience.

It's a real shame for an Inspector with his seniority to be retired. How about we let Yu Yousong take on the role of Inspector for Kaiping Prefecture?"

Feng Wushang looked at Chen Yuan, his gaze turning grim. He was also somewhat surprised.

He could more or less guess Chen Yuan's intentions. It was simply a matter of using this opportunity to control Kaiping Prefecture without relinquishing his grip on Yangshan Prefecture.

But he hadn't expected Chen Yuan to promote Yu Yousong. He had originally thought Chen Yuan would push Cui Guan for the position.

After all, Cui Guan had also reached the Condensing Truth Realm and had been following Chen Yuan since early on.

After a moment of thought, Feng Wushang couldn't help but inwardly admit that Chen Yuan had made a brilliant move.

Cui Guan was strong enough, but he was an outsider with insufficient seniority. Who among the other Inspectors of the White Tiger Hall even knew who he was?

If Chen Yuan promoted Cui Guan, the other Inspectors would immediately be displeased, just as they had been when he himself had put Xu Feizhou in charge of Kaiping Prefecture.

But Yu Yousong was different. He was one of the most senior Inspectors of them all.

Moreover, he was a low-key individual who didn't go around offending people.

No one would object to him taking charge of Kaiping Prefecture once more.

And after the battle at Yangshan, Yu Yousong had completely pledged his loyalty to Chen Yuan. He paid no mind to things like age, adopting a stance of following Chen Yuan's lead in all matters.

Sure enough, when everyone present heard Chen Yuan's proposal to make Yu Yousong the Inspector, not a single person stood up to object.

If even Yu Yousong wasn't qualified to lead Kaiping Prefecture, then they, the other Inspectors, certainly weren't.

"Fine! From this day forward, Yu Yousong will be in charge of Kaiping Prefecture."

Feng Wushang said impassively, "But I have one demand: end the chaos in Kaiping Prefecture as quickly as possible!"

Chen Yuan stood and smiled. "Rest assured, Hall Master. Elder Yu is highly experienced. 'Pacifying' the chaos in Kaiping Prefecture will be no problem at all."

Yu Yousong was also slightly moved. He hadn't expected Chen Yuan to recommend him; after all, he hadn't been following him for very long.

"This subordinate thanks Lord Chen! And I thank the Hall Master for your trust!"

Yu Yousong bowed deeply, but he thanked Chen Yuan before Feng Wushang. It was hard to tell if this was intentional or not.

With a grim expression, Feng Wushang waved his hand, dismissing them all.

He had lost both face and respect today.

After all the Inspectors had left, Xu Feizhou cautiously approached Feng Wushang and whispered, "Godfather, please calm your anger. This matter is far from over! Once we..."

Before he could finish, Feng Wushang's hand whipped out in a slap. Half of Xu Feizhou's face instantly swelled.

"You waste! Still talking about 'once we...'? Just lay low for now. We'll talk again after this whole mess in Kaiping Prefecture has blown over."

"Godfather, please calm your anger. I understand."

Xu Feizhou lowered his head, clutching his face, but a venomous hatred flashed in his eyes.

It was unclear whether it was directed at Chen Yuan, or at Feng Wushang.

After Yu Yousong took charge of Kaiping Prefecture, the turmoil was quickly pacified.

After all, it only took a single word from Chen Yuan for Guan Zhenshan to disperse his men.

And once they knew Yu Yousong was one of Chen Yuan's men, Cui Guan and the others were exceptionally cooperative.

This Elder Yu was one of their own; he had the seniority and the strength. They had no reason not to cooperate.

Likewise, Yu Yousong wasn't the type to lord his age and experience over others, so the two sides worked together quite well in Kaiping Prefecture.

Upon returning to Yangshan Prefecture, Chen Yuan immediately entered secluded cultivation once more.

Having fully digested the power of the Strongest Divine Pill, he had broken through to the Condensing Truth Realm Middle Stage.

He still had quite a few Top Grade Elixirs on hand, enough for another period of secluded cultivation.

However, this period of seclusion didn't last very long.

Barely a month had passed before a subordinate woke Chen Yuan, informing him of an urgent letter from Qin Province.

Chen Yuan was a bit stunned upon receiving the message.

'Who in Qin Province would be writing to me?'

When he saw the signature on the letter, understanding dawned on Chen Yuan. It was from Qin Suguang, who should still be the Chief Constable of Jieyang Prefecture in Qin Province.

'But why would Qin Suguang suddenly write to me?'

Chen Yuan glanced at the letter's contents. It was a request for help.

Apparently, a series of gruesome murders had recently occurred in Jieyang Prefecture. All the victims had been drained of their Qi Blood.

Qin Suguang believed it to be the work of the Blood God Sect and was asking for Chen Yuan's help, since Chen Yuan had experience dealing with them.

Qin Suguang had also reached out to Cui Xuanye and others for assistance.

The matter had escalated. Qin Province was in the heart of the Central Plains, and the local Six Gates branch had even ordered Qin Suguang to solve the case by a deadline.

With no other options, Qin Suguang had turned to Chen Yuan and the others for help.

Of course, he also mentioned in the letter that if Chen Yuan and the others were busy, they needn't come, as handling their own affairs was more important.

Holding the letter, a thoughtful expression crossed Chen Yuan's face.

'Qin Suguang is the future God of Capture. His strength will one day be extraordinary, and he is a loyal and principled man. If I help him now, he will surely repay the favor twofold in the future.'

Moreover, Qin Suguang had helped him fend off Shangguan Yun and his group during the Furnace Opening Assembly. With him now asking for help, Chen Yuan would definitely go.

But Chen Yuan had a feeling the events in Jieyang Prefecture were unrelated to the Blood God Sect.

The Blood God Sect did have halls throughout the Jianghu, but their major activities were concentrated in the more peripheral provinces.

Qin Province was the heart of the Central Plains. For the Blood God Sect to pull such a stunt here was practically a death wish.

It was plausible for one or two disciples of the Blood God Sect to replenish their Qi Blood, but large-scale murder to plunder it was highly unlikely.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yuan suddenly had an idea, and his eyes lit up.

'Besides the Blood God Sect, the only other thing that requires such a large amount of Qi Blood might be related to the Seven Kills Stele.'

When the Seven Kills Stele Fragments first appeared, many believed the Seven Kills Stele required a blood sacrifice.

It wasn't until much later, when someone successfully merged with a Seven Kills Stele Fragment, that the proper method of fusion became known.

'In the original plotline, no Seven Kills Stele Fragment appeared in Qin Province. However, one of the fragments that was later obtained was suspected to have originated from there.'

'Connecting this with Qin Suguang's current problem, could it be that someone found a Seven Kills Stele Fragment and tried to claim it, but failed to merge with it through blood sacrifice and so took it elsewhere?'

'Afterward, it passed through several hands before that fragment was finally merged with.'

Of course, this was just his speculation, but judging by the timeline, it was highly probable.

Back in Lianshan City in You Province, Chen Yuan had to hide his identity and act with extreme caution to obtain the Seven Kills Stele Fragment.

Now, he could seize it openly.

First, he had Zhenwu Hall backing him.

Although Zhenwu Hall's prestige in the Jianghu was currently a bit weak, it was still one of the Seven Alliances of the World and dominated Ning Province. Furthermore, Chao Hongtu wielded the Divine Soldier, the Divine King's Array-Breaking Technique.

Second, the Seven Kills Stele was, after all, only a fragment. While its power was astounding, most people still considered it inferior to a complete Divine Soldier.

Only Chen Yuan, who had already merged with a Seven Kills Stele Fragment, knew the true extent of the Stele's potential.

If Chen Yuan were to seize a complete Divine Soldier, it would be like a child walking through a crowded market with a bar of gold—it would naturally attract the covetous gazes of the powerful.

But for just a Divine Weapon Fragment, that greed would be much diminished. Potential aggressors would have to consider whether fighting Zhenwu Hall to the death for a single fragment was worth it.

And he wasn't worried about anyone within Zhenwu Hall coveting it either.

Chao Hongtu had the Divine King's Array-Breaking Technique; he naturally wouldn't look twice at a mere fragment.

The character of Liu Suifeng and Yun Zhaolan was guaranteed; not only would they not try to take the Seven Kills Stele Fragment, they would even protect him.

The only ones who might force him to surrender the Seven Kills Stele Fragment were the four Hall Masters, such as Feng Wushang.

But with Liu Suifeng and Yun Zhaolan on his side, they wouldn't be able to take it by force.

Having decided to go, Chen Yuan first had to make arrangements in Yangshan Prefecture.

With Yu Yousong gone to Kaiping Prefecture, Chen Yuan simply handed over Yangshan Prefecture to Liu Feiyan.

Although she was an inexperienced young woman, her status spoke for itself. Of all the people Liu Suifeng had cultivated, only she could keep them in line.

Chen Yuan also asked Liu Suifeng to help keep an eye on Feng Wushang.

He'd had a falling-out with Feng Wushang, and knowing the old man, Chen Yuan was certain this matter was far from over.

Chen Yuan had to guard against Feng Wushang making a move on Yangshan Prefecture or Kaiping Prefecture in his absence.

With his arrangements made, Chen Yuan set off directly for Qin Province.

Qin Province was one of the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains and among the most ancient. Its lands were vast, its resources plentiful, and its people prosperous. As such, many dynasties throughout history had established their capitals there.

Even the Great Xia had considered Qin Province for its capital at the time of its founding.

However, Qin Province was a battleground state, lacking natural defenses. While conveniently located, it was defensively weak.

Moreover, a series of great wars had left Qin Province battered and broken, which was why it was ultimately not chosen as the capital of the Great Xia.

Upon entering the borders of Qin Province, he was greeted by a scene of prosperity: main roads crisscrossed the landscape, bustling with merchants and travelers.

Jieyang Prefecture, where Qin Suguang resided, was one of the larger prefecture cities in Qin Province. After entering the city, Chen Yuan headed straight for the Six Gates Government Office.

The government offices of the Six Gates only existed within the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains.

The Court naturally wouldn't deploy its forces in provinces like Ning Province and You Province, which were outside its jurisdiction.

Just as he reached the entrance to the Government Office, Chen Yuan saw several Six Gates constables carrying bodies.

Qin Suguang was there, his brow deeply furrowed as he examined the corpses one by one.

Just then, he seemed to sense a gaze upon him. Qin Suguang's head snapped up, and his face broke into a wide grin upon seeing Chen Yuan. "Brother Chen! You're finally here!"