Chapter 249 - 247: Plotting for the Hall Master’s Position

Chapter 249: Chapter 247: Plotting for the Hall Master’s Position

After all the members of the Hu Yan Tribe were executed, Chen Yuan began to restore order in the White Tiger Hall.

The region under the White Tiger Hall’s jurisdiction was in a miserable state after the pillaging, and it would take a great deal of effort to rebuild.

Some Prefecture Cities had even lost their Inspectors and Guardian Envoys, leaving them completely without leadership.

This was a perfect opportunity, however. Chen Yuan directly selected men from his own ranks to fill these vacancies.

He could appoint a Guardian Envoy with a single word. As for positions like Inspector, Chen Yuan had people like Cui Guan, who had reached the Condensing Truth Realm cultivation, temporarily take over.

Whether they would become official Inspectors later was a matter for another time.

The most important issue was that Chen Yuan wanted the position of White Tiger Hall Master for himself!

Right now, what the Zhenwu Hall lacked most were Martial Artists at the level of Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster.

The Zhenwu Hall’s foundation was too shallow. In all these years, none of the Martial Artists it had nurtured had managed to step into the Primordial Pill Realm.

The existing Primordial Pill Realm Martial Artists in the Zhenwu Hall were all holdovers from the era of the Celestial Martial Alliance. It could be said that every position was filled, with no one to spare.

The Commanders of the Po Jun Guard, Celestial Martial Guard, and Shadow Guard were all in the Primordial Pill Realm. But if one of them were to take charge of the White Tiger Hall, who would serve as the Commander of the Three Guards?

Besides, there was also the issue of them not being a good fit for the environment.

Although Chen Yuan was currently in the Condensing Truth Realm, he already had a track record of slaying Grandmasters.

Furthermore, when the Hidden Dragon Rankings were next updated, Chen Yuan could replace Xu Tianhong and rise to twelfth place.

In terms of strength, at least, Chen Yuan was absolutely qualified to be the White Tiger Hall Master. His record and contributions were also sufficient.

He had risen from Guardian Envoy to Inspector, and then turned the tide after Feng Wushang’s death, annihilating the Hu Yan Tribe.

If Chen Yuan wasn’t qualified to be the Hall Master, then no one else in the entire White Tiger Hall was.

However, while the Zhenwu Hall prioritized achievements and merits, the position of Hall Master was no small matter. It wasn’t something you could get just by having enough contributions.

Therefore, after arranging matters in the White Tiger Hall, Chen Yuan immediately called for Liu Feiyan and brought her back to the Main Hall in Taining Prefecture.

In truth, Chen Yuan didn’t have to bring Liu Feiyan. He was Liu Suifeng’s man now, so Liu Suifeng would naturally support him with all his might. He didn’t need to use Liu Feiyan to curry favor.

But when it came to the ways of the world, it was always better to do something than nothing.

Liu Suifeng had only one daughter. Although she had been sent to the White Tiger Hall for training, he surely thought of her constantly.

’Bringing Liu Feiyan back to see her old father during my trip to the Main Hall is definitely the right move.’

"Father! I’m back!"

Liu Feiyan shouted as soon as she returned to the courtyard.

She acted like a man most of the time, only showing a bit of her girlish side in front of Liu Suifeng.

"You’re back, so you’re back. What’s all the shouting about?"

Although Liu Suifeng scolded her, his gaze toward Liu Feiyan held a hint of indulgence.

Then, Liu Suifeng looked at Chen Yuan and nodded slightly. "Come inside. We’ll talk there."

Leading Chen Yuan into the study, Liu Suifeng looked at him with a hint of admiration. "I’ve seen the battle reports from the White Tiger Hall. I originally thought we would have to mobilize forces from the other Martial Halls, but I never expected you to step up, turn the tide, and resolve everything yourself."

"It’s for the best. If we had to gather the full strength of the Zhenwu Hall for something like this, things would have become even more troublesome."

"Military Advisor Liu, there is something I don’t understand. When Feng Wushang first called for reinforcements, why couldn’t we bring in people from the other three Martial Halls to gather our strongest forces and eliminate the Hu Yan Tribe once and for all?"

Chen Yuan was also puzzled by this. He felt that the Main Hall had been hesitant and sloppy in its handling of the situation.

If they had used their full strength from the beginning, like a lion hunting a rabbit, the damage to the White Tiger Hall wouldn’t have been so great.

’Of course, if that had happened, I wouldn’t have had the chance to kill Feng Wushang, nor the opportunity to turn the tide and earn such great merit.’

"Because we cannot let others see the Zhenwu Hall’s weakness."

Liu Suifeng sighed. "You’ve been in the Zhenwu Hall for a long time now. You should be able to see its true state."

"Compared to the Celestial Martial Alliance in its prime, the current Zhenwu Hall isn’t even half as strong, and morale is unstable."

"The Zhenwu Hall suppressing the entirety of Ning Province on its own has already made many people envious. You have to understand, the neighboring You Province is even smaller than Ning Province, yet it’s divided between the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance."

"If a mere raid on the border by the Hu Yan Tribe required all Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu to be deployed, wouldn’t that make the Zhenwu Hall look incompetent?"

"Besides, you know what the other Hall Masters are like. If we let them intervene, I’m afraid things would only get more complicated."

Chen Yuan nodded in understanding.

’Liu Suifeng was worried about outsiders seeing through the Zhenwu Hall’s weakness, while the Grand Commandant... he probably didn’t act out of sheer laziness, believing his subordinates could handle it without his intervention.’

"Lord Liu, I came this time because I want the position of White Tiger Hall Master."

Chen Yuan didn’t beat around the bush with Liu Suifeng and stated his purpose directly.

Liu Suifeng narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, ever since I learned of Feng Wushang’s death, I’ve been contemplating this very issue. I even went to ask the Grand Commandant about it."

"At the time, the Grand Commandant’s intention was to have Li Tiancheng, the Commander of the Celestial Martial Guard, take over the White Tiger Hall."

Chen Yuan frowned slightly. "Then who would lead the Celestial Martial Guard?"

"I don’t know. But the Celestial Martial Guard is the Grand Commandant’s personal guard, so it wouldn’t matter much if they were temporarily without a Commander."

Liu Suifeng paused, then added, "Moreover, the Celestial Martial Guard is not as simple as it seems. I’ve checked the Zhenwu Hall’s records. People have been joining the Celestial Martial Guard in recent years, but its numbers have never increased."

"Furthermore, some of its members were not transferred from the lower ranks. Instead, like that Qiu Sheng, they appeared out of nowhere and were directly placed in the Celestial Martial Guard."

"Therefore, I suspect the Grand Commandant’s hidden strength is far greater than what is apparent on the surface."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan was left speechless for a moment.

’Good grief. The higher-ups in the Zhenwu Hall are all scheming against each other, each with their own agenda.’

’Never mind the masters of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu; Liu Suifeng is secretly developing the Shadow Guard, and the Grand Commandant’s Celestial Martial Guard also has hidden forces.’

’Only Yun Zhaolan seems normal right now, merely being in charge of the Po Jun Guard.’

"However, that was just the Grand Commandant’s thinking at the time. Feng Wushang had just died, and you hadn’t yet stepped up to take charge and turn the tide."

"Now that you’ve earned such great merit, you truly have a shot at the Hall Master position. But ultimately, it still depends on the Grand Commandant’s decision."

"Tomorrow, I will speak with Lady Yun and try to get her on your side. That will increase your chances."

"Thank you, Lord Liu," Chen Yuan said, cupping his fist.

"No need for thanks. To be blunt, our interests are intertwined. Helping you is helping myself."

Liu Suifeng waved his hand casually, his words refreshingly direct.

At the beginning, when Liu Suifeng pulled Chen Yuan into the Zhenwu Hall, it was merely a casual move on the chessboard for him.

It was both a way to repay Chen Yuan for saving his daughter and a way to plant a nail within the Zhenwu Hall.

Who would have thought that this nail would grow larger and larger, until it became a great pillar supporting the heavens? To see him on the verge of reaching the level of a Hall Master of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu was something Liu Suifeng had never expected—a pleasant surprise, indeed.

"Lord Liu, there is one more thing I need your help with."

"Oh? What is it?"

Chen Yuan said, "I previously killed Xu Tianhong, who was twelfth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. You should know of his mother, the ’White-haired Witch’ Xu Baiwei."

"That woman is a lunatic. Now that I’ve killed her son, I’m afraid she will come to Ning Province to seek revenge on me."

Liu Suifeng narrowed his eyes. "I know of that madwoman. Being targeted by a Divine Platform Realm Martial Artist is indeed troublesome."

"But rest assured, as long as it’s within the Zhenwu Hall’s territory, if she dares to step into Ning Province, I will act even if the Grand Commandant doesn’t. You must be careful if you leave Ning Province, however."

Hearing Liu Suifeng’s words, Chen Yuan immediately understood the situation.

’Since Liu Suifeng knows about Xu Baiwei and is still this confident, it seems this Military Advisor has hidden his abilities very deeply.’

’The outside world rumors that Liu Suifeng has not yet recovered from his grievous injuries, but from the looks of it now, while it’s uncertain if his injuries have fully healed, he can at least force Xu Baiwei to retreat.’

As for whether Xu Baiwei would make a move outside Ning Province, Chen Yuan wasn’t worried. He had already arranged a big problem for her.

After taking control of the White Tiger Hall, Chen Yuan had sent a letter to Wen Rou, telling her to find an opportunity to sell the information about Xu Baiwei and Xuan Hong as soon as possible.

Originally, Chen Yuan had given this information to Wen Rou to handle at her discretion. Now that he was asking her to sell it ahead of schedule, she might not find the highest bidder. So, as compensation, Chen Yuan gave her another piece of intelligence, of moderate importance.

Wen Rou was also very reliable. Moreover, both the Ten Thousand Demon Sect and the Vajra Prajna Temple had many enemies in the Jianghu. He believed the information would be sold quickly.

’Once the news leaks, just like in the original plot, those two will inevitably be punished by their sects.’

’Xuan Hong will be stripped of everything and will never dare to show his face in the Jianghu again.’

’Xu Baiwei will also be thrown into a secret area of the Ten Thousand Demon Sect for punishment.’

’So, as long as I can withstand one attack from her, Xu Baiwei won’t have many chances to appear before me in the future.’

"By the way, Lord Liu, when I was killing Yang Lianzhenjia, he mentioned that he was from the Corpse Tower Forest Secret Institute. Have you ever heard of this name?"

"Actually, during this raid on the Ning Province border by the Hu Yan Tribe and the Ten Thousand Demon Sect, the most troublesome enemy wasn’t the people from the Ten Thousand Demon Sect, nor was it the Hu Yan Tribe. It was that Demon Monk, Yang Lianzhenjia."

"Although his strength was only at the Primordial Pill Realm Early Stage, his Evil Secret Techniques were bizarre and unpredictable. Commander of the Army-breaking Guard Yang Yanxing and I had to fight for our lives just to deal with him."

"Moreover, the Corpse Puppets he refined possessed a very strange, indescribable power that even seemed to transcend the Martial Dao."

With that, Chen Yuan recounted the entire course of his battle with Yang Lianzhenjia to Liu Suifeng.

Both Yang Lianzhenjia’s power and the Corpse Tower Forest Secret Institute, which had not appeared in the original plot, made Chen Yuan wary.

The strength of the factions on the Jianghu Wind and Cloud Rankings was out in the open. The real danger often came from the unknown.