Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 162 – 142

Having left the Inspectorate,

Chen Mu’s attire, the white gown of the Demon-Slaying Office, had been replaced by a black brocade robe embroidered with herons, which was the official uniform of a Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, symbolizing status and position as a Sixth Grade official.

Moreover, the Inspectorate was different from the Demon-Slaying Office. The Demon-Slaying Office often followed the rule of ’seeing an official half a grade higher,’ but the power exercised by the Inspectorate was often even greater. During the prosperous times of the Da Xuan Dynasty, a Sixth Grade officer of the Inspectorate could supervise and control the local Prefectural Governors.

Although the laws of the Imperial Court were now in disarray, the Inspectorate sub-division established in Yu County was personally overseen by Yan Jingqing, the Inspector, whose actual powers were immense.

“Although there will be many more trivial matters in the future, the advantage is that I won’t have to avoid various powers as I did in the past,”

Chen Mu shook his head slightly.

As a Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, he was now fundamentally under the command of Yan Jingqing, and even if he acted according to the rules of the Martial World, he no longer feared the disciples of the Four Sects. After all, the Martial World’s rules included provisions that allowed the younger generation to compete without interference from the older generation.

In any case, he was able to handle matters at his level. If something exceeded his capacity, there would be Yan Jingqing above him, and above that, the entire Seven Profound Sect.

As for the He Family…

A hint of indifference flashed in Chen Mu’s eyes.

From today onwards, the He Family would be reduced to a homeless cur. Without Yan Jingqing and his status as a Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, he was not afraid of the He Family, let alone now.

The only concern was that the He Family might desperately place all their bets in a panic, but given the current circumstances, the Blood Hidden Pavilion might not risk engaging with such a high-ranking Inspector… of course, the Blood Hidden Pavilion was reputed to spare no one, so they wouldn’t outright refuse, but they would likely raise the price to an unattainable level.

The power of the He Family itself, aside from that ancestor who stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, He Wuyou of the ’Wu’ generation, everyone else was mere scrap metal, not worth mentioning.

However…

Chen Mu’s thoughts flashed again with concerns about the Corpse Poison Jade, the Heavenly Corpse Sect, and the peculiar disturbances during the previous drought. If the He Family was the force secretly colluding with the Heavenly Corpse Sect, then extra precautions were necessary.

The main issue now was the lack of concrete evidence of the He Family’s collusion with the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Actually, the Yu Family had been actively investigating this, for if they found concrete evidence and presented it to the Inspector, it would spell disaster for the He Family, drawing the wrath of Yan Jingqing and the Seven Profound Sect, a burden far too heavy for the He Family to bear.

It was just that no trace had ever been found regarding the He Family in this regard, it even seemed that figures like He Guangxun were completely unaware of or uninvolved in the matter.

Soon,

Chen Mu returned to the Yu Family’s residence.

However, this time the atmosphere at the Yu Family’s residence was not as quiet as when he had left; instead, many people had gathered awaiting his return, led by a member of the Yu Family who had once been Chen Mu’s neighbor, Yu Zhen.

Yu Zhen stood at the entrance of the alley, and upon seeing the official uniform of the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate on Chen Mu, his eyes revealed a shock, but he immediately took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Chen Mu.

“When my daughter, Yu Yao, had her first full moon, she was kidnapped by villains. Fortunately, she was rescued by a benefactor, and at that time I did not know who the benefactor was and could not express my thanks. I never imagined it was Lord Chen who took action. On behalf of my daughter Yu Yao, I thank Lord Chen deeply,”

said Yu Zhen, his voice trembling slightly.

Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate!

Although when Chen Mu was his neighbor, Yu Zhen had never looked down on him and even felt that Chen Mu was a person worthy of association, he had never imagined that Chen Mu was someone with even deeper concealment than he had thought.

A person of the Artistic Conception level, who had now ascended to the position of Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, held a position in the entire Yu County that was truly high and powerful. This was further compounded by the fact that the Inspector himself held direct jurisdiction above him, adding even deeper meaning to his position.

Even if the current Chen Mu had no Martial Arts skills, relying solely on his position as a Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, he could inspect a county and even make decisions that would influence the City Lord Fu Linjiang…

of course, without any Martial Arts skills, in today’s chaotic times it would be difficult to hold a high position, as it was too easy to die, a tiny silver needle could take his life from a hundred paces away, and no matter how high his position, he would not last long.

“Brother Yu Zhen, there’s no need for such formalities,”

Chen Mu slightly lifted his hand in a supportive gesture but did not actually assist. Given his current status and the fact that he had indeed saved Yu Yao, he fully deserved Yu Zhen’s bow, not accepting it would be inappropriate.

Yu Zhen, however, did not dare lift his head to look directly at Chen Mu, his tone was exceedingly respectful, his voice trembling, “I, a commoner, have no official position, not worthy of your respect, sir. Being neighbors was a blessing for me.”

In the past, he was older and used to address Chen Mu as ’Brother Chen,’ and Chen Mu called him ’Brother Yu Zhen,’ but now, hearing such a title made his heart tremble slightly, as he felt unworthy of such respect.

After all,

in the current Yu Family, even the main branch descendants—second or third generation who held power—many had to treat Chen Mu with the etiquette of a subordinate meeting a superior. He, merely a collateral member of the Yu Family, even if Chen Mu lowered himself to associate with him, was simply not worthy of Chen Mu’s respectful address, the difference in their statuses was just too great.

Watching Yu Zhen’s demeanor, Chen Mu felt quite reflective. Throughout the ages, in every world, power indeed was an enchanting entity, however, with Martial Arts within him, he had moved beyond this path and would not be enthralled by power.

“How is little Yao doing now?”

Chen Mu changed the subject and asked a question.

At the time, after he had saved Yu Yao, because the Yu Family’s patrol team arrived and found that Yu Yao was unharmed, he did not intervene further and left Yu Yao on the spot to be rescued by the Yu Family’s patrol team.

Later, he heard that Yu Yao was sent back to Yu Zhen’s home and was not in any serious trouble, so he set his mind at ease and did not ask further.

“After being saved by Lord Chen, she had no injuries and was not too frightened. After recuperating for two days, she was completely fine. Recently, she has been very lively, unlike her calm demeanor during the full moon; she even resembles a boy somewhat,”

Yu Zhen said with a smile on his face.

Originally, he was particularly affectionate towards Yu Yao, his only daughter. Now that Yu Yao had been saved by Chen Mu, and had a connection with him, that naturally made a difference. He would double his affection for her, knowing well that when she grew up, there might be another opportunity to connect with Chen Mu.

The only thing that slightly regretted in Yu Zhen’s heart was that, at the time, it would have been good to have Yu Yao call Chen Mu her godfather, which would have made this daughter extraordinary in the future and also would have greatly improved his entire family’s status within the Yu Household.

Now bringing it up seemed inappropriate.

“Look.”

Yu Zhen took Yu Yao from the arms of a nanny, still a small baby but much bigger than before, blinking curiously as she looked at Chen Mu, waving her tiny hands with a cooing sound.

Chen Mu also showed a faint smile, touched her little hand, and said, “Indeed, she’s getting cuter.”

He played with the small infant.

Chen Mu withdrew his hand and Yu Zhen, understanding the cue, took Yu Yao back and handed her back to the nanny.

At this moment, when Chen Mu turned his gaze around, he saw many familiar faces like Xiao He, the old butler, and some others he did not recognize, belonging to the Yu Family. However, most of them looked at him with some degree of awe.

Although in terms of age, Chen Mu was younger than almost everyone, in today’s world, martial arts were revered, not to mention that his status as a Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate also made it difficult for anyone besides Xu Hongyu’s direct relatives to look him directly in the eye at the Yu Family.

“Let’s go, we’ll talk more back home.”

Chen Mu looked at Xiao He and gave her a slight nod.

Although the news of his promotion to Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate and the Demon-Slaying Office had already been sent ahead to the Yu Family, the specifics of his conversation with Yan Jingqing and potential future matters were still unclear to them. He needed to talk to Yu Zuyi later and probably would gather the senior members of the Yu Family for a discussion.

…

The news about Chen Mu’s promotion to the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate and Demon-Slaying Office quickly spread throughout Yu City.

It was like a stone causing a thousand ripples.

Finally, it caused a huge uproar!

Not to mention simultaneously holding two of the most crucial Yamen positions, just the very role of the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate was enough to send shockwaves throughout Yu City.

In today’s Yu City, who didn’t know the stature of the Inspectorate?

It was established by the Inspector dispatched from the State Government Office, and even the Four Great Families of the Inner City along with former top figures like City Lord Xue Huaikong had to give it respect and were somewhat constrained by it, so it could be said to have actual control over Yu County now.

Looking at the entire Inspectorate, there were only three Metropolitan Commanders at present, two of whom had come down from the State Government Office with Yan Jingqing and were not locals of Yu County. The third position had always been vacant, and many had speculated who would eventually fill it, wondering if it might be one of the leaders of the Four Great Families.

Yet they were surprised to see Chen Mu appear out of nowhere!

Previously, Chen Mu had caused a sensation in Yu City by displaying the Xun Wind Artistic Conception during a demon disturbance, which should have caused tremendous upheaval, but the sudden news of the Four Great Sects stationing in Yu County brought an even more shocking impact, far surpassing the disruption an Artistic Conception level figure could bring, naturally drawing away all attention.

As a result, various forces only caught a fleeting glimpse of Chen Mu.

Moreover, there was not much circulation of Chen Mu’s achievements among the populace, with most of the discussions still concerning the affairs of the Four Great Sects.

But this time was different.

The one local Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate in Yu County turned out to be a person aged only twenty-six!

This position could oversee hundreds of officials in Yu County and inspect the millions of the common populace!

What capabilities did Chen Mu have to be so valued by Inspector Yan Jingqing, not only promoted to Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate but also allowed to hold the position of the Metropolitan Commander of the Demon-Slaying Office, thus enjoying an unobstructed path and freedom from any encumbrances throughout Yu County?

The news spread.

In a short time, the situation in Yu County turned upside-down as numerous smaller forces under the He Family’s banner, including those Prefecture Chiefs in South City District who once allied with the He Family, such as Fu Linjiang and others, were all in disarray.

Especially Fu Linjiang, who had once tried to recruit Chen Mu for the He Family, thinking that Chen Mu’s alliance with the Yu Family was short-sighted. Now that Chen Mu had become Yan Jingqing’s man, let alone allying with the Yu Family, his position had become untouchable!

Not to mention those forces in Yu County that had yet to receive more accurate news, even the gazes from the Four Great Sects, including the Heavenly Sword and Hehuan, Blood Concealment, and Mysterious Heavenly Sect, fell on Chen Mu.

Among them, only Blood Hidden Pavilion was fully aware of the details, while the others, lacking more detailed intelligence, were still somewhat puzzled, unclear about the background of this suddenly emerged Chen Mu.