Daqian Martial Saint

”Your presence, my lord, brings us boundless joy.”

”To see you in person, my lord, is an honor of a lifetime.”

”...”

The crowd in front of the market shamelessly gathered around Chen Ping’an, eagerly adding to the atmosphere by showering him with all kinds of flowery praise.

They received Chen Ping’an with the highest possible courtesy. They were no fools—everyone knew that if they accidentally offended this lord, their lives would be hell from then on.

”Lord Commander, please, come in! Please, come in!” Amidst the crowd’s fawning welcome, Chen Ping’an entered the Red Maple Market.

Onlookers watched from afar, marveling at the sight of Chen Ping’an’s face.

”Who’s that? How can he be so young?”

”What lord is he? To have the market’s bigwigs acting so deferential?”

But some sharp individuals recognized Chen Ping’an at a glance.

”That’s the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy, Chen Ping’an, Lord Chen!”

”Lord Chen?”

In a corner of a Red Maple Market street stood a man with a plain, unremarkable face. Listening to the surrounding chatter, he watched Chen Ping’an’s distant figure. A glint flashed in his eyes before he took a few steps back, vanished into the crowd, and quietly slipped away.

On the street, amidst the chorus of praise, Chen Ping’an’s senses pricked up, and he cast an almost imperceptible glance in the direction the man had gone.

...

On the side of a low hill on Red Maple Mountain was a small cave. Its entrance was well-hidden, concealed by the lush surrounding greenery.

Inside the cave, a middle-aged man in linen clothes knelt on one knee. Before him stood an old, gray-robed man with salt-and-pepper hair, whose piercing gaze was fixed upon him.

”You’re saying Chen Ping’an has come to the Red Maple Market?”

”Yes, Elder Han. That is the report from our scout,” the middle-aged man replied respectfully.

”Mang Blade Mang Vajra, a prodigy from the Rising Star Chart, Chen Ping’an... became famous overnight for wiping out the Celestial Net Sect...”

The elder lowered his head, muttering thoughtfully, ’Why would he show up here, of all times? They’re certainly taking this seriously! But...’

After a moment’s consideration, the elder abruptly lifted his head, his eyes glinting with a keen light.

”His timing is perfect!”

As an Elder of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, he had personally led the team to infiltrate this area. His primary objective was to stir up trouble—and the bigger the trouble, the better!

With the Beicang Auction fast approaching, Beicang Town was a whirlwind of activity, drawing the attention of the Weishui Garrison’s main forces. This gave them a greater opportunity than ever to make their move.

Ambushing that one trade caravan was just an appetizer. Before this window of opportunity closed, they had much more planned.

His original plan was to switch to another route that connected to the Trade Route and pull off a major hit. He wanted to firmly establish the might of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect while simultaneously undermining the Trade Route’s authority.

The plan was easy enough to devise, but carrying it out—even during this window of opportunity—would meet with significant resistance. Just as he was racking his brain for a way to pull off a major score, who would have thought that Mang Blade Mang Vajra himself would walk right into their lap!

In the outer regions of the Trade Route, what could possibly be more sensational news than killing the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy?

If Chen Ping’an were to meet a grisly end here, the impact would be far greater than ambushing any trade caravan.

A rising star, highly regarded within the Garrison Commandant’s Office, found dead in the Red Maple Mountain area!

News like that would be as explosive as it gets. Not only would it draw immense attention, but it would also serve to trumpet the might of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect—a perfect outcome for them.

Crucially, Chen Ping’an had made a name for himself by leading the team that wiped out a branch of the Celestial Net Sect. If they managed to kill him here, wouldn’t that prove that the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was superior to the Celestial Net Sect?

At this thought, the elder’s eyes burned with fervent ambition!

Although he was a Powerful Elder within the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, he always needed more accomplishments to his name. If he could pull this off, his status and influence within the branch would rise dramatically.

’For this Chen Ping’an to have made such a name for himself, his strength must not be underestimated.’

Recalling the recent rumors, the elder gradually composed himself.

It was his habit to first calm his mind and compose himself before any major undertaking.

Chen Ping’an had reached the Profound Light Realm, and according to the most common rumors, he possessed the combat strength of the Profound Light Middle Realm.

’Profound Light Middle Realm... And he has an entourage,’ the elder’s eyes flickered as he fell deep in thought.

Fortunately, according to the scout’s report, Chen Ping’an hadn’t brought many people with him. Therefore, aside from Chen Ping’an himself, their only other opposition would be the people within the Red Maple Market.

’The market may be crowded, but they’re all just a bunch of useless chickens and dogs. And while this Chen Ping’an is capable, he’s new to the market. He’s bound to have blind spots!’ With his mind made up, the elder looked at the middle-aged man and commanded, ”Go and summon Elder Lu and Elder Sha! Tell them we have urgent matters to discuss.”

”Yes, Elder Han!” the middle-aged man replied respectfully before rising and exiting the cave.

To prepare for this major operation, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had gone to great lengths. Its members had covered for one another, used feints to distract the Garrison Commandant’s Office’s informants, and covertly smuggled three Elders into the area.

All three Elders chosen for this operation possessed impressive combat strength. Among them, Elder Han had the highest cultivation, so he was the de facto leader for most tasks.

...

The major powers within the Red Maple Market rolled out the red carpet for Chen Ping’an’s arrival. They even managed to prepare a grand welcoming banquet in record time.

But Chen Ping’an refused it all.

He wasn’t here for a feast.

”Tell me about that trade caravan.” He sat imposingly in the host’s seat and cut straight to the chase.

The people of Red Maple Market answered Chen Ping’an’s questions, reporting every last detail. If there was something they were unsure about, they even sent for eyewitnesses to come and explain the situation to Chen Ping’an directly.

Chen Ping’an was rather pleased with their cooperation. He had expected to run into some trouble, but it seemed these people knew how to play ball.

It made sense. Not every place was full of contrarians. When you were powerful enough, people were far more pragmatic than one might expect.

After a round of inquiries, Chen Ping’an had a decent grasp of the situation. So far, it seemed there had been nothing unusual about the trade caravan’s route or actions.

The Ten Thousand Demons Sect couldn’t just lie in wait by the road like common bandits; the risk of exposure would be far too great. This meant they must have known the caravan’s itinerary before the attack. Only with timely intelligence could the Demon Sect villains have staged such a precise ambush.

Of course, this was merely Chen Ping’an’s speculation. He couldn’t rule out other possibilities.

Perhaps the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had other plans and just happened to stumble upon this caravan, deciding to slaughter them all on the spur of the moment.

Chen Ping’an sat in the host’s seat, closing his eyes to focus his thoughts. He recalled the scene in the market earlier. ’That ordinary-looking man... something about him still seems off...’

’I wonder if he has anything to do with the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.’

’We’ll find out soon enough if there’s a connection.’

Chen Ping’an opened his eyes and gestured. You Yongming, who had been standing behind him, immediately leaned in.

Chen Ping’an whispered a few instructions, telling him to do a quiet sweep of the market, and reminding him not to alert their quarry.

”Yes, my lord.” You Yongming accepted the order respectfully and left the hall.

After You Yongming left, the hall, though still full of people sitting and standing, fell silent. This was mainly because Chen Ping’an wasn’t speaking, and no one else dared to break the silence.

Just as the Patriarch of the Huang Family, Huang Zhishu, was debating whether to speak up and break the heavy silence, a deafening bell suddenly tolled outside.

With the exception of Chen Ping’an, the expression on every face in the room changed instantly.

At the same time, an urgent report came from outside.

”Reporting! A small band of marauders has been spotted outside the Red Maple Market!”