Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao waved his hand, helping Li Chaohai to his feet, smiling. “This official was on my way to Heavenly South, passing through Osmanthus County, and hadn’t even entered the city yet when I saw this demon wandering around. Figuring it must be the one you mentioned in your memorial, this official took care of it, saving you the trouble.”

Li Chaohai said agitatedly, “Lord Warden Commander, you’ve eliminated the demon for the people. All the citizens of Osmanthus County are grateful for your great virtue and favor!”

Chen Chao frowned. “What nonsense are you talking? You, Li Chaohai, are the local warden, responsible for the people of your county. This official is the Lord Warden Commander of the entire nation, responsible for the people of the whole country. Where’s the difference?”

Li Chaohai realized he had misspoken and was about to correct himself, but Chen Chao didn’t give him the chance. Instead, he asked, “Heard you were injured by that demon and have been patrolling the county day and night since. What? Do you really not want to live anymore?”

Hearing Chen Chao speak, the constables finally realized: their warden’s increasingly pale face over the past days wasn’t just from his tireless work.

“Take a walk?”

Seeing that this county-level warden, who was actually younger than himself, was at a loss for words, Chen Chao didn’t want to embarrass him in front of others.

As he spoke, Chen Chao took a lantern from one of the constables nearby. “Lend me this lantern for a while. If anyone at the office asks later, just say it was taken by some shameless martial artist.”

The constable had no words. That the lantern could be carried by the Lord Warden Commander was an incredible honor.

Who would dare argue?

Are they tired of living?

One had to know, this Lord Warden Commander had just returned from the desolate north. The military dispatch from that battle had already reached the Desolate north, circulated by order of His Highness the Crown Prince. It clearly stated: in the desolate north battle, the Academy’s talented strategist Xie Nandu had displayed unprecedented military genius, completely dominating the demons.

In the end, the demons were utterly defeated, countless heads were taken. This was the greatest victory Great Liang had achieved in years.

It was said that the Northern Frontier Great General, also their former superior, Lord Warden Commander Ning Ping, was considering submitting a memorial to the Divine Capital to promote her to deputy general of the Northern Frontier.

A single battle producing a figure ranking second in the Northern Frontier army? Though it sounded incredible, it wasn’t impossible. After all, in Great Liang’s history, very few generals had achieved such feats.

Even the highly accomplished previous great general had, in his lifetime in the Northern Frontier, only maintained a state of balance.

If this alone astonished them, another matter truly filled them with pride.

Their Lord Warden Commander had personally rushed to the Northern Frontier, single-handedly killing multiple great demons, and even confronted the Demon Emperor there.

This military achievement, it was said, not only left the generals in the Northern Frontier fully convinced, but when the dispatch of this victory later reached the Divine Capital, the Crown Prince convened a court session to read it aloud, and the entire assembly of civil and military officials, none of them could utter a single word.

Before this, the court might have harbored some complaints about Chen Chao’s authority. But after today, everyone in the court and across the nation truly had nothing to say.

This young man, who at such a young age had become the most powerful official of the current era, did not wait for others’ criticisms - he produced a series of brilliant merits himself.

Thus, he silenced all murmurs.

From now on, as long as this Lord Warden Commander did not scheme to seize the throne, it would be difficult for anyone to speak against him.

The greatest merit of the realm, it seemed, truly left no room for others.

And now, that number one meritorious official stood right before them, how could one not feel drawn to him?

......

......

Although Chen Chao could not know the full storm raging in the hearts of the constables, he could understand some of it. He carried the lantern, walking along the long street, while Li Chaohai deliberately kept half a step behind.

Not daring to walk shoulder to shoulder with Chen Chao.

Not only did he dare not, but he also knew he was unworthy. In today’s world, few could truly have the right to walk beside this Lord Warden Commander.

Even one hand’s worth would be too many.

“Preserve your life first, so you can do more for the people. This is something this official doesn’t really need to say, right?”

Chen Chao glanced down at the lantern in his hand and spoke softly, “This official has seen your records. Young, talented, diligent in cultivation, and most importantly, willing to take the lives of the people as seriously as your own. This official has already told Song Lian: once you break through the Bitter Sea and step into the Great Beyond, you’ll be appointed as the warden of a prefecture.”

Li Chaohai was momentarily stunned, then shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “Your Excellency, this lowly official...”

“No need to decline. This is decided now. In a few years, it will probably still count, but it might not always count, because this official don’t want all the wardens across the nine prefectures of Great Liang to be of the Great Beyond. From now on, there should be an unspoken rule: anyone who wants to be a prefectural warden must at least be a Nepenthe cultivator. Whether they are a martial artist or not doesn’t matter.”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and smiled, “In the more than two hundred years of our dynasty, the warden faction has risen, declined, and now, under this official’s hand, can be said to be revived. But we must aim higher. Are there really not nine Nepenthe cultivators available in the warden faction now? This official would be ashamed if that were the case. Not to boast, but this official can kill nine Nepenthe cultivators with one hand.”

Li Chaohai said, “This lowly official is ashamed.”

Chen Chao ignored him and suddenly remembered something, frowning: “What’s going on with the scholars in White Deer Prefecture now? Why do they still look at this official with such disdain? It was fine when it was cultivators before, but now even the scholars have become like this?”

Li Chaohai was momentarily taken aback, but he was not foolish, and quickly said, “Perhaps they only see Your Excellency as someone who is imitating Your Excellency in attire and manner.”

“But if that’s the case, why do they still look down on me?”

Chen Chao thought about it and felt a bit aggrieved. Damn it, after all that he had done, even his own people still looked down on him.

Li Chaohai smiled slightly, “Your Excellency seems to have misunderstood. The deeds of Your Excellency in the Northern Frontier have now spread throughout White Deer Prefecture. The scholars of the prefecture should all admire you. This lowly official even heard that some talented scholars have collaborated to compose a poem called ‘March into the Fray,’ and some of the songstresses in local music halls have already begun to sing it.”

“Looking at Your Excellency with disdain, they probably regard Your Excellency as one of those sycophantic imitators rather than Your Excellency yourself.”

Chen Chao was taken aback and then realized: so the way people look at him now is not wrong before, it’s just that they are unworthy.

Li Chaohai laughed, “With Your Excellency around, Great Liang will soon make even the foreign cultivators bow their heads.”

Chen Chao laughed heartily, but the laughter soon stopped. He spoke softly, “I hope that one day, Great Liang is not just the largest sect in the world, but that even all the sects together cannot match one Great Liang.”