Martial Cultivator

As he spoke, the constable added with mock “kindness,” “You really don’t plan to say anything? If you lose your life later, don’t blame me.”

Chen Chao smiled, ignoring him, and said calmly, “Su Yin, are you really going to help him without distinguishing right from wrong?”

Su Yin was the name of the local warden of Changban Commandery.

Su Yin was taken aback and frowned. “You know this official?”

He was standing outside the main hall, while Chen Chao was inside. At this moment, he could not see what was going on within, only hearing someone inside call out his name, which struck him as unexpected.

He tried hard to recall, but there should not have been any junior close to his family. Still, from the other party’s tone, he vaguely felt uneasy.

The armored general laughed and cursed, “Warden Su, why bother with him? That fellow is probably already drenched in sweat, just putting on a show of calm.”

Su Yin nodded. That was quite possible.

In other words, even if the person inside the hall had some connections, could they really be greater than the backer behind this constable? After all, this fellow’s family was related by marriage to a certain princess consort.

Seeing that Su Yin remained where he was, the armored general strode toward the main hall. He was hot-tempered to begin with. Before leaving home, he had been in the middle of a torrid affair with a young woman when he was interrupted, leaving him irritable. Now he was even less inclined to wait.

But just as he reached the entrance, before he could step into the main hall, he was kicked out with a single blow.

He crashed heavily onto the distant plaza.

The constable tilted his head to take a look, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes before vanishing in an instant. When he looked forward again, he narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Your cultivation realm isn’t low. Even Old Sun can be sent flying with a single kick. Looks like if Warden Su doesn’t make a move, there’s no way this can be settled.”

“We can’t very well send troops to surround and kill him here by force, can we?”

The constable appeared completely at ease.

Su Yin’s expression remained unchanged, but he still walked toward the main hall.

When he reached the entrance, Su Yin held his breath and focused his mind. The armored general from earlier was someone he knew well, the local garrison’s commanding general, Sun Zhongting. His realm was not low. Although he had not stepped into the Bitter Sea, he was still a renowned fierce general in the surrounding area.

Yet he had been kicked away with a single blow by the person inside. Judging from this, that person was certainly no ordinary cultivator.

However, after Su Yin stepped into the hall and failed to sense even the slightest trace of aura, he found it even stranger.

He only saw, beside one of the bookshelves inside the hall, a young man in black clothing, flipping through an old book.

When Su Yin looked toward him, that man happened to raise his head and look back at Su Yin.

The moment their gazes met, Su Yin’s pupils widened at once, his face turning deathly pale in an instant. He could not utter a single word. His limbs went weak, and he dropped straight to his knees.

“This subordinate, Su Yin, warden of Changban Commandery, pays respects to Lord Warden Commander!”

At this moment, Su Yin felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. His expression was ugly, and his heart filled with regret.

It was not that he had never imagined kicking an iron plate one day, but he had never imagined that not only would he kick one, but that it would be this person.

In the entire Great Liang Dynasty, among countless officials high and low, the one before him was now undeniably the most powerful appointment holder.

Not to mention imperial relatives, even the Crown Prince Regent himself would have to treat the person before him with courtesy.

At this moment, he would rather that he had never seen the portrait of this Lord Warden Commander, that he did not recognize him at all.

If that were the case, he would not be so unsettled now.

Chen Chao looked at Su Yin kneeling on the ground. To the side, those men had long since widened their eyes, unable to say a single word.

Chen Chao did not speak, merely lowered his head again and continued reading the contents of the book.

Su Yin knelt on the ground, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

For some reason, the hall felt incomparably quiet at this moment, so quiet that he could clearly hear the sound of his own sweat dripping onto the ground.

He had made many preparations and thought through countless ways to respond, but the one thing he had never anticipated was that this Lord Warden Commander before him would say nothing at all.

He did not know how much time passed, but at least to Su Yin, it felt like a very long time.

So long that he finally could not help but speak softly, “Your Excellency...”

But after those two words left his mouth, it was as if they were swallowed by something, and he could not continue.

Only then did Chen Chao raise his head and say calmly, “I remember that in the Divine Capital, your dossier was written like this: the Su Family has declined, but Su Yin remains, with hope of restoring the Su Family. So this is how you intend to restore the Su Family?”

After becoming Lord Warden Commander, Chen Chao had in fact spent a great deal of effort reviewing the dossiers of all the wardens throughout Great Liang.

This Su Yin had an ordinary background, ordinary cultivation, and even during his tenure could not be said to be flawless. Back then, Chen Chao, together with Song Lian and others, had gathered to discuss one by one the wardens who could be dismissed.

When it came to Su Yin, this person indeed had many shortcomings, but there were two points that were not bad.

First, he had never engaged in corruption; in his treatment of the common people, it could be said that he did not violate them in the slightest. Second, he had indeed killed many surrounding demons, and could be said to have lived up to his post.

With these two points, Chen Chao had decided to keep him in office.

Su Yin lowered his head. “This subordinate has failed Lord Warden Commande...”

“The words this official hates hearing the most in life are ‘I’m sorry.’ Why? Because if you already know that doing this would anger this official, would disappoint, then why do it in the first place? After doing it, coming to say ‘I’m sorry’ to this official, what use is that?”

Chen Chao took a deep breath, looked at Su Yin, and said calmly, “Who is behind that constable?”

Su Yin lowered his head and spoke a few words.

Chen Chao sneered. “Someone from a certain princess consort’s family. In this official’s view, there might indeed be a bit of connection there, but he definitely could not even enter that prince’s residence, and others would not acknowledge him. But bluffing you people, no problem at all.”

“Walking the martial world depends on having guts? Since when did the officialdom work the same way? Use your head and think. If he were truly a relative that the princess consort favored, would he be a mere constable? Truly laughable. Even a commandery governor and a warden like you were fooled.”

At this point, Chen Chao rubbed his eyes and said somewhat wearily, “This official does not wish to expose my identity. After you settle the matters outside, go to the Northern Frontier yourself.”

Su Yin was startled, then immediately kowtowed. “This subordinate thanks Lord Warden Commander for showing mercy!”

Chen Chao mocked himself. “Showing mercy? Where is this mercy coming from? The Northern Frontier is a dangerous place, where you could lose your life at any time. Sending you to die, and you’re still so grateful?”

Su Yin did not speak, only knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily.

How could he not know, this was the Lord Warden Commander’s painstaking good intention?