Chapter 77: Cover-Up (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Bu Guan Bu Gu Bu Li)

Two days later, at the White Tiger Hall Branch Hall in Lujiang Prefecture.

Feng Wushang heard from his subordinate that Chen Yuan had sent him something, and he immediately felt a bit strange.

That kid had only become the Garrison Commander for a couple of days; what could he possibly give me?

“Bring the person and the items to the Rear Residence,” Feng Wushang said with curiosity, ordering his subordinate to bring both in.

Lu Li arrived at Feng Wushang’s Rear Residence with a carriage, feeling slightly nervous.

This was his first time meeting the Hall Master. Previously, the most powerful figure he had seen in the Town Martial Hall was Qi Yuanming, the Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture.

“What did that kid Chen Tian send you with?”

Lu Li quickly pulled back the cloth covering the carriage, revealing a full load of glittering, dazzling gold, silver, and jewels.

“Reporting to Hall Master, the Garrison Commander led the White Tiger Guards of Linyuan City to eradicate Qingyang Palace, which was smuggling contraband to the grasslands. All these items were seized from Qingyang Palace’s treasury. The Guardian said they should be handed over to you for disposal.”

“Also, the Commandant of Linyuan City, Huo Tianying, was insubordinate and has been executed by the Garrison Commander.”

Feng Wushang looked at the carriage of gold, silver, and jewels, his eyes lighting up with slight surprise.

As a Grandmaster of the Yuan Dan Realm and the Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall among the Four Halls of Town Martial, even if he were greedy for wealth, he wouldn’t be shocked by a single carriage of jewels.

What surprised him was Chen Yuan’s incredible efficiency—just after taking office, he had found an excuse to destroy a Sect.

And he was so considerate, knowing what Feng Wushang liked and proactively offering a carriage of jewels.

As for killing Huo Tianying, Feng Wushang didn’t care in the slightest.

He was just a White Tiger Commandant at the Foundation Establishment Realm; losing one was no big deal.

He could roughly guess why the other had died.

It was nothing more than relying on some connections and seniority to try and intimidate the new superior.

But if he had connections, didn’t others have them too?

Chen Yuan’s connections were with Military Advisor Liu Suifeng.

He had seniority, but could his seniority outweigh this carriage of jewels?

Feng Wushang quickly weighed the pros and cons, smiling at Lu Li and saying, “Go back and tell your master he did well, very well.”

Seeing Feng Wushang’s attitude, Lu Li knew his master had likely passed the test.

He quickly said, “Hall Master, this subordinate will take his leave now.”

Just half a day after Lu Li left, Qi Yuanming stormed into the Main Hall with a fierce Aura.

Upon receiving the news of Huo Tianying’s death, he was truly furious.

Huo Tianying’s sister was actually just one of his many Concubines, and not the most favored one at that.

But Huo Tianying himself was very capable, with cultivation and prestige in Linyuan City far surpassing other Commandants.

Qi Yuanming had invested a lot of effort in him, giving him Cultivation Techniques and Medicinal Pills, hoping he would help him after becoming the Garrison Commander in the future.

So, this cheap Brother-in-Law Huo Tianying was the most important to Qi Yuanming.

Now, not only did Huo Tianying fail to become the Garrison Commander, but the person Qi Yuanming had spent so many resources cultivating was killed by that Chen Tian. How could he swallow this anger?

When Qi Yuanming stormed into the White Tiger Hall headquarters, Feng Wushang was playing with a string of Agate Prayer Beads.

As soon as he entered, Qi Yuanming angrily said, “Hall Master, that Chen Tian is utterly lawless!”

Feng Wushang put away the prayer beads and frowned. “What now?”

“He just took office and, without asking for an explanation, killed his subordinate Commandant. Which Garrison Commander has ever been so excessive?”

Feng Wushang said calmly, “I know about this matter. Step back.”

Qi Yuanming was stunned, looking at Feng Wushang in disbelief.

Such a big matter, and the Hall Master was dismissing it so lightly?

“Hall Master, this matter has already spread throughout our White Tiger Hall. This person must be severely punished, or what will become of the Town Martial Hall’s rules?”

Feng Wushang’s face instantly darkened. “Qi Yuanming, are you trying to teach me how to do things again? ‘Must be severely punished’—you’ve already made the decision for me, so why come to me? Why don’t you go punish Chen Tian directly?”

Seeing Feng Wushang’s anger, Qi Yuanming immediately dared not say more, quickly bowing his head in salute. “This subordinate wouldn’t dare.”

Chen Yuan dared to casually kill Huo Tianying, but Qi Yuanming truly didn’t have the guts to casually kill Chen Yuan.

A Garrison Commander was considered a core force within the entire Town Martial Hall.

Qi Yuanming, as an Inspector, only had the authority to mobilize Garrison Commanders but was not their direct superior. If he really did such a thing, it would be his turn to be severely punished.

Feng Wushang snorted lightly. “Qi Yuanming, it’s not that I’m covering up for Chen Tian, but your Brother-in-Law went too far.”

“As soon as the Garrison Commander took office, he tried to intimidate him. Was that intimidation meant for Chen Tian or for me?”

“And don’t think I don’t know about your little schemes behind the scenes. I just couldn’t be bothered to deal with them before!”

“Back when I followed the Grand Governor to establish the Tianwu Alliance, suppressing Jianghu forces within Ning Province and battling the imperial elite armies outside, I charged through seven times!”

“I’m not young anymore and will retire sooner or later.”

“But as long as I’m still the Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall for one day, you won’t get to give orders or manipulate me!”

These words were quite harsh, frightening Qi Yuanming into kneeling on the ground.

“This subordinate wouldn’t dare! This subordinate absolutely doesn’t mean that!”

He couldn’t casually kill Chen Yuan, but Feng Wushang could easily kill him.

No matter how Feng Wushang was now, he was an old-timer in the Town Martial Hall. Even after retirement, the Grand Governor would treat him respectfully.

“Get out!”

Feng Wushang waved his hand, his face somewhat dark.

After Qi Yuanming left, Feng Wushang snorted lightly. “These guys are getting worse, not even as considerate as a newcomer.”

After leaving the White Tiger Hall headquarters, Qi Yuanming clenched his fists, his gaze dark. This matter was definitely not over!

The Hall Master said he wasn’t covering up for Chen Yuan, but this was practically openly siding with him!

But Qi Yuanming wasn’t inconsiderate; he just had limited resources and couldn’t be as ‘considerate’ as Chen Yuan.

Feng Wushang was old, and his injuries had never fully recovered.

He might be the first among the four Hall Masters of the Town Martial Hall to retire.

And who the new Hall Master would be was still uncertain. Qi Yuanming needed to save more resources to build good relations with the new Hall Master, so he was naturally’stingy’ toward Feng Wushang.

But Chen Yuan had no such concerns. Whoever was the Hall Master, he would feed them well.

As for the future, the Town Martial Hall might not even exist then, so why talk about the future?

After returning to Linyuan City, Lu Li first went home.

But as soon as he entered, his head was slapped hard by his father, Lu Wenxing.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

Lu Wenxing angrily gave him two more slaps. “I’ll teach you to show off! Show off!”

As an old-timer with decades in the Town Martial Hall, Lu Wenxing had always prioritized stability.

Who would have thought his son would be so reckless, insisting on showing off and now being forcibly tied to Chen Yuan.

In others’ eyes, since his son was heavily relied on by the new Garrison Commander, what more needed to be said about him as the father?

Lu Li covered his head, looking aggrieved. “Dad, Garrison Commander Chen treats us well. Which previous Garrison Commander was as generous as Garrison Commander Chen?”

“They weren’t as generous as Garrison Commander Chen, but they also weren’t as crazy, killing a Commandant and destroying a Sect on their first day in office!”

Lu Wenxing scolded his son irritably and asked, “What did the Hall Master say?”

“The Hall Master accepted the items and said Garrison Commander Chen did very well.”

Lu Wenxing let out a long sigh. “That’s good. Since the Hall Master has spoken, it should be fine.”

Lu Li said, “Father, I think you don’t need to be so cautious.”

“Garrison Commander Chen is powerful, resourceful, and decisive. I’ve been in the Town Martial Hall for several years, and he’s the most outstanding Garrison Commander I’ve ever seen. I think following him has a future!”

“Future? You need to stay alive to have a future!”

Lu Wenxing lectured, “I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice, and you’re lecturing me now?”

“Back when you joined the Tianwu Alliance, Rebelled, and became a Traitor against the imperial court, did you think you might lose your life? Wasn’t that even more dangerous than now?”

Lu Li stared at his father and said solemnly, “Dad, back then, you had the courage to take a risk with your blade, going from a low-level Loose Cultivator in the Jianghu to becoming a White Tiger Commandant in the Town Martial Hall now.”

“My current strength is greater than yours back then, and my blade is faster. How could I not have the courage to take a risk?”

“Entering the Jianghu, one should use their blade and sword to fight for a future!”

“I don’t want to see you bowing and scraping to someone like Huo Tianying just to get me a Marrow-Cleansing Pill!”

Lu Wenxing looked at his son in surprise, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

“Forget it, forget it. The older you get in the Jianghu, the smaller your courage becomes. Since the Tianwu Alliance was Pacified into the Town Martial Hall, decades of peaceful life have worn away my boldness.”

Sighing, Lu Wenxing said helplessly, “Now, outsiders see us father and son as the first to side with Garrison Commander Chen. It’s too late to regret it now.”

“Since you think so highly of this Garrison Commander Chen, then serve him wholeheartedly. Of course, I’ll do the same.”

“Garrison Commander Chen is currently in seclusion. Since you’re back, come with me to report.”

In the Seclusion Chamber at that moment, Chen Yuan was surrounded by rising True Qi and swirling white mist, the entire room like a fairyland.

Earlier, Chen Yuan had felt he was about to break through. On the way to the Town Martial Hall, he had been using spare time to refine the Spirit Pills obtained from Demon Sealing Valley.

Over the past two days, Chen Yuan had also taken Spirit Medicine obtained from Qingyang Palace. With such deep accumulation, he finally broke through to the Late Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Due to his profound foundation, Chen Yuan needed to accumulate more power for a Breakthrough than normal Martial Artists of the same Realm.

But similarly, once he broke through a minor Realm, the increase in his Internal Energy and True Qi would multiply.

Besides breaking through a minor Realm, Chen Yuan had also gained a basic understanding of the two Cultivation Techniques, Xuantian Finger and Fish Dragon Transformation.

However, their specific power still needed to be verified in actual combat.