Chapter 70: Liu Suifeng (Fifth Update)

Liu Feiyan had heard her father, Liu Suifeng, say more than once that the Town Martial Hall’s power had weakened in recent years, and it was gradually becoming unable to suppress the Jianghu forces of Ning Province.

Furthermore, the Town Martial Hall was suffering from a talent gap, with few outstanding individuals among the younger generation.

This Young Hero Chen was a Loose Cultivator with no sect or faction, and he had even saved her life.

She could recommend him to the Town Martial Hall. This way, she could repay his life-saving favor and allow the Town Martial Hall to gain a young talent. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?

Thinking of this, Liu Feiyan suddenly felt she was incredibly witty, truly inheriting her father’s intelligence and talent.

Beside her, Uncle Zhong watched Liu Feiyan helplessly.

This girl was good in every way, except her brain was a bit lacking; she acted recklessly without thinking, hardly seeming like the daughter of the “Heavenly Calculator,” Liu Suifeng.

There was no problem with letting this Young Hero Chen join the Town Martial Hall, but it couldn’t be arranged directly by Liu Feiyan.

She was Liu Suifeng’s daughter, and her every move represented Liu Suifeng’s intentions.

If Chen Tian joined the Town Martial Hall in this manner, he would naturally be considered part of Liu Suifeng’s faction, and everything he did would affect Liu Suifeng.

So even if they wanted Chen Tian to join, it would be best for him to join through the Town Martial Hall’s formal assessment channels.

But Liu Feiyan had blurted it out directly, and Uncle Zhong couldn’t stop her even if he wanted to.

However, Uncle Zhong was still a bit uneasy. He looked at Chen Yuan, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Little Brother Chen, I wonder who that big shot you offended in Youzhou is?”

Chen Yuan looked at Uncle Zhong with a half-smile. “Senior, I haven’t even agreed to join your Town Martial Hall yet, and you’re already starting to interrogate me?”

“Uncle Zhong! What are you doing?”

Liu Feiyan shouted dissatisfiedly, “Brother Chen is our savior. Even if the people he offended in Youzhou were the Head of the Murong Family and the Alliance Leader of the Yiqi Guanhri Alliance, so what?

This is Ning Province, not Youzhou. Can’t our Town Martial Hall protect its own people? We’ve even fought against the old Emperor; why should we fear other forces?”

Uncle Zhong smiled awkwardly. “This old man didn’t mean that. Also, Young Miss, please keep a low profile. Our Town Martial Hall has been recruited by the government, after all. At least on the surface, it’s not good to curse the Imperial Court.”

Liu Feiyan curled her lip, then turned her gaze to Chen Yuan with a sincere expression. “Brother Chen, my Town Martial Hall doesn’t look at background, only at merit. It’s the most suitable place for Loose Cultivators to develop.

Furthermore, our Town Martial Hall has dedicated Alchemists. Even the lowest-ranking Third-Class Town Martial Guards receive Medicinal Pills as their monthly salary.

You don’t have to worry about your enemies from Youzhou coming to find trouble. Once you enter the Town Martial Hall, you are one of our people.

I can’t speak for outside, but in the land of Ning Province, absolutely no one dares to touch you!”

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands. “Since Young Miss Liu says so, I won’t be overly modest. I’ll have to trouble Young Miss Liu to recommend me.”

“Brother Chen, you even saved my life. Why so polite?”

Liu Feiyan slapped Chen Yuan’s shoulder with a bold and natural movement, making Uncle Zhong’s eyes twitch again in worry.

His Young Miss didn’t act like a woman at all. How would she ever get married in the future?

Liu Feiyan and the others’ horses had all been killed, but the horses of the Poison Wolf Bandits were still there.

Before leaving, Liu Feiyan also brought back the body of her maidservant.

She had a bold personality and wasn’t the type of sheltered young lady; she usually didn’t use a maidservant, but this one had been forced upon her by Liu Suifeng for this trip.

Although she didn’t have much affection for this maidservant, she had died because of her after all, and Liu Feiyan was still somewhat sad.

The four of them rode their horses toward Tianning Prefecture, the very center of Ning Province.

Small ones are called cities; large ones are called prefectures.

Youzhou was vast and sparsely populated, mostly consisting of small cities like Lianshan City. There weren’t many large cities that could be called prefectures.

Ning Province was large, so it had many prefectural cities, and each prefectural city had several small cities under it.

The Tianning Prefecture before them was the largest prefectural city in all of Ning Province. Its city walls were towering and grand, with countless merchants, pedestrians, and Jianghu wanderers coming and going. It was extremely prosperous. The Town Martial Hall headquarters was located in the center of this Tianning Prefecture.

Upon entering the city, Chen Yuan observed carefully. The Town Martial Hall Martial Artists guarding the city gates were dressed strangely, looking neither like Imperial soldiers nor ordinary Jianghu People.

Imperial soldiers wore full armor, while the Town Martial Guards belonging to the Town Martial Hall wore a mix of light armor, consisting only of breastplates, spaulders, and bracers over black, tight-fitting martial arts attire.

Those with the words “Town Martial” engraved on their breastplates were Town Martial Guards directly under the Town Martial Hall.

Those with an Azure Dragon painted on them were Azure Dragon Guards under the Azure Dragon Hall, and those with a White Tiger were White Tiger Guardss.

The reason for this attire was that the Town Martial Hall no longer faced Imperial armies, but mostly Jianghu People.

When facing an Imperial army, one naturally needed full heavy armor, but when facing Jianghu People, flexibility and versatility were required. If the armor was too heavy, it would instead hinder combat power.

Liu Feiyan led Chen Yuan and the others toward the center of Tianning Prefecture, where a crimson inner city stood.

That inner city was built entirely of red bricks, with a grand and magnificent architectural style. One could faintly sense a Killing Intent emanating from within.

This red inner city was where the Town Martial Hall was located.

Liu Feiyan led Chen Yuan all the way into the Town Martial Hall, then through many twists and turns, brought him to a quiet residence.

Opening the courtyard gate, a winding path led to a secluded area with an elegant environment. Some rare spiritual trees were planted as decorations, emitting a faint fragrance.

“Dad! I’m back!”

Liu Feiyan shouted cheerfully.

Only at times like this did she show a bit of a girlish side.

“Cough, cough! Why are you back so late this time?”

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man wearing a moon-white scholar’s robe walked out.

The middle-aged man had a refined and handsome appearance, with a head full of silver hair and a pale, slightly sickly complexion.

Despite his tall stature, he leaned on a cane, his body slightly hunched.

The person before them was one of the top three figures in the Town Martial Hall, the Town Martial Hall’s strategist, the “Heavenly Calculator,” Liu Suifeng.

Chen Yuan couldn’t sense the slightest trace of Qi from him. The Liu Suifeng before him seemed just like a sickly schoolteacher.

But at his Peak, he was a Great Grandmaster who had reached the Eighth Realm of Martial Arts, the Divine Platform Realm.

“We ran into some accidents on the road.”

Liu Suifeng narrowed his eyes and said indifferently, “Accidents? You carry Killing Intent, Old Zhong and Li Fan are injured, and Lü’er is gone. This isn’t something an ordinary accident could cause. Old Zhong, what happened?”

Liu Feiyan immediately trembled, not daring to speak.

She hadn’t dared to lie in front of her father since she was a child. Her little bit of cleverness could be seen through by her father at a glance; she had absolutely no privacy to speak of.

Uncle Zhong sighed and gave Liu Suifeng a complete account of what had happened.

After listening, Liu Suifeng coughed and let out a long sigh, tapping Liu Feiyan’s head.

“You, oh you, have been disobedient since you were a child. Your father has had this injury for decades. If it could be cured, it would have been cured long ago. Is it your turn to find medicine for me?”

Liu Feiyan curled her lip and didn’t dare to speak.

Then Liu Suifeng said calmly to Uncle Zhong, “Go and pass the order. Have the Garrison Commander stationed around Huangtian Ridge lead his guards to suppress the bandits. For one month, better to kill the innocent by mistake than to let a single one escape!”

Uncle Zhong quickly bowed his head. “Yes! My Lord!”

Chen Yuan watched from the side, feeling somewhat surprised.

Although this man looked sickly, as if he might drop dead at any moment.

In reality, during the Tianwu Alliance period, he was a fellow who raised the banner of rebellion and directly clashed with the Imperial Court. He threw out all sorts of malicious schemes that violated the heavens as if they cost nothing, a standard ruthless character.

His daughter had been attacked. Even though the Poison Wolf Bandits were all dead, he still couldn’t swallow this resentment and wanted to kill a wave of bandits to vent his anger and have them accompany the dead to the grave.

The bandits who died in this storm could only be said to have suffered a disaster out of nowhere.

Only then did Liu Suifeng turn his gaze toward Chen Yuan, his demeanor gentle. “Many thanks, Little Friend Chen, for saving Feiyan’s life.”

Chen Yuan quickly cupped his hands. “Lord Liu is too polite. It was just a small effort.”

“Your small effort saved the one thing I cherish in this life.”

Liu Suifeng stroked Liu Feiyan’s head, his eyes filled with affection. “My life is already like this. I only have this daughter I can’t let go of. If something really happened to her, even killing all the bandits in Ning Province would be too late.”

Saying this, Liu Suifeng gazed at Chen Yuan. “Old Zhong said you offended a big shot in Youzhou, which is why you fled to Ning Province for refuge.

I won’t ask who you offended. You only need to remember that within the Town Martial Hall’s jurisdiction, other forces cannot touch you.

You saved Feiyan’s life, so I will naturally grant you a future.

But you must bear in mind that once you enter my Town Martial Hall, you must not betray us.

You were recommended by me to join the Town Martial Hall, but with my sickly and crippled body, I no longer manage much within the Town Martial Hall. Therefore, you must keep the Town Martial Hall’s rules in mind.

As long as you act within the rules, I will back you up.

You are a smart person; you should know what I mean.”

Chen Yuan took a deep breath and cupped his hands toward Liu Suifeng. “Rest assured, Lord Liu. I will keep these words in my heart!”

Liu Suifeng’s meaning was very clear. Chen Yuan had saved Liu Feiyan’s life. Based on this life-saving favor alone, no matter who Chen Yuan had offended in Youzhou, he would protect Chen Yuan and grant him a future.

But similarly, Chen Yuan was recommended by him to join the Town Martial Hall, so he would bear the mark of his faction.

Liu Suifeng was seriously ill and hadn’t managed affairs for years; his prestige was no longer what it used to be.

It wouldn’t do if Chen Yuan used his name to act lawlessly, but as long as he acted within the rules, no matter what it was, Liu Suifeng could suppress it.

Seeing that Chen Yuan understood the meaning in his words, Liu Suifeng nodded with satisfaction.

He was indeed a smart person, and he liked dealing with smart people.

Beside them, Liu Feiyan looked at her father, then at Chen Yuan.

She always felt that her father left half of what he meant unsaid. Could Brother Chen really understand all that?

Seeing his daughter’s ignorant look, Liu Suifeng also felt a headache coming on.

He wouldn’t say he was supremely brilliant, but his brain was at least useful.

How did he father a daughter whose mind couldn’t even make a turn?

“Alright, Feiyan, you take Little Friend Chen to rest first. Tomorrow, there happens to be a meeting in the Town Martial Hall, and I will arrange Little Friend Chen’s position then.”

Liu Suifeng waved his hand, letting them go down first.

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