Chapter 79: Can You Call Him a Youth if He’s Not Arrogant? (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Old Jade)

Chapter 80: Can You Call Him a Youth if He’s Not Arrogant? (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Old Jade)

Sun Tiancheng and the other three felt they had already made a significant compromise and concession.

Which Garrison Commander in the past had they been so proactive and polite toward upon their inauguration?

In all these years, only Chen Yuan had received such treatment.

But in Chen Yuan’s eyes, these four families were simply being nonsensical.

Relying on their status as local tyrants and the fact that previous Garrison Commanders only sought stability and were not forceful, they assumed Linyuan City was theirs to command.

They even wanted him to follow their rules; they were not worthy!

Seeing those ‘precious’ gifts swept to the floor, Wei Jisheng, the head of the Wei Family and the most hot-tempered of the four, instantly exploded.

He was tall and robust, standing eight feet tall with a fierce countenance and a Face full of bushy whiskers; he looked less like a Family head and more like a bandit or mountain brigand.

“Chen Tian, what is the meaning of this!? We came with sincerity to negotiate with you, do not refuse Face when it is given!”

Chen Yuan looked at Wei Jisheng with a half-smile. “If I don’t want this Face, does Master Wei intend to kill me and replace me with another Garrison Commander? You truly are impressive then—even more impressive than Lord Feng of the White Tiger Hall, and even more impressive than the Grand Governor of the Town Martial Hall!”

Sun Tiancheng stood up, restrained Wei Jisheng, and stared at Chen Yuan. “Lord Chen, anything can be discussed calmly. If you don’t want to follow our rules, then what do you want?”

“It’s not about what I want, but that you must follow my rules. As long as I am in Linyuan City for one day, only my word counts here.”

Chen Yuan pointed to himself and said indifferently, “I don’t care what business your families conduct in the shadows, but my subordinates will enter your four families to audit the accounts. All profits will be split thirty-seventy.”

Sun Tiancheng was so angry he laughed. “Lord Chen has quite the appetite! How could our Family business ledgers possibly be opened to you?”

“Furthermore, you do nothing yet demand thirty percent the moment you open your mouth. On what basis? Are you not afraid of choking yourself?”

Chen Yuan shook his head slightly. “First, I am not doing ‘nothing.’ As long as I do not interfere with you, your businesses can grow much larger.”

“Also, you’ve mistaken one thing: I take seventy percent, and you keep thirty.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Sun Tiancheng was nearly driven to laughter by rage.

He considered his self-restraint to be quite good, but Chen Yuan’s arrogant display still managed to incense him.

“Good, good, good! Since Lord Chen is so insatiably greedy, there is nothing left to discuss.”

Sun Tiancheng flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Yang Lin and Qiao Haiduan immediately followed Sun Tiancheng out.

Wei Jisheng looked at Chen Yuan, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth. “Young and ignorant of the heights of the heavens and the depths of the earth. Do you truly think that because the Town Martial Hall gave you this position of Garrison Commander, Linyuan City is yours to command?”

“When the Imperial Court governed Linyuan City, the rules here were dictated by our four families.”

“When the Town Martial Hall governs Linyuan City, the rules here are still dictated by our four families.”

“If you can hold this position of Garrison Commander for a full month, I, Wei Jisheng, will take your surname!”

After speaking, Wei Jisheng also brushed his sleeve and left.

As for the gifts Chen Yuan had swept to the floor, no one bothered to pick them up.

Their families did not lack such trifles; giving gifts to Chen Yuan was merely a way to express their attitude.

After the four left, Chen Yuan tapped the table lightly, a cold light appearing in his eyes.

He had intended to see the attitude of these four families during today’s meeting.

Now it seemed their confidence was quite substantial.

He just didn’t know if they were truly arrogant or if they had some other backing.

The business of these four families was actually easy to understand; it was nothing more than smuggling to the Grasslands.

If even a recently risen Sect like the Qingyang Palace could participate in the smuggling trade, let alone these four families of Linyuan City.

Chen Yuan did not mind this kind of business at all.

What he minded was that this business was not under his control.

At that moment, Lu Wenxing cautiously pushed the door open and entered. Seeing the scene, he couldn’t help but think to himself that things had gone poorly.

Had the negotiations broken down?

Chen Yuan beckoned Lu Wenxing over.

“Old Lu, have these four families of Linyuan City always been this arrogant? They even dared to say they could decide the stay or removal of a Garrison Commander?”

Lu Wenxing considered his words and said, “They are indeed arrogant, but most of the time they are willing to maintain harmony for the sake of profit, provided the Garrison Commander cooperates with them. They will pay taxes on time, and at least on the surface, Face is maintained.”

“But if the Garrison Commander does not cooperate, these four families will unite to oppose the Town Guard Headquarters and refuse to pay taxes.”

“The four families combined have at least four Lunhai Realm Martial Artists; the Town Guard Headquarters cannot overcome them with force.”

“And that’s just what’s on the surface. Secretly, they first bribe the Inspector, then use the Inspector’s connections to bribe the Hall Master and speak ill of the guardian.”

“The Hall Master… My Lord, you know the Hall Master’s style of doing things.”

“When the time comes and the Garrison Commander cannot collect taxes while Linyuan City is in chaos, the Hall Master will certainly punish them severely and transfer them away from Linyuan City.”

“The new Garrison Commander, having learned from their predecessor’s lesson, naturally won’t dare to be forceful with the four families and can only follow their rules.”

Chen Yuan nodded in understanding.

These four families were somewhat clever; they didn’t oppose openly but used a’soft knife’ to stab, solving the problem directly from the top level.

However, Chen Yuan was too lazy to play these underhanded games with them.

Schemes and intrigues were things to be used only when one’s strength was insufficient.

When one has sufficient strength, the fastest way to solve a problem is always to strike with a blade, crushing all obstacles before one’s eyes!

“Old Lu, if we take action against these four families, are the White Tiger Guards in the Town Guard Headquarters reliable?”

Lu Wenxing was startled, then said, “Most are reliable. The White Tiger Guards operate on a rotation system, and most are not locals.”

“Among the lieutenants, none of us have accepted things from those four families—mostly because they look down on us. Only Bright and Valiant has a good relationship with them.”

“Gather the White Tiger Guards you deem reliable. At nightfall, we will surround and suppress the Wei Family in the south of the city!”

Wei Jisheng said he wouldn’t last a month in this position, but Chen Yuan had no interest in playing games with him for a month.

Since he was the most insolent, he would be the first to Face the blade today.

“Yes! My Lord!”

Lu Wenxing hurried out to make arrangements.

At the same time, he thought to himself that this Lord’s killing intent was truly heavy.

He had just taken office and destroyed the Qingyang Palace, and now he had set his sights on the Wei Family in the south.

These four families were still trying to fight Chen Yuan with their old rules; they had likely picked the wrong target.

This man’s strikes were like a sharp longblade, always direct and crushing all obstacles.

Meanwhile, after Sun Tiancheng and the other three left the Town Guard Headquarters, they went straight back to the Sun Family home.

Among the four families of Linyuan City, the Sun Family had always been the leader.

The Old Master of the Sun Family was already over a hundred years old. The last time a Garrison Commander was removed, it was the Sun Family’s Old Master who personally took action.

His prestige was established, and the other three families naturally looked to him as their head.

At this moment, the Sun Family mansion was incredibly lively, with servants cleaning everywhere and decorations of gold and red ribbons and glass lanterns hanging all over.

In two days, it would be the Sun Family Old Ancestor’s 106th birthday. This date was very auspicious, so the Sun Family prepared to hold a grand celebration.

Inside the Sun Family living room, the Sun Family Old Ancestor, Sun Shaoqiu, was fiddling with a string of prayer beads while listening to Sun Tiancheng and the other two report on today’s meeting.

Sun Shaoqiu’s hair and beard were completely white, but his Face was ruddy and his posture was not hunched, giving him a youthful, sage-like appearance.

After Sun Tiancheng finished, Wei Jisheng added indignantly, “That brat is still wet behind the ears. He truly thinks that because he destroyed the Qingyang Palace, he can be arrogant before us and even interfere in our four families’ business. He’s truly seeking death!”

“Old Ancestor, you must speak up this time. We must get rid of this kid, otherwise, where will the Face of our four families remain?”

Sun Shaoqiu said with a chuckle, “Can you call him a youth if he’s not arrogant and insolent?”

“A person in their twenties who is already a Garrison Commander and can slay the Lunhai Realm while in the Foundation Establishment Realm—such a figure is considered a talent in the entire Jianghu.”

“What were you and I doing in our twenties? Can we compare to him? If I had this level of cultivation and status in my twenties, I would be even more arrogant than him, do you believe it?”

Wei Jisheng said dissatisfiedly, “Old Ancestor, why are you boosting others’ morale and diminishing our own? Should we just endure it?”

“Of course, we cannot just endure it. It’s not just a matter of our four families’ business; how could we allow the Town Martial Hall to send someone to monitor us?”

Sun Shaoqiu said indifferently, “Let the youth be wild. Only by suffering losses can one gain experience and grow, right?”

“However, for someone so young to become a Garrison Commander, it’s likely not just due to powerful strength; he probably has some background behind him. It’s best not to offend him to the death.”

“I heard he killed Huo Tianying as soon as he took office. Then take some money to find Qi Yuanming and have this Inspector put in some effort with the Hall Master to have him transferred. Tell him our four families will bear all the expenses.”

“Let’s not use the tax resistance tactic for now, otherwise, if things get too out of hand, it won’t look good for anyone. Just politely see him off.”

The others present all nodded, feeling that Sun Shaoqiu was indeed experienced and steady.

Although they were angered by Chen Yuan’s arrogant attitude, Ning Province was after all the territory of the Town Martial Hall. Making too much of a scene would ultimately be unfavorable.

Wei Jisheng snorted twice. “We’re letting that kid off easy!”

Sun Shaoqiu chuckled. “Little Wei, you are now the head of a Family; don’t be as hot-headed as you were in your youth.”

“When you traveled the world in your youth, you made many Jianghu friends, but how many of them are still alive today?”

“Jianghu killings are naturally cruel, but as a Family head, one must prioritize stability in all things.”

“Alright, in two days it will be my birthday. Everyone come and enjoy themselves then. It’s just a minor setback, no need to take it to heart.”

Wei Jisheng smiled and cupped his hands. “Old Ancestor, rest assured. I’ve prepared your gift long ago; I guarantee you’ll have a happy birthday!”

Everyone chatted and laughed, none of them taking it too seriously.

The previous Garrison Commander was even more arrogant than Chen Yuan, and what happened? He still had to leave in disgrace.

Sun Shaoqiu kept them for a meal before they finally went their separate ways.