Chapter 48 : Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Not Solving the Problem, But Solving the One Who Created It!
Cheng Yu looked at Fan Xiu coldly.
As a Jinyiwei Assistant Commissioner and a high-ranking Third-Rank civil official of the Great Qian, it was nothing for him to give a newly promoted Fifth-Rank Hundred-Household Commander like Cheng Yu a display of authority.
But the mistake lay in the fact that this Hundred-Household Commander was Cheng Yu.
If he were a weak-willed person who flattered his superiors, he would never have reached this point.
He spoke plainly. "Lord Fan has truly shown me that our Jinyiwei possesses a tradition, from top to bottom, of ignoring official business to oppress subordinates."
"No wonder others call you 'Imperial Hounds.' Most of you are simply cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong."
Cheng Yu’s expression was calm, and he was neither servile nor overbearing, showing no fear toward an Eighth-Rank martial artist.
"You!"
Fan Xiu had not expected Cheng Yu to refuse to yield, and even dare to speak so disrespectfully in return. Fury ignited in his heart, and the aura of his cold internal energy rippled outward.
Cheng Yu stood within it, motionless. His pure, purified internal energy surged to block the other man's pressure. The special internal energy bestowed by the True Martial Inheritance was currently sufficient to suppress all other forms of internal energy.
"Resisting an Eighth Rank head-on?! Enough, Fan Xiu!"
Beside them, the other Jinyiwei Assistant Commissioner, Ai Peng, was greatly shocked. He hurried to stop Fan Xiu from continuing.
Fan Xiu had also not expected Cheng Yu’s strength to exceed his imagination, to the point of being able to resist his internal energy directly. He grew even more furious, but he had no choice but to withdraw his power. If he truly dared to strike Cheng Yu here, he wouldn't be able to return to the Great Qian Capital.
"You arrogant brat, how dare you curse me! Are you not also an Imperial Hound?"
"Heh. Not many people who dare to call me that are still alive today." Cheng Yu gave a cold laugh. "If you can achieve that, then come and try to suppress me again."
He even dared to rebuke Cheng Zhenjiang; what was Fan Xiu to him?
"I—!"
Fan Xiu was rendered speechless. How could he possibly achieve such a thing? He glared at Cheng Yu with hatred and could only let out a heavy sigh before walking away.
Cheng Yu watched him depart, his eyes cold. These men accepted humiliation from the Jianghu like submissive dogs yet suppressed their own colleagues at will, losing all the face of the Jinyiwei! This grudge, he noted well.
[Host has corrected a wrong, facing the improper behavior within the Jinyiwei. Reward: Earth Grade High Rank sword technique, "Taiyi Mysterious Gate Sword"!]
Fan Xiu left in a rage after failing to gain the upper hand against Cheng Yu. The other Assistant Commissioner, Ai Peng, shook his head helplessly. He sighed and looked at Cheng Yu with a smile.
"Hundred-Household Commander Cheng, do not take offense at that fellow. Fan Xiu originally thought he would lead this mission, but His Majesty ordered that you are to be in charge of the entire investigation and cleanup."
"For a high-ranking Assistant Commissioner to become a subordinate to a Hundred-Household Commander, he is naturally displeased."
Ai Peng spoke directly about the root of the issue. Cheng Yu nodded; he preferred straightforwardness.
"Then you do not look down on me for being a mere Hundred-Household Commander?" Cheng Yu asked with doubt.
"Fan Xiu has always had a wide circle of friends; his personal relationships and ties with the Jianghu are many. Clashing with you is beneficial for his reputation. As for me, I am alone. If I have any connection at all, it is only to the deeply respected Lord Zhao..."
One of Zhao Yi’s people?
Cheng Yu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately made eye contact with Ai Peng.
"My thanks to Lord Ai for intervening just now. However, the matter of the million laborers points directly at the Sword-Forging Manor. Why would His Majesty put a minor Hundred-Household Commander like me in charge?"
Although Zhao Yi’s influence was vast, it wasn't enough to force the Emperor to make such a decision. This was definitely the intention of the Emperor of Great Qian.
Facing Cheng Yu’s doubt, Ai Peng wore a mysterious expression. "In this Great Qian, only a hero like Hundred-Household Commander Cheng would dare to investigate such a thing... As they say, let a hero investigate a hero, and a brave man investigate a brave man..."
"If we truly clash with the Sword-Forging Manor, we who eat the Emperor’s grain cannot stand by and watch. But if we make an enemy of the Sword-Forging Manor and offend the martial artists of the Jianghu, then..."
Ai Peng did not finish his sentence, but Cheng Yu’s eyes widened as a familiar thought subconsciously jumped into his mind.
This incident was caused by the operational error of a temporary worker.
They were planning to let him take the blame if things went wrong!
"However, Lord Cheng, do not worry. This is both a crisis and a test. His Majesty thinks very highly of you. If you can resolve this matter, your path to promotion will surely be smooth!"
"As the Emperor’s personal guard, the Jinyiwei, I naturally obey the sacred will." Cheng Yu pondered and nodded, a cold laugh in his heart. The old Emperor wanted to pit him, but he was walking right into Cheng Yu's wheelhouse! Since they dared to let him command this matter, then he wasn't going to solve the problem—he was going to solve the one who created it!
With two Eighth-Rank powerhouses under his command, if not for the fact that Cheng Zhenjiang was still at the Sword-Forging Manor, he could have set out to raid their household immediately. As for Fan Xiu, knowing he was under Cheng Yu’s command and still daring to be disrespectful—if something happened to him, it could only be said he brought it on himself...
"I shall rely on Lord Cheng’s arrangements from now on!" Ai Peng smiled and cupped his fists.
"I wouldn't dare. I am merely doing my duty." The two laughed.
Ai Peng took his leave for the moment to review the information and evidence Cheng Yu had gathered. Cheng Yu then took the time to organize his recent rewards. When he saw the details of the reward, his eyes brightened.
Indeed, his previous hypothesis was correct: demonstrating the Jinyiwei temperament toward stronger individuals yielded better rewards. Previously, confronting Cheng Zhenjiang at the River-Severing Sect had been the best scenario, with rewards triggering almost every three sentences. Now, it was the Eighth-Rank Fan Xiu, who had directly yielded an Earth Grade sword technique.
The "Taiyi Mysterious Gate Sword"!
It was a sword technique from the Taiyi Gate of the Wudang Sect, featuring both speed and slowness, as well as a balance of hardness and softness. Not only was the Taiyi Mysterious Gate Sword itself divine and powerful, but it also included a foundational technique: the Middle Grade sword technique, "Wudang Sword Art."
Although its rank was low, Cheng Yu, with his insight into the Great Dao of the Sword, could see that there was a hidden depth within it. It possessed an extraordinary quality.
Right at that moment, Liu Xiong, dressed in hemp clothes, appeared before Cheng Yu and bowed. "Master, the Elder of my Sword Bearers has arrived in Qingjiang Prefecture. This disciple requests your permission for him to meet with you!"
"A meeting is fine. What kind of expert is this Elder of yours?" Cheng Yu nodded.
"Thank you, Master!" Liu Xiong bowed in gratitude. "The Elder calls himself 'Jian A' to outsiders; none of us know his real name. Thirty years ago, after a great battle on Taihu Lake, his Sword Dao stagnated. He has wandered the world and seen many swordsmen, but gained nothing. I thought that since Master has attained the true intent of the Sword Dao, perhaps you could offer him some guidance to break his bottleneck. The Sword Bearers will never forget this kindness!"
Jian A? The swordsman from the Taihu battle thirty years ago? Cheng Yu was unfamiliar with the name. Logically, as an Elder of the Sword Bearers, he couldn't be a nobody. However, he soon recalled another rumor. A mysterious swordsman who had once reached the Earth Ranking of Tianji Tower, fighting a Ninth-Rank expert to a draw while only at the Eighth Rank on Taihu Lake! This person was actually an Elder of the Sword Bearers.
If he could bring such a person under his command, it would be a massive boost!
"Let him come and see me."
"Thank you, Master!"
A short while later, Liu Xiong brought an old man with a completely ordinary aura, carrying a wooden crutch at his waist, into the Qingjiang Prefecture Jinyiwei Hundred-Household Office. The Jinyiwei saw that he was accompanied by Lord Cheng’s fierce swordsman disciple and did not stop them.
"Oh, what's the rush!" The old man, Jian A, had not expected to be brought into a Jinyiwei stronghold by a junior and was somewhat displeased.
"Elder, let’s go! The opportunity is right before you!"
"You said you casually took a master, and it's a twenty-year-old boy. How am I supposed to address him? 'Brother'? I am fifty years older than him!"
As soon as Jian A said this, Liu Xiong stopped in his tracks and said seriously, "Elder, I told you. Master has attained the true intent of the Sword Dao; he is our hope of seeing the supreme realm of the sword! Is the form of address important?"