Watching Li Huaisheng being trussed up and escorted away by the soldiers, Wu Kuang could not help laughing and shaking his head.
“This man truly is… one of a kind.”
They had originally thought that, with this man’s cultivation at the Marrow Transformation realm, coupled with his strange poison arts—skills capable of threatening experts of the same level when they were caught unawares—he ought to possess at least some of the bearing of a true expert. Even if captured, he should have shown a bit of backbone.
Who would have imagined that he would surrender so cleanly and decisively? It was both laughable and exasperating.
“He knows how to protect himself and values his life dearly. If used well, he may bring some unexpected gains in the future.”
Chen Sheng gave his evaluation in an even tone.
He did not care much about Li Huaisheng kneeling and begging for mercy. Such a person could be used, but absolutely could not be trusted. Judging from his conduct, if he encountered a greater threat or greater benefit in the future, there was no guarantee he would not betray his master again.
Whether he could be used, and whether he should be used, still required further consideration.
“You may weigh this matter yourself. The art of managing subordinates is ever-changing; what matters is grasping the proper measure.”
Wu Kuang smiled and said no more on the matter. Instead, curiosity appeared on his face as he changed the subject. “However, this official is rather curious. Just how did you predict so accurately that thieves would come to assassinate you tonight?”
When Chen Sheng first invited him to come and hold down the fort, Wu Kuang had still been half in doubt. It was only because he valued this subordinate that he had agreed to come.
Never had he expected that they would truly wait up a “big fish.” This left him greatly surprised, even making him suspect that Chen Sheng had already planted informants within the inner circles of the local powerful families.
“I would not dare conceal anything from my lord. In truth, this subordinate merely made an inference based on a few clues…”
Chen Sheng had long since prepared his explanation.
He explained that in recent days, he had sensed something unusual in the camp’s atmosphere. Combining that with the fact that tonight happened to be when the North City Martial Camp’s defenses were rotating and its guard was relatively thin, he inferred that if the other party wished to make a move, this would be the best opportunity.
To guard against any mishap, he had invited Wu Kuang to personally come and oversee matters.
After hearing this explanation, Wu Kuang did not suspect him. Instead, he revealed a look of appreciation and nodded repeatedly.
“This is precisely what this official admires most about you! Your mind is meticulous, your actions thorough, and your temperament steady. Good, very good! With such a disposition, only then will you be able to walk higher and farther in this thorn-ridden world!”
His tone carried undisguised expectation. Then his gaze sharpened, and killing intent surged forth.
“These local powerful families are growing bolder by the day. To dare openly assassinate an official of the imperial court—they are simply lawless, seeking their own deaths! It seems the matter of taking action against them cannot be delayed for too long.”
If they dared assassinate Chen Sheng today, tomorrow they might well dare to set their sights on him, the county commandant!
Though Wu Kuang was greedy for wealth and sought stability in his actions, having come from the military ranks, he had never lacked ruthless decisiveness deep in his bones. Back when he pacified rebellions, the blood staining his hands had been anything but little.
“My lord’s words are absolutely correct,” Chen Sheng said in deep agreement.
Wu Kuang pondered for a moment, as if weighing the overall situation. Only after a long while did he open his eyes, his gaze falling upon Chen Sheng with both scrutiny and expectation.
“Judging by your aura today, your cultivation has already become rather stable. Your progress can be called astonishingly swift. Not bad.”
Then his tone shifted slightly, and he brought up the main matter with a frown. “As for the position of Grand Commander of Changshan County’s Military Preparedness Camp, this official has always favored you. Unfortunately… your cultivation is still shallow, and your qualifications insufficient. If only you possessed strength comparable to the Marrow Transformation realm…”
Ever since Chen Sheng had been transferred under his command, Wu Kuang had seen his talent, temperament, and ability, and was exceedingly satisfied with all of them.
His only shortcoming was that he was too young, and his cultivation still lacked some maturity.
The position of Grand Commander of the Military Preparedness Camp was high in rank and heavy in authority. If one possessed exceptional methods and could control the situation, the weight of that authority could even be said to place him as the third most powerful person beneath the county magistrate and county commandant.
Only if they firmly grasped this position in their hands would they truly no longer need to fear the constraints imposed by the three great families.
By contrast, the current Grand Commander, Chu Yueshan, was two-faced. Although he was nominally under Wu Kuang’s jurisdiction, he had long been on close terms with the local powerful families and County Magistrate Lin Shou. Wu Kuang had already regarded him as a nail that had to be pulled out.
But if he hastily replaced him with Chen Sheng, who still lacked both qualifications and strength, Wu Kuang worried that he would find it difficult to convince the masses and instead ruin the matter through overreach.
Thus, in his heart, he was hesitating between transferring someone over from the prefectural city or continuing to observe Chen Sheng a little longer.
Chen Sheng understood clearly.
With his current strength at the Bone Tempering realm, he was indeed still lacking if he were to face a Marrow Transformation martial master head-on.
Between Bone Tempering and Marrow Transformation lay a chasm of strength, and the gap was significant.
It was precisely because of this that, after foreseeing that Li Huaisheng was a poison arts expert at the Marrow Transformation realm, he had spared no effort in inviting Wu Kuang to personally take action, seeking absolute certainty.
However, he had now reached the peak of Bone Tempering, and was already not far from breaking through to the Marrow Transformation realm.
Seeing hesitation appear on Wu Kuang’s face, as though he intended to transfer someone over, Chen Sheng could not willingly allow someone else to pluck this peach that was already in his grasp. After some thought, he spoke solemnly.
“I would not dare conceal anything from my lord. Ever since this subordinate took the Tiger Bone Pill bestowed by my lord, along with some occasional insights in recent days, my cultivation has indeed advanced rapidly. I believe… the day when I meet my lord’s expectations should not be too far off.”
He said this, first, to temporarily steady Wu Kuang.
Second, it was to lay some groundwork in advance, lest the other party be too shocked by his cultivation speed in the future. As for the matter of the Earthheart Spirit Milk, he had no intention of revealing it.
After all, such a good thing would be immensely tempting even to Wu Kuang, who was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. If Wu Kuang learned that Chen Sheng had secretly refined it himself, there was no guarantee some estrangement would not arise between them.
“What is the rush?”
Hearing this, Wu Kuang laughed heartily. He saw the hidden longing and urgency in Chen Sheng’s eyes and said with a hint of teasing,
“On the path of cultivation, one’s foundation is most important. You must never rashly advance out of greed for merit. As for the position of Grand Commander, this official still very much favors you. Unless the situation deteriorates so badly that I must transfer someone down from above, this official will not consider anyone else.”
These words were indeed sincere. Compared to having an outsider of unknown background parachuted in, he naturally preferred to cultivate and promote a subordinate whom he valued and who was loyal to him.
“My lord misunderstands. This subordinate is not being impatient.”
A perfectly measured smile appeared on Chen Sheng’s face, carrying a trace of ambition, as he explained,
“This subordinate merely… wishes too much to share my lord’s burdens, and also wishes too much… to make progress.”
“See? Impatient again.”
…
This relaxed atmosphere between Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang was completely opposite to what was happening elsewhere.
The next day, when news spread that Li Huaisheng had launched a night raid on the North City Martial Camp only to fall into an ambush instead, the several family heads of the three great families all had ashen expressions. The atmosphere was so heavy it seemed capable of dripping water.
In particular, Huang Dongchun, the head of the Huang family, had lost a Marrow Transformation poison arts expert whom his family had paid heavily to retain, someone who could be considered one of their trump cards. The pain in his heart was like a knife twisting. In his fury, he directly turned his spearhead toward Yang Yi, the head of the Yang family, and questioned him harshly.
“Yang Yi! You must have leaked this matter to that brat Chen Sheng. Otherwise, how could the authorities have arranged everything so meticulously, as if they had long known Li Huaisheng would appear at that exact time and place? What explanation do you have!”
Although Li Huaisheng’s frontal combat ability was slightly inferior, his poison arts were strange and unpredictable. Used for assassination and sneak attacks, his value was immeasurable.
Now that he had fallen into the hands of the authorities, it was a tremendous loss that the Huang family could hardly endure.
“Huang Dongchun, don’t you dare slander me!”
Yang Yi was so angry that his face flushed red, and he shot to his feet. “This matter concerns the shared interests of our three families. It was decided in secret by all of us together. How could this old man destroy his own foundation by leaking such a secret to that Chen Sheng?”
“Hmph! If not you, then who else could it be?”
Huang Dongchun did not listen to his explanation at all. He slammed his palm heavily onto the table, making the cups and dishes jump wildly.
“Your Yang family’s attitude has been ambiguous lately. You have all sorts of misgivings toward the authorities, while also intending to form a marriage alliance with Chen Sheng to curry favor with Wu Kuang. You clearly harbor the idea of standing with one foot in each boat!
“The time and place of Li Huaisheng’s operation were known only to the four of us present. If Chen Sheng had not obtained definite information, how could he have laid down such an inescapable net? Don’t tell me he can predict the future!”
His words were sharp, each sentence cutting to the heart.
Given that the Gao family and Chen Sheng had an irreconcilable feud, and Li Huaisheng was a retainer of the Huang family, among the four people present, Yang Yi—whose attitude had recently wavered and who had made moves toward a marriage alliance—was naturally the most suspicious.
For a time, arguments erupted in the hall. Yang Yi and Huang Dongchun each stuck to their own account, accusing one another. Their voices grew higher and higher, and the superficial harmony they had maintained in the past vanished completely. At this moment, the cracks in their trust rapidly widened.