Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Dominating Changshan Mountain

At that moment, the fury in County Magistrate Lin Shou’s chest was about to erupt.

The delicate balance of power he had so painstakingly maintained was utterly shattered in an instant.

As the County Magistrate of Changshan, he wanted nothing more than to see Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng’s faction checked and balanced by the three great families. Only then could he, the County Magistrate, navigate the various powers with ease and assert his own authority.

To this end, he had even suppressed the Yang Family to push for a marriage alliance with Chen Sheng. His goal was to sow division and maintain checks, ultimately achieving a subtle equilibrium.

But now, all of it had been utterly destroyed by Chen Sheng’s ruthless and decisive actions.

The Gao Clan was wiped out, root and branch. Chen Sheng had then, catching him completely off guard, become the acting Grand Commander of the Military Preparation Camp, seizing control of the entire county’s military power. The combined strength of Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang now completely overwhelmed the local powers.

After all, with the Gao Clan’s fall, the prestige the three great families had maintained for years would be gone in a flash.

And this was the one outcome Lin Shou had wanted to avoid at all costs.

Once Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang grew too powerful, his own authority as the County Magistrate would inevitably be crushed.

"The entire Gao Clan, exterminated. Commander Chen, your methods are truly vicious," Lin Shou’s eyes narrowed, his tone thick with suppressed rage.

"The Gao Clan colluded with water bandits and plotted rebellion. They deserved to die ten thousand deaths. I do not consider my actions vicious." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Chen Sheng’s expression remained unchanged, his tone calm. "Compared to the common folk who suffered under the Gao Clan’s oppression for years, this was simply their just deserts."

Hearing this, Lin Shou’s eyes widened in disbelief.

’How dare Chen Sheng talk back to me like that? Does he have any respect for his superiors at all?’

"You..."

Just as Lin Shou was about to reprimand him, he saw Wu Kuang strolling out of the Gao Mansion.

"Commander Chen is right."

Wu Kuang’s voice was deep and steady, his gaze sweeping over Huang Dongchun and Yang Yi. "The annihilation of the Gao Family was well deserved. County Magistrate Lin, as the paternal official of this county, how can you speak on behalf of such traitors?"

Then, his tone shifted as he looked coldly at the two men from the Huang and Yang Families. "And you two. A moment ago, you dared to draw your weapons on government soldiers. Are the Huang and Yang Families also planning a rebellion?"

In this operation to exterminate the Gao Clan, Wu Kuang was not an uninvolved bystander.

In fact, when Chen Sheng made his move, he had already personally come to the Gao Mansion to oversee the situation and prevent any unforeseen incidents.

He just hadn’t expected Chen Sheng to be able to deal with the Gao Family’s two Marrow Transformation Realm Martial Masters so cleanly—even if one was newly promoted and the other was old, it still demonstrated Chen Sheng’s astonishing strength.

As a result, Wu Kuang had chosen to step back and not interfere in the subsequent operation, focusing his attention instead on the Gao Family’s assets.

If the Huang and Yang Families had actually dared to make a move just now, he would have taken the opportunity to strike, perhaps even wiping them out as well. It was just a pity that Lin Shou arrived too quickly, disrupting his plans.

Seeing Wu Kuang appear, the faces of Yang Yi and Huang Dongchun changed drastically.

Only then did they realize that if they had been provoked by Chen Sheng into attacking, things would not have ended well for them today.

Although they didn’t know the specifics of Wu Kuang’s strength, a Marrow Transformation Realm Martial Master transferred from the military was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Huang Dongchun was even secretly glad that Yang Yi had stopped him in time. ’Otherwise... the consequences would have been unimaginable.’

After all, clashing with government soldiers in broad daylight—no matter who was at fault, they would not escape blame.

Such was the authority of the Government Office.

Lin Shou frowned. "County Captain Wu, now is not the time to argue about that. I just want to know if you have any respect left for me as the County Magistrate! To mobilize troops so recklessly, to annihilate a clan on a whim... What will the people think when word gets out? Does the Government Office no longer uphold the King’s Law?!"

"The evidence of the Gao Family’s collusion with water bandits is conclusive. If we don’t exterminate them, should we just let them continue to harm the people?"

Wu Kuang did not back down an inch. "Besides, I already informed County Magistrate Lin in advance. Furthermore, as the County Captain of Changshan, my duty is to arrest bandits and suppress traitors. Even if County Magistrate Lin reports this to the Prefecture City, my conscience will be clear!"

The two men, who once maintained a tacit understanding, were now openly at odds.

Both sides knew full well that with the Gao Family gone, the Huang and Yang Families would be in a precarious position. What came next would be the struggle between the two of them for actual control of Changshan County.

"Good, good, good!"

So furious he started to laugh, Lin Shou spat out the word three times. "Since it’s come to this, we’ll let the higher authorities in the Prefecture City settle it!"

He turned to leave, knowing full well that staying any longer would only fuel the arrogance of Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang.

However, just as he turned, his path was blocked by a squad of soldiers from the Military Preparation Camp—the very same soldiers who had quietly assembled during the tense standoff earlier. They were led by Sun Yuanliang and Cheng Yanhua.

"Step aside!" Lin Shou barked.

To his surprise, Cheng Yanhua looked toward Chen Sheng, while Sun Yuanliang looked at Wu Kuang. Neither of them showed any intention of moving.

"Insolence!"

Chen Sheng shot them a look. "Get out of the County Magistrate’s way! Now!"

Receiving Chen Sheng’s command, only then did Cheng Yanhua and Sun Yuanliang step aside to clear the path.

But this blatant arrogance, and the clear control they had over the Military Preparation Camp, had already made Lin Shou’s face turn ashen. He shot a deep look back at Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang, then stormed off with his constables in tow.

"County Magistrate Lin..." Huang Dongchun wanted to call out to Lin Shou, but was hastily stopped by Yang Yi.

Even the County Magistrate had been rebuffed. If they stayed any longer, they would only be humiliating themselves.

With the Gao Family destroyed and Chen Sheng in complete control of the Military Preparation Camp’s forces, they all understood that his power now far surpassed that of their two families combined.

"A word of advice for you two."

Chen Sheng said lightly, "The Gao Clan committed the grave crime of treason. If you dare to shelter any remnants of the Gao Family, and the Government Office finds evidence... you will be charged with the same crime. Don’t say you weren’t warned."

"I will take Commander Chen’s warning to heart."

Yang Yi forced a smile and turned to leave.

Although Huang Dongchun was seething with resentment, he didn’t dare lash out. He could only follow, his face a cold mask.

Watching the backs of the two men from the Huang and Yang Families as they left, Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang shared a smile.

They had endured for so long, and today they could finally hold their heads high in triumph.

The Gao Family falls; Chen and Wu feast.

This time, they had truly reaped a fortune.

...

At the same time, news of the Gao Family’s downfall swept through Changshan County Town like a hurricane.

In every street and alley, every teahouse and tavern, people were discussing this earth-shattering news.

Some claimed to have seen soldiers storming the Gao Mansion with their own eyes. Others said they heard endless screams from within. There were even rumors that the blood from the Gao Family flowed out into the streets.

And with that, Chen Sheng’s name also spread through every major street and back alley.

Some said he single-handedly fought the two great masters of the Gao Family. Others said a single command from him was enough to make the Huang and Yang Families stand down. Still others claimed he now commanded such a powerful army that even the County Magistrate had to show him deference.

With the entire county’s Military Preparation forces under his command, Chen Sheng’s prestige skyrocketed. He now possessed an aura of authority that seemed to dominate all of Changshan. In terms of renown, he was already nearly on par with Wu Kuang and Lin Shou.

The once-obscure Commander of North City had now become a pivotal figure in Changshan County. And all of this had happened in just a few short weeks.

Many people realized one thing: the power structure of Changshan County seemed to have been quietly rewritten from this moment on.

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