He had thought that, at worst, Shanxin had failed and been thwarted, or had fled after seeing things turn sour. He never imagined that Shanxin had actually fallen.

"Who’s backing him? What does that have to do with me? What does it have to do with me sending your Gao Family on its way?"

Chen Sheng cut him off, his tone turning cold. "It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up to him on the Path to the Underworld and travel together."

"No... No, you can’t do this!"

At that moment, Gao Yuanfeng was utterly panicked. The fear of his family’s bloodline being extinguished overwhelmed everything else. "Yuanzhao is far away in the Prefecture City! He’s never been involved in the affairs of Changshan County, and he’s never targeted you! I’m the one who killed Chen Xingzhou!"

"Chen Sheng, if you want revenge, then come for me! Kill me, torture me—do as you please! Why drag others into this?"

"When your Gao Family made its move, it doesn’t seem like you were concerned about involving the innocent, were you?"

Chen Sheng sneered and wasted no more words. His right hand flashed to the hilt of the blade at his waist.

PSHHT—

A head, spraying hot blood, rolled to the ground.

The large tent was plunged into a deathly silence, the stench of blood growing ever stronger.

Chen Sheng stared expressionlessly at the head on the ground, its eyes wide with unrest. After a moment of silence, he used the tip of his blade to lift Gao Yuanfeng’s head, walked slowly out of the tent, and casually tossed it to the ground. His voice reached the ears of the personal guards waiting outside.

"Take this head, along with the others, and hang them from the gatehouse of the county seat for all the county to see!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

"Thank you for this, Sir."

Back in the main tent, the icy expression on Chen Sheng’s face had vanished, replaced by a perfectly measured look of gratitude. He solemnly clasped his fists in a salute to Wu Kuang, who was already waiting for him.

He knew full well that Wu Kuang had deliberately sent the barely-breathing Gao Yuanfeng to the Military Preparation Camp, rather than throwing him directly into the county prison, all so he could personally settle this score.

Wu Kuang looked at Chen Sheng, but his face held little joy. Instead, it was rather grave. He sighed. "Sheng, this time... you were far too impulsive."

He had only just found out that Chen Sheng had surrounded and killed a true Innate Level expert within the Military Preparation Camp last night. The news had made him break out in a cold sweat.

’Are Innate Experts really that easy to kill?’

He had always thought Chen Sheng was calm, experienced, and someone who planned his moves carefully. He never expected him to be so young and reckless.

Chen Sheng was not surprised by the genuine concern and rebuke in Wu Kuang’s words. He simply smiled and said:

"Please rest assured, Sir. Since I dared to make a move, it was naturally after meticulous calculation and with a degree of confidence. Besides, Gao Yuanfeng himself was an expert at the Marrow Transformation Realm and as cunning as a fox. If you, Sir, hadn’t personally acted and used decisive means to severely wound and capture him, I’m afraid it would have been much more troublesome for me to eliminate this threat for good."

"Confidence? To strike above your station and kill an Innate expert, just how much confidence could you possibly have?!"

"Sheng, it’s not that I mean to nag, but I have to remind you: a wise man doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall. With risky ventures like this, getting lucky once is a blessing. You must not make a habit of it."

"Don’t take risks unless you are completely certain of success. The path of the Martial Dao is long, and self-preservation is paramount. If the slightest thing goes wrong, all your ambitions, no matter how grand, will become nothing but illusions. By then, it will be too late for regrets!"

His own personality leaned toward caution, and he appreciated Chen Sheng’s steady nature. He truly didn’t want anything to happen to this young man he thought so highly of.

After all, such cases were not uncommon.

"Your teachings are wise, Sir. I will be sure to remember them and act more prudently in the future."

Chen Sheng offered no excuses.

’After all, Wu Kuang didn’t know he had the ability of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil. What seemed like a risky act actually had a ninety-nine percent chance of success.’

Wu Kuang shook his head helplessly. Knowing some things had to be learned firsthand, he said no more. Instead, he took a wax-sealed document from his sleeve and solemnly handed it to Chen Sheng.

"This is..."

Chen Sheng let a timely hint of curiosity show on his face as he accepted it with both hands.

A smile finally broke across Wu Kuang’s face, and his voice boomed a little louder.

"This is an official letter of appointment, personally sealed and issued by the Lord of Ning’an Prefecture. As of today, you can drop the ’acting’ from your title. Chen Sheng, you are now the legitimate Grand Commander of the Changshan County Military Preparation Camp, a position of the Standard Eighth Grade!"

Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly at his words, immediately breaking the wax seal and reading the document carefully.

The document was rigorously worded, clearly stating his merits and his appointment. The bright red seal of the Prefecture’s Lord at the end was a potent symbol of authority.

Putting the document away, Chen Sheng cupped his fists to Wu Kuang in a salute. "Your subordinate thanks you for your support and mentorship!"

"Aha, that’s where you’re wrong."

Wu Kuang made a gesture as if to help him up, his expression serious. "You earned this yourself, fighting for it with every swing of your blade. You earned it with real, tangible achievements. First, you destroyed the Seven Stars Gang, then you orchestrated the annihilation of the Black Snake Water Stronghold to clear the waterways, and now you have completely uprooted the treacherous Gao Clan."

"Each and every one of these deeds is a solid accomplishment. Even without me, Wu Kuang, as long as reports of these achievements were sent up the chain, the position of Grand Commander could only be yours."

Although there was some modesty in his words, they were largely true.

Chen Sheng’s merits were undeniably solid. Especially after killing the former Grand Commander, Chuyue Mountain, there was no one left in Changshan County who could compete with him for the position.

"Without you, Sir, even if I had these merits, they would never have been reported to the Prefecture City."

Chen Sheng thanked him again.

’Simply having achievements meant nothing; there were plenty of people who could steal the credit.’

’The crucial part was having someone who could present those achievements to the higher-ups. And in Changshan County, besides County Magistrate Lin Shou, the only one qualified to report directly to the Prefecture City was County Captain Wu Kuang.’

"Alright, alright. There’s no need for such formalities between us brothers."

Wu Kuang waved his hand, his smile widening. He then lowered his voice and said meaningfully,

"Now that the Grand Commander position is settled, you’ve taken a solid first step. But you can’t grow complacent. You need to keep accumulating merits and strengthening your foundation."

"Only then will Captain Nie have the opportunity to make his move and secure a brighter future for you."

As long as Chen Sheng accumulated more merits, with his recommendation and a push from Captain Nie, Chen Sheng would likely be eligible for a transfer to a post in the Prefecture City.

"Your foresight is profound, Sir. I understand."

Chen Sheng understood perfectly and nodded slightly.

But his gaze unconsciously swept over the weighty appointment letter again, and a thought began to form.

’Since the official appointment has been issued, County Magistrate Lin Shou must have received the news by now.’

’It’s time to fulfill my promise to Madam Yang and rescue her from her misery.’

A man like him, Chen Sheng, always kept his word.

Once he made a promise, he would see it through. After all, Madam Yang had truly bet everything on him this time.

At the same time, Chen Sheng was very curious to see the look on Lin Shou’s face when he received the news from the Prefecture City. ’It should be quite interesting,’ he thought.

"Next up is the Huang Family. Do you have a plan?"

Ever since sharing in the great wealth seized after the Gao Family’s annihilation, Wu Kuang had become increasingly enthusiastic about such matters. After all, compared to extorting silver coins from the common folk...

...it was clearly more appropriate to make a move against these powerful, century-old clans.

A hundred years of accumulated wealth was bound to be a massive haul.

What’s more, with their current strength, they were more than enough to deal with the Huang Family. They could even take on the Yang Family at the same time if they had to.

However, that Yang Yi was too clever. After reaching an agreement with Chen Sheng’s faction, he had quickly and openly broken ties with the Huang Family. This made it awkward for them to make a move against him.

One had to maintain a certain degree of decorum.

And with his previous experiences, he was now more inclined to hear Chen Sheng’s opinion.

Chen Sheng chuckled at the question.

"You’re right, Sir. It is indeed time to move against the Huang Family. But before that, there is one more thing I must do."

"What’s that?"

Wu Kuang was a little curious.

’What could be more important than getting rich?’

"Make County Magistrate Lin face reality."

A smirk played on Chen Sheng’s lips.

......