Looking at the corpse of Song Jingze, the Northern Protector of Great Yu's Northern Protectorate, Chen Yan's heart was utterly unperturbed.
Protector Song was dead.
More than a dozen personal guards still stood in the hall, weapons in hand, confronting Chen Yan who stood upon the sturdy square table, yet none dared take half a step forward.
Because it was too outrageous.
If it were a burly man clad in heavy armor, slaughtering his way through here, these guards wouldn't be so intimidated.
But a youth like this, wearing simple cloth garnts, with a lean and slender build, had actually, single-handedly with a single sword, taken Protector Song's head as easily as retrieving sothing from a bag, right under the protection of nurous guards...
It truly did not align with these guards' worldview.
Imdiately after, hurried footsteps grew increasingly dense, as another dozen or so guards surged into the room.
Leading them was a thin man who looked about thirty-sothing, sporting a mustache.
He pushed aside the guards blocking his path, and when he saw the youth holding a sword, looking completely at ease, and the corpse of Protector Song at the youth's feet, his eyes sharpened.
This man was the Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate, responsible for finance and logistics in Northern City, the second-in-command of the city.
"Seize him at once!"
The Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate barked out the command.
Whoosh!
A flash of white light streaked past; the sword in the youth's hand was thrown, flying past the side of the Chief Clerk's face before finally embedding itself in the wall.
Cold sweat instantly trickled down the back of his neck.
"The situation at Sandwind Pass is critical. The Shanrong tribes have hundreds of thousands of troops camped in the desert, watching covetously. Captain Li leads the soldiers in a desperate resistance, having sent ssengers to the Northern Protectorate multiple tis to request reinforcents."
Chen Yan, standing on the sturdy square table, declared loudly:
"Yet the Northern Protector, Song Jingze, repeatedly and consistently ignored Sandwind Pass's pleas for aid, even going so far as to attempt to intercept and kill the ssengers. His cri warrants execution!"
Imdiately after, he shifted his gaze onto the Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate standing in the hall.
With Chen Yan's current experience, a single glance was enough to easily discern that this thin man was the highest-ranking official present.
The Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate remained silent.
He certainly knew the war situation at Sandwind Pass was critical and had even proactively urged Song Jingze to dispatch troops to support the front line.
But he had been refused by Song Jingze.
Anyone who could rise to the position of Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate was definitely no fool.
He knew there must be so hidden secret or conspiracy behind this, so he stopped speaking out, choosing to turn a blind eye.
But now, Song Jingze was dead.
Now, as the acting Chief Clerk, he needed to assu Protector Song's authority and responsibilities.
Perhaps Protector Song had the confidence to refrain from sending troops despite Sandwind Pass being besieged, but he, lacking sufficiently powerful backing at court, did not.
Delaying military action to this degree was a cri punishable by extermination of one's three generations of family.
Looking at the youth before him, his clothes stained with blood, his bearing imposing and heroic, the Chief Clerk quickly made his decision.
"Take this youth and imprison him in the jail. After the war, hand him over to the Ningjing Judicial Departnt for disposition!"
The Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate shouted.
Chen Yan looked at the Chief Clerk a couple more tis, said nothing further, and simply clasped his hands behind his back.
He allowed the guards to escort him to the prison.
...
Chen Yan stayed in the main prison of the Northern Protectorate for about half a month.
During this ti, he suffered no hardship whatsoever.
He even received good food and drink as hospitality.
That Chief Clerk of the Northern Protectorate was nad Cai Ming. True to his na, he was also a clever man who knew how to assess the situation and adapt.
Less than two hours after Chen Yan was imprisoned, Chief Clerk Cai assembled thirty thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry and rushed to reinforce Sandwind Pass.
After the defending forces at Sandwind Pass withstood two more waves of attacks from the Shanrong tribes, the situation on the battlefield began to shift from defense to offense.
Li Chong personally led eight thousand cavalry out of the pass to raid the camps of the Shanrong tribes. The Shanrong forces were utterly routed, scattering and fleeing in all directions.
After the war concluded, Li Chong, having achieved such illustrious military rits, naturally received an audience with the Great Yu Emperor.
In the imperial court, the Great Yu Emperor expressed imnse fondness for Li Chong. He was unstinting in his praise for this eldest legitimate son of Lord Jing'an while also bestowing lavish rewards.
He awarded Li Chong ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand acres of land, and a hundred bolts of silk.
Furthermore, he promoted him to Deputy Commander of the Southern Court.
The Grand Commander was the official position of Lord Jing'an, Li Chengyuan, nominally the highest military commander of Great Yu.
But the actual military power he controlled consisted of the three armies of the Wei Protectorate, the He Protectorate, and the Eastern Protectorate, totaling seven hundred thousand troops, which constituted half of Great Yu's total military strength.
And these three protectorates were all located in Great Yu's Southern Court.
The Northern Protectorate and Sandwind Pass were both located in Great Yu's Northern Court.
Logically speaking, since Li Chong had won a great victory on the frontier and the Northern Protector had t with misfortune, he should have been transferred to serve as Protector of the Northern Protectorate.
But the Great Yu Emperor could not possibly do that.
Therefore, he directly promoted Li Chong's official rank by three levels, transferring him from Sandwind Pass to serve as Deputy Commander of the Southern Court.
His official rank had indeed been promoted, but his military authority had been reduced.
This point was clear to everyone, yet no one said anything about it.
Including Li Chengyuan.
This Lord Jing'an, who had once achieved illustrious military rits, said nothing, but anyone could see the gloom on his face.
After all, the Emperor's actions were clearly a precaution against their Li family.
As for Chen Yan.
After the Sandwind Pass campaign ended, he was also escorted to the Ningjing Judicial Departnt.
The interrogation of him was basically just a formality.
Two days later, when Chen Yan was released, the person waiting to greet him outside the Judicial Departnt was none other than the current Deputy Commander of the Southern Court, Li Chong.
Li Chong was very warm and enthusiastic towards Chen Yan.
He had originally been very keen to befriend this imposing and heroic youth. When he heard that Chen Yan had slit Song Jingze's throat with a single sword right under the eyes of over twenty Northern Protectorate guards, he beca even more convinced that this youth was definitely a martial master.
Li Chong told Chen Yan that the Jing'an Marquis Estate owed him a favor. As long as it was within his power, he should feel free to ask.
Chen Yan, of course, did not stand on ceremony.
Because that was precisely the purpose of his choosing to help Li Chong.
Chen Yan asked Li Chong to help him purchase a mansion in the He Protectorate of Great Yu's Southern Court, and then he moved in.
Hezhou was the most prosperous city in the Great Yu Dynasty, aside from Ningjing.
rchants from various countries ca and went in great numbers, which naturally made it easier to gather intelligence. This was also the main reason he chose to stay in Hezhou temporarily.
Afterwards, Chen Yan began to settle his mind and cultivate here.
This was his third ti cleansing his sinews and bones.
Compared to the previous two tis, this third ti naturally felt even more familiar and effortless.
From beginning to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cleanse his sinews and bones, to successfully stepping into the early stage of the Body Forging Realm, it took a total of one month.
But for so reason, Chen Yan always felt a strange sensation in his heart when he drew upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cleanse his sinews and bones.
Yet he couldn't quite articulate what exactly that feeling was.
If before this, Chen Yan relied entirely on his control over his body and his experience to engage those ordinary disciples, still harboring a certain possibility of failure, then now, having successfully stepped into Body Forging, Chen Yan could achieve true invincibility, complete and utter domination.
And the next step was the true process of drawing energy into the body.
Chen Yan believed that if he could continue to settle his mind and cultivate here, it would take at most half a year before he would definitely be able to break through to the Qi Circulation Realm.
But reality could never proceed as smoothly as one's ideals.
One month after the Sandwind Pass campaign ended.
Lord Jing'an, Li Chengyuan, rebelled.
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