NOVPUBChu Shixiong obviously received the notification early, as he raised his hand to point to the other end of the Martial Arts Arena, "Look, here they come."
At a glance.
At the other end of the Martial Arts Arena.
Surrounded by a group of guards, a four-wheeled carriage slowly approached, with a man holding a Feather Fan sitting on top, none other than Xu Wencai.
"Him?!"
Zhao Kang and others felt like they had swallowed a fly, utterly disgusted.
"How could it be this heartless and ungrateful person!"
"..."
In retrospect, they had all once shared a bond as close as life and death.
This guy suddenly being favored by the court should have been a good thing.
Yet...
That very night, he threw a "severing" banquet, distancing himself from them!
It was nothing short of the most straightforward definition of "a petty person reveling in his newfound power."
Xu Wencai sat in the four-wheeled carriage until he arrived in front of the Central Army Tent. He then stood up with much pomp and after a cursory fist salute, said, "Mr. Chen, I'll trouble you to organize the military records and hand them over to me. From today on, Hongze Camp will be under my command."
"Alright, I'll have someone bring them to you shortly."
Chen Sansi said indifferently, "Then I'll take my leave."
"Lazy dog! Prepare to die—"
It was at that moment.
A burst of tremendous power suddenly erupted.
Zhu Tong was seen leaping into the air, brandishing his hammers, ready to teach this man a lesson.
"Clang—"
Fortunately, two guards were quick to react, drawing their swords to block the attack, and soon they subdued him.
"Mr. Chen!"
Xu Wencai panicked, his eyes wide as he said, "Are the people under you not a little too disrespectful of the law? I, after all, am a Marquis Wuxiang, sealed by the court, and the new Main General of Hongze Camp! Mr. Chen, I ask you, what is the punishment for assaulting a superior officer?!"
"It's you again!"
Chu Shixiong shouted angrily, "It's bad enough that Liao Fang previously coerced a civilian girl, what are you trying to do today?!"
"Zhu Tong!"
Chen Sansi made a decision before Zhao Kang and the others could react, "You are unrepentant! Take him away, to be beheaded after the autumn!"
To be beheaded after the autumn!
This time.
A killing order was given in all earnestness.
Seeing that their superior seemed truly angry, Zhao Kang and the others dared not disobey and personally escorted Zhu Tong away.
"Xu Wencai, you will not die a good death!"
Zhu Tong cursed loudly.
The brothers from Po Yang looked on with eyes full of rage.
What Chu Shixiong and others said sounded nice.
But they were aware.
That their lord's trip to the Capital City was not for an honor.
It was obviously "house arrest!"
From then on, they would have to wholeheartedly serve the court, never again to turn over a new leaf!
Xu Wencai, after all, had once risen through the ranks with them, and even if they had each gone their separate ways, there was no need for direct confrontation or to help the court in sidelining their lord. How could they not be outraged, how could they not be murderous?!
"A bunch of fools!"
Xu Wencai pointed at them with his Feather Fan and cursed, "Fools!"
"..."
After the farce, Chen Sansi did not linger and went straight back to the Governor Mansion from the military camp.
He passed through the market on the way.
Posters regarding his honors were everywhere, revealing the Emperor's abundant grace.
It would seem that if he did not go to the Capital City, he would be utterly defiant and ignorant of favor.
"Junior brother!"
Before Chen Sansi could enter, a few senior brothers and sisters paused their cultivation to greet him.
Even those in martial cultivation needed rest, so this did not hinder their Progress.
"It really turned out exactly as you predicted."
Cheng Wei said with apprehension, "The court only mentioned you, not us, trying to divide us with such tactics. It's extremely sinister and malevolent."
"Junior brother."
Rong Yanqiu asked, "They only gave you five days? Will it be enough?"
Chen Sansi was about to speak.
When another person strode into the courtyard, his movement like shifting mountains yet surprisingly light-footed, making scarcely any sound.
"Oh~"
Rong Yanqiu gave him a glance and said sarcastically, "Isn't this the household slave with three surnames?"
"Sister Nine sure knows how to joke."
Ji looked straight at her, teasingly saying, "My surname is Ji, where does the talk of a household slave with three surnames come from?"
"I understand this."
Wang Zhi took over the conversation, "You are originally surnamed Ji, but you followed our master, making it two surnames, and when the master gets old, you privately connect with the Crown Prince, becoming a part of the Crown Prince Faction. But later, when you realize the situation is not in your favor, you bet on the old Emperor. If it weren't for the fact that both the Crown Prince and the old Emperor share the surname Cao, you would be a household slave serving four surnames!"
"Heh, an interesting way of putting it."
What everyone absolutely did not expect was that, despite such humiliation, Ji's face did not betray the slightest hint of anger. Instead, he reached out and patted the shoulder of the person in the White Robe, saying, "Junior brother, congratulations. I have spent half my life in the military and am barely a martial marquis, yet you have become the Duke Wei. This time going to the Capital City, you will even be entering the Cabinet to assist in state affairs, a truly eminent ministerial position.
"Today, I came to tell you to prepare well in the next few days, as I will personally accompany you to the Capital City. Then we can go and catch up with our fourth brother; it's been a while since we saw him."
Upon hearing this.
All the senior brothers and sisters were furious!
"Ji!"
Rong Yanqiu quietly produced an Iron Thorns Whip in her hand, "Don't push it too far."
The meaning behind the eldest brother's words.
Contained two implications.
Firstly, he clearly indicated he would side with the court.
Secondly, he used their fourth brother, Fang Qingyun, who was still in the Capital City, as a hostage to pressure them.
"Big brother, you've gone too far."
Ye Fengxiu's sword in his embrace buzzed, "I can understand not helping, but as fellow disciples, isn't it going too far to actually sell out for the court?"
"Enough talk!"
"Household slave with three surnames, prepare to die—"
The fifth brother Meng Guangxin was the first to take action, with the power of his Crescent Moon Spade surging like the ocean.
The seventh brother Ye Fengxiu suddenly drew his sword.
