Da Xuan Martial Saint

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He sighed.

"Although I don't want to disturb the elder, this matter indeed has to be reported. How to handle it can only be decided by him. It's not something I can decide anymore."

...

Yu Family.

Ancient Courtyard.

This is located at the farthest eastern side of Yu Family's residence, a very tranquil and elegant place. It spans a wide area but is devoid of towering pavilions, housing only small cottages scattered within.

In the courtyard, there are rockeries and ponds, almost like an enlarged version of Xu Hongyu's yard, but it lacked that girlish boudoir charm, exuding more of a serene and understated elegance.

By the pond.

There was an old man with white hair and beard, fishing.

Though his hair suggested he was at least in his seventies or eighties, his face was devoid of any wrinkles, and he had a complexion glowing with health, looking like the 'crane-haired but youthful-faced' immortals from legends.

He was indeed the previous head of the Yu Family who once served as a steward for the Seven Profound Sect—the foremost figure from the earlier generation of the Yu Family.

Yu Jiujiang.

It seemed like he was fishing, yet the fish hook at the end of his line was straight and bare, without any bait. Nevertheless, the fish in the pond kept circling around the hook as if it were irresistible to them, displaying a closeness that was extraordinary.

The whole man seemed to blend as one with the pond, even the straight hook, fishing line, and the entire fishing rod seemed to be a part of the water, as if they were an extension of the water springing forth.

Suddenly.

Someone entered the courtyard, approaching Yu Jiujiang from behind with the utmost respect. They stopped roughly ten feet away, whispered something, and then bowed and backed away.

In the silence, a ripple spread across the pond, and the fishing line in the water swayed gently.

Whoosh!

The fishing rod jerked, pulling up the line and hook, revealing no fish on the bare hook but a clear cluster of pond water enshrouded around it. As the water swirled, it transformed into the form of a brocaded carp, which wriggled a few times before plopping back into the pond, merging into the water, and disappearing into ordinary clear water once more.

Yu Jiujiang slowly reeled in his fishing rod, gazing at the pond's surface, a flicker of pleasure in his eyes.

"Chen Mu..."

"Wind-Thunder Artistic Conception, cross training in Bone Tempering..."

"After Yichuan's passing, I thought the Yu Family would hardly encounter such destiny again. I did not expect that, although you are no longer with us, the girl you left behind, Hongyu, still brings good fortune to our family. Before I return to dust, there is finally something to look forward to."

The Ancient Courtyard was usually undisturbed.

Trivial matters were seldom reported to him.

However, Hongyu's prospective marriage had indeed been reported to him not long ago, along with some information about Chen Mu. At that time, it seemed that Chen Mu was indeed a suitable match for Hongyu, but now, it's no longer about being suitable.

The fate of the entire Yu Family might very well rest on Chen Mu's shoulders. Moreover, Chen Mu's natural talent and potential are even higher than Xu Yichuan's once were. If he were to join the Seven Profound Sect, he might even compete for the position of a true disciple. The likelihood of him stepping into the Five Viscera Realm in the future is also very high.

As for him now.

He sat withered by the pond.

Guarding his vital energy tightly with the Turtle Breathing Technique, preserving it from loss.

```

But he was ultimately too old, having reached the twilight years of his life at ninety-two. Even as a person of the Five Viscera Realm, he couldn't resist the turn of the heavens and the earth, the withering and perishing.

Even if he exerted himself to the fullest, reducing the loss of his vital energy to the minimum and persevering with the Turtle Breathing Technique, he could at most maintain his strength for another two or three years. Once he could no longer preserve his vital energy, he would rapidly decline.

"We must hurry."

Yu Jiujiang murmured softly.

The maintenance of this strength for two or three years was contingent on him not engaging in combat. With his current condition, once he fought with someone, the intense depletion that would follow meant that the time he could maintain his strength would be even shorter.

And once these two or three years passed, all that would remain of him was some semblance of deterring power.

Given Chen Mu's talent and aptitude, he was able to reach the Bone Tempering Realm in just a few short years. It was almost certain he would be able to step into the Five Viscera Realm in the future, but two or three years were just too brief. It was uncertain whether he would make it in time.

...

In the center of the Inner City.

Behind the City Lord's Mansion, a newly towering pavilion stood erect.

Passersby occasionally walked by, none daring to give the pavilion more than a fleeting glance. Even with a brief sweep of peripheral vision, their eyes revealed deep reverence, deeper even than when gazing at the City Lord's Mansion.

This was the Inspectorate.

Under the authority of the State Government Office, a significant figure, an Inspector himself, governed this place. His authority towered above all of Yu County's Yamen, holding the highest position of "overseeing a hundred offices, inspecting an entire county." Even Xue Huaikong, the current City Lord, had to submit to his jurisdiction.

However, since its establishment, the Inspectorate had not much interfered with the original order of Yu City. Its staff were mostly concerned with consolidating the intelligence departments of various Yamen in Yu County. All the intelligence information from every Yamen in Yu County had to pass through the Inspectorate before it was operational within each Yamen.

This was, after all, the Inspectorate's duty.

But in reality, everybody understood that the Inspectorate was more focused on the Four Great Sects: Heavenly Sword, Hehuan, Blood Concealment, and Mysterious Heavenly Sect.

On the top floor of the Inspectorate was a small pavilion. A figure clad in white robes, appearing young with a scroll in hand as if a scholar, stood at the edge of the terrace, his gaze overlooking various Yamen in the Inner City.

Only one person in the entirety of Yu County could stand here so serenely,

The Yu State Inspector.

The white-clothed scholar, Yan Jingqing.

"My lord."

Suddenly a voice came from behind, "There is a report."

Yan Jingqing stood calmly. Upon hearing the report from behind, a slight ripple touched his serene eyes. He slowly turned around to look at his subordinate, his expression pensive.

"Chen...Mu?"

"There is such a talent in Yu County. The past selection by Seven Profound Sect was indeed problematic; such a person could be lost outside. But since he is a member of the Yu Family and serves in the Demon-Slaying Office, it can't be considered a loss. It's just that the He Family and Yu Family..."

Yan Jingqing shook his head slightly.

The enmity between the He Family and Yu Family was long-standing, originating within the Seven Profound Sect itself. He had little contact with the two families and thus no interest in intervening.

After all, compared to the behemoth families with complex networks and even Elder-level backgrounds in the Sect that stood tall within the State Government Office, the He Family and Yu Family were merely local powerhouses in Yu County and did not count for much in the grand scheme of Yu State.

In any case, his visit to Yu County this time was twofold: to control the situation in Yu County, contain the Four Great Sects, and also to scout for talent. Although Chen Mu's age was not suitable to enter the Sect of Seven Profound, it made no difference whether he joined through the Demon-Slaying Office or the Inspectorate line of work.

After all, from the State Governor and Inspector down to the Prefectural Governor and Demon-Slaying Office, all were under the Seven Profound Sect's command in Yu State.

Only that Sect Disciples hold a more formal status.

As for Yan Jingqing, he was not born a Sect Disciple, but had risen through the ranks from the Demon-Slaying Office. His background, however, was not as humble as that of Chen Mu, who originated from the true insignificance of being the lowest-ranking clerk.