Da Xuan Martial Saint

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"Master."

The new little maid was fetching water when she saw Chen Mu entering the inner courtyard and timidly greeted him with a bow.

"Big Brother Mu."

Wang Ni rushed out with a joyful face.

The addition of a little maid in the house had naturally elevated her status, making her the senior maid. In the future, if the house became bigger and there were more people in the courtyard, her status would rise step by step.

Although Wang Ni was only eleven years old now, she had gradually come to understand these things. A term of endearment like "Big Brother Mu" was something that only she could uniquely call out in this courtyard.

"Ni'er has grown taller again."

Chen Mu patted Wang Ni's head with a gentle smile.

Speaking of which, Wang Ni had changed quite a lot over the year. After enjoying good food and clothing, she had slowly started to blossom and now had a touch of delicacy in her appearance. However, looking at her current growth rate, she probably wouldn't grow as tall as Chen Yue.

Because of her martial arts training, Chen Yue practiced the Golden Jade Skin Toughening Technique, which did not harm the skin and maintained an abundance of Qi-Blood. Although she was not yet sixteen years old, she already completely looked like a young lady, and even if she might not grow into the same level of beauty as Xu Hongyu, she would be comparable to a young lotus.

Now a man of much experience, Chen Mu still found Xu Hongyu to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen thus far. On one hand, she was a legitimate descendant of a great family, born into luxury, and on the other hand, she showed talent in martial arts and Internal Cultivation, possessing abundant Qi-Blood and supple muscles and tendons. It could be said that she was outstanding in every aspect.

It's not that all daughters of rich families are beautiful, nor that all female martial artists are stunning. But the most exquisite among them tend to come from these groups.

Moving to a new residence hadn't changed Chen Mu's daily routines.

It was still eating, practicing, until nightfall.

His skills and Internal Cultivation Method were currently in a rapid phase of advancement. Ever since acquiring the system panel, he had not slacked for a single day in his practice. It could be said that his current level owed much to his own hard work; the system panel merely acted as a minor catalyst that prompted a 'qualitative change' from these efforts.

...

The following day.

Chen Mu rose early as usual, practiced with his saber, and then headed to the City Defense Division.

Liu Song and Li Tie had been waiting in his Hall Office from early on, and after respectfully greeting him, they each reported on the information they had previously gathered about the Zheng Family and the Flowing Sand Gang.

After listening for a while, Chen Mu let out a soft "Heh" and said, "It seems the Zheng Family really treats Wutong Grove District as their own backyard."

Normally, one would expect the gang forces, mingling good and evil, to be more vicious, but according to the reports from Liu Song and Li Tie, the Zheng Family's deeds were far worse than the Flowing Sand Gang.

There were matters like killing people in the streets and abducting young women that went without saying, and the Zheng Family's regular behaviors included forcibly seizing properties and acting with complete impunity, which were almost staples of their existence.

The former Prefecture Chief Xu Feng hadn't ignored these issues but was powerless to address them.

On one hand, the Zheng Family had extensive assets and power; even if he assembled all three divisions of the City Defense Division, they would still struggle against the Zheng Family's dozens of martial masters and hundreds of house servants. Furthermore, the Zheng Family's roots in Wutong Grove District were deep, their influence complex.

They had close ties not only with the Flowing Sand Gang but also with the Nan Family. Mishandling the situation could lead to being trapped in an unmanageable predicament.

The saying "civilians should not quarrel with officials" refers to commoners without any background or power. For a family like the Zhengs, with their tangled power and background in the Inner City, they did not count as "civilians" and had no fear of the City Defense Division. Thus, they were unafraid and brazen in their local dominance.

Even more so.

Among the information Liu Song had gathered were some other illicit activities.

For instance, the unauthorized sale of medicinal materials and the clandestine suspicion of storing crossbow bolts and armor, these two issues were likely not unfounded rumors.

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The Da Xuan Dynasty Court maintained strict control over medicinal herbs, especially those needed for practicing martial arts and various materials from demonic creatures, which were often strictly prohibited from being traded privately.

For instance, the materials required for martial arts practice produced in Yu City, especially those involving demonic creatures, were mainly first handed over to the hunters and herbalists, and then to the Commander-in-chief outside the city, who in turn delivered them to the Inner City Medicine Bureau before they were distributed throughout the city.

It could be said that,

during the heyday of the Da Xuan Dynasty Court, the martial power of the common folk was very scarce, after all, the resources they needed were essentially controlled by the court.

But now things were different, although in name, the business of martial arts-related medicinal herbs was still prohibited by the court from private trading, that was only in name. In reality, the business of medicinal herbs in Yu City was actually controlled by the Xie Family of the Inner City.

Because Yu City's Commander-in-chief, whose position was second only to the City Lord, was this generation's family head of the Xie Family, including almost all the forces within the Inner City Medicine Bureau.

However...

The business of medicinal herbs involved too many interests, and many resources were fundamental to martial artists, so the Xie Family couldn't fully control everything, just like the City Lord who controlled the critical part of the 'Tendon Changing Pill.'

Other families also had their own channels to obtain some medicinal materials directly from outside the city.

As for hidden crossbow bolts, armor... there was no need to mention those, as such imperial prohibitions were essentially dead in name only, and in reality, many of the court's orders no longer reached down to the level of Yu City, and naturally no one bothered about these matters.

"Go call for Shang Qinglai and Zhang Tong."

Chen Mu thought for a moment and instructed Liu Song.

Although the Zheng Family had great influence, the previous Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove City Defense Division was Xu Feng. He couldn't handle the Zheng Family, but he had thoroughly organized the inside of the City Defense Division. At least the seven Head Constables were basically Xu Feng's own people.

Of course, now that Xu Feng had retired, some of the Head Constables might have been bought by other powers, but Chen Mu didn't care. He had no interest in playing this kind of house game with the various families.

Soon.

Shang Qinglai and Zhang Tong arrived at the Hall Office.

"From now on, during the morning and evening shift change, the three groups of soldiers in the City Defense Division will, as usual, practice for an hour, starting today,"

Chen Mu issued an exceptionally simple order.

The City Defense Division oversaw hundreds of constables, and daily practice was quite common, but in practice, whether it was the Ninth District City Defense Division or the Wutong Grove side, they seldom practiced as a matter of routine, often not even once a month.

Plainly put, practicing troops required Silver Coin. From Prefecture Chiefs down to Head Constables, everyone would skim off as much of the stipend as they could, unwilling to spend extra Silver Coin on the constables below, after all, even if they trained hundreds of skilled soldiers, those were not their own private troops.

With that Silver Coin, it was better to keep it for themselves.

"Yes."

Shang Qinglai and Zhang Tong bowed and answered, then exchanged a glance with each other.

Although somewhat surprised in their minds, they didn't find Chen Mu's order strange. As the saying goes, a new official will make changes on taking office; as the new Prefecture Chief, if he made no moves after assuming office, that would be quite bizarre.

Practicing the constables was a common occurrence, starting with a great momentum for a few months and displaying an imposing manner was normal.

"Go."

Chen Mu waved his hand, dismissing the two.