In the prefect’s palace of Dongyuan Prefecture…
“Young Master Yicheng, news has come from the Divine Capital. The new prefect has been decided—it’s Lin Yun, the former martial examination champion of our Dongyuan Prefecture,” a general reported.
“What? Lin Yun! Are you joking? How is that possible!” Yicheng exclaimed, stunned.
Yicheng, the son of the previous prefect, had once clashed with Lin Yun and was well acquainted with him.
“Young Master Yicheng, I’m not joking. Here’s the official document,” the general said, handing over a scroll.
After reading it, Yicheng’s hands trembled, and the document slipped to the floor.
“How… how could it be him…” Yicheng’s face turned pale.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in golden armor entered from outside.
“Uncle Wu!” Yicheng called out hurriedly.
“Young Master Yicheng, what’s the matter?” the man asked.
“Uncle Wu, the appointment document for the new prefect has just arrived,” Yicheng said.
“I already know—it’s Lin Yun, who rose from our Dongyuan Prefecture’s martial examination,” the man replied.
This man, Wu Tong, was the Commander-in-Chief of Dongyuan Prefecture, overseeing its military affairs and commanding its million-strong city guard.
“Oh? The document just came, Uncle Wu. How did you know already?” Yicheng asked, surprised.
Wu Tong smiled. “The Chancellor sent word. He specifically instructed us to make things difficult for this Lin Yun—trip him up at every turn and create trouble so he can’t stay.”
Clearly, Wu Tong was a member of the Dongguo Party.
“That kid dared to offend the Chancellor? He really doesn’t know his place!” Yicheng’s gaze darkened.
“Exactly. He’s in for a rough time. When he arrives tomorrow, we’ll all give him the cold shoulder. He may be the prefect, but without us, he’s just an empty shell!” Wu Tong sneered.
“Great! With the Chancellor backing us, he’ll suffer miserably!” Yicheng nodded eagerly.
…
The next morning, in Dongyuan Prefecture’s city.
Though the prefecture had been chaotic lately, the city itself remained as safe as ever.
Rumors of the new prefect’s imminent arrival quickly spread through Dongyuan Prefecture.
At the Mo family estate, in the courtyard…
Mo Yangrong rushed in.
“Father, I just got word—the new prefect arrives tonight,” Mo Yangrong said.
“Oh? The new prefect is finally coming? What’s his background?” the Mo family head asked.
“I asked people at the prefect’s palace, but they don’t know who it is either—just that he’s been sent from the Divine Capital,” Mo Yangrong replied.
“No matter who it is, once he takes office, we must be the first to present lavish gifts and pay our respects. Our feud with the Zhu family is growing fiercer—we need to secure a good relationship with the new prefect and outdo the Zhu family in this!” the Mo family head said firmly.
“Right, right!” Mo Yangrong nodded repeatedly.
“So, this time, our gifts must be exceptional. Even if it costs us dearly, they have to outshine the Zhu family’s and everyone else’s. That way, we’ll leave a strong first impression on the new prefect—first impressions matter!” the Mo family head declared.
“Father, speaking of which, it’s all because of that Lin Yun. If he hadn’t crippled our family back then, the Zhu family wouldn’t have had the strength to challenge us!” Mo Yangrong gritted his teeth.
Hearing his son mention “Lin Yun,” the Mo family head’s anger flared too.
“Not finishing him off back then is my greatest regret!” he snarled.
Of course, they had no idea that the new prefect they were preparing to impress was the very Lin Yun they despised…
…
At the Zhu family estate…
The Zhu family had also received news of the new prefect’s arrival that day.
“Xu’er, get ready. We’ll prepare gifts and head to the prefect’s palace later to wait. When the new prefect arrives, we must build a good relationship,” the Zhu family head said.
“Alright, I’ll prepare right away,” Zhu Xu nodded eagerly.
Not just the Mo and Zhu families—other prominent clans within the prefecture’s city, upon hearing the news, also began preparing gifts to congratulate the new prefect.
Beyond the city, major families, powers, and sects outside the prefecture walls also learned of the new prefect’s impending arrival…
…
Ten-odd miles outside Dongyuan Prefecture’s city stood a teleportation array.
These arrays were built outside cities because defensive formations within the city walls would disrupt them. Thus, teleportation arrays were uniformly placed just beyond city limits, managed and guarded by the empire.
With a ripple in the array, Lin Yun, Huo Zhen, and Liang Yuan materialized atop it.
Lin Yun looked around.
“Dongyuan Prefecture—I, Lin Yun, am back. Who would’ve thought?”
When he’d left, he never imagined he’d return to Dongyuan Prefecture like this.
“I didn’t expect it either. I used to come here as an imperial envoy to oversee the prefecture’s martial exams—now I’m here to work,” Liang Yuan said with a wistful sigh.
“Lord Lin, something’s off. You’re taking office today—by protocol, the prefecture’s generals should be here to greet you. Yet there’s not a single one?” Huo Zhen scanned the area, noting only the soldiers guarding the array and no one else.
Liang Yuan chimed in, “Lord Huo’s right. This isn’t normal. Them not showing up is a blatant snub!”
He added, “This is deliberate. The Dongguo Party has a strong presence here—they’re giving us a show of defiance!”
“A show of defiance?” Lin Yun chuckled.
“Let’s go. We’ll head into the city and straight to the prefect’s palace.”
With that, Lin Yun led the way toward the city.
…
At the prefect’s palace in Dongyuan Prefecture’s city…
Lin Yun arrived at the entrance with Huo Zhen and Liang Yuan in tow.
The palace was grand and imposing, its sprawling grounds resembling a true palace.
“Who goes there?” a guard called out, stepping forward.
Huo Zhen strode up and barked, “Can’t you see Lord Lin’s prefect robes? The new prefect has arrived—show your respects!”
“Greetings, Prefect!”
The guards at the gate immediately saluted.
Lin Yun glanced at them, recognizing one in particular. When he’d first come here to meet the previous prefect, this very guard had blocked him and told him to scram.
The guard clearly remembered Lin Yun too.
“Prefect, I… I’ve offended you before. Please… please forgive my past ignorance,” the guard stammered, trembling with fear as he apologized.
He’d never dreamed that the man he’d once barred and berated would become the prefect of Dongyuan Prefecture!
