Dongyuan Prefecture.
Today was the day Shi Wen took office as the prefecture lord of Dongyuan Prefecture.
Inside the lord’s palace.
Zhao Hu, Meng Shan, and other Tribulation Realm commanders came to meet the new lord, Shi Wen.
“Greetings, Lord Shi,” they said, saluting him.
One by one, they introduced themselves.
After the introductions, Shi Wen looked at them and said, “Commanders, let me introduce the man beside me. This is Zhou Cheng, the new Chief Inspector of Dongyuan Prefecture, who will oversee the city guards.”
“Lord Zhou,” Zhao Hu and the other commanders saluted the hawk-nosed man beside Shi Wen.
Shi Wen, hands behind his back, said arrogantly, “Now, my first order: arrest all the mid- and high-level members of the Zhu family in the city!”
“What?” Zhao Hu and the other commanders’ faces changed upon hearing the order.
“Lord Prefecture Master, what crime has the Zhu family committed?” Zhao Hu couldn’t help but ask.
Shi Wen frowned. “Just follow the order. You don’t need to ask so many questions, understood?”
“Lord Shi, I’m sorry, but I can’t comply,” Zhao Hu said.
At those words, Shi Wen’s face darkened.
“And you other commanders? Can you comply?” Shi Wen looked at the rest.
The other commanders lowered their heads, silent.
“You’ve got some nerve! Daring to openly defy my orders? Do you believe I’ll have you executed right now?” Shi Wen’s voice thundered.
Zhao Hu and the others remained silent.
“Zhou Cheng, take men and arrest the Zhu family,” Shi Wen ordered, turning to his aide.
Hearing this, Zhao Hu raised his head. “Since Lord Shi is determined, let me lead the men to make the arrests.”
Shi Wen’s expression softened slightly. “That’s more like it. You all need to understand that Lin Yun is finished. If you’re smart, you’ll know who to serve. Opposing our Dongguo faction will lead to no good end!”
“Lord Shi, I’ll handle it now,” Zhao Hu said.
After Zhao Hu, Meng Shan, and the other commanders left, Zhou Cheng, standing beside Shi Wen, said, “Lord Shi, as far as I know, the families and sects in Dongyuan Prefecture are very united. Acting against the Zhu family directly might provoke a backlash from the others.”
Shi Wen stroked his beard, a confident smile on his face. “I, Shi Wen, am now the king of Dongyuan Prefecture. These families and sects will act in their own interests. They were loyal to Lin Yun because he was the prefecture lord. Now that I’m the lord, they’ll know what to do. Opposing me is opposing the empire itself!”
…
Three days later.
The divine capital.
Lin Yun was practicing his sword in the courtyard, the blade flashing.
At that moment, Huo Zhen rushed in.
“Big Brother, something big has happened!” Huo Zhen shouted as he ran.
“Something big? What’s going on?” Lin Yun lowered his sword and turned to Huo Zhen.
“Big Brother, there’s been a mutiny in Dongyuan Prefecture!” Huo Zhen said, catching his breath.
“What? A mutiny? What exactly happened?” Lin Yun was shocked.
Though he was no longer the prefecture lord, he still cared deeply about Dongyuan Prefecture.
“Big Brother, three days ago, Shi Wen took office as prefecture lord. His first move was to target the Zhu family to establish his authority. He sent the city guards to arrest them. The guards initially refused, but when Shi Wen threatened to send his own men, Commander Zhao Hu agreed to make the arrests,” Huo Zhen said.
“What?”
Lin Yun immediately asked, “He targeted the Zhu family because of my close ties with them, didn’t he? How is Patriarch Zhu now?”
“Most likely. After Zhao Hu arrested Patriarch Zhu, he detained him in the city guard camp, which is a form of indirect protection. Patriarch Zhu is not in mortal danger for now,” Huo Zhen said.
“But Shi Wen won’t let it go so easily, will he?” Lin Yun’s eyes narrowed.
“Big Brother, it’s not as simple as Shi Wen thinks. After learning of Patriarch Zhu’s arrest, the top hundred families and sects in Dongyuan Prefecture united quickly, gathering in the city to protest at the lord’s palace, demanding his release.”
“They entered the city? Shi Wen didn’t stop them?” Lin Yun asked, surprised.
“Shi Wen tried, but the city guards don’t follow his orders and didn’t stop them. The guards know Shi Wen is from the Dongguo faction, and they despise him,” Huo Zhen said.
The previous prefecture lord was also from the Dongguo faction, and the prefecture was riddled with their cliques and corruption, which the city guards resented.
Lin Yun had worked hard to purge the Dongguo faction from Dongyuan Prefecture, and no one wanted them to return.
Huo Zhen continued, “Without the city guards, Shi Wen and his men can’t control the situation. Before I came, I heard that large-scale protests have broken out across Dongyuan Prefecture, nearly paralyzing it.”
With the top hundred families and sects combined, they had dozens of Tribulation Realm cultivators. How could Shi Wen control them?
“I never imagined Dongyuan Prefecture would end up like this after I left,” Lin Yun said, stunned.
“Blame Shi Wen for trying to assert his authority right away. He completely underestimated how united the families and sects became under our leadership. He must be having a headache now,” Huo Zhen said with a laugh.
Lin Yun sneered. “It’s his fault for the terrible reputation the Dongguo faction has among the people and for being so arrogant. Did he think the prefecture lord position would be easy to hold?”
Lin Yun’s influence in Dongyuan Prefecture was immense, especially since he had united all the families and sects into a cohesive whole.
By targeting one, Shi Wen had effectively declared war on them all!
He had clearly underestimated this.
“Huo Zhen, keep me updated on any new developments,” Lin Yun said.
As a cripple, there was little he could do, but with such a major event, he wanted to stay informed.
“Got it, Big Brother,” Huo Zhen replied.
…
Dongyuan Prefecture, inside the lord’s palace.
“Shi Wen, release them!”
“Shi Wen, get out of Dongyuan!”
The deafening shouts from outside echoed into the palace.
In the main hall, Shi Wen paced restlessly.
“Damn it! How dare these bastards be so bold!” Shi Wen clenched his fists, furious.
As the new prefecture lord, being cornered by these families and sects, yet unable to act because he couldn’t command the city guards, how could he not be enraged?
He wanted to rush out and slaughter them, but he knew they had too many Tribulation Realm cultivators!
At that moment, his subordinate Zhou Cheng rushed in.
“Zhou Cheng, have you reported it?” Shi Wen asked urgently.
He had already requested aid from the empire, asking for troops to suppress the unrest. For Shi Wen, this was his only option.
Attacking a second-rank imperial prefecture lord was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations!
