Patrol Captain

The path to becoming a Martial Saint!
These are the conditions that the Holy Maiden of the Holy Church offered to the Demon-Suppressing General of Liangzhou!
As for whether the two reached some kind of agreement, Chen Yuan did not find out, but the attitude of the Northern Liang general at the end was obviously softened.

Chen Yuan was not without the utmost malice in his assumptions about others; the saintess must have had a grand scheme in mind for offering such conditions.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes.

Beneath the pavilion, Gongsun Yang's eyes gleamed. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and gave a gesture of respect.

"General, since that's the case, why not catch them red-handed and wipe out these two big fish in one fell swoop? I imagine that the Holy Maiden holds a high position in the Holy Sect. We can capture her alive, find out the sect's lair, and eliminate any future troubles!"

"And that general from Liangzhou can..."

Gongsun Yang frowned slightly and paused as he spoke.

Chen Yuan raised his hand, turned to the side, his eyes narrow and sharp, looking down at him with disdain.
"It doesn't matter!"

“Once exposed, such people will pose no threat to me. I have plenty of ways to make them regret being born. But arresting them directly would be too lenient. I want to see what kind of tricks they have up their sleeves.”

Gongsun Yang immediately understood and whispered, "General, are you planning to play the long game?"

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, "This heretical Taoist from the Western Regions is connected to the Northern Liang Royal Palace. It seems that this Demon Suppression General of Northern Liang is in cahoots with the Royal Palace."

"This matter involves a prince who guards the border and a general who is in charge of suppressing demons, two pillars of the court, hehe."

He chuckled, a meaningful laugh.

"Since it involves high-ranking officials of the imperial court, this matter should naturally be left to the imperial court to handle."

"Let's not waste our energy and just see how the court handles it."

Chen Yuan's words made Gongsun Yang's eyes light up, as if he had been enlightened.

He got stuck when he was thinking about what to do with the general after he directly captured the Northern Liang general, Huo.

After all, General Huo is an important official of the imperial court and a powerful regional governor. If the general had taken action just now, capturing him would not have been a problem. However, the subsequent handling would have been more troublesome.

If General Huo were to deny everything to the death, and our own general were to take action to kill him, it would only lead to gossip and trouble, since the Grand Preceptor Helian was still around.

The general's words enlightened him. Yes, he could simply hand the matter over to the imperial court, using their strength against them, thus saving himself the trouble.

As for whether the imperial court believes it or not, that depends on who said it!

"Go, go to Cloud Peak, request an audience with the Imperial Advisor, and convey my message."

"Yes!" Gongsun Yang obeyed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, then took a few steps back before turning around and quickly leaving.

Beneath the covered bridge pavilion, Chen Yuan turned sideways with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the clouds as he looked down at the foot of the Tenth Mountain, where the scene unfolded before his eyes.

His eyes narrowed into a sneer, then he raised one hand and snapped his fingers together.

The next second, his figure transformed into clouds and disappeared into the sea of ​​clouds over the covered bridge.

Not long after, in the side hall of the Sky Patrol Hall at Cloud Peak, Helian Shan, who had been in a good mood recently, sat upright in a chair, looking at Gongsun Yang, who was dressed in black armor and bowing with his hands clasped in worship, with a strange look in his eyes.

This was the first time someone from the Ninth Mountain had ever taken the initiative to request an audience with him!
Moreover, he recognized the man in front of him; he was one of Chen Yuan's bodyguards when they went to the capital. The last time he saw him was at Tianguan, but now he had reached the level of Musashi, quite a change.

Helian Shan observed them discreetly for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then, a slight smile appeared on his aged, wrinkled face, and he slowly spoke.
"I remember you. You accompanied Lord Chen when he came to the capital last year. Since that's the case, there's no need for formalities. Please get up!"

Helian Shan was all smiles, showing rare goodwill towards a mere Musashi. The reason was simple: the Ninth Mountain army had been causing quite a stir lately, with Chen Yuan, who was in charge, taking action everywhere, searching the mountains and subduing demons, which in turn deterred many petty villains. As a result, things had become much quieter in and around Chengdu recently, and even some of the old guys who had previously made headlines hadn't followed up.

Therefore, Helian Shan had been feeling much more at ease recently, and naturally treated Gongsun Yang, who came to visit, with unusual kindness.

After all, he could tell that the veteran general Lian Po was a trusted confidant who accompanied Chen Yuan to the capital, and that his visit was probably at Chen Yuan's behest.

"Thank you, sir!"

Gongsun Yang straightened his bowed body and stood with his hands at his sides.

"What brings you here to see me?" Helian Shan leaned forward slightly, one hand resting on the back of the main chair.

Gongsun Yang kept his eyes straight ahead and said, "I have come to see you on the orders of my general, and there is something I need to tell you."

Helian Shan thought to himself, "Just as I thought," and straightened his face. Since the incident with the Celestials almost caused a complete breakdown in their relationship, although things had eased somewhat during Qi Tian's attempt to become a Martial Saint and they were no longer at each other's throats, their relationship remained strained and they had no contact.

This time, Chen Yuan sent someone to see him and discuss matters, so Helian Shan had to show the proper attitude and became serious.

"What is it? Speak quickly!"

At the same time, he was also wondering what the other party wanted from him. This Lord Chen was currently killing a member of the Holy Sect from the Western Regions, and he thought it must be related to this.

I've heard that the Holy Sect is quite evil and is rampant among the barbarians in the Western Regions.

Facing Helian Shan's intense gaze, Gongsun Yang calmly and slowly recounted the instructions the general had given him.

This matter must be traced back to the year Jiazi.

Helian Shan listened to Gongsun Yang's account, starting from the feud with this cult and witnessing the methods of the cult's holy maiden. At first, he didn't think much of it, and even later, when he heard that the matter involved the prince of Beiliang who had entered Chengdu at that time, he only raised his eyebrows slightly.

Later, he heard the whole story of why Chen Yuan had been so furious during this period, and his expression suddenly became clear. Although he had secretly investigated most of the matter, he didn't know the details of some of the grudges and emotions involved. At this point, his expression remained relatively calm.

But then, Gongsun Yang changed the subject and said something that made Helian Shan's old eyes narrow suddenly. He put down his hand, straightened up in his chair, and his eyes were as sharp as knife points.

"really?"

"My general has arrived, and with his divine abilities, he has granted me permission to meet Lord Helian!" Gongsun Yang replied in a cold tone, backed by his general's endorsement.

Helian Shan's face, as white as old tree bark, showed no sign of losing his composure or changing color; instead, he appeared thoughtful, and his aura became deep and somber.

A demon-suppressing general is suspected of colluding with evil forces, including the Northern Liang royal family. He did not doubt the authenticity of this information.

Because Chen Yuan had no need to do that.

Having lived through three dynasties and witnessed countless storms, these events were not enough to shake his emotions. Moreover, the Northern Liang Royal Palace, this border royal court that had been hereditary for thousands of years, had long been estranged from the Dragon Court. He knew far more about the situation than Chen Yuan and Gongsun Yang.

It is widely known that the Northern Liang King's Mansion has three thousand retainers, many of whom are talented and virtuous. The Northern Liang King is known for his respect for talent and has left behind many admirable stories. It is also said that this wise king is skilled in both literature and military strategy, and his Northern Liang cavalry has subdued the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. If he were lucky, he would have a real chance to conquer the Central Plains.

Do they really think everyone in the court is a fool, unaware of this? Does the current Emperor Wu not know?
Knowing is one thing, but appearances must be maintained. The relationships involved are complex and involve too many interests to be explained in a few words.

Just like when Chen Yuan entered the capital alone last year, despite so many people in the court making trouble, he was still given the title of Imperial Inspector.

"Does your general mean to leave this matter to me?" Helian Shan's mood was somewhat unpleasant; he didn't want to take on this task. He actually hoped that General Chen would act decisively and take the responsibility himself, so that there would be checks and balances, saving the court some trouble.

But General Chen clearly saw through it all and passed the buck to him.

"The general said that this matter involves important officials of the court and is of great importance. It should be handed over to the court for a decision. Now that you are in charge of the governorship, it is up to you to make the decision!" Gongsun Yang conveyed his general's meaning meticulously.

Helian Shan listened and realized he had no reason to refuse.

His face was wrinkled, and he seemed to have aged somewhat. He sighed.

"What an eventful time it has been!"

"I will take responsibility for this matter, and I believe your general is also capable of making a decision!"

He waved his hand as he spoke.

Gongsun Yang clasped his hands in a fist salute, the clanging of his armor echoing as he left the hall.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts back thousands of miles away.

Qingshan County, about 30 li to the northwest.

On a low mountain several hundred feet high, a boy stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the surrounding mountains towards Qingshan County.

The boy had an unusual appearance, with a face like a full moon reflected in glass, exuding a compassionate Buddha-like aura, but a vertical eye was open between his eyebrows, with a blood-red pupil, making him look somewhat ferocious.

She wore a double bun on her head, a light blue robe with light gold lotus patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs, and wooden clogs on her bare feet.

"After all this time, it turns out that the Martial Saint General that Your Excellency was investigating had resigned from his post and returned to this remote place, causing me to eat several guys from the Ninth Mountain before I could get this little bit of information."

The boy's voice was very clear and crisp, with a pure and innocent tone, but the content of his words was tinged with a bloody stench.

The Asura race possesses a supernatural power: they can devour the flesh and blood of others and retrieve fragments of memories from those they have consumed.

This "person" was none other than one of the attendants of the holy monk from the Western Pure Land, who had been sent out a dozen days earlier to search for Chen Yuan's whereabouts. His name was Asura!
Despite his youthful appearance, he was actually an Asura, a powerful demon from the Dragon-Tiger Realm, who was forcibly converted by that holy monk.

Asura followed the Ninth Mountain army, which had come out of the mountains to search for demons, and tried to find Chen Yuan's whereabouts to complete the task assigned by the Venerable. However, he kept going around in circles until he secretly absorbed the memories of some of the Ninth Mountain army and finally made some progress.

Right now, he is looking in the direction of Qingshan County, using his innate divine ability, the Asura Demon Eye, to search for any trace of that Martial Saint.

So I can go back and report!
That compassionate and venerable one was not so easy to get along with.

However, no special atmosphere was detected in the skies above Qingshan County.

This made him frown, wondering whether he should personally go to that small human county.

However, through the memories of the Ninth Mountain army that he had devoured, he felt a sudden sense of dread and apprehension towards this human military strategist named Chen.

In the memories of some of the people from the Ninth Mountain that he had devoured, this Martial Saint of Military Strategists achieved his position by stepping over the corpses of thousands upon thousands of demons.

Among them are quite a few powerful demons!
Among these fragments of memory, he unexpectedly learned an interesting piece of information.

This martial saint surnamed Chen had killed a golden Gu eagle, which was also a great demon.

It recognized this guy; he seemed to be a disciple brought back from outside by the Golden-Winged Roc King, who was renowned throughout the Demon Kingdom and the Pure Land. His name was Moro!

This news is quite valuable.

If it takes this information back and sends a message back to the Demon Kingdom to inform that Peng King, with the Peng King's strength and status in the Pure Land, could it break free from the Western Arhat's confinement and gain its freedom?

Of course, the greater the chance of success, the more accurately one can locate the whereabouts of that martial saint surnamed Chen!
However, since this military strategist had so much demon blood on his hands, he was naturally wary. If he entered the city and was discovered by such a powerful being, he would lose his life there, which would be a great loss.

Therefore, he is only thinking about it for now, and only looking at it from afar through the magic eye.

He was still making plans in his mind!

Little did it know that Qingshan County, as Chen Yuan's base of operations, was filled with his spies and informants throughout its 800-mile territory.

His contracted demon had long been enfeoffed as the mountain god and earth deity of an area of ​​eight hundred miles, and all the birds and beasts in the mountains could become their eyes.

At this moment, it was in the nearby woods.

Whispers then broke out.

"A child has come from the north!"

"Not a child, me... I was scared the moment I saw them, they seemed like very powerful people."

“I saw it. The child opened one blood-red eye. Even from a distance, I felt terrified.”

"No normal child would look like this. Should we report this to an adult?"

Among these sounds were the grunting of pigs, the chirping of birds, and all sorts of animal language, communicating indiscriminately, creating quite a lively scene.

Meanwhile, in a small courtyard in Qingshan County, Chen Yuan heard someone reciting his real name in his mind.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his consciousness sank into the Niwan Palace (a point on the back of the head).

In the sea of ​​clouds, several people appeared in his Niwan (a point on his head).

However, they bear the marks of demonic transformation.

A burly man with a pig's nose, a woman with a seductive figure and cat ears.
It was in the Langdang Mountains that several contracted demons, recently free-ranged by Chen Yuan, were living a very fulfilling life.

"Sir, we've spotted a strange person on Little Elephant Peak, about thirty miles to the northwest. They're always looking towards Qingshan County, and they have one red eye!"

The demon explained the anomaly it had discovered.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow and said "Oh".

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the demons vanished, and his third eye opened between his brows, darting around to look in the northwest direction.

Soon, he located Asura at the coordinates of his contracted demons!
Then, Chen Yuan slightly opened his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes upwards.

It was a powerful demon! (End of Chapter)