Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 46 The river bandits must be wiped out!

The carriage bumped slightly on the bluestone road. Inside the carriage, Chen Sheng closed his eyes and concentrated, repeatedly pondering the warning that had appeared on the Heavenly Book this morning.

"My name is Chen Sheng. When you see this, I will be filled with remorse... Because of the Seven Star Gang and Li Huaisheng's affair, the three major families finally understood Wu Kuang's determination and decided to make us pay the price. However, since Wu Kuang holds the position of county magistrate, they dare not act openly, so they resorted to a scheme to kill me with a borrowed knife."

They secretly colluded with the bandits of Qinglin River, deliberately creating trouble within Changshan territory, manipulating public opinion, and forcing the government to send troops to suppress the bandits. Under the pressure of public opinion, Lin Shou and County Lieutenant Wu were forced to make the decision to suppress the bandits in order to appease the people. I was also among the troops sent to suppress the bandits, but I never expected that Chu Yueshan, who had always kept a low profile and stayed out of it, would also be involved and set a trap to kill me.

In the end, although I managed to escape with only minor injuries thanks to my newly advanced Marrow Transformation cultivation, all my loyal brothers perished, resulting in heavy losses. The three major families seized the opportunity to exert pressure and gained the upper hand. If I had known this earlier, I would never have fallen into their trap, and I could even have used it to my advantage and profit from it. Unfortunately, in this world...

The sinister and murderous intent emanating from between the lines sends chills down one's spine.

The three families are truly relentless in their evil intentions. If one attack fails, their subsequent killing moves will follow like a persistent boil, and the slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin.

Before arriving at the county government office, he had already learned in detail from Yan Ming about the turmoil that had taken place in the city over the past two days.

Given the current situation, Wu Kuang's emergency summons was to be expected.

Even Wu Kuang himself probably didn't fully anticipate that the local powerful families, some officials, and that group of fierce river bandits had quietly colluded to form a deadly trap, willing to take huge risks to launch this thunderous counterattack.

Fortunately, he has now seized the opportunity.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Sheng's lips.

Now that he knows the other party's plan, he can make his move with ease and turn the tables. The three major families and Chu Yueshan want to take his life, and he also wants to take this opportunity to completely overthrow them.
He had long coveted the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Changshan County Armed Forces.

Previously, due to insufficient cultivation, he could only serve as the commander of the North City. Now that he has broken through to the Marrow Transformation Realm, he is naturally no longer the same person.

This position should be given to someone of virtue.

With a slight shift in his mind, his consciousness swept across the newly refreshed panel in his sea of ​​consciousness:

[Basic knife skills perfected (580/2000)]

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method Completed (5/2000)]

[Mastering the Secret Techniques of Toad Fishing (66/1000)]

[Mastery of the Three Ultimate Demon-Slaying Sword Techniques (156/1000)]

Seeing the significant changes in the cultivation techniques section, Chen Sheng was quite satisfied.

Clearly, breaking through to the Marrow Transformation Realm brought about an all-round improvement, among which the most significant change was in the "Toad Fishing Strength" secret technique.

This secret technique has always been difficult to cultivate. Without the aid of spiritual medicines such as the "Purifying Essence Pill", progress is extremely slow. However, this time, with the help of completely refining the essence of the Spirit Marrow Gu, his cultivation progress has increased rapidly in a short period of time.

As for the leap in "Basic Sword Techniques" and "Three Absolute Swords for Subduing Demons", Chen Sheng speculated that it was due to breaking through realms.

Once a martial artist reaches the "Marrow Transformation" stage, their control over their own power and their understanding of martial arts will leap to a completely new level, which is not an exaggeration to call "Transformation Realm".

His strength at this moment is vastly different from what it was before his breakthrough.

The only thing that slightly disappointed him was that this warning about "seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune" did not mention any treasures or opportunities that could quickly improve one's cultivation level.

The cultivation of the Marrow Transformation Realm is indeed far more difficult than imagined. Looking at the progress requirement of 2,000 points, one can understand why so many martial artists in the world are trapped in this realm for their entire lives, unable to make any progress.

……

"You've finally arrived! Please have a seat!"

Inside a side hall of the county government office, Wu Kuang immediately dismissed his attendants upon seeing Chen Sheng and eagerly invited him to sit down. He then solemnly recounted in detail the public outcry and merchants' petitions of the past two days, his words filled with worry.

Although Chen Sheng already knew the general situation from Yan Ming, he still cooperated by showing a solemn expression.

After Wu Kuang finished speaking, he remained silent for a moment before speaking in a deep voice:
"My lord, this matter is truly suspicious. Without the instigation and tacit approval of the three major families, those merchants would never have dared to so uniformly manipulate public opinion. This is an open conspiracy, and you must be wary!"

"How could I not know?"

Wu Kuang sighed, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously: "But now there is a great uproar in Changshan County. If the government does nothing, not only will it lose its prestige, but I'm afraid... people in the prefectural city will also have something to say about it."

He knew perfectly well that this was a carefully planned scheme by the three major families, aimed at drawing him and his forces into the quagmire of the Qinglin River bandits.

More importantly, when he first took office, the primary task assigned by the prefectural government was to eliminate the bandits of Qinglin River. In comparison, suppressing local powerful families was even a secondary task.

"Well... I don't have a perfect solution right now." Chen Sheng hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Wu Kuang waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of reliance:

"We share wealth and honor, and we will overcome calamities together. You need not be so reserved in front of me in the future. Speak your mind freely. I have called you here to hear your opinion."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and saying:
"Since Your Excellency has inquired, I will speak frankly. I believe that the suppression of bandits is imperative and cannot be avoided. However, the key is to distinguish between primary and secondary matters and to differentiate between urgent and non-urgent issues."

The most urgent task is to stabilize the internal situation and eliminate the threat of local powerful clans. Only then can we unite as one to focus all our efforts on suppressing the bandits. Otherwise, with internal constraints and powerful enemies from the outside, our efforts will inevitably fail.

He paused, then continued, “These powerful families have been entrenched here for a century, their influence is deep and entrenched. They have spies and cronies everywhere, in the county government, the military camp, and the various departments. If we don’t purge them first, we will be constrained and find it difficult to do anything.”

"I understand what you mean."

Wu Kuang frowned. “However, the matter of suppressing bandits is related to the people’s support and the emperor’s wishes. It cannot be delayed. Magistrate Lin has also urged us many times. If we delay any longer, I’m afraid… Moreover, the matter of purging them is also extremely difficult and cannot be done easily.”

Once the cleaning begins, it will essentially be a complete undertaking, and he's not confident about that yet.

"My lord has misunderstood."

Chen Sheng shook his head slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "What I mean is not that we should not suppress the bandits. We should not only suppress them, but also suppress them in a grand and vigorous manner!"
However, we cannot completely comply with their wishes. We can agree to suppress the bandits, but when to suppress them and how many troops to use are up to us.

At the same time, this opportunity can be used to coerce them and investigate the situation. If that doesn't work, a show of force will suffice. Of course, if a real opportunity arises, this feigned attack might just become a real one.

"A fake crackdown?"

Wu Kuang was taken aback, his face showing surprise: "A bluff, using this as an excuse to make money..."

He looked at Chen Sheng with some surprise, not expecting that this subordinate, who was known for his composure and pragmatism, had also learned this kind of hypocritical trick in officialdom.

"Your Majesty, it's clear."

Chen Sheng explained with a smile, breaking it down in detail: "Firstly, this move can be used as a pretext to raise military funds and fill the treasury, which is called 'collecting money'; secondly, it can be used to buy time. I have recently had some enlightenment in my cultivation, and I may be able to take advantage of this gap to make further progress in my cultivation. You can also take this opportunity to make arrangements for the future."

These three matters... provide a good opportunity to see clearly who in the military camp, and even within the county government, are loyal to the three major families and willing to act as their inside agents. At that time, the distinction between loyalty and treachery will be immediately apparent.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Asking for monthly ticket

(End of this chapter)