The Xu Family's crisis, because of Xu Yan's formidable appearance and his display of inhuman strength, had forced Xu Junhe to consider what came next.
Cooperate with the Tianmu Cult and rebel together?
Xu Junhe dismissed the idea. The Tianmu Cult could never succeed in its rebellion—they possessed none of the advantages of timing, terrain, or popular support.
There was no need to have his son act on behalf of others.
The Tianmu Cult was not worthy!
Moreover, there was an even more crucial reason: Xu Junhe understood his son.
Xu Yan was obsessed with the martial arts of legends and fictional stories. Now that he had truly achieved something through cultivation, he would inevitably devote even more of his thoughts to martial cultivation.
A rebellion would have a tremendous impact and inevitably bring countless trivial affairs that required Xu Yan's attention. That would delay his martial cultivation, and it was not the life Xu Yan wanted.
Naturally, Xu Junhe did not want his son to be entangled in mundane affairs either.
Therefore, the trouble triggered by the Princes' Succession Struggle originated in the Capital City, Jin'an. Xu Yan needed to make a trip there and resolve everything once and for all.
Suddenly, a long whistle rang out from the direction of the Prefect of Donghe Commandery's office.
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery abruptly turned his head, his expression changing again and again. Had the Prefectural Office of Donghe Commandery fallen?
Kou Ruozhi smiled and cupped his hands toward Xu Junhe. "The Prefectural Office of Donghe Commandery is already under the control of my Tianmu Cult. From today onward, I, Kou Ruozhi, am the Prefect of Donghe Commandery."
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery's expression changed drastically. He stared at Kou Ruozhi in horror and cried out, "You even infiltrated the prefectural office?"
Kou Ruozhi shook his feather fan and gave a cold laugh. "You useless fools are only employed by that muddleheaded old man, the Qi Emperor. I, Kou, merely used a few tricks."
Looking down at the Prefect of Donghe Commandery, he continued, "You wanted to catch turtles in a jar. Little did you know, we were waiting for this opportunity too."
At that moment, dense footsteps came from the street. A large group of soldiers surrounded them, and their leader was actually the Commander of Donghe Commandery!
"My lord, the rebels have been captured."
The Commander of Donghe Commandery came before Kou Ruozhi and saluted.
He waved a hand behind him, and an attendant came over carrying a set of official robes.
They were the official robes of the Prefect of Donghe Commandery.
Kou Ruozhi put on the official robes, then took out a thin mask and placed it over his face. In that instant, his features became eighty to ninety percent similar to those of the Prefect of Donghe Commandery.
"Take these Tianmu Cult traitors who impersonated soldiers and throw them into prison to await punishment!"
Kou Ruozhi issued the order.
His voice was almost identical to the Prefect of Donghe Commandery's.
Thud!
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery fell to the ground in horror. He stared at Kou Ruozhi in shock and blurted, "You intend to impersonate me?"
"Why not?"
Kou Ruozhi chuckled.
The people brought by the Commander of Donghe Commandery had already disarmed and bound all the injured soldiers who had fallen and could no longer fight. They were now escorting them away.
"Give our esteemed Prefect a change of clothes and a new face."
Kou Ruozhi gave the order.
One of the Tianmu Cult experts stepped forward, directly stripped the Prefect of Donghe Commandery of his official robes, changed him into another outfit, and put a mask over his face.
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery now had the appearance of one of the Tianmu Cult's experts.
"Landlord Xu, what do you think?"
Kou Ruozhi wore a hint of smugness.
"Excellent technique!"
Xu Junhe praised him.
"Landlord Xu, what about our cooperation?"
Kou Ruozhi asked with a smile.
"We can discuss cooperation once you are capable of completely controlling Donghe Commandery."
Xu Junhe spoke calmly.
"Then, Landlord Xu, just wait and see!"
Kou Ruozhi strode outside.
Even his walking posture was almost identical to that of the Prefect of Donghe Commandery.
Clearly, he had been secretly imitating the Prefect of Donghe Commandery for a long time.
The Tianmu Cult had even infiltrated the commandery offices. Kou Ruozhi's methods were truly no simple matter.
"Take them all away. Don't disturb Landlord Xu!"
Kou Ruozhi waved his hand.
The Prefect of Donghe Commandery was held captive by one of the Tianmu Cult's experts. His face was pale, but he merely gave a cold laugh and said, "The Tianmu Cult will never amount to anything. Xu Junhe, you must be cautious!"
"No need to trouble yourself, my lord!"
Xu Junhe cupped his hands and spoke calmly.
All the injured soldiers were taken away, and even the bloodstains on the ground were cleaned up.
By then, the sky had begun to brighten.
"Father, should we rebel?"
Xu Yan asked.
He was extremely displeased with that old fool, the Qi Emperor.
"Your maternal grandfather's entire family is in the Capital City. What will happen if we rebel? If we kill the Qi Emperor, can we bring them back to life?"
Xu Junhe looked at his son and spoke calmly.
"Then should I make a trip to the Capital City now?"
Xu Yan thought about it and felt that his father made sense.
If news of the rebellion reached the Capital City, his maternal grandfather's entire family would certainly be killed.
The journey was far too long. He was afraid he would not make it in time to save them.
"Husband, what should we do now?"
Madam Xu wore a worried expression.
"Yan'er, tell Father honestly. How strong are you? If the Divine Might Army were mobilized, could you withstand them?"
Xu Junhe asked in a deep voice.
He had to know his son's strength before he could make an accurate judgment about what to do next.
At those words, Xu Yan patted his chest and said, "Even if a hundred thousand soldiers came for me, I could come and go freely. I could crush the army alone without much trouble!"
"Really?"
Xu Junhe was deeply shocked.
"Of course!"
Xu Yan lifted his head and spoke proudly. "Father, although I have only just entered the martial path, my strength is already beyond the measure of mortal power."
"That is good, then!"
Xu Junhe felt relieved.
His foolish son might truly have been blessed by his foolishness. Who would have thought he had actually cultivated such powerful martial arts?
After pacing back and forth several times, Xu Junhe said, "Although Kou Ruozhi has seized control of the commandery office, how could taking Donghe Commandery be so easy?
"The Prefect of Donghe Commandery is merely a sacrificial pawn. The Qi Kingdom intends to wipe out the Tianmu Cult within Donghe Commandery.
"The operation against my Xu Family is merely bait. It is also an operation by the First Prince's faction to earn merit and consolidate the First Prince's position."
Xu Junhe had been able to rise from humble beginnings, marry the daughter of the former Prefect of Donghe Commandery and the current Minister of Personnel, and possess enormous wealth. He was clearly no ordinary man.
At that moment, he analyzed the situation and what would happen next.
"If nothing unexpected occurs, the Great General of Donghe's Manor and Jiang Pingshan should be about to act.
"Kou Ruozhi and the others are turtles in a jar. The true storm is about to arrive."
Xu Junhe's expression grew solemn. "Yan'er, defeat Jiang Pingshan's army and reveal your godlike strength. Also, after defeating Jiang Pingshan's army, do not let Kou Ruozhi and the others from the Tianmu Cult take advantage of the situation...
"Jiang Pingshan cannot die!"
After a pause, Xu Junhe continued, "My Xu Family calls the shots in Donghe Commandery. After this battle, the Qi Emperor in the Capital City should know what to do.
"Yan'er, make a trip to the Capital City then and help your maternal grandfather intimidate the imperial family and the court officials."
Xu Yan nodded. "Father, I know what to do."
Then he raised his head and asked, "Father, do you want to become emperor?"
Xu Junhe froze, then shook his head with a laugh. "I am a merchant. I will be satisfied with possessing Donghe Commandery. Why would I become emperor? It is too exhausting."
Now that his son had cultivated incomparably powerful martial arts and surpassed the mortal realm, Xu Junhe's horizons should rise a little as well. What was so appealing about being a mortal emperor?
A brilliant smile spread across Xu Junhe's face. Who did not want to become a martial artist with divine powers, like those in legendary stories?
Let me clarify something: I will not have Xu Yan become bound to the Tianmu Cult. Besides, Xu Yan is a native of this world, so shouldn't he handle the Xu Family's affairs from a native's perspective rather than that of a transmigrator? Of course, I also will not suppress Xu Yan. The methods will simply be different, and this will leave the protagonist some room to teach his disciple how to handle certain matters...
Before you continue