When Ye Zhen returned safely to Princess Changle's Residence, quite a few people, openly or secretly, breathed a sigh of relief.
At certain times, the hidden fangs of the Great Zhou Heavenly Patrol Division, that violent institution, were even more terrifying than the exposed ones.
Perhaps Eunuch Di had spread word, or perhaps it was because of Marquis Chiping Gu Chunzhi's affair, but fewer princes and nobles came looking to stuff people under Ye Zhen's command.
But to avoid trouble, Ye Zhen decided to cut through the mess with a sharp blade.
The longer this sort of matter dragged on, the more people would set their sights on it, and the more unnecessary trouble they would cause Ye Zhen.
Thus, Ye Zhen planned to determine the ranks of those additional military posts by strength.
Naturally, Ye Zhen did not need to involve himself in everything. He handed many matters, including challenges for lower-ranking military posts, over to Gu Tieqi to oversee.
Ye Zhen himself seized every moment he could to cultivate.
Strength—in the Primordial Continent, strength was not everything, but without strength, one could do nothing at all.
Yet even cultivation could not bring Ye Zhen peace of mind.
It was not because trouble had come knocking, but because a few stray remarks Ye Zhen overheard made him feel as though his lungs were about to explode with rage.
"Hey, Old Wang, have you heard about Marquis Anling?
"It's been spreading all over Luoyi lately. That bastard Marquis Anling actually went insane and slaughtered over a million Bozhou civilians for a blood sacrifice. He even drove the Bozhou Governor to commit suicide and launch a Soul Memorial before the matter reached the imperial ears!
"I heard His Majesty was furious. Marquis Anling is going to be in deep trouble, isn't