In this world, when cultivators fought, even if one side died, the other would do little more than loot the body.
They might cut off the head, but rarely would they whip the corpse back and forth like Mo Yunxuan had, let alone burn it to erase all evidence.
But Mo Yunxuan couldn't care less about that. Now that a Villain Protagonist had appeared, Children of Destiny would probably start popping up in droves, too.
If he ever fell out with them or came into conflict with them, a fight would be inevitable.
By ordering them to destroy the bodies in advance, he could also cut off any chance of a Child of Destiny he killed later being surrounded and hunted down.
The others were somewhat unaccustomed to Mo Yunxuan's behavior, but as they looked at Fang Liang's corpse, they still clasped their fists and obediently agreed.
Mo Yunxuan saw that everyone had agreed and nodded in satisfaction.
Then he looked at Fang Liang on the ground, followed by Gao Lan and Qiao Heng, and sighed inwardly:
What a pity. The Wei State Duke Mansion's clan rules stipulated that the Imperial Guard could only serve as an oversight body for the Imperial City Imperial Guard. They couldn't join its ranks and become commanders.
Otherwise, either Gao Lan or Qiao Heng would have been capable of serving as Commander of Left Wei Guard.
As for choosing a general from the Left and Right Xiao Guards to serve as Commander of Left Wei Guard, Mo Yunxuan hadn't considered it.
Although he didn't understand what it meant to form cliques in private, or how one went about it,
he could at least prevent one faction from controlling the troops of two guards.
Mo Yunxuan pondered for a moment, swept his gaze around the room, then fixed it on the generals of Left Wei Guard.
Seeing how uneasy they looked, he spoke in a gentle tone. "Fang Liang acted on his own. His conduct has nothing to do with the other generals of Left Wei Guard."
Hearing Mo Yunxuan's words, the Left Wei Guard generals let out a long breath of relief and said in unison, "Thank you for your leniency, Duke."
Mo Yunxuan nodded, returned to the seat of honor, and continued:
"I hereby order the position of Commander of Left Wei Guard to remain vacant for the time being. Someone will take over in a month, and I will decide on the candidate myself."
At his words, Chen Wei and Zhang Tong exchanged a glance, then both raised their eyebrows at Meng Qianxue.
Seeing them act in perfect sync, Meng Qianxue really wanted to skewer them both on a spear like candied hawthorns, but could only sigh helplessly.
It couldn't be helped. Mo Yunxuan's behavior just now had been a little scary, and no one dared make a move.
Among the generals present, only she was close enough to Mo Yunxuan. If she didn't speak up, no one else would dare ask a question.
Thinking of this, Meng Qianxue sighed again and stepped forward to suggest, "Duke, should we choose the next Commander of Left Wei Guard from the Left and Right Xiao Guards?"
Mo Yunxuan had noticed the three of them making their little gestures long ago—or rather, none of them had made any effort to hide it from him.
But he didn't pursue the matter. At least from what he'd seen, their competition for military posts was still fair and aboveboard.
None of them had resorted to underhanded tricks over a military post, much less tried to eliminate the other candidates.
That was a relief to Mo Yunxuan. Still, he was famous for being stubborn about certain things.
Once he decided he wouldn't do something, even the people closest to him couldn't change his mind.
Just like this matter of choosing a candidate. Even Meng Qianxue, his dashing fiancée, couldn't sway him.
...That's right! She couldn't!
"Ahem..."
Mo Yunxuan cleared his throat, shook his head, and rejected Meng Qianxue's suggestion. "I already have someone in mind for Commander of Left Wei Guard. He'll take up the post in a month."
Meng Qianxue didn't mind being turned down; she'd only been put forward by the others.
Chen Wei and Zhang Tong, however, felt a little sorry for the men under their command. There were only so many posts as commander, and a vacant one was a rare opportunity.
The generals from the Left and Right Xiao Guards who were at the middle stage of Spirit Transformation were a little disappointed, but only a little.
After all, pay and benefits in the Imperial City Imperial Guard depended on cultivation first and military rank second.
They weren't after the extra resources that came with becoming a commander. They just wanted the title so they could brag to their fellow officers.
Just think how full of himself Fang Liang used to be. They wanted to see what it felt like, too! A pity the Duke already had someone in mind.
Mo Yunxuan took in everyone's expressions. He was a little surprised, but didn't comment.
Instead, he changed the subject. "Now that this has happened to Fang Liang, the rest of you in Left Wei Guard need to stabilize the situation."
As the generals assented one after another, Mo Yunxuan looked at the three of them and spoke earnestly:
"Let's push back the scheduled inspection and roster check by the Imperial Guard to a month from now. We'll do it once the new Commander of Left Wei Guard has taken office."
The three had no objections. It was only a roster check, and the Imperial City Imperial Guard had never falsified anything of the sort. They had nothing to fear.
Seeing them agree, Mo Yunxuan waved a hand. "All right, that's the meeting. Go take care of your own business."
Now that everything had been discussed, everyone could go their separate ways. Mo Yunxuan had no desire to hang around with a bunch of rough men.
At Mo Yunxuan's dismissal, the generals—including Chen Wei and Zhang Tong—filed out of the Council Hall, leaving only Mo Yunxuan and Meng Qianxue behind.
Mo Yunxuan looked Meng Qianxue up and down. Unlike the other generals, she wasn't wearing armor.
She wore an Apricot Hooded Armor over a dress that resembled a Silver-Gray Flying Fish Robe.
The simple, understated colors only made her look more striking.
Under Mo Yunxuan's undisguised gaze, Meng Qianxue's chin, which had been held high so naturally,
slowly drooped, as if its support had vanished, tucking toward her chest as her cheeks and earlobes gradually turned pink.
After some time had passed and Meng Qianxue had calmed down, she began to wonder: Why wasn't Yunxuan doing anything?
With that question in mind, Meng Qianxue sneaked a glance at Mo Yunxuan and saw that he was ignoring her and staring off into space by himself.
Her stubborn streak flared up at once. Her eyes turned fierce, and she quietly crept over to Mo Yunxuan, extended a slender finger, and pinched his waist.
Mo Yunxuan felt a sharp pang of pain and sprang to his feet, shouting over and over, "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"
Only after the soft flesh at his waist escaped the clutches of her fingers did Mo Yunxuan realize who was responsible for his pain.
He shot the smug Meng Qianxue a disgruntled look. "Qianxue, why did you pinch me?"
At his words, Meng Qianxue raised her little hand again, mimed pinching him, and gave it a clockwise twist.
Mo Yunxuan's mouth twitched, but he didn't complain again.
Seeing him obediently admit defeat, Meng Qianxue nodded in satisfaction.
Remembering his question from earlier, she turned around with an annoyed expression and snorted:
"Hmph! You stood there ignoring me the whole time. You brought this on yourself."
Looking at Meng Qianxue pretending to be angry, Mo Yunxuan suddenly felt that his waist didn't hurt quite as much.
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