Huangpi Circuit Pacification Commissioner

----more than a month later

Bai Canhong, who once dominated the Three Southwest Circuits, was much more docile than others imagined.

After receiving the imperial edict in Phoenix Cry Prefecture, the old cultivator led over a hundred disciples and the vast wealth accumulated by the Star-Picking Pavilion over the years to the capital to pay homage to Emperor of Wei.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Star-Picking Pavilion only has a small number of disciples, not even enough to fill a single flying boat. Yet, the fleet accompanying Bai Canhong this time is quite large.

On the day they left, these hundred-odd disciples were accompanied by a hundred and fifty flying boats of various ranks, almost covering half of Tengwen Prefecture. Even if all the disciples of the Star-Picking Pavilion were assigned to them, it would be difficult to control them.

In the end, Xiang Tianxing in and borrow a group of people from Myriad Treasures Trading Company before things could proceed.

Speaking of Myriad Treasures Trading Company, this company with a considerable background made a fortune from the beginning of the war in the southwest until it was granted amnesty by the Star-Picking Pavilion. It has always been able to make money honestly without being disturbed by outsiders, which is the envy of many.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, who had never relinquished his title of merchant, was envious. His Chongming Sect could also earn Spirit Stone while lying down, which was much more worthwhile than leading his disciples to risk their lives in battle.

However, everyone has their own destiny, and some things cannot be forced. Compared to those families who were wiped out and their lineages severed in the battle in the southwest, what does the loss of the Chongming Sect's few lives amount to?

At times, Sect Leader Kang Da is a content man.

He wasn't unaware that the barrier around Cold Crow Mountain was far less secure than he had heard since childhood, and that it might collapse at any moment.

The conflict between the legitimate and illegitimate sons of the Kuang Household did not seem as intense as others had expected. Moreover, the legitimate branch of the Kuang Household not only had some tacit understanding with the outer seas, but also seemed to have connections with the Li Mountain Lineage, which should have been their sworn enemies.

Furthermore, if the Ninth Prince has indeed attained the Nascent Soul in recent years, then whether Emperor of Wei is truly impartial and selfless is something even the group of elders from the Kuang Household gathered in the Mystic Firmament Palace might find difficult to determine.

In addition, news came at this time that when war broke out in the southwest, the rest of Great Wei's forces were not as calm as they appeared.

However, after hearing that Kuang Liuting was immediately amazed upon his appearance and had calmly passed by True Person Cloud Trust, the officials of the court were unusually united in their efforts.

Despite Taiyi Temple's Supreme Unity Temple as the leading Daoist sect in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, with its influence spreading throughout various sects, the abbot of Kuang Liuting, found himself unable to find a way to counter the actions of high -Supreme Unity Temple officials under Emperor of Wei, including the Left Prime Minister Gui Nianzhi, if they were willing to act.

Since Bai Canhong had made a rare and significant impact in the Three Southwest Circuits, and Supreme Unity Temple had not been particularly resolute, everyone's ulterior motives were put aside.

It is true that the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty is in turmoil and has caused widespread resentment, but it has not yet reached the point of being completely exhausted.

If the thoughts in the minds of the leaders of each Nascent Soul sect could be extracted, they would immediately become a tangled mess, and it would depend on whether the Master of Supreme Unity Temple had the ability to sort them out.

Even though the once-powerful Founding Great Wei rarely appeared, the legacy and prestige he left to posterity were immense, and the fear and dread he instilled in various families were far too great.

It should be understood that while it is no exaggeration to say that "the world has suffered under the Wei regime for too long," the leaders of various factions, seeing that the "stubborn and uneasy" Blood Sword Sect has now had its lineage severed and the "reining in its horse at the edge of the cliff" Star-Picking Pavilion has been given preferential treatment, naturally had to change their minds.

Although Sect Leader Kang Da claimed he didn't fully understand these changing circumstances, he often discussed them with the elders of the Fei Household, so he wasn't completely ignorant.

However, he learned most of these things from his three elders, Fei Nanying, Fei Donggu, and Fei Dongwen. After the envoy Grand Eunuch Wei left, Fei Tianqin returned to Ying Prefecture on his own.

It's not hard to guess what he went there for; even Third Master Jiang could guess that he was going to deliver the Fei Ye Shui Mystic Celestial Infant-Nurturing Pill to Fei Yeshuo.

Furthermore, given the great contributions made by the Fei Household members in the battle in the southwest, the Ying Prefecture Fei Household should see a significant improvement in their situation in the Capital Circuit.

Just look at how, after the death of True Person Moon Hidden, the mediocre people of Five Old Mothers Mountain were still able to maintain their businesses in the Mountain North Circuit, apart from the prime locations of Yuan Prefecture, Phoenix Cry Prefecture, and Three Ting Prefectures. This shows that the Duke of Qin was indeed a cut above the ordinary Kuang Household; he at least had some humanity.

Although it was not much, it was still a rare find for the Kuang Household family, who were known for their harshness and lack of gratitude.

The cultivators of Five Old Mothers Mountain would not complain, after all, compared to the Fourth Tier spiritual mountain in Yuan Prefecture, it was more important to hold on to the little bit of favor left by True Person Moon Hidden and hope to protect their possessions.

In this sense, even though the cultivators of Five Old Mothers Mountain may be mediocre and useless, they have at least inherited the ability of True Person Moon Hidden to assess situations. This old cultivator is quite gratified.

If the disciples of Five Old Mothers Mountain knew how to be content, relying on their past foundation, their chances of regaining their status as Nascent Soul Grand Sect would be significantly higher than those of other sects.

Although Five Old Mothers Mountain had visibly declined, the Sect Leader Kang Da, who had finally hoped for peace in the southwest and could now focus on cultivating and nurturing his disciples, would not allow his Chongming Sect to stagnate.

Huangpi Circuit acquired eleven states in total. The four northern states formerly under the control of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall acquired thirteen Golden Core Elixir sects, while the remaining seven states jointly managed by Rouge Temple and Thousand Buddha Grove only acquired fourteen.

Of course, most of them only have one or two old and weak Golden Core cultivators to maintain appearances.

Thanks to the Sect Leader Kang Da's repeated care and assistance, and the arrival of the powerful Fei Ying Prefecture Fei Household, Huangpi Circuit now only has twelve households with senior cultivators in charge, and most of the leaders have suffered heavy losses.

However, those who managed to survive were still considered law-abiding families. But under the control of Joyful Sight Mountain and Star-Picking Pavilion, presided over by True Person Cloud Trust, it was impossible to claim that they were completely innocent and had not betrayed the cause.

At this time, the Office of the Duke of Qin had not yet issued any instructions, so Sect Leader Kang Da did not intend to make things difficult for them.

After all, although the leaders of the various factions in Huangpi Circuit were all silent, Chongming Sect did not yet have the ability to clean up all the counties and prefectures in Huangpi Circuit by relying on just one faction.

In other words, given Sect Leader Kang Da, he might be able to reclaim a few prefectures by paying a small price, but he did not intend to do so.

After all, the Office of the Duke of Qin is currently enjoying great prestige, and all the dukes in the mansion are eager to seize the opportunity presented by this recent achievement. Even if Kang Dabao wants to conquer cities and territories, he will have to choose a suitable time.

He knew Kuang Liuting's temperament very well. Speaking of which, the imperial family and nobles were also pitiful. Even if he knew you were a great villain, if you showed yourself to be a loyal minister in his eyes, he would be quite lenient with you.

Therefore, the Sect Leader Kang Da was quite honest. Apart from Huo and Xian prefectures, which had been occupied long ago, he only selected a portion of the remaining Kang clan members from the Chenjiang Kang Clan who were living in Xuanwei City to return to Si Prefecture, return to their homeland, and rebuild their ancestral temple.

These Kang family cultivators are nominally close relatives of the Kang family, the great leader of the Chongming Sect. Even though Kang Xiangyi, the only fake alchemist, has not returned, they are still able to maintain control over a province among the surrounding sects and families who know what's good for them.

Although Sect Leader Kang Da hasn't expanded his territory these days, he still has to accept gifts.

The twelve remaining Golden Core Elixir sects of Huangpi Circuit are one of them.

However, the Yun, Hong, and Qian families were originally skilled at extracting marrow from bones, and these Golden Core sects were not considered wealthy in the past. After a great battle, their offerings were naturally meager.

Fortunately, Kang Dabao was always kind and generous, so he didn't find it too offensive. He simply nodded and accepted it, then subtly hinted to Ye Zhengwen, who already understood, that this was the end of it and that he would just have to accept more once the guest had recovered.

If by then these poor families have not been ordered by Kuang Liuting to serve as a warning to others...

Besides the various sects of Huangpi Circuit, there was another sect that presented gifts to the Chongming Sect: Joyful Sight Mountain, which had been struggling to maintain itself in the Ancient Mysterious Circuit after one of its two head True Person died and the other betrayed it.

However, his family now not only has to face the alliances and collusion of various families who were previously oppressed by Joyful Sight Mountain, but also the covetousness of many Outer Dao Nascent Soul True Person.

Although Kang Dabao's Chongming Sect has some power, it is not a reliable backer, and in fact, it is not even comparable to Joyful Sight Mountain, which still has more than ten Golden Core Peak sects.

Therefore, the You Longzi's sending of envoys and gifts was merely to foster good relations with his neighbors, and had no deeper meaning.

Having received a gift, one must find a suitable time to return it, which is something that greatly displeases Sect Leader Kang Da.

However, according to the information he had received, Joyful Sight Mountain You Longzi quite perceptive. On the very day that Star-Picking Pavilion accepted the imperial pardon, he rushed to the Duke's mansion and pledged his loyalty to Kuang Liuting.

Although Sect Leader Kang Da did not witness that scene, he only heard others talk about what You Longzi had said and done at that time. Even the head of the Kuang Household, who had earned the name "Kuang Jinzhong," sighed and admitted that he was inferior to him.

Then one can understand how disgusting the obsequious, fawning manner of this virtuous cultivator from Nascent Soul sect would be if he were willing to lower himself.

However, Kang Dabao had no right to laugh at others; otherwise, he would be like a crow perched on a pig.

Furthermore, he did not believe that Kuang Liuting would give up his desire to regain control of the Ancient Mysterious Circuit simply because of a few flattering words from the You Longzi.

It should be understood that although Guxuan is small, it is a major thoroughfare, and in terms of wealth, it is no less than Mountain South. Now that they have finally gotten rid of the Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be strange if the Kuang Household did not have any ambitions.

However, since True Person Tiger Spring died at the hands of Supreme Unity Temple True Person Cloud Trust Temple, the Kuang Household, if they wanted to plot against the Ancient Mysterious Circuit and did not want to share the spoils with the other families, would have to restrain their greed and think things through carefully.

Does the You Longzi truly possess the ability to preserve the lineage? Sect Leader Kang Da is not optimistic, for Joyful Sight Mountain has previously vied for supremacy with Supreme Unity Temple.

Unlike Kang Dabao, who came from a clean background, even if the Chongming Sect Nascent Soul, the Kuang Household family members might not be worried and might even be happy to see it happen.

At this moment, Sect Leader Kang Da, who was receiving guests in the hall, suppressed this thought and placed another bright yellow silk letter on the table in front of him.

This silk scroll had just arrived from Phoenix Cry Prefecture. On it were several lines of seal script personally written by Emperor of Wei, filled with words of praise, which also showed that Emperor of Wei truly had a respectful and courteous attitude towards scholars.

Or, one could say that even after the reconquest of the southwest, the actual situation of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, in the eyes of figures like Emperor of Wei who had a comprehensive view of the situation, did not seem to have improved much.

Su Chen, the young eunuch who had recently been serving Kuang Liuting, was no longer considered a nobody outside the Duke's mansion.

He was specially sent by the Duke of Qin to make this trip, so he certainly wouldn't have brought just a worthless and useless silk scroll.

As soon as Su Chen sat down, he felt that Sect Leader Kang Da was as kind as ever. In addition to the latter personally greeting him, the three seventh-generation elders, Ye Zhengwen, Yuan Jin, and Jiang Qing, were also present.

Eighth-generation disciples, such as Elder Duan Anle of the Beast Garden, who held important positions, also specially put aside their important duties to come and pay their respects.

Seeing that all the elders were present, Su Chen was not intimidated. Su Chen simply bowed slightly and said, "Lord Marquis and elders, there is no need for such formalities. I have come here today with His Majesty's letter, as well as the Duke of Duke of Qin's edict and a small reward, all for the Chongming Sect's merits in the campaign in the southwest."

Having said that, he took out a plain Jade Slip from the brocade box he carried with him, bowed, and handed it to Kang Dabao: "This is the list of names; please take a look, Your Excellency."

Kang Dabao took a look at the list, which was called a list, but in reality there were not many items. Apart from being granted a cave abode outside Great Abyss Capital, he was only given the title of "Huangpi Circuit Pacification Commissioner".

Seeing the strange look in Sect Leader Kang Da, Su Chen stepped forward and added:

"The Duke also said that although Shannan Circuit has been completely cleansed, there are no traitorous families left, only good people. The Earl of Fengen has also led troops to Tengwen Prefecture to wipe out the remaining members of the Two Instruments Sect. According to the old system of the Taizu Emperor, all matters in the road should be handled by the Shannan Circuit General Administration Office."

But the Duke also knew that the Marquis had worked hard and made great contributions, and was extremely loyal. Moreover, Cloud Horn Prefecture was a fiefdom personally bestowed by the Emperor himself, so there was no reason to take it away without cause.

"What does Father-in-law mean?"

"It's not Su Chen's intention, but the Duke's," Su Chen paused here, a slight smile appearing on his face, before continuing:

"Cloud Horn Prefecture should continue to be under the jurisdiction of the Marquis. Furthermore, the Earl of Fengen is relatively young and has suddenly risen to a high position. His administration may have some shortcomings, and the Marquis will be needed to provide guidance and support."

Kang Dabao held the plain Jade Slip scroll between his fingertips, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He originally thought that giving Kuang Liuting the honorary title of "Huangpi Circuit Pacification Commissioner" was the limit, but he did not expect that the affiliation of Cloud Horn Prefecture would be clearly determined, and that he would be given the additional authority of "investigating the affairs of Shannan Circuit".

This was hardly a "promotion" for Kuai En; it was clearly a way to keep an eye on this Earl of Fengen, lest Kuai En grow too powerful in Shannan Circuit.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and put on a smile, "I am deeply grateful for your consideration, Your Excellency. Cloud Horn Prefecture was personally bestowed by His Majesty, and I will certainly manage it well."

As for the matter of Shannan Road, the Earl of Feng'en is a highly accomplished disciple of the Southern King, with exceptional cultivation. I am merely a few years older than him; if I can offer some insignificant advice, it is only my duty."

His words both flattered Kuai En and expressed his loyalty, without overstepping any boundaries.

Hearing this, Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for his past slight relationship with Sect Leader Kang Da, he wouldn't have needed to be so explicit.

The young eunuch then took out a gold-plated jade seal from the brocade box. The seal was inscribed with five seal characters: "Huangpi Circuit Pacification Commissioner" (meaning "pacification of Huangpi Circuit"). He said softly:

"This is the seal of the Pacification Commissioner; please keep it safe, Lord Marquis. Also, that cave abode Great Abyss Capital, adjacent to a branch of the Jade Spring Spirit Mountain, used to belong to the former Right Clan Minister."

"Former Right Clan Minister?" Kang Dabao frowned, suddenly feeling that the cave abode he hadn't even acquired yet had become extremely hot to handle.

Su Chen had clearly received prior instructions, so he wasn't surprised by Sect Leader Kang Da's reaction. He simply followed his master's instructions and said in a deep voice:

Ten days ago, the former Right Imperial Clan Minister submitted a memorial during a court assembly, praising the Ninth Prince as virtuous, resolute, and a potential heir apparent, and requesting that the current emperor establish him as crown prince. The current emperor was furious, stripped him of all his titles and honors, and sent him to Liangxi to serve in the army.

Kang Dabao hesitated for a moment, but thankfully his expression didn't change, before he slowly replied, "Oh, I see. Thank you for explaining, sir."

Having said everything he needed to say, Su Chen then took his leave.

Sect Leader Kang Da always knew the importance of welcoming guests to bring prosperity to the household, so he was unwilling to accept the invitation. At this moment, Jin Shilun, who was sitting in the hall, was no longer considered a good cook in front of this distinguished guest.

Several long-established Lineage in Xian Prefecture had chefs, so they were all invited by the disciples of the Chongming Sect.

Su Chen received courteous treatment, enjoying spirit wine and fragrant tea on the first night, and acquiring a beautiful woman and a precious steed the next day, before being sent to Phoenix Cry Prefecture by a spirit boat fully loaded with cargo.

After the guests left, Kang Dabao summoned his disciples to discuss the matter. "What message did Eunuch Su convey during his visit to our Chongming Sect?"

This matter was quite obvious, even Jiang Qing, who had always neglected his duties, could see it clearly. This time, Third Master Jiang showed some disgust and said bluntly:

"It's nothing more than the same old story about how to establish an heir, whether it's the legitimate heir or a concubine, or whether it's a relative or a stranger. Ever since their great-grandfather was captured, the Kuang Household has always caused trouble whenever this matter comes up."

Those seated on that throne should have been the most intelligent people in the world, but now, it seems, who among them isn't muddle-headed?!

"Uh, you," Yuan Jin said with a smile, shaking his head. Ye Zhengwen, on the other hand, was rather serious. Everyone understood this principle, but he didn't expect Jiang Qing to be so blatant in public.

Seeing that all the disciples looked exhausted, and fearing that Jiang Qing might utter another shocking statement, Ye Zhengwen stepped forward and said softly, "Sect Leader, Junior Brother Jiang's cultivation has just improved, and he is at a crucial stage of his practice. It's best not to let these worldly matters disturb his peace of mind."

Kang Dabao shook his head as well. He too had been blinded by greed and shouldn't have asked Jiang Qing to come over at this time. He waved his hand lightly and urged, "Go down, go down."

After being kicked out, Third Master Jiang was quite pleased with himself and even clasped his hands in thanks to Ye Zhengwen, leaving his three senior brothers and disciples both amused and exasperated.

After Jiang Qing left, Duan Anle was summoned to the front by Sect Leader Kang Da to fill the vacancy, and was later asked to speak.

This young man was naturally refined and spoke with proper decorum, but Duan Anle said:

"Master once said that you met the Earl of Fengen in the Moon Marrow Golden Paste Pool when you were in the capital. At that time, he received the favor because of the Ninth Prince. Therefore, the Earl of Fengen's appointment as the Governor of Shannan Circuit may also be due to the Ninth Prince's instruction."

Upon hearing Duan Anle mention it, Kang Dabao also picked up this memory.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart again:

"These Kuang Household are truly utterly useless. Fine, fine, let them stir things up. It's not like I'm the one carrying the weight of these twenty-seven circuits and over four hundred prefectures of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty. Well, with such a vast fortune, it's only right that you nobles fight each other to the death."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous again. It took him a long time to shake off the gloom in his heart. Taking this opportunity, he glanced at the jade seal in his hand and began to explain the relevant matters.

He still needs to cultivate diligently afterwards, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste of True Person Tiger Spring intentions?

(The next chapter will be a fleeting moment)