101: Lushan comes

“Third Brother, your biggest mistake wasn’t secretly ordering Sun Wenhou to do things; it was failing to execute it cleanly, which allowed Xing Zhentian to seize a handle,” Zhao Shouyuan cleared his throat and explained.

“Although our Zhao Family is vast and powerful, we are ultimately different from the Demon Suppression Division. This incident, if exploited by Xing Zhentian and allowed to escalate, will severely damage our Zhao Family’s prestige.”

“Moreover, it will not only incur the ill will of the Demon Suppression Division, but also create dissenting voices within the Family, which is very detrimental to our direct lineage.”

Zhao Shouyuan’s guidance finally made Zhao Zhengping realize the seriousness of the matter. Merely targeting an Extremity Realm martial artist wouldn’t provoke his father’s anger to this extent.

Although their lineage held a large portion of resources under his father’s management within the Zhao Family, this also caused dissatisfaction among other branch lineages. While the Zhao Family was a single entity, internal struggles were not uncommon. Minor squabbles were one thing, but if this incident involving the Demon Suppression Division were exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it would inevitably affect the Family Head’s position.

Looking at Zhao Xiaotian, who sat expressionless in the main seat, Zhao Zhengping tentatively asked, “Second Brother, you hold the position of Centurion in the Demon Suppression Division. Can’t you resolve this matter?”

Zhao Shouyuan looked at his disappointing Third Brother and said, annoyed, “If I intervene too obviously, wouldn’t that further prove that our Zhao Family harbors ill intentions towards the Demon Suppression Division? Besides, if Sun Wenhou had died, it would be one thing, but he’s still clinging to a breath, which means he could potentially identify you.”

“While you usually rely on the Zhao Family’s influence to settle disputes in the city, the Demon Suppression Division won’t fall for that. Furthermore, I’ve uncovered some information about Lu Ming; do you know he also has ties to the Qingyang Royal Mansion? After my investigation, it was he who intervened and saved the Princess Consort when she was attacked.”

His Third Brother had been in the Demon Suppression Division for two years, yet he didn’t even know these things. He had initially thought of transferring him in for some experience, seeing him idly spending his days, but now it seemed he hadn’t improved at all.

“Then… then what should we do?” Not startled by what came before, but upon hearing the words “Qingyang Royal Mansion,” Zhao Zhengping instantly felt at a loss.

Sighing helplessly, Zhao Shouyuan didn’t respond. After all, this matter was very troublesome to handle and required a lot of maneuvering.

“Father, leave this matter to me. However, we cannot use our connections within the Demon Suppression Division; it still needs to be coordinated by the Family.”

“Hmm, I’ll leave it to you.” Zhao Xiaotian nodded. Compared to his third son, he was more at ease with Zhao Shouyuan… A day passed quietly. The news of Lu Ming slaying the tiger demon and Xing Zhentian’s undisguised punishment also spread widely within the Demon Suppression Division, becoming the most hotly debated topic.

Although not explicitly stated, the incident ultimately pointed to the Zhao Family and Zhao Zhengping.

Because of Zhao Zhengping’s various misdeeds in the past, the people of the Demon Suppression Division had little doubt, and many even felt injustice for Lu Ming.

After all, the vast majority of those serving in the Demon Suppression Division were commoners who entered based on their own talent, without significant connections. In contrast, scions from powerful Families could easily attain high positions and more Cultivation resources. While this might be acceptable on a normal day, now that such an incident had occurred, with someone sending people to stab others in the back, how were people supposed to work in the future?

Yet, Lu Ming, at the center of the public opinion storm, made no moves. After completing his mission, he returned to his usual routine.

In the early morning, after practicing his blade techniques a few times, he drew some clear water, washed his face, and then went to eat breakfast.

In the Demon Suppression Division, unless one was an official at the Centurion level, there were no dedicated staff for meals; one had to go to the exclusive dining hall to eat.

Lu Ming’s appearance undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention, but he remained very calm and composed about it all.

Perhaps due to his Realm advancement, these mundane foods seemed to hold much less appeal for Lu Ming. After all, he frequently refined Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to nourish his body, and his physique had subtly transformed.

After breakfast, as soon as he returned to his courtyard, he saw a burly figure waiting inside.

“It was really hard to find you! I asked several guys before I found out you live here. How is it, doesn’t being in the spotlight feel good? I heard all about what happened with you earlier—slaying the tiger demon and returning victorious! Do you know your deeds are being discussed everywhere in Silver Feather City now?” Lu Shan laughed heartily, teasing him.

A hint of helplessness flickered in Lu Ming’s eyes. He wasn’t very surprised to see the other party.

“This reputation is behind a struggle between two forces. If it weren’t for the circumstances, I wouldn’t want this attention.”

“You’re quite clear-headed. That’s good; I don’t need to remind you then.” As the Government Soldiers’ commander, Lu Shan’s position was equivalent to a Centurion in the Demon Suppression Division, and having come from the military, he naturally had his own connections in Silver Feather City. So, upon learning of the incident, he also found people to inquire and generally understood everything.

“But you don’t need to worry. We now have the Qingyang Royal Mansion backing us; it should be the Zhao Family that’s anxious. Moreover, you protected the Princess Consort with merit, so the Qingyang Royal Mansion will certainly not stand idly by.”

“What do you mean ‘us’? I haven’t chosen to join the Qingyang Royal Mansion,” Lu Ming rolled his eyes at him, annoyed.

Lu Shan was immediately stunned, a look of bewilderment appearing in his eyes, as if he thought he had misheard.

“I heard Prince Qingyang met you personally. Didn’t he bring this up?”

Thinking it over and over, he felt it shouldn’t be the case, and Lu Shan was somewhat perplexed for a moment.

“Prince Qingyang’s invitation was temporarily declined by me,” Lu Ming said calmly.

He naturally knew that joining the Qingyang Royal Mansion would bring him many benefits, which would greatly assist his future Cultivation. However, it would also be a constraint, and he was unwilling to tie himself to the Qingyang Royal Mansion. After all, with his System Panel, he could continuously improve even without the Qingyang Royal Mansion’s help.

Moreover, most importantly, what he needed, the Qingyang Royal Mansion might not be able to provide.

“Foolish! Joining the Qingyang Royal Mansion is something countless people yearn for but cannot attain. How could you refuse?” Lu Shan exclaimed.

Using his merits from Gu Xiang Village, he had now pledged allegiance to Prince Qingyang. He had originally thought he could serve alongside Lu Ming, but who knew the other party hadn’t agreed at all.