Yang Hu's shoulders shook with laughter. This guy was truly something else.

But he could tell that this Su Ling didn't mean any harm. Furthermore, Su Yan, the old Prince, was famous in the Martial Department for his integrity and impartiality. This preconceived notion meant Yang Hu didn't have a bad impression of Su Ling.

Young, playful, loves to show off, and fond of flaunting his power. He certainly checked all those boxes.

"What are you all standing around for? Go back to your homes and find your mothers!" Su Ling rubbed his backside, lifted his sword, and yelled indignantly at the crowd.

The crowd: "..."

Wasn't he the one who just told everyone not to leave? To stay and watch the show, and personally witness his remarkable poise?

Remarkable, my ass! Now that he's losing face after being repeatedly knocked down, he's telling everyone to leave? The guy is shameless.

"Young Master Su Ling, we haven't seen your remarkable poise yet!" someone couldn't help but tease.

"That's right! We're rooting for you, Young Master Su!"

"Go on, knock them flat!"

The rest of the crowd also started shouting.

Su Ling's face darkened, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Is this what they call hoisting myself by my own petard? Damn it!

Su Ling cursed inwardly, then straightened his back. Gripping the hilt of his longsword tightly with both hands, he raised it high and gritted out, "You all forced my hand! Don't blame me if I destroy the tollgate!"

Just as they were preparing to mock him for his empty boasts, something happened.

BUZZ!

A strange ripple suddenly emanated through the air, its source the longsword in Su Ling's hands.

"This..."

All at once, the surrounding onlookers felt a chilling dread wash over them, as if needles were pricking their backs.

This is a huge change!

"Yang Hu, I don't want to hurt you! Get out of the way and let the person in the van come out!" Su Ling shouted. His face was turning visibly pale, and his entire body trembled. He looked as if he could barely hold on.

BANG!

The longsword quivered slightly, and fine cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, spreading in all directions.

Yang Hu was dumbfounded.

What in the world is happening? At that moment, he felt an unparalleled sense of danger.

Inside the van, Chen Yang frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the longsword in Su Ling's hands. "This sword..."

"Get out of the way!"

Su Ling seemed to be at his limit. The raised longsword trembled uncontrollably, as if it were about to leap from his grasp.

SLASH!

As the longsword began to fall, the ground beneath it buckled and shattered, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

What the hell?!

The hair on Yang Hu's entire body stood on end, and he instantly darted to the side.

"This sword is quite interesting," a calm voice drifted out from the van.

Just that one sentence was enough to make the violent sword instantly stabilize.

"Disperse," Chen Yang said again.

A single word. Yet the piercing aura rippling through the air instantly shattered, and the terrifying pressure vanished like smoke.

PHEW!

Su Ling staggered back a few steps and plopped onto the ground, gasping for breath with lingering fear.

Clearly, he had scared himself as well. What horrified him even more was the person in the van. How can he be this terrifyingly powerful? I even used a Treasure Weapon, but he didn't even have to get out of the van? As expected of the Zhennan Prince!

For a moment, everyone stared at the van, dumbfounded.

The right-side window of the van rolled down. A hand reached out to rest on the window frame, thumb and middle finger pinching a cigarette. The index finger tapped lightly, sending ash fluttering down.

The crowd: "..."

Who in the world is this incredible person? In all our years, we've never seen someone so effortlessly cool and suave, even without seeing their face.

"Come here."

The voice, faint yet seemingly right beside their ears, slowly drifted out.

Su Ling knew, of course, that the words were for him. His eyes darted around for a moment before he scrambled to his feet, dragging his longsword as he ran toward the van.

"Big Brother, I'll follow you from now on! You have to have my back!"

Yang Hu: "..."

The crowd: "..."

Even Chen Yang, inside the van, couldn't help but chuckle. This guy came here full of aggression, got knocked to the ground in a flash, and now he's eagerly running over to suck up to me? This is unbelievable! The word 'shameless' isn't even enough to describe his audacity.

Yang Hu didn't stop him. He simply waved for the onlookers to disperse before following.

"Big Brother! I've heard of your great name for so long! It's an honor to finally meet you!" Standing before the car window, Su Ling's smile bloomed as if nothing had happened, and he grinned broadly.

"How is your grandfather?" Chen Yang asked.

Su Ling nodded vigorously. "Fit as a fiddle!"

"That sword... is it a Treasure Weapon?"

Su Ling just grinned, noncommittally.

"Go home."

Chen Yang didn't press the issue and started to raise the window.

But Su Ling quickly pressed a hand on the window to stop it, chuckling. "Governor, you've just arrived in Cangyun City and don't know your way around. You need a real local to guide you, and I..."

Su Ling confidently patted his chest. "No one is more suitable than me!"

"Oh, right! You probably don't have a place to stay yet, do you?" His eyes darted about mischievously. "I just so happen to have a spare villa. The neighborhood, the decor—it's all top-notch and flawless, perfect for a great man like yourself."

"I'm no longer the Nine Gates Admiral," Chen Yang said.

Su Ling was taken aback for a moment. He was aware of the recent rumors, and now it seemed they were true. However...

"Big Brother, I'm following you not for your status, but with a pure and sincere heart! I admired you in the past, I admire you now, and I will continue to admire you in the future!"

Yang Hu, who had just walked up, felt a wave of goosebumps wash over him, and he nearly threw up.

This guy really has no shame!

Seeing Chen Yang remain unmoved, Su Ling leaned closer to the window, changed his tune, and lowered his voice. "Big Brother, I have some top-secret news about personnel changes in the Martial Department. I'm sure you'll be interested."

Chen Yang's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Oh? Let's hear it."

"Well, if I tell you, you have to..."

When he saw Chen Yang staring at him motionlessly, Su Ling quickly cut himself off and changed his tune. "I happened to overhear my grandfather talking to someone on the phone. He said that besides the eighty Martial Guards of Hanyun Valley being split into four units under four main commanders, a new position will also be created: a War God!"

"This War God's status will be far above the Nine Gates Admiral, commanding all regions and all branches of the military. Truly one man above ten thousand."

Su Ling rejoiced inwardly when he saw a flicker of change in Chen Yang's expression. It seems he really didn't know. In that case, I might still have a chance to get what I want.

Then, Su Ling continued, "There are rumors now that this War God will be chosen from either Xue Dingshan or Li Jiankun. After all, they are both highly decorated veterans who have achieved great military honors. Their prestige and status are plain for all to see."

Finally, Su Ling shrugged. "Of course, these are all just rumors. We'll have to wait for the official documents to know for sure."

"The two of them certainly have the qualifications," Chen Yang nodded slightly, then smiled. "If your grandfather knew you were getting so close to me, he'd surely beat you. Go home."

He was well aware of his current situation. Anyone who knew the inside story would likely keep their distance.

"My grandfather is a man of great principle, Big Brother. You're overthinking things."

"Big Brother, I'll lead the way. Let's get you settled first."

With that, Su Ling turned to leave, though he kept looking back every few steps.

Yang Hu got into the driver's seat and looked to Chen Yang. "Boss?"

"Follow him."

"..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.