Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 56 Wenren Yue's Curiosity
Lin Xuan stood at the door of a guardhouse and gently knocked.

Soon, a cold voice came from inside the duty room.

"Come in."

Lin Xuan entered the duty room, cupped his hands in greeting to Wenren Yue who was standing in front of the table, and asked, "Commander Wenren, did you want to see me?"

Wenren Yue turned around, and behind Lin Xuan, the door to the duty room suddenly closed without warning.

Lin Xuan was slightly startled. This Commander Wenren was indeed extraordinary!
To close a door from such a distance, one would need to have true qi extending at least one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) from their body, which is equivalent to the strength of a fourth-rank martial artist.

Wenren Zongqi should be no more than twenty years old, so it's impossible for him to have reached the fourth rank.

Therefore, there is only one possibility.

She is skilled in both martial arts and magic.

At the same level, the coverage of spiritual power is much larger than that of true qi. When spiritual power is refined to a certain degree, it can capture objects from a distance. Closing the door with a thought is naturally a piece of cake.

The doors and windows of the duty room were tightly closed. Wenren Yue looked at Lin Xuan and suddenly asked, "How did you mediate the conflict between Black Stone Village and White Stone Village back then?"

Lin Xuan's eyebrows twitched, wondering why Chief Commander Wenren had suddenly asked this.

Not long after he presented the new salt law, Wu Baihu specifically instructed him not to leak the matter.

Lin Xuan was well aware of the complexities involved, and he didn't even elaborate to Zhang Hu and Chen Bao.

Apart from the top officials of the Tian and Yang families, Wu Baihu, and Zhou Qianhu, very few people knew the inside story.

Seeing that Lin Xuan did not answer, Wenren Yue's eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly, "Could it be you who presented the new salt law to the court?"

Lin Xuan looked up at Wenren Zongqi. After he presented the new salt law, the court did nothing more than reward him with a bottle of bone-tempering liquid.

But he knew very well that this matter was definitely not that simple.

Regardless of what the imperial court did, he always followed one principle: he would not ask questions, not interfere, and not know anything.

Whatever happens, it has nothing to do with him.

Faced with Wenren Yue's question, Lin Xuan looked surprised and asked in confusion, "What new salt law?"

Wenren Yue didn't say much, but nodded slightly and said, "Very good. Including myself, no matter who asks about the new salt law, you must not reveal a single word. Go..."

The door to the duty room opened automatically, and Lin Xuan decisively clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This subordinate takes his leave!"

Wenren Yue watched his departing figure, walked behind the desk, and slowly sat down.

Although she didn't know the full extent of her purpose in coming to the southwest, she vaguely knew that it concerned a major initiative of the imperial court in the southwest. Her grandfather and father had mentioned the "new salt law" more than once during their private conversations...

The salt produced in the city's salt shops, located in a remote corner of the southwest, was of even better quality than the finest official salt from the capital.

All of this refined salt comes from Tianji Salt Shop.

Her investigation revealed that shortly after Lin Xuan mediated the conflict between the Tian and Yang families, the Tian family launched this premium refined salt and quickly monopolized the salt industry in Sizhou with it.

Considering the imperial court's rewards to Lin Xuan and his relationship with the eldest daughter of the Tian family, it's not hard to guess what methods he used to successfully mediate the conflict between the Tian and Yang families and obtain the imperial court's reward of bone-tempering liquid...

Unexpectedly, it was he who presented the "new salt law" to the imperial court.

In other words, these people traveled all the way from the capital to come here because of him.

Salt administration is the lifeblood of the nation. Given his meritorious service, it's impossible for the higher authorities to simply reward him with a bottle of bone-tempering liquid and call it a day.

In this way, it seems reasonable that the Commander-in-Chief's Office would exceptionally award him the Third-Class Order of Peace.

The creation of the new salt law, the solo infiltration of the bandit's den, and the fact that the powerless Deputy Commander Wu was able to regain power were likely all his doing.

A minor officer in a remote place possesses such abilities.

She suddenly became curious about this subordinate.

……

Lin Xuan was unaware of Wenren Zongqi's subsequent speculations. By the time she came out of her duty room, it was already time to leave the office.

Before going home, he bought three wooden dummy dummies from a martial arts school on the street and asked the guy to deliver them to his house.

The southwest has a long-standing tradition of martial arts, and these items are generally sold in martial arts schools within the city.

The two tails behind him were still there, but Lin Xuan didn't bother with them.

After having dinner with Aro, he moved the wooden dummy into the bedroom, placed it in the corner of the room, and began practicing the moves the black-robed man had taught him the night before.

These moves truly lived up to their reputation as killing techniques, each strike targeting vital points. If Lin Xuan had learned them sooner, he wouldn't have been in such a sorry state that night.

This woman is truly formidable. She's probably not much older than Lin Xuan, and her methods are endless. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

If he learns all her skills, he will have a better chance of winning when he turns against her in the future.

Lin Xuan practiced for about half an hour, and then a figure dressed in a black robe quietly walked in from outside the door.

The man in black robes said calmly, "You're being watched."

Lin Xuan turned around, put down the dagger in his hand, and said, "I know, it must have been sent by Commander Shen to monitor me."

The man in black paused for a moment, his voice becoming somewhat serious: "Why did he suddenly send someone to monitor you?"

Lin Xuan explained, "When Commander Zhou awarded me the medal today, he asked me why my cultivation had improved so quickly. In order not to give myself away, I told him about buying the Bone Tempering Liquid from the Tian family. Commander Shen might suspect that the conflict between the Tian and Yang families last time had something to do with me..."

The man in black robes slowly sat down and said in a low voice, "This Shen Qingya is really in the way. Is there any way to get him to leave Sizhou?"

Lin Xuan was actually quite satisfied with the current situation of the Jingbian Division.

Although Commander Shen was the top leader, Commander Wu had also risen to prominence and was able to rival him. Commander Shen could no longer act as arbitrarily as before.

Once he leaves, Wu Baihu will be promoted to a full-fledged officer, and Lin Xuan will have more say in the Jingbian Division, but the burden on his shoulders will also be heavier.

He shook his head decisively and said, "Only the higher-ups can decide whether Shen Baihu stays or leaves. Besides, he has a powerful background. Last time, if it had happened to someone else, they would have been transferred, but he only received a reprimand. Please forgive me, but I am truly powerless to help..."

The man in black robes pondered for a moment and then asked, "What if we let the Tian family and the Yang family fight again?"

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "Last time, I made a deal with the Tian family using refined sugar before they agreed to help. This time, I don't have any leverage to persuade them. Besides, the same tactic can only be used once. Commander Shen has already realized that I was involved in the last incident. Trying the same trick again this time might not work..."

Lin Xuan still had leverage to persuade the Tian family.

But he didn't want to do that.

He looked at the man in black robes and tentatively asked, "Sir, why don't you take action and eliminate Commander Shen?"

The man in black robes spoke calmly, saying, "Eliminating Shen Qingya isn't difficult, but it will escalate the situation. The death of a centurion is no small matter, especially given his special status. The Jingye Division will definitely send high-ranking officials. At that time, both Wu Xianren and you will be the focus of investigation, and you may not be able to withstand the Jingye Division's methods..."

Lin Xuan's goal was not actually to get rid of Shen Baihu.

He only wanted to indirectly ascertain the strength of this woman in black robes. Judging from her nonchalant attitude, her strength seemed to be far superior to that of Commander Shen, and he would have to be extra careful in the future.

The man in black robes suddenly asked, "What business does Wenren Yue have with you today?"

Nothing can be hidden from her, Lin Xuan honestly said, "She asked me how I mediated the conflict between the Tian family and the Yang family, probably because she suspects my relationship with the Tian family..."

The man in black robes asked, "What was your answer?"

Lin Xuan didn't hide anything either: "Commander Wu said that matters concerning the salt administration should not be leaked. I didn't answer, and she didn't press me further. She just let me leave..."

The man in black robes was silent for a moment before saying, "Keep an eye on her. The Wen family's genius must have a ulterior motive for coming to Sizhou..."

Lin Xuan asked curiously, "Sir, what is the background of Commander Wenren?"

The man in black robes said, "Her background is even more impressive than Shen Qingya's. Her grandfather was the Minister of Revenue of Yong Kingdom, and her father was the Vice Minister of Rites. She has had exceptional martial arts talent since childhood, and her mental strength is also extraordinary. She started learning martial arts at the age of ten, cultivating both martial arts and techniques. Her martial arts strength has already reached the peak of the sixth rank, and she is rarely matched among the younger generation..."

Lin Xuan asked, "How does it compare to you, sir?"

The man in black robes remained silent for a while before speaking: "In a head-on fight, I am no match for her... but that doesn't stop me from killing her."

Her tone was calm, yet it conveyed an absolute confidence.

Lin Xuan understood.

She couldn't beat Wenren Zongqi.

However, their professions are different, so they cannot be simply compared.

If Wenren Zongqi is a warrior, then this man in black robes is an assassin.

An assassin's battlefield is never on the front lines.

In terms of danger, the man in the black robe is more dangerous.

Through tonight's subtle probing, Lin Xuan gained a deeper understanding of the black-robed man's strength.

Her true strength is less than the peak of the sixth rank.

Without specific cultivation of her spiritual power, her spiritual power would not exceed the sixth rank. Unrefined spiritual power does not contribute much to her strength.

In other words, as long as she doesn't ambush you, she's only a slightly stronger centurion.

Once I've mastered the Divine Shock Technique and eliminated the Gu worms within her, I can give her an unexpected "surprise"...

(End of this chapter)