Chapter 127: Impending Change

Soon after leaving Yu Jun, Xu Hongyu’s eyes showed a hint of worry as she looked at Chen Mu. "With the four sects moving in, the situation in the entire Yu Prefecture will likely change dramatically."

If the matter of the four sects had not arisen, with Chen Mu’s talent and comprehension, if he were to cultivate peacefully for a few more years, perhaps the entire Yu City would have difficulty finding a match for him. The difficulties faced by the Yu family would naturally resolve themselves. Although the current generation was still not producing the desired results, as long as they had one individual who had reached the Five Viscera Realm, even if a family as powerful as the Xue family would not be willing to fight them.

After all, experts in the Five Viscera Realm could come and go as they pleased. Without a large number of equally powerful figures lying in ambush, it would be essentially impossible to threaten them. If they were to push such an individual too far, and he were to seek revenge in a fit of anger, no family would be able to bear it.

This was also why Yu family’s ancestor had already resigned from his position as a deacon of the Seven Profound Sect, returning to the Yu family to spend his old age. Even though he was already past the age of eighty, the He family still did not dare fight too harshly with the Yu family. After all, no one was sure to what extent his Qi and blood had declined or how much his strength had diminished. If he still possessed the strength of the Five Viscera Realm, and were to seek revenge regardless of the consequences, then no one would be able to accept it.

But now, the Heavenly Sword Joyous Union and Blood Shadow Xuanji, the four major sects were about to move into Yu Prefecture. These were all well-known sects, not inferior to the Seven Profound Sect, standing tall in their respective prefectures. Even the Xue family would have to draw in their horns and act carefully, lest they suffer the disaster of being exterminated.

"Let’s just wait and see what happens," Chen Mu said, shaking his head.

In fact, he had long expected such a day to come. After all, these were chaotic times. The Great Xuan Dynasty was declining, and the various prefectures of the world were engulfed in the smoke of war. As the saying goes, "The world, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide."

Under the influence of such circumstances, no single prefecture could remain unaffected. Even a large sect power like the Seven Profound Sect, which controlled a prefecture and its countless commoners, could not remain aloof from the world forever.

From a certain perspective, the four sects’ arrival was actually a good thing.

After all, in his opinion, the four sects of Heavenly Sword Joyous Union and Blood Shadow Xuanji were unlikely to be united as one. Their alliance against the Seven Profound Sect was merely for the sake of profit. Once they had obtained their share, they would most likely split apart and seek their own advantage.

The four sects’ power moving into Yu Prefecture would likely be based on control rather than turning Yu Prefecture into a land of fire and smoke. In actuality, the situation would not differ too much from the previous power struggles between the four families of Yu Prefecture.

At least for him, it would not.

Of course, for the He, Yu, Xue, and Xie families, the situation would undergo a cataclysmic change. Previously, they were all top families at the apex of Yu Prefecture, with power in their hands. From then on, they would have to act carefully, trying to eke out a living in the gaps between the four sects.

In short, in the days that followed, he would observe the situation without interfering. With the four sects moving in, there were even many matters that he no longer needed to worry about, such as the remaining members of the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

Chen Mu even suspected that the Seven Profound Sect’s decision to make Yu Prefecture the border and allow the four sects to enter might have been due to the remaining members of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. After all, it was still unclear how much power the Heavenly Corpse Sect possessed. Allowing the four major sects to come in and confront the Heavenly Corpse Sect might not be an unacceptable option for the Seven Profound Sect.

After walking alongside Xu Hongyu for a while, Chen Mu soon arrived at the front courtyard of the county government.

The central courtyard of the Anyu County government was temporarily controlled by Yu Jun, the Demon Slaying Division’s Deputy Commander. The county magistrate, Yu Rong, was temporarily handling affairs in the front courtyard. Upon Chen Mu’s arrival, the county magistrate quickly came out to greet him in person.

"Welcome Master Chen back in victory. This time, you have exhausted your heart and soul for the millions of people in Anyu County, I, on behalf of the people of Donghong Township, and the people of Anyu, thank Master Chen."

Yu Rong spoke even before he reached Chen Mu, and even actively bowed towards Chen Mu.

‘A bit too exaggerated,’ Chen Mu thought in his heart, with a strange expression as he looked at Xu Hongyu’s cousin uncle. Mainly because Xu Hongyu was still standing beside him, so he stepped forward and reached out to support him, not allowing Yu Rong to actually bow.

Unable to bow, Yu Rong straightened up naturally, looking at Chen Mu with a face full of smiles. "I have already ordered people to prepare a top-quality feast, to celebrate Master Chen’s victory."

If his previous attitude towards Chen Mu was merely based on thinking that he was a subordinate of Xu Hongyu but had some abilities worthy of an alliance, then this time, his attitude was completely different. He had even placed himself in a very low position.

After all, compared to Yu Jun, although Yu Rong could also be considered part of the Yu family’s direct lineage, his strength and status within the family were far inferior to both Yu Jun and even Xu Hongyu.

Chen Mu was someone who had comprehended artistic conception while still in the Tendon Transformation Realm. Even if his progress was to stop at the perfection of Tendon Transformation and he could not reach the Bone Forging Realm, he would still be one of the top figures of the Yu family in the future, with his mastery of artistic conception and his toughened body.

Although the situation in Yu Prefecture was about to undergo a major change, and the arrival of the four major sects would inevitably alter the structure, the Yu family would still be one of the four families controlling Yu City. He, Yu Rong, would always be a member of the Yu family.

"There’s no need for a feast. The disaster has just passed, we shouldn’t stir up trouble or be wasteful." Chen Mu shook his head, and said, "I wonder, has there been any progress on the matter I asked the county magistrate to investigate last time?"

Hearing Chen Mu’s question, Yu Rong could not help but reveal a hint of shame, and said, "It is embarrassing to say, but the Anyu County government was once raided by thieves seventeen years ago. They set a fire, burning many of the records and registers. Although some of the remaining parts have revealed names that are the same as Master Chen’s mother, none of them had any connection."

"I have already ordered my men to personally investigate each one of them in Anyu County, but it may take some time. However, as long as the person is indeed from Anyu County, then we will surely give Master Chen an answer in the end."

Hearing Yu Rong’s words, Chen Mu sighed slightly, but he was not too surprised.

After all, so many years had passed. Not to mention the fire that Yu Rong had mentioned had burned the records, there were also the many disasters during that period, such as the Great Cold, Great Drought, Great Tide, etc. Each one would cause chaos. Over the years, it was unknown how many times these had occurred. Even some powerful families had the possibility of declining, not to mention the fact that Liu Ping had become a slave. Her family was probably very ordinary to begin with.

Now, it was not even clear whether anyone from that bloodline was still alive.

He was just about to tell Yu Rong to refrain from causing a fuss, but when he thought about how losses needed to be tallied after the disaster, and that sending out the yamen runners to investigate more was only a matter of convenience, he did not refuse, but just told him to inform him once he had any news.

After confirming that there was no news of Liu Ping for the time being, Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu left the county government and went to the back courtyard where they had stayed before.

"Let’s go back tomorrow," Chen Mu said to Xu Hongyu.

"Mm," Xu Hongyu answered softly.

Looking at her obedient and elegant appearance, Chen Mu’s heart wavered slightly, and he again had the thought of teasing her, but in the end, it only passed in a flash.

What’s more, this delicate piece of white jade was difficult to move with normal methods. Although she was obedient and docile, after his attempts, she still lacked that bit of charm. It was better to savor it slowly.

Chen Mu turned his gaze towards Xiao He, who was quietly following behind.

Xiao He was startled and hurriedly said, "I, I’ll go fetch water…"

Then she ran away.

As she ran, remembering the scene she saw on the bank of the Linan River, her cheeks could not help but flush red, and her body also felt a little hot. She was Xu Hongyu’s maid. If Xu Hongyu and Chen Mu… then she would naturally be a part of the dowry.

In fact, her heart longed to be closer to Chen Mu, she did not want to run away. She even hoped that Chen Mu would do something to her as well, but she could not possibly push herself before Xu Hongyu, so she could only endure it and silently run away.

Looking at Xiao He who had fled in a hurry, Chen Mu found it a little interesting. This little maid beside Hongyu could be barely considered to possess both civil and martial abilities. Although she occasionally acted a little out of bounds, she had always been conscientious toward Xu Hongyu. Xu Hongyu also completely trusted Xiao He, even leaving all the affairs of the South District to Xiao He when she went out to hunt demons.

When they arrived at Xu Hongyu’s room, Chen Mu did not do much. They only talked about the possible situation in Yu Prefecture, and their plans after returning to Yu City. After a brief discussion, he went back to his bedroom.

Xiao He hid on the side, watching Chen Mu leave, and could not help but blink her eyes. While she was slightly disappointed in her heart, she could not help but reveal a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

Although the Yu family was a wealthy and powerful family, Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu both belonged to the ‘martial world’. They did not have too many rules. Otherwise, in this era where girls married at the age of fourteen or fifteen, Xu Hongyu would not have remained unmarried until now.

She knew Xu Hongyu too well. Although her young lady was sometimes clueless, she was not ignorant. She had allowed Chen Mu to do whatever he wanted at the riverbank. It showed that she had already chosen him in her heart, and would not refuse him in any way. But Chen Mu had not taken the opportunity to do anything further to her, and had instead told her she had been tired and needed to rest well tonight.

The more he acted like that, the more it showed that Chen Mu did not just treat Xu Hongyu as a toy to be obtained and to vent his desires. After using her, he would not abandon her. Moreover, he had always acted with composure, knew when to tighten and when to loosen, and his talent and comprehension were unmatched in his generation. Xiao He was now even thinking how lucky her young lady was, to have found someone like Chen Mu in the remote Wutong Li in the outer city.

During the seven or eight days after the battle in the wilderness, Xu Hongyu’s injuries were not serious, but Chen Mu still told Hongyu to rest well. He himself returned to the township to take over all of Xu Hongyu’s previous duties, and did everything himself, so as to ease Xu Hongyu’s burden.

She had seen all of this.

Therefore, when she saw Chen Mu making a move on Xu Hongyu on the bank of the Linan River, she only felt happy and glad for Xu Hongyu. Such talent and ability, his character and personality, and how he was willing to treat Xu Hongyu well, were impossible to find a second of.

Even if something else were to happen today, she would only be happy for her young lady.

Xiao He entered the room, brought over the boiled hot water, helped Xu Hongyu take off her shoes and socks, and gently placed her delicate, white jade-like feet into the water, splashing and washing them. At the same time, she whispered, "Miss, he’s really good to you."

"Mmm," Xu Hongyu nodded gently upon hearing Xiao He’s words.

She was not someone who understood nothing. Although she was curious about what Chen Mu was doing to her, and could not express her own feelings, she clearly understood what those actions represented. She just did not have any thought of resisting because the person was Chen Mu.

Because she knew what kind of person Chen Mu was, because of the things he had done, because of the vaguely different feelings she had for Chen Mu, and because of the words that Chen Mu had spoken… she did not know what her heart was like. She only knew that at the moment, she could not bring up any idea of refusing Chen Mu.