Chapter 451

Chapter 451: A Difficult Start

This start is really a bit tough!

In the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion, Wang Chen flipped through the thick documents, feeling more and more like he had stepped into a trap.

Daying City had eight celestial guardian pavilions, named after the eight trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui. Wang Chen took over the Xun pavilion among them.

Although it was a branch under the Grand Celestial Guardian’s residences, the scale of the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion was quite large. It not only occupied a large residence with three main halls but also housed a nine-story tall tower and employed hundreds of guards and servants.

Wang Chen set aside the documents on the table and curiously observed the female cultivators standing beside him, saying, “Steward Xi, I’m new here and know nothing about Daying City’s situation. I’ll trouble you to help me in the future.”

This female cultivator had a curvy figure and a mature grace. Although her exquisite makeup was somewhat marred by butterfly-like spots at the corners of her eyes, it gave her an unusual charm.

Xi Manyun was the steward of the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion.

There were a total of twelve stewards in the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion, and Xi Manyun was just one of them.

However, she was the only one among the twelve stewards to actively come and greet Wang Chen after his appointment.

That was quite unusual.

The Xun district managed by the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion was divided into seven workshops and thirty-nine streets, with a total of more than fifty thousand households.

Based on an average of five people per household, it governed nearly three hundred thousand people!

Wang Chen’s hometown city didn’t even have that many permanent residents.

As the celestial guardian, his position was equivalent to the highest administrative officer of the Xun district, wielding significant power.

The fate of ordinary people could be decided with a single word!

Now, as Wang Chen started his new role, the only official among his subordinates to come and report on work was just one person.

Wang Chen had also served as a celestial guardian before and understood that this situation was quite serious!

Xi Manyun lowered her head and replied, “Serving the celestial guardian is the duty of the Lesser Steward.”

Wang Chen’s gaze flickered as he asked while tapping the documents in his hand, “What about the other stewards? Where did they go?”

He smiled and added, “They wouldn’t be unaware of my appointment today, would they?”

Xi Manyun pursed her lips and cautiously said, “Master Wu from the Celestial Guardians’ residences summoned them all.”

In the subordinate Celestial Guardians’ residences, the highest-ranking individual was the celestial guardian, beneath whom were twelve stewards handling various affairs.

There were also positions for a chief steward and deputy chief steward.

The chief steward was the celestial guardian’s assistant, taking on temporary supervisory duties when the latter wasn’t in the residence.

He also served as an important bridge for communication between the celestial guardian and those below.

The deputy chief steward was selected from the twelve stewards to assist the chief steward.

Under normal circumstances, the chief steward would follow the celestial guardian’s orders, overseeing the twelve stewards, effectively acting as the second-in-command of the pavilion.

However, on the day of Wang Chen’s appointment, his subordinate not only failed to appear but also summoned all the stewards, clearly showing a lack of respect for Wang Chen.

To put it harshly, this was a clear display of disdain and contempt towards Wang Chen!

To be honest, Wang Chen didn’t expect the other party to be so arrogant, even neglecting to put on a show of courtesy.

No wonder the previous celestial guardian looked like he had escaped a sea of suffering; could it be that he was sidelined by this chief steward alongside the other stewards?

Wang Chen’s mindset raced, but he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, “Acting Steward Xi, hasn’t Master Wu summoned you?”

Xi Manyun hesitated for a moment before answering, “No.”

So, there must be some conflict or grievance?

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow, “Acting Steward Xi, can you tell me about this Master Wu?”

Xi Manyun felt even more hesitant inside.

She and Master Wu were never on the same side, so she had always been marginalized by him and her colleagues.

The previous celestial guardian couldn’t handle this chief steward, and for three years, nothing was accomplished, leaving her with no one to turn to.

This change in the celestial guardian was undoubtedly an opportunity for Xi Manyun.

If she didn’t act now, it seemed she would find no place in the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion.

However, seeing Wang Chen left Xi Manyun very disappointed.

He was simply too young.

Furthermore, Wang Chen had come to take office all alone, without even a single companion, clearly indicating he did not come from a noble family.

Even someone from a humble background usually had a couple of companions by their side.

Wang Chen was highly likely a loose cultivator joining a sect!

A loose cultivator without a foundation, traveling tens of thousands of miles from the West Sea Sect to Daying City, how could he possibly contend with local powerhouses like Master Wu?

Xi Manyun felt very pessimistic.

Her initiative to greet Wang Chen was simply fulfilling her duty as a steward.

But Wang Chen seemed to express the desire to challenge Master Wu.

While she could understand his youthful arrogance, Xi Manyun did not want to get involved.

She felt there was no chance of winning.

Wang Chen waited for a moment and, seeing Xi Manyun still silent, asked in a deep voice, “Is it hard to say?”

For some reason, Xi Manyun felt a rush of heat in her head and replied, “There’s nothing hard to say. Since the celestial guardian wants to know, then the Lesser Steward will speak without reservation!”

As soon as she said that, Xi Manyun regretted it.

But she didn’t want to go back on her word.

Her situation couldn’t get any worse; at worst, she would just lose her position as a steward.

Wang Chen smiled, “Please, sit down and talk.”

He personally poured Xi Manyun a cup of spiritual tea.

“Thank you, celestial guardian.”

Once Xi Manyun sat down, she calmed herself. She organized her thoughts and told Wang Chen everything about the current internal situation of the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion in thorough detail.

Although the authority of the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion ostensibly belonged to the celestial guardian, in reality, for the past few years, the real power had been held by Chief Steward Wu Jingwei!

Wu Jingwei was certainly no ordinary individual; he was also an elder of the Wu family in Daying, with a cultivation level at the third level of the Purple Palace, reportedly on the verge of breaking through to the mid-stage.

Being a local cultivator, he had the full support of an entire cultivation family, and with his formidable strength, the stewards served only his summons.

The orders of the previous celestial guardian couldn’t even reach the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion!

Moreover, many gangs occupying the seven workshops and thirty-nine streets were quite submissive to Wu Jingwei.

Most importantly, the Wu family always supported the Grand Celestial Guardian Luo Han and maintained a good relationship with him.

With a powerful backing above and a solid foundation below, how could a solitary celestial guardian stand against him?

Being sidelined was completely understandable.

The former celestial guardian once tried to seize control, only to suffer a crushing defeat, leading him to simply give up and become idle.

Additionally, the five hundred patrol guards governing the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion were essentially under Wu Jingwei’s control.

Many of them were children of the Wu family!

The reason Xi Manyun was not on the same side as Wu Jingwei was due to the poor relationship between the Xi family and the Wu family.

She could never turn to him for support.

If it weren’t for Grand Celestial Guardian Luo Han’s purpose of maintaining balance, which prevented the Xi family from being suppressed, Xi Manyun would have long lost her position as steward in the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion.

After listening, Wang Chen was at a loss for words.

So it seemed that the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion was all about the Wu family!