Chapter 205
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Chapter 205: Right on Target
In the governor’s residence of South Shao County, the atmosphere in the main hall was suffocatingly tense. Three servants knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Before them stood a square table, upon which lay a gruesome trophy composed of a stack of severed heads.
Governor Ruan Zhaoming fixed his gaze on the topmost head, his face ashen with fury.
It was the head of the chief manager of the Celestial Guardians’ residences.
Only three days prior, Ruan Zhaoming had shared drinks and laughter with this man within the very same residence.
Now, they were separated by the chasm of life and death.
Though the chief manager’s life or death held little significance to Ruan Zhaoming, who had merely used him from the start, never truly valuing him, the governor now felt as though he had been struck across the face.
Each head represented a stinging slap.
The trophy displayed at least thirty heads, amounting to thirty such slaps.
Despite Ruan Zhaoming’s profound cunning, he couldn’t suppress a twitch at the corner of his eye.
This macabre trophy had been delivered by the people from the Celestial Guardians’ residences.
Ruan Zhaoming was fully aware of the events that had unfolded at the entrance of the Celestial Guardians’ residences that morning.
He had never anticipated that the new Celestial Guardian would be so decisive and merciless.
It was sheer lawlessness!
These cultivators regarded human life as no more than grass, treating common folk as mere ants.
Ruan Zhaoming refused to reflect on his past leniency towards these individuals, who had acted with impunity and tarnished the reputation of the Celestial Guardians’ residences.
All he knew was that he had been humiliated by the newly arrived cultivators from the Yunyang Sect!
These severed heads served as the most direct warning.
Ruan Zhaoming realized that his underhanded schemes could not be concealed from them.
This realization was what infuriated him the most!
“Get out of my sight!”
The servants, feeling as though they had been granted a reprieve, scrambled away from Ruan Zhaoming’s presence as quickly as possible.
The governor was notorious for his volatile temper; even the slightest hesitation could result in severe punishment.
“Wang Chen!”
Ruan Zhaoming’s roar reverberated through the empty hall.
“Ha ha～”
In the next moment, a sinister laugh reached Ruan Zhaoming’s ears.
His expression shifted, and he spoke solemnly, “Elder Wu.”
A hunched old man, draped in a burlap robe, with white hair and bare feet, appeared at Ruan Zhaoming’s side.
Gripping a wooden staff, he cast a sharp glance at the trophy of severed heads lying on the ground, sniffed the air, and asked, “Have you run into trouble?”
Ruan Zhaoming’s eyelids twitched. “Yes.”
This burlap-robed elder was a shaman from the mountain tribe, skilled in witchcraft, and capable of countering cultivators.
Ruan Zhaoming had gone to great lengths to bring him into the residence for support.
It was also with the help of this shaman that he could maintain his position and suppress the unruly mountain hunters and wild men of South Shao County.
Of course, Ruan Zhaoming had paid a steep price for this.
Confucian scholars traditionally rejected witchcraft, and if the Deer Party discovered he secretly supported a shaman, it would mean utter disgrace!
Elder Wu was also quite greedy.
Unless absolutely necessary, Ruan Zhaoming really didn’t want to call upon him.
To his surprise, the shaman had come on his own, drawn by the smell of blood!
Ruan Zhaoming had no choice but to explain the situation in detail.
After listening, Elder Wu asked, “Do you want me to take action?”
Ruan Zhaoming thought for a moment and replied, “No need to trouble Elder Wu for now.”
Wang Chen had just arrived, and trouble had arisen within a few days. The Yunyang Sect above would surely not let it rest.
The old monster in Qianjing wouldn’t remain idle either.
This was getting far too complicated!
Even if he planned to deal with Wang Chen, he needed to find the most opportune moment.
“Hmm.”
Elder Wu didn’t seem to care and glanced at the trophy again. “These heads are nice; they’re perfect for raising poison.”
Ruan Zhaoming bowed respectfully, “As you wish.”
“Very good.”
Elder Wu was quite satisfied with Ruan Zhaoming’s attitude. “Next month, I will offer a sacrifice to the shaman god. You need to find me ten pairs of young boys and girls. I have great use for them.”
Ruan Zhaoming lowered his head, “Yes.”
Elder Wu waved his robe sleeve, enveloping the trophy on the ground. “Remember to find those with tender skin and clever minds!”
After saying this, he took two steps back and vanished like a ghost.
All the severed heads disappeared along with him.
Ruan Zhaoming’s expression shifted as he sat alone in the main hall for a long time.
He clapped his hands.
A man in a gray shirt entered, bowed, and asked, “What orders do you have, my lord?”
Ruan Zhaoming said coldly, “Transfer all case files related to Evil Spirits from the past ten years to the Exorcism Hall.”
The timing was not right, and he didn’t have complete confidence, so he could only hold back for now.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take any action.
This governor wanted to give the newly appointed Celestial Guardian something to do, at least to divert attention away from himself.
The man in the gray shirt replied, “Yes!”
Ruan Zhaoming rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat fatigued, and waved his hand, “Go on.”
He was very curious about how Wang Chen would react to receiving so many case files.
This governor felt a hint of anticipation!
…
The next morning, three unexpected visitors arrived at the Celestial Guardians’ residences.
After receiving a report from Xiao Wan, Wang Chen met them in the front hall.
“Zuo Yongjun, the left captain of the Exorcism Hall of South Shao, pays respects to the Celestial Guardian!”
One of the sturdy men knelt on one knee and performed a deep bow to Wang Chen.
The two others standing behind him also bowed in greeting.
“Captain Zuo, there’s no need for such formality.”
Wang Chen gestured, “Please, take a seat and have some tea!”
The brawny man clasped his fists and said, “Thank you, Celestial Guardian!”
Wang Chen carefully examined him.
This Zuo Yongjun was no ordinary person.
Coming from a humble background, he joined the army at fifteen and earned numerous military achievements, receiving recognition from the late emperor.
His original name was not Zuo Yongjun; he changed it after the late emperor praised him for being “brave above all.”
After the late emperor passed away, Zuo Yongjun faced exclusion from his colleagues in the military and angrily joined the Imperial Guard.
He originally held the title of Qiandu but was demoted due to offending the powerful in Qianjing and was reassigned to the Exorcism Hall of South Shao.
The Exorcism Hall, as its name suggests, was an organization specifically dealing with Evil Spirits.
Xiao Wan had informed Wang Chen of these circumstances.
Zuo Yongjun’s demeanor was steady, his temples as flat as an ordinary person’s, and his eyes gleamed with inner strength, clearly having reached the Innate Realm.
Moreover, Zuo Yongjun carried a subtle aura of bloodshed.
Such an aura could only be cultivated through countless battles.
Wang Chen sensed that Zuo Yongjun’s strength surpassed that of Yu Feihong.
He also noticed a one-armed man standing beside Zuo Yongjun.
This man exuded a fierce aura, clearly also coming from a military background.
Zuo Yongjun introduced, “This is General Wu Song, currently serving as my deputy.”
Wang Chen nodded, “A brave warrior.”
Getting back to the point, he couldn’t help but smile when he learned of Zuo Yongjun’s purpose for visiting today.
The governor’s residence had actually transferred all case files related to Evil Spirits from the past ten years to the Exorcism Hall?
It was only natural for the Exorcism Hall to seek out this new Celestial Guardian.
There was no doubt this was the result of him delivering thirty severed heads to Ruan Zhaoming yesterday.
The other party’s counterattack belonged to the realm of open strategy.
But this governor certainly didn’t realize that his actions played right into Wang Chen’s hands.
It was truly a case of searching high and low for something and finding it without any effort!
