The horse carriage slowly stopped. Song Lian lifted the curtains and took a look outside. Then, he took his hand back and said softly with vicissitudes of emotion, "We're here."
He looked at this commander in front of him rather oddly, while the latter raised his brows.
"Not going to give any word of advice?" Chen Chao felt that something was not quite right in his heart. The main thing was that he suddenly became a little nervous. That person whom he was going to meet was no ordinary man, but the most mysterious martial artist in all of Great Liang Dynasty.
Song Lian rolled his eyes and said, "Already arrived at the doorstep, what else is there to say? Do you think that Lord Warden will directly beat you to death in the office?"
Chen Chao furrowed his brows and said nothing. He lifted the curtains and walked out of the cabin.
An ordinary mansion was standing quietly in front of the horse carriage. Although the horse carriage did not stop in front of that mansion's main entrance, he could still determine that this mansion in front of him was not too large, let alone very extravagant.
The Divine Capital's Warden Office was actually this warden manor. Hence, during normal times, there would also be many military officials who would come and go from here. It was just that no one could enter through the main entrance, they all had to use the side door.
The Warden's official rank was the same as that of that Great General in the northern frontier. They were both the highest official rank among military officials. In the Great Liang Dynasty, reaching this level as a military official was already reaching the summit.
As Tianqing County's warden, Chen Chao was currently the lowest existence in the warden faction. But now, he was going to meet that man who was standing at the top of the warden faction. Even if he repeatedly reminded himself to not care too much, Chen Chao was also a little excited at this moment.
Ordinary military officials would probably not be able to see that Lord Warden in person in their lifetime.
After getting off the horse carriage, Chen Chao stood in front of that side door and was somewhat absentminded.
A steward-looking middle-aged man asked with a smile, "I presume that this is Warden Chen? Come in quickly, Lord Warden has been waiting for a long time."
Chen Chao bowed slightly and said rather apologetically, "It was this lowly official who tarried."
In reality, he was no longer a warden now. Forget about not needing to address himself like that, even if he did not come to this mansion, that was completely okay too. It was just that he owed Song Lian a favor, so he had to make a trip here no matter what.
Moreover, whether he worked as a warden or not, it may be presumed that the master of this mansion could change his fate with a word.
The steward was clearly extremely satisfied with Chen Chao's way of calling himself and said with a nod, "Lord Warden doesn't care about such trivial things too. Follow me, Warden Chen."
Chen Chao nodded his head and said no more. Following the steward in through the side door, they slowly advanced in the mansion that was neither large nor small. This mansion was very ordinary; roughly the same as the vast majority of ordinary people's houses in the Divine Capital. It was just that this mansion appeared to be a little bigger. Except, the additional land area was just bare. There were no fake mountains or fake lakes that were added.
Along the way, they could occasionally bump into those military officials wearing official robes. Many of them were carrying files and currently rushing along with lowered heads.
There were many matters and many places in the Great Liang Dynasty. Although not every matter needed this Warden to make a decision, whether were there files or records, they needed to be placed in this mansion.
Those were confidential items of the Great Liang Dynasty. People would likely only feel reassured if there was this Warden personally watching over it.
Chen Chao felt a little surprised.
What he was surprised about was not these military officials who were coming and going, but that this mansion was actually a government office.
The steward felt Chen Chao's surprise and explained with a smile, "Lord Warden has always been honest and upright, he doesn't like material goods. Even this mansion was also bestowed by the previous emperor."
Chen Chao nodded his head and praised, "It's really not easy for Lord Warden to still remain like this after reaching this level."
This was originally a compliment, but the steward shook his head and said, "After reaching this current status, it becomes easier instead."
Chen Chao was taken aback and immediately understood. Reaching the Warden's level, he held a great position of authority and his martial arts cultivation had already reached the pinnacle. Could what he sought still be those material goods?
When the steward saw that Chen Chao revealed a look of realization, there was more appreciation in his eyes, so he said a few more words, "Although Lord Warden is a most trustworthy subject of the Great Liang Dynasty, he's not that solemn either. He admires a youth like you the most. Warden Chen can be more relaxed, no need to be too nervous."
Chen Chao smiled slightly and said, "When I took up my official post, I admire Lord Warden the most. Now that I'm really meeting him, it would be a lie to say that I'm not nervous."
The steward chuckled when he heard this and did not say anymore too. The two continued walking and soon arrived before a study.
The door was opened and it looked ordinary.
The steward smiled slightly, pointed inside, and left like this.
Chen Chao stood in front of the door and was silent for a moment.
……
……
Crossing the door threshold, Chen Chao felt a storm assaulting him before he had time to look up. He immediately felt his eyes blur and he instantly seemed to be situated in the middle of a stormy sea. An unexplainable powerful pressure instantly pressed down and the qi within his body instantly began churning like boiling water. It started to swim through his various major meridians, supporting his body to resist it.
A moment later, tidal water sounded in his ear. An enormous wave suddenly appeared before his eyes, howling towards him. When Chen Chao looked down, there was merely a small row boat under his feet. He was currently holding on desperately in the middle of the ocean as if he was going to capsize in an instant. Chen Chao's complexion was extremely pale. The true danger was not the enormous wave before his eyes, but that pressure that lurked unseen.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared above the wave in front of him. That figure was incomparably big and tall, standing upright between heaven and earth like a deity. It was just that this deity was currently looking at the sky and not looking at him. But even so, when Chen Chao looked at that figure, he felt immense pain too. It was as if there were countless sharp swords stabbing towards his brain at this moment.
Only after a moment, did that figure turn his head and lower his head to look at him.
Chen Chao met his eyes, two gazes immediately collided in midair. Then, waves surged and the world began to shake as if heaven and earth was going to collapse.
Chen Chao's mind gradually turned lax. His soul seemed to be getting erased by that figure in front of him right away.
He was drenched from head to toe, cold sweat continuously falling from his forehead.
The current him really felt that he was too weak; like an ant. As long as that person opposite was willing, he could instantly trample him to death.
The qi within Chen Chao's body had already been triggered. It was already the greatest effort that he could exert with his Divine Trove cultivation realm. But even so, he could only persevere bitterly at this moment too. Furthermore, it was very clear that he would collapse before long. There would be no other possibility at all.
He already knew that the figure was that Warden; one of the Great Liang Dynasty's peerless martial artists. The disparity between the two people's cultivation realms was too great, he stood no chance of winning.
In that instant, his mind suddenly exploded.
The pressure suddenly dissipated. That ocean also disappeared and that figure dissipated too.
Everything became normal.
Chen Chao's eyes were soaked in sweat. He took a lot of time before he opened them laboriously.
It was an ordinary study room in front of him. A row of bookshelves was standing at one side and many books on war were placed on it. There were presumably many solo volumes.
It was an ordinary study desk in front of the bookshelves. A man sat behind the desk.
That man was dressed in black. He was born with an incredibly chiseled face and two extremely thick, straight eyebrows that slanted upwards and outwards, looking extremely heroic.
That was the Great Liang Dynasty's Lord Warden, the leader of all of Great Liang Dynasty's wardens.
Chen Chao looked at this Warden in front of him and did not know what to say for some time.
The Warden stood up. His figure was extremely big and tall, looking like a small hill.
He gave people an indescribable feeling.
"Many people in the Divine Capital want to know your identity."
The Warden took the initiative to open his mouth and went straight to the point. There was no foreshadowing, making him appear very stiff. Coupled with his actions before, he really gave the pure feeling of a martial artist.
Chen Chao did not answer this question, because this was not a question at all.
He interpreted this statement as that he was stating a matter.
"I heard that you refuted those scholars by South Lake a while back." The Warden looked at Chen Chao and praised, "Pretty well said."
Only after hearing this, did Chen Chao clasp his hands and said softly, "This lowly official was merely crying out unjust for those soldiers in the northern frontier and those martial artists who died for Great Liang."
The Warden asked, "Foreign land cultivators keep using the words uncouth martial artists, why can't those scholars say it?"
Chen Chao said calmly, "The foreign cultivators are not our Great Liang Dynasty's people, our Great Liang Dynasty's martial artists didn't die for them too. They look down on martial artists, even if we're angry, it's limited to only this too. But, those scholars are our Great Liang Dynasty's people, how many of our Great Liang Dynasty's martial artists have died for them?"
The Warden did not speak.
Chen Chao said softly, "Countless."
"Since so many of our Great Liang Dynasty's martial artists have died for them, how can they insult them?!"
Chen Chao raised his head and looked at the Warden in front of him, his gaze like electricity.
The Warden looked at him too. The two looked at each other. It was not as shocking as before, there was just a very bland feeling.
"I saw some things in your eyes. Actually, you don't care how they talk about you."
The Warden smiled. His smile felt a little lonely, like the autumn wind of the autumn chill, without the warmth of spring.
Chen Chao did not retort. In front of a true big shot, his every movement and action would be exposed under the other party's eyelids.
Chen Chao said, "But that's the truth."
The Warden smiled and said, "It's indeed the truth. If our Great Liang Dynasty's martial artists die for the country, so be it. But, it's naturally unacceptable for the people who are alive to humiliate them like this."
Chen Chao was silent.
"Just based on those words that you said at South Lake, I can give you a pretty good future."
The Warden looked at Chen Chao's eyes, the meaning in his eyes profound.
I'll stick to a third-party form of address like, "This official", "This lowly servant". It's because it's intentional by the author and he will frequently reference it.
