King Yanshan's brow remained furrowed after reading the letter.
"My Lord?" the Godfiend guard asked softly.
"Brother Meng Chuan has been down the mountain for nearly twenty years, relentlessly pursuing demons. His contributions are outstanding; the demon race has even attempted to assassinate him multiple times," King Yanshan's aged voice carried a hint of confusion. "When King Zhenwu wrote to me, he also highly praised Brother Meng Chuan, stating that he alone is worth ten Marquis Godfiends. The Great Zhou Dynasty is relatively stable now, and Brother Meng Chuan deserves significant credit for that."
"Would such a person truly care about these trivial mundane matters?" King Yanshan shook his head slightly. Given his status, he was more concerned with the war against the demon race and genuinely disinclined to meddle in mortal squabbles over interests.
In King Yanshan's view, the very ability for mortals to have disputes over interests was a form of happiness! If demons were massacring people everywhere and countless mortals were dying, then simply 'being alive' would be their greatest desire. Who would have the mind to think of anything else?
"Zhang Chu, go and investigate what exactly has happened in Jiangzhou City recently," King Yanshan instructed.
"Yes, My Lord," the Godfiend guard replied respectfully.
Just one day later.
A thick dossier was delivered to Yanshan Pass and presented before King Yanshan.
King Yanshan flipped through the dossier, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"Absurd!" King Yanshan's grizzled beard trembled, and his eyes blazed with fury. "Utterly absurd! Unacceptable!"
"My Lord, please calm yourself," Zhang Chu, the Godfiend guard beside him, hastily said.
"I'm not angry about the contents of the dossier," King Yanshan said icily. "There are a thousand kinds of people in this world, and it's normal for large families to have some fools. My anger is directed at my 'dutiful' grandson! Oh, he truly is my dutiful grandson! As the clan leader of the Jiangshui lineage, he didn't severely punish his own family members when faced with this situation. Instead, he wrote a letter to slander Brother Meng Chuan and his wife, hoping to use my influence to deal with Brother Meng Chuan. Didn't they consider how other Godfiends would view me once the truth came out?"
"They only thought of using my hand, but failed to consider that they were entirely in the wrong from the start."
"Disgraceful!"
"Truly disgraceful!"
"And he's also foolish!" King Yanshan's eyes held a cold glint. "It seems that enjoying a life of luxury and acting unrestrainedly in Jiangzhou City for decades, with no one to rein him in, has made him stupid. He needs to go to the battlefield, see some blood, and get a proper reality check. And besides... why should he continue enjoying a comfortable life in the provincial city just because he's my grandson?"
That very day, Godfiend guards Zhang Chu and Yan Tong departed Yanshan Pass on a flying beast, arriving at Jiangzhou City, thousands of miles away.
Jiangzhou City.
Inside the spacious main hall of the Yan family's Jiangshui lineage mansion.
"Elder Brother," Clan Leader Yan Shuang said with a smile, "Why have you come from Yanshan Pass?"
"I have come specifically to Jiangzhou City by the King's command," Yan Tong replied.
"Does His Lordship have any instructions?" an elder seated nearby couldn't help but ask expectantly.
Yan Tong glanced at the elder, then nodded to Godfiend guard Zhang Chu beside him. Zhang Chu stood up, flipped his hand to reveal a token, and announced, "By the King's order."
Everyone rose and bowed, listening intently.
"A clan member broke the law, and Yan Shuang, as clan leader, not only failed to punish them severely but also deceived His Lordship. He intended to have His Lordship deal with a fellow disciple," Zhang Chu declared. Clan Leader Yan Shuang's face instantly changed. "No, I didn't..."
"His Lordship has ordered that, effective immediately, Yan Shuang be stripped of his position as clan leader of the Jiangshui lineage. He is to receive eighty lashes on the spot, followed by deployment to Yanshan Pass to defend against demons," Zhang Chu stated. "From today onwards, the position of clan leader of the Jiangshui lineage shall be held by Yan Tong."
Everyone present was stunned.
However, King Yanshan's word was absolute throughout the entire Yan family. Not just the Jiangshui lineage, but even the main lineage had to obey his commands without question.
"Grandfather has been misled; he's made a mistake!" Yan Shuang cried out, his face pale. "I am Grandfather's own grandson, while Yan Tong is just my distant cousin. Why should he become the clan leader? He's not qualified!"
How carefree was he in Jiangzhou City?
He was the highest-ranking member of the family! His word was law! He truly did as he pleased; a mere hint from him, and his subordinates would dutifully carry out his wishes. He had truly enjoyed immense wealth and power, with numerous wives and concubines. King Yanshan had initially favored his grandson, and since his grandson was only an Indestructible-level Godfiend, the family also needed an ordinary Godfiend to oversee matters in the provincial city. Thus, this favorable arrangement was given to his grandson.
Yan Shuang had always been very obedient in front of his grandfather.
But after indulging in pleasure in Jiangzhou City for too long, and being able to do as he pleased for decades, he had grown accustomed to arrogance. In truth, when Meng Chuan and his wife arrested Yan family members, he was merely a little displeased. It was only later, when Meng Chuan and his wife completely ignored him, treating him as if he didn't exist, and even Meng Dajiang refused to see him, that he felt humiliated. As more and more clan members were arrested, he finally wrote the letter, hoping to leverage his grandfather's authority against Meng Chuan and his wife.
In his eyes, his grandfather was a King Godfiend, who had guarded Yanshan Pass for over two hundred years with tremendous contributions. How could Meng Chuan and his wife, two newly promoted Marquis Godfiends, compare?
"His Lordship was right," Zhang Chu shook his head. "Accustomed to having his own way, he has become foolish! Execute the punishment."
With a wave of Zhang Chu's hand, an invisible mist, like ribbons, bound Yan Shuang. As only an Indestructible-level Godfiend, Yan Shuang was utterly unable to resist.
"Zhang Chu! How dare you lay a hand on me?" Yan Shuang cried out anxiously, but he couldn't break free.
"Smack!"
Zhang Chu, holding the whip, struck down fiercely. The blow tore Yan Shuang's skin, making his body tremble. The elders watching nearby were aghast.
"Zhang Chu, you're insane!" Yan Shuang roared.
Zhang Chu continued to lash him, whip after whip. As a Great Sun Godfiend, no one present could resist him, especially with the King's token and his status as King Yanshan's personal guard.
With each successive lash, Yan Shuang could initially howl and roar, but later he merely begged for mercy, and by the end, he was barely clinging to life.
After eighty lashes.
Yan Shuang lay there, unconscious, like a dead dog.
"The Jiangshui lineage is now in your hands," Zhang Chu said, looking at Yan Tong.
"Don't worry, I will carry out His Lordship's orders perfectly," Yan Tong nodded. He was a Godfiend of the Yan family, had served at Yanshan Pass for over fifty years, and possessed a stern and unyielding character.
Zhang Chu then lifted the unconscious Yan Shuang, left the main hall, and leaped onto the back of a flying beast. The beast quickly departed, heading towards Yanshan Pass.
What awaited Yan Shuang was a long career of defending against demons at Yanshan Pass.
News of the events within the Yan family quickly spread among the major clans in Jiangzhou City, leaving them all in shock.
However, just three days later.
The imperial court issued an order to all cities across the land: in recent years, a large influx of people into provincial and prefectural cities has led to a decline in public order, which must be rectified!
Venerable Qin Wu personally wrote letters to all King Godfiends and Marquis Godfiends, emphasizing that during wartime, while Godfiends risked their lives, they also needed to pay attention to their younger family members to prevent them from causing trouble.
In reality...
The imperial court's official decree had limited effect, as its enforcement still relied on local government officials, who would, at best, put on a show.
Conversely, Venerable Qin Wu's letters were more effective. Although King and Marquis Godfiends were disinclined to manage mundane affairs, focusing more on dealing with demons, since a Venerable had written to them, King Godfiends and Marquis Godfiends naturally issued strict orders, one after another. Regardless of what the members of various great clans truly thought, they at least made a good show of compliance on the surface.
In Jiangzhou City, the tide quickly turned among the major clans, who now unanimously praised Meng Chuan and his wife for caring about the common people.
"The imperial court issued a decree, and Master also wrote a letter," Liu Qiyue said, shaking her head as she flipped through a dossier in the Lakeside Pavilion. "All the major clans are now strictly managing their members, but it's mostly for show, a superficial effort."
Meng Chuan, who was painting, chuckled softly. "People have selfish desires, and many things are inevitable. It's already good enough that the major clans are making an effort to look good on the surface. Their young clan members will also be mindful of their words and actions when outside. This way, the harm will be reduced by eighty percent."
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