Chapter 776: 坦诚相见

Upon entering the central hall, Xu Yang first noticed a meticulously clean earthen kang, with two pairs of wooden shoes neatly arranged beside it. The middle-aged man's attire was not significantly different from that of his subordinates, varying only in subtle details.

The middle-aged man ascended the earthen kang first, then knelt before a square table. A middle-aged woman knelt respectfully by his side, serving tea.

After this, the man gently waved his hand, and the middle-aged woman discreetly exited the room, leaving only Xu Yang and the middle-aged man.

"To be frank, I am merely a governor of Changluo County in Yingzhou. Across the entire Yingzhou Continent, there are at least several thousand counties the size of Changluo. This was a crucial factor in my ruling out your identity as an assassin; if you were truly an assassin infiltrating from an external continent, you wouldn't target a minor governor like myself."

The middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile, his face etched with the marks of time. His eyes, however, betrayed a hint of unwillingness and dejection, all of which Xu Yang keenly observed.

"To be frank, I am an outsider, hailing from the barren ends."

Hearing this phrase, both familiar and somewhat strange, the middle-aged man was visibly startled. He instinctively set down his teacup and cautiously scanned his surroundings.

"No wonder your power is so immense. From the endless desolation, yet another mysterious powerhouse has emerged, and to think such a top-tier expert would appear in my humble abode."

The middle-aged man's face seemed a mix of shock and a slight hint of secret delight, but underlying it all was a profound sense of apprehension.

"Oh? Your expression suggests you're quite wary of those who come from the barren ends!"

"Sir, you may not be aware, but a legend has long circulated throughout the Eternal Night Dynasty: the barren ends connect to realms beyond the world of the Eternal Night Dynasty. Consequently, individuals who come from that place are all top-tier combatants possessing extraordinary abilities! If any faction can secure support from life forms beyond the barren ends, that faction is destined for rapid ascent."

"However, as the saying goes, 'an innocent man is guilty only when he possesses a treasure.' Factions that are not sufficiently powerful, even with assistance from life forms beyond the barren ends, often meet an early demise, facing joint siege from neighboring forces. Such instances are far from uncommon."

Xu Yang listened, then offered a slight smile: "Rest assured, my presence here can be considered a stroke of destiny. I will help you attain what you desire. At the very least, from this day forward, you will no longer be merely a minor county governor."

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up, but his expression quickly became dejected once more.

"Alas, I am but a discarded member of my family, a mere failure. Even with the assistance of a top-tier expert like yourself, it's impossible for me to return to the core of my family's power."

Xu Yang, upon hearing this, seemed to grasp another crucial piece of information.

"Oh, right. The sword technique you demonstrated earlier, you mentioned it was the primary inheritance of the Yun lineage. Is it possible your surname is Yun?"

The middle-aged man nodded: "The common folk in the county refer to me as Third Master Yun. In truth, I am a blood descendant of the Wang clan of Yingzhou. Wang Yunhou, the current ruler of Yunzhou, is actually my distant cousin. The direct lineage of the Wang ancestral family, controlled by Marquis Yun, is the de facto power in Yingzhou today. I am considered a collateral branch of the Yun clan. However, when we were all younger, I was quite an exceptional individual, and there was a slight hope I might contend for the throne. But later, under the relentless pressure of various disputes, our branch was ultimately defeated and expelled from the core of power. Over the subsequent centuries, other family branches continuously squeezed and sidelined us, dividing up all the influence and territory that had once been ours. It wasn't until I became a minor county governor that this suppression gradually subsided. After all, which of the family branches vying for royal power would even cast a second glance at a humble county governor like me?"

"So, this is the reason for your constant melancholy?" Xu Yang observed Third Master Yun with a half-smile, posing the question.

"I am not an arrogant man by any means, but you should be able to understand the feeling of someone who has ascended to the peak and gazed upon the vast sky, only to return to the confines of their original well."

Xu Yang nodded slightly: "I understand. But have you never considered using your strength to reclaim what is rightfully yours?"

"Me? That opportunity has long passed. In Yingzhou, there's a strict regulation: county-level forces are forbidden from maintaining more than three hundred private soldiers. Anyone who unilaterally exceeds this limit will be deemed a criminal by the enforcers, and their entire lineage will be purged overnight. Each county has a dedicated Enforcement Hall, which, to put it plainly, functions as the royal family's eyes and ears. These Enforcement Halls typically number five thousand individuals. Although I am nominally the highest official of Changluo County, in terms of actual power, the Enforcement Hall is the true local authority. Even my three hundred personal guards wouldn't dare provoke them."

"As for the hundred thousand citizens under my jurisdiction in the county, they essentially have to defer to the enforcers. No ordinary person dares to provoke anyone from the Enforcement Hall; even the most common low-ranking soldier within the Enforcement Hall possesses superior privileges."

Upon hearing Third Master Yun's explanation, Xu Yang gained a general understanding of the power structure within Yingzhou Continent.

"Aside from counties, are there no other systems of power? Surely the King doesn't directly govern thousands of counties, does he?"

"Of course not. The entire Yingzhou Continent comprises over three thousand counties. Typically, every twenty to thirty counties form an alliance, and roughly a dozen alliances are then grouped into a single region. The core branches of the royal family are generally the leaders of the strongest factions within each of Yingzhou's major regions. This is precisely how the royal family maintains control over the entire Yingzhou. That's why I emphasized that once you're ousted from the core of royal power, staging a comeback becomes virtually impossible. There are simply too many obstacles before us, and my original power base has been completely dismantled. My influence has vanished, sealing my fate and ensuring I have no opportunity to return to the center of power."

Xu Yang, however, shook his head: "So, according to you, there are no conflicts of interest between the various regions, alliances, or even the individual counties? Where there are conflicts of interest, there is always a need for formidable military strength to assert influence, and that, sir, would be your prime opportunity to expand your own!"