Shang Jingchuan almost laughed in anger but did not lose his temper because he knew it was normal for discipline to fall apart after such a long absence of supervision. After all, it is human nature, and no one can stop it.
"Someone, please invite Chief Liu over here. The rest of you, clean up the grass in the courtyard and sweep the entrance."
"Yes!"
Watching the group of government officials and constables start to get busy, Shang Jingchuan rubbed his forehead.
It seems the task is far more daunting than I imagined.
With subordinates lacking any motivation like these, let alone dealing with the Four Seas Gang, they probably couldn’t even handle a group of thugs.
While he was contemplating, the person sent to notify Chief Liu returned.
"Reporting to the lord, Chief Liu said he drank too much today, is overwhelmed by alcohol, and really cannot meet anyone. He will come to pay his respects tomorrow morning."
Shang Jingchuan’s mind was clear as a mirror, knowing all these were mere excuses. This Liu Qi probably wanted to give him a hard time in this way.
But he couldn’t react at this moment, so he just smiled and nodded, "That’s understandable, then let’s wait until tomorrow."
"Someone, bring all the accumulated files here; I need to sort them out first."
Upon hearing this, these government officials were somewhat surprised.
It wasn’t that no supervisors had come before, but when they arrived and saw this dilapidated prefecture, every one of them looked like they had lost their mother. And they were unwilling to stay a moment longer, let alone look at the files, before making their excuses to leave.
Today, though, this lord seems a bit different.
"Why are you all standing around, hurry up and get the files for the lord," He Zheng, who reacted quickly, hastened to shout.
Soon, several people carried files weighing over a hundred pounds into the main hall.
Some files had dust half an inch thick on them, and even the paper had started to mildew, showing that no one had touched them since they were filed.
Shang Jingchuan didn’t mind the dirt, going through them one by one.
The people below whispered among themselves.
"I think this lord is different from the others; he actually started looking at the files. Perhaps he really intends to achieve something?"
"Don’t be silly, he’s probably just putting on a show. I heard this lord is already getting old, and they’ve sent him here, probably because he has no backing."
"Alright, you all say less. If the lord hears you, none of you will have a good outcome."
He Zheng scolded the group and looked back, filled with doubt.
What is this lord planning to do?
Meanwhile, while Shang Jingchuan was perusing files in the Capital Prefecture, Prince Qi’s Mansion, Prince Qi Yan Sifu was feeding birds.
Kneeling behind him was a person, narrating the day’s happenings in Yan Capital City.
Soon, this person mentioned Shang Jingchuan.
"My prince, Shang Jingchuan, who had been missing for several days, suddenly appeared in Yongyang Square and even killed members of the Four Seas Gang. I heard that the Sea Lord of the Celestial Cyan Sea, Xiong Kun, has already gone over to investigate."
"Oh? Does Shang Jingchuan have such courage?" Yan Sifu paused his bird-feeding stick, asking with some curiosity.
"The person killed was Zhao Ya, who is by his side. Moreover, after returning, Shang Jingchuan went to the Capital Prefecture and became the Capital Prefect."
"Zhao Ya... Hmph!" There was a glint of coldness in Yan Sifu’s eyes.
He certainly knew Zhao Ya, his own daughter was forced to kneel in the street by him, causing her to become the laughingstock of the entire city.
He initially thought that if Shang Jingchuan had any sense, he wouldn’t come to take the post.
Unexpectedly, he not only came but also killed members of the Four Seas Gang.
This was making enemies on two fronts all at once.
"I understand, I remember that there’s a chief called Liu Qi in the Capital Prefecture. Summon him, I have some instructions."
"Yes!"
......
Yongyang Square, second floor of the tavern.
Xiong Kun looked at the corpses on the ground, his expression somewhat grave.
Bai Wang was crying incessantly beside him.
"Sea Lord, San has always been loyal to you, and now he died so horribly, you must seek justice for him!"
Xiong Kun, who was inspecting the wounds on the corpses, looked impatient, "Stop that damn crying, it’s giving me a headache."
Bai Wang’s crying abruptly stopped.
At the same time, Xiong Kun looked up at the trembling tavern shopkeeper.
"What did this person say?"
"He... He said he is the new Capital Prefect. If you want revenge, you should find him."
"Capital Prefect...."
This familiar title made Xiong Kun somewhat dazed.
He remembered when he first entered the capital, long ago when the situation had not deteriorated to this point, and the court still maintained its decency.
At that time, the Capital Prefect was an exceptionally powerful position, especially among those from gangs like them, who feared it like mice fearing cats.
But later, with the passing of the old emperor and the ascension of the new one, the situation gradually began to crumble, and the Capital Prefect became an insignificant role.
Xiong Kun almost forgot about it.
Yet today, unexpectedly, he heard this familiar name again, naturally causing some anxiety in him.
"What’s his name?"
"He said he was called Shang Jingchuan!"
"Shang Jingchuan, go investigate it!"
For the Four Seas Gang, this information wasn’t hard to find.
Soon, Shang Jingchuan’s information, including Zhao Ya’s details, appeared in Xiong Kun’s hands.
With just one look, Xiong Kun determined the one who made the move was definitely Zhao Ya.
Because from the wounds on the corpses, he saw how terrifying the perpetrator’s knife skills were.
Linking this to how Zhao Ya recently directly faced Yan Xizhao once, and then tied with Wang Tiancheng of the Golden Saber Institute.
Xiong Kun suddenly felt his scalp tingling.
Such a person was someone he absolutely did not want to offend.
But he couldn’t outright say he wouldn’t handle it, as Bai San had indeed shown him much loyalty and respect.
If he truly ignored it, it would quickly chill the hearts of Bai Wang and these others.
So after pondering for a while, he said, "First, inter and bury the bodies of Bai San and others. We’ll go back and discuss this further."
"How should we handle this tavern then? Should we...," Bai Wang asked menacingly, making a throat-slitting gesture.
The tavern shopkeeper almost wet his pants from fright.
But unexpectedly, Xiong Kun shook his head, "Don’t add more trouble. This matter has nothing to do with them. Let’s deal with Shang Jingchuan first."
"Alright!"
The Sea Lord had spoken, so Bai Wang couldn’t disagree.
After they finished dealing with the corpses, they left Yongyang Square and headed towards the Four Seas Building.
Xiong Kun definitely didn’t plan to deal with Shang Jingchuan on his own.
In his view, since Shang Jingchuan became the Capital Prefect, he was targeting the entire Four Seas Gang.
He needed to quickly inform the Big Master and others.
It would be best to come up with a way to have Lang Songbai step forward to deal with Zhao Ya.
Yes, that’s right!
Originally, he wanted to use the issue with the Yaksha Masked Man to get rid of Lang Songbai, but unexpectedly, the Yaksha Masked Man never appeared again, so the matter was put aside.
Now there’s another opportunity, and Xiong Kun wouldn’t miss it.
He planned to consult Sheng Lianhua first on how to make Lang Songbai take the lead.
Meanwhile, at the Golden Saber Institute.
Zhao Ya met with Wang Tiancheng.
Upon meeting, Zhao Ya cut straight to the point and said, "I’d like to ask Senior Brother Wang for a favor."
"What is it? Feel free to tell me, Junior Brother Zhao."
"I’m preparing to close up and break through to the Fifth Realm, but I’m uneasy about leaving home, so I would like Senior Brother Wang to look after things for a few days. I will offer substantial thanks once I come out of seclusion."
Zhao Ya spoke sincerely.
In fact, from the moment he decided to go into seclusion, Zhao Ya thought of Wang Tiancheng.
In the vast Yan Capital City, Zhao Ya was closest to Wang Tiancheng, so making this request wasn’t unreasonable.
After hearing it, Wang Tiancheng was also quite surprised.
"You plan to break through to the Fifth Realm so soon?"
"Yes, the timing was not quite right before, so I held it back. Now that my knife skills have broken through and the timing is ripe, it’s time to advance to the Fifth Realm."
"Alright, I’ll take care of this." Wang Tiancheng readily agreed without hesitation.
Zhao Ya clasped his fists together and solemnly thanked him, "Many thanks!"
"No need to be polite, it’s the duty of friendship, and if you don’t mind, you can even come to my Golden Saber Institute for the breakthrough, and we’ll ensure your safety."