Da Xuan Martial Saint

In the secluded wasteland, a group of over a hundred people hurried along.

Leading the group were Xu Hongyu and Chen Mu, with Xiao He walking on the right rear side, surveying the terrain ahead on the right while occasionally glancing covertly at Xu Hongyu and Chen Mu.

Following them were various Green-Clothed Guards and Black-Clothed Guards from the Demon-Slaying Office mixed with some of the Yu Family's people. Further back were the Yu Family's elite knife fighters, essentially trained Protectors, and at the very rear were a number of officials drafted from the county government.

Although these officials lacked the ability to fight monsters, they were needed for passing messages and handling other tasks.

"Ding bro, that Chen... is getting a bit too close to Miss Xu, isn't he?"

Within the second echelon consisting of the Yu Family's retinue and the Demon-Slaying Office's personnel, a Black-Clothed Guard couldn't help but whisper to a Green-Clothed Guard beside him while watching Xu Hongyu and Chen Mu's backs ahead.

Ding He's eyebrows furrowed as he replied in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense!"

As he spoke,

he too cast a deep glance at Chen Mu's back, slowly adding, "Lord Chen is a confidant personally promoted by Miss Xu and also possesses a Horizontally Trained Body. He is different from you and me."

The Black-Clothed Guard Wu Pu whispered back, "What's the difference? We are all outsiders, not members of the Yu Family. Chen Mu only recently stepped into the Tendon Changing Realm; Brother Ding, you've long since achieved Tendon Changing Major Achievement. Even though he has a Horizontally Trained Body, how would that compare to Brother Ding?

Yet the young lady values him so highly, we might have to take orders from him."

His tone carried a hint of jealousy.

If it were a member of the Yu Family walking so closely with Xu Hongyu, that would be one thing, or perhaps someone of the White-Clothed Guard rank too, but Chen Mu was but a Green-Clothed Guard, yet he got to walk at the very front, alongside Xu Hongyu, and the two even occasionally discussed matters.

It no longer looked like the relationship between a subordinate and superior, but rather too intimate.

Hearing Wu Pu's words, Ding He did not respond, but he too cast a deep look at Chen Mu, knowing that Chen Mu's attainment of the Tendon Changing Realm and Horizontally Trained Body were not of an ordinary nature, possessing much more potential than himself.

It was normal for Xu Hongyu to value him so highly, but witnessing the informal behavior between Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu, there inevitably arose some speculation in his heart.

Could it be that Xu Hongyu's interest in Chen Mu was more than simple appreciation, but something deeper?

That would be rather...

He knew that Xu Hongyu was unmarried and part of the direct lineage, one of the few with the highest status among the younger generation of the Yu Family. If Chen Mu could climb the social ladder by becoming closely associated with her, there was no doubt it would be a sky-high ascent for him.

However, even if Chen Mu, leveraging Xu Hongyu's trust, could sweet-talk his way into her good graces, the Yu Family side was likely still unaccepting, as Xu Hongyu's status was far beyond any side-branch member of the Yu Family. Even among the direct lineage, her position was extremely prominent, destined not to be with an ordinary person.

"Miss has her own judgment; it's not our place to comment. Don't discuss this matter further,"

after his eyes flickered a few times, Ding He admonished Wu Pu in a stern voice.

Seeing Ding He deep in thought and remaining silent, Wu Pu could only respond reluctantly. Actually, as a Black-Clothed Guard, he did have a lower status than Chen Mu; he just felt that if Chen Mu could do it, why couldn't Ding He? If Ding He could also gain Xu Hongyu's trust, or even catch her eye, then with his and Ding He's childhood friendship, his own status would also rise.

...

Chen Mu walked alongside Xu Hongyu, discussing the details of garrisoning Donghong.

He was aware that there were some gazes coming from behind him. Some were scrutinizing, while others conveyed jealousy and displeasure. However, this was normal since he was currently in the rank of Green-Clothed Guard, yet walking at the very front with Xu Hongyu, which would naturally draw some disapproving looks. He didn't care about this, simply continuing the discussion with Xu Hongyu.

Xu Hongyu might not excel in scheming or covert confrontations, but her insight into troop deployment and tactics was substantial. Coupled with her abundant experience in demon slaying having participated in more than one monster disturbance, many of her thoughts made Chen Mu nod in agreement.

While it was called a discussion, it was more of him listening to Xu Hongyu's arrangements and occasionally offering a few suggestions.

Chen Mu had risen from the bottom to his current status, and deep down he too had his own pride, but he never let that turn into complacency. When it came to unfamiliar things, things he didn't understand, he always refrained from being overly critical.

Just like during his term at the Yamen in Wutong Grove District, he was merely executing tasks, cooperating with the Chief Officer, and aiding disaster victims, without ever trying to change the entire district's ecology.

For one, his status was not high enough to single-handedly transform a district into a completely different world, and secondly, meddling recklessly without sufficient knowledge and understanding could easily cause a mess, as quelling a disturbance is one thing, while governing is another.

The strategy for dealing with the monster troubles...

...was not simply to station troops everywhere across Donghong Township and the nearby villages. Even with thousands of troops, it was not feasible due to the vastness of the world map, far greater than in Chen Mu's previous life. Donghong Township alone spanned a hundred square miles, and not all these vast lands were inhabited.

Xu Hongyu opted for the Yu Family's traditional methods, selecting critical points and lines outside the populated villages, forming patrols of two or three individuals to scout these locations.

If there were monster appearances, with few and not very powerful creatures, they could be dealt with on the spot.

However, if there were large numbers or higher-level beasts, then an immediate retreat was necessary, with the news relayed upward for deploying troops to confront the threat.

The devices they carried were also quite ingenious, including special incense that could mask their scent to avoid detection by monsters, as well as 'sound whistles' for communication across distances. Like fireworks, the sound could travel ten miles, thereby creating a network, layer by layer, to pass messages.

There was much less known about these Chen Mu matters, and now, having learned everything from Xu Hongyu, one couldn't help but sigh that, irrespective of the environment, the human race always manages to create various strategies to cope.

Perhaps in the very ancient times, before martial arts reached the heavens, it was by virtue of such wisdom that they survived in the cracks of existence, gradually taking over this land step by step, ruling the world, making those terrifying monsters that once dominated the land decline. Today, they can only hide in various deep mountains and poisonous swamps.

Very soon.

A group of people arrived at the township pavilion of Donghong Township.

This was also a significantly large settlement, even seemingly larger than the County Government in terms of area and housing clusters; the only difference was the lack of towering city walls here, unable to withstand the invasion of monsters.

There was a head of the township, yamen, and constabulary in abundance, all of whom had been awaiting the arrival of the Demon-Slaying Office. As soon as Chen Mu and his group arrived, the head and others from Donghong Township were already impatient to greet them.

"The lords have finally arrived, please come inside. I've already arranged a feast to welcome and cleanse the dust from the journey," said the head, greeting Xu Hongyu and others with a bow and a smile.

Xu Hongyu spoke with a cool demeanor, "There's no need for a feast, let's keep things simple. Starting now, Donghong Township will follow my directives; have all the yamen's constables and official personnel quickly accounted for and report to me."

Having served as the Chief Constable of the South City District, Xu Hongyu was well-versed in controlling a territory.

"Yes, yes."

The head immediately responded and ordered his subordinates to get to it.

He couldn't help but steal a glance at Xu Hongyu, then at Chen Mu beside her, his expression unwittingly becoming a bit tense. Mainly because the high officials from the Demon-Slaying Office who had come this time seemed far too young.

As a township head, he was acutely aware that identities like the White-Clothed Guard and Green-Clothed Guard were bound to have corresponding capabilities, but when managing a territory against monster chaos, the use of personnel and experience was also key, where often a single command could reduce many losses.

However.

The township head soon eased his mind, because once Xu Hongyu arrived at the township hall, she immediately began enquiring about the status of different places in Donghong, whether there were discrepancies with the map, and other arrangements and matters.

As long as those dispatched by the Demon-Slaying Office weren't the type that were young and arrogant, stubborn, and unwilling to listen to advice, there wouldn't be an issue. After all, they were unquestionably strong and strategies could be discussed together.

In the Council Hall.

Xu Hongyu, Chen Mu, the township head, and Xiao He were gathered around the map, discussing and devising strategies in harmony.

However, outside there was quite a bit of disorder, with some of the Green-Clothed Guard from the Demon-Slaying Office and people from the Yu Family lines all frowning slightly towards the direction of the Council Hall.

It was understandable for Xiao He to be present since she was Xu Hongyu's personal maid, but for Chen Mu, also a Green-Clothed Guard, to enter the hall was different from the past arrangements. It was almost clear he was being granted a central position of control.

It wasn't just Wu Pu, Ding He, and others who were concerned; even members of the Yu Family frowned occasionally, after all, they shared the Yu surname and had to wait outside for orders.

After a short while.

The township head stepped out and gave orders to the people of the township.

Only Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu remained in the Council Hall.

"Both of us staying in the township would be a waste of our force. There will be no issues with you maintaining control here; I'll take a few people to patrol around the Wasteland Mountain area later. What do you think?" Xu Hongyu asked Chen Mu.

Chen Mu looked at the map and after a moment of thought replied, "No, you should stay and take charge of the township. After all, I'm just a Green-Clothed Guard, and it's inconvenient to coordinate personnel. Besides, I'm not very familiar with handling monster chaos. It's proper for you to stay here in the township to react centrally, while I will take care of the Wasteland Mountain area.

Plus, if there are problems in other directions, I can arrive quickly."

Though it would be easy to settle the murmurs from outside by showing off some strength, after seeing Xu Hongyu's whole process of coordination, Chen Mu felt it was more appropriate for her to continue central coordination.

Moreover.

The township was the center of Donghong, and staying there was the safest place.

In comparison, the area around Wasteland Mountain was more dangerous, being a place that was barren and uninhabited even on normal days, and the area around Wasteland Mountain was also on the border between Anyu and Huaiyu counties.