Chen Yuan had been serving as a Supervising Envoy for nearly half a month. During this time, according to custom, he was to familiarize himself with the duties of the Supervising Envoy and solidify his realm, and was generally not to be disturbed.

But after this period, it would be difficult for Chen Yuan to remain idle.

You should know that Chen Yuan took on the position of Supervising Envoy first, and did not have much merit. According to custom, he should not be a Supervising Envoy. If it weren't for Zhang Xuan's help,

he should already be out on a mission.

Chen Yuan was content to have delayed for so long.

The longer he cultivated, the more his strength would increase.

"Subordinate Chen Yuan greets you, sir!"

Chen Yuan cupped his fist in front of the middle-aged man whose back was facing him.

His attitude was quite respectful.

Tao Qingyuan slowly turned around, looked Chen Yuan up and down, and chuckled:

"Is your realm stable?"

"Almost..."

"Come, sit."

Tao Qingyuan said, pointing to the seat in front of Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan did not decline and sat down directly, looking at Tao Qingyuan with a calm gaze.

"I called you here this time because I have a mission to assign to you."

Tao Qingyuan didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"Please give your orders, sir..."

"Originally, I wanted to give this matter to other Supervising Envoys, but they also have other missions in hand. Moreover, they are somewhat dissatisfied with your direct appointment as Supervising Envoy and probably won't help you..."

"This subordinate understands. It is indeed somewhat unconventional for sir to promote this subordinate. It's normal for them to have some thoughts. Now that this subordinate's realm is stable, it's time to carry out missions."

Chen Yuan's attitude was very calm.

He didn't have a strong background and needed to proceed step by step.

Tao Qingyuan wouldn't take special care of him.

"It's good that you understand."

Tao Qingyuan was still very satisfied with Chen Yuan's attitude.

He didn't disobey orders or show unwillingness on his face because of Zhang Xuan.

"The mission this time is difficult and easy at the same time. This official is sending you to take a head..."

Chen Yuan nodded, not interrupting. He continued to listen to Tao Qingyuan's words.

In his account, the location of the mission was a county under the jurisdiction of Nanling Prefecture, called Qinghe County, and the target was named Ren Changyi, who years ago had used an alias to ambush and kill a Qinghe County Commandant.

He had also secretly colluded with merchants to manipulate prices in Qinghe County, forcing many common people to their deaths.

This had only recently been discovered.

Ren Changyi had Coagulating Fiend cultivation, and his strength was well-known in Nanling Prefecture. However, he was old, over seventy years old, and had been seriously injured in a fight with an expert not long ago.

The intelligence personnel in the Sky Survey Division had received accurate information that most of his meridians had been broken, and his strength was less than ten percent of what it had been, and he couldn't move for a short time.

Therefore, after weighing the options, Tao Qingyuan felt that Chen Yuan seemed to be competent for this task.

He had heard about Chen Yuan killing a Bone Refinement martial artist with one strike, and knew that his strength was outstanding. After advancing to the Coagulating Qi realm, his strength would greatly increase.

In addition, Zhang Xuan thought so highly of Chen Yuan, and Tao Qingyuan wanted to test how deep his waters were.

In addition to taking Ren Changyi's head, Chen Yuan had another task, which was to take a piece of what appeared to be Geng metal from Ren Changyi's hands. Ren Changyi seemed to cherish this thing very much.

No news of it had ever been released before.

The reason it was being revealed this time was that Ren Changyi himself had spread the word that he was going to exchange this item for a spiritual object that could repair his meridians at his seventieth birthday banquet.

For Chen Yuan, the difficulty lay in acting during his birthday banquet.

Because Ren Changyi had a good reputation and liked to guide young talents in Nanling Prefecture, some of them might go to the banquet at that time.

But if he acted earlier or later, he might not be able to find the Geng metal at all, or it might be exchanged to someone else.

Chen Yuan's mission would then be considered a failure.

From Tao Qingyuan's account, Chen Yuan learned the value of Geng metal. For weapons, just a little bit of Geng metal would greatly increase their sharpness.

Therefore, the value of Geng metal was very high.

But at the same time, it was also very scarce, and it would usually be quickly exchanged as soon as it appeared.

And it couldn't be determined yet whether the thing in Ren Changyi's hands was real. There were many things similar to Geng metal in the Jianghu that people would mistake.

If it could be confirmed, it might not be Chen Yuan who would be acting.

But rather a Coagulating Qi expert like Nie Qiyun.

As for Tao Qingyuan, as the Azure Envoy of Nanling, he represented the authority of the Sky Survey Division. If he had to personally deal with a Coagulating Fiend martial artist,

it would be laughable.

It would also allow some Jianghu forces to see through the weakness of the government, and the situation would become even more chaotic.

"What do you think?"

After Tao Qingyuan finished speaking, he looked at Chen Yuan calmly.

"This subordinate will definitely do my best..."

Chen Yuan wouldn't make promises before the matter was settled.

"This time you are acting on behalf of the imperial court's authority, and it is also your first appearance in Nanling Prefecture. You must do it beautifully. If that thing is really Geng metal and you can bring it back, it will be considered a great achievement."

Tao Qingyuan said.

"As long as the information is accurate, and Ren Changyi's strength is less than ten percent of what it was, this subordinate is confident in completing the mission..."

Chen Yuan had no problem dealing with a half-crippled Coagulating Fiend.

Moreover, none of the guys that Ren Changyi had favored and guided had reached the Coagulating Qi realm, so it wasn't a difficult task for Chen Yuan.

With his strength, although he had only initially absorbed Qi, his cultivation was definitely not inferior to that of martial artists who had absorbed Qi for less than a year. The Qi cyclone he had condensed in his body was also unmatched by ordinary people.

In addition to the strength of his physical body...

Chen Yuan wouldn't dare to say that he was invincible in the Qi Absorption realm, but he was definitely a rare opponent.

"Don't worry, the Sky Survey Division's intelligence is not as good as the Ascending Immortal Tower, but it is also one of the best. If Ren Changyi hadn't been seriously injured, he wouldn't have said that he would use Geng metal to exchange for a spiritual object to repair his meridians."

"A man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. The value of Geng metal is still a bit too hot to handle for a Coagulating Fiend martial artist. Ren Changyi wouldn't not understand this..."

Tao Qingyuan smiled.

His meaning was already very clear. If Ren Changyi wasn't out of his mind, he wouldn't say that Geng metal was in his hands, but he dared to say it...

Perhaps, he really had Geng metal in his hands.

"This subordinate understands."

Chen Yuan nodded with a very solemn expression.

"The Sky Survey Division is not like other places. Everything depends on strength. If you want to gain a foothold here, you not only need to be ruthless, but you also need to have extraordinary strength.

Zhang Xuan praised you for having the qualifications to be on the Hidden Dragon List. This envoy also wants to see if you can bear Zhang Xuan's praise."

Tao Qingyuan smiled faintly.

"Lord Zhang is just overpraising me. This subordinate knows his own strength."

"That's good..."

"When will Ren Changyi's birthday banquet be?"

A gleam of light flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes.

If Ren Changyi's real purpose was to exchange for a spiritual object to repair his meridians, then it might appear at the birthday banquet, and Chen Yuan just happened to need it.

Zhao Nanshan had helped him a lot, and Chen Yuan wouldn't be stingy if he had the opportunity.

"His seventieth birthday is set for seven days later. You set off three days in advance and be sure to take his head in front of everyone. Then hang it in front of the Sky Survey Division's gate,

so that these Jianghu people know that this world ultimately belongs to the imperial court!"

A cold look flashed across Tao Qingyuan's face, and a faint killing intent lingered around him.

The aura on his body transformed very quickly, but Chen Yuan didn't feel any discomfort.

He had long been prepared for this. How could a Sky Survey Azure Envoy who was in charge of a prefecture be as amiable as he appeared to be on the surface?

Most of those in charge of a region are people with extraordinary minds and abilities.

Chen Yuan stood up, his face solemn, and cupped his fist.

"This subordinate obeys!"

......

......

North of Nanling City.

After leaving the Sky Survey Division, Chen Yuan took a small boat alone and went down the river. During the previous closed-door cultivation, Chen Yuan had not been idle.

He had been having Yue Shan and the others inquire about the Yun River Four Devils.

He wanted to investigate their character.

The facts proved that Chen Yuan had not been wrong. These people were indeed, as they said, not heinous villains. In their early years, they had clashed with their superiors in the Military Reserve Army.

Because they couldn't stand the way things were being done above, they had fought with their immediate superiors, and after seriously injuring them together, they had fled into the Yun River and become water bandits.

They were also somewhat famous, and there had been no news of them looting ordinary people.

They only targeted small forces in Nanling Prefecture, or merchants in the counties below.

Chen Yuan had now reached the Coagulating Qi realm and become a Supervising Envoy. He could begin to cultivate his own wings.

During the Bone Refinement stage, Chen Yuan had no intention of doing these things.

He just wanted to focus on improving his cultivation.

Moreover, although he had done them a favor, it was not realistic to bring them under his command with his Bone Refinement cultivation.

Now, the time was almost right.

According to the coordinates they had previously provided, Chen Yuan went straight down the river. After more than half an hour, he finally arrived at the place they had mentioned.

According to them, they often entered the river here.

The boat stood in the middle of the river. Chen Yuan closed his eyes and meditated, slowly cultivating, assuming a five-hearts-to-heaven posture, refining the wandering Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

After another half an hour, Chen Yuan slowly opened his eyes, frowned, and estimated that those guys probably wouldn't show up. He thought about leaving first,

and coming back another day.

However, just as he was about to retreat,

a cry came from the jungle by the river. Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he stared intently in that direction.

Four figures supported each other, ran out of the jungle, and came to the river. Chen Yuan looked closely, and the figures were indeed the Yun River Four Devils. Behind them,

there were more than a dozen figures, holding long sabers, quickly surrounding them.

"You can be considered to have achieved some success in cultivation. I, Yu, will give you a chance to live. From now on, submit to the Azure Flood Dragon Society, otherwise the Yun River Five Devils will all be removed from the Jianghu!"

A figure looked indifferently at Zhao Beishan and the other three in front of him.

"The Azure Flood Dragon Society is not worthy of us brothers working for them!"

Qian Xishan snorted coldly.

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