The only person Tang Qian could seek help from in Nanling Prefecture was the monk Fa Nan of Jinshan Temple; no one else would assist him.

After all, within the Nanling Prefecture, only five forces could be considered significant; the rest were just small forces at the Ninggang level, and even if they came, they would only be throwing their lives away.

Moreover, judging by the current situation, they simply wouldn't come.

Among the five major forces, the ally, Dragon-Tiger Gate, had been exterminated. Of the remaining three, the Changle Gang had a vendetta against the Azure Flood Dragon Society and was now determined to follow the Skypatrol.

Due to its decline in recent years, the Divine Firmament Hall rarely appeared in such matters. Originally, he and Xu Lingtian had planned to make the Divine Firmament Hall their next target after destroying the Changle Gang.

There was no friendship between them, and they would certainly not come.

The only one who might come was Fa Nan. After all, Jinshan Temple claimed to be the leader of the Nanling Jianghu, and it would usually intervene in such matters if informed.

But he still felt insecure.

Because Chen Yuan's killing intent towards him was too strong!

He now had a trace of regret. He should not have formed a grudge with Chen Yuan in the first place. Who would have thought that this guy would grow so quickly? Before he knew it, he had broken through to the Tongxuan Realm!

...

...

While Tang Qian was plotting how to save his life, Chen Yuan arrived in Nanling Prefecture City with his men. He did not follow the main force but said goodbye to Shi Yunlong and went straight to the Skypatrol Yamen.

This time returning to the city, he was relatively low-key.

But no matter how low-key he was, his return to the city was spread at a certain level among those who were paying attention, causing quite a stir.

Chen Yuan was low-key, and so was Shi Yunlong. In fact, he wished the Changle Gang had a lower profile.

As a member of the Jianghu, yet working for the imperial court, was a disgrace to some, scorned and criticized by many.

But who could understand his pain?

If he didn't act, Tang Qian and Xu Lingtian would be the ones to act in the future. He was just protecting himself, what was wrong with that?

After about a quarter of an hour, Chen Yuan's figure appeared in front of the Skypatrol Yamen in the east of the city. He was still wearing a black cloud uniform, but the Yanling Saber at his waist was gone.

Seeing Chen Yuan appear, the two Skypatrol guards at the gate quickly bowed:

"Lord Chen."

Chen Yuan's reputation was now second only to Tao Qingyuan, and even surpassed him in some respects, making them more afraid and fearful of him than of Tao Qingyuan.

Tao Qingyuan had been in the position of Azure Envoy for more than ten years without destroying a force at the same level as the Dragon-Tiger Gate. In other people's evaluations, he was cautious and sought stability in everything.

Chen Yuan was different. He was young and vigorous, and held grudges. Those who provoked him were exterminated, showing his ruthlessness.

Such a person was daunting and unwilling to provoke.

Of course, few people would befriend such a person, but Chen Yuan didn't care about such things.

"Hmm..."

Chen Yuan nodded and walked in with a calm expression.

After he walked away, the two Skypatrol guards dared to look up at his back, exchanging glances with various expressions in their eyes, including envy, awe, and fear...

They were the two guards when Chen Yuan first entered the Skypatrol. The only difference was that in the past six months, Chen Yuan had basically climbed to the peak of the Skypatrol.

Becoming second only to Tao Qingyuan.

And they...

Were still guarding the gate.

Along the way, everyone who saw Chen Yuan bowed and saluted, treating him as an Azure Envoy, and he never showed any other expression.

After being notified, Chen Yuan met Tao Qingyuan.

Still in his Skypatrol Azure Envoy attire, he looked at Chen Yuan with a faint smile:

"Sit."

Without being polite, Chen Yuan sat directly to Tao Qingyuan's lower seat.

He glanced slightly at Tao Qingyuan's side. There were two teacups in front of him, one with tea and the other also with tea.

There was no difference.

"Lord, have you been sitting in the Skypatrol all day today?"

Chen Yuan asked with flickering eyes.

After ending the confrontation with Xu Yongnian, Chen Yuan had this idea. Such a big event, yet Tao Qingyuan didn't show his face at all. He was really patient.

Tao Qingyuan smiled and said:

"Have a cup of tea, to moisten your throat."

Then, with a move of his right palm, a powerful suction force grabbed one of the teacups in the air and with a wave of his hand, the teacup spun and flew towards Chen Yuan.

Catching it without a sound and without spilling a drop of tea, Chen Yuan lowered his head and took a sip, smiling:

"Good tea, Lord, you have good taste."

"I know what you want to say. Although I didn't show my face today, I have been following you in secret. I only secretly returned to the prefecture city after you killed Xu Lingtian and the situation was settled."

Tao Qingyuan changed the subject.

"So that's how it is, thank you for protecting me, Lord." Chen Yuan cupped his hands.

Waving his hand, Tao Qingyuan said nonchalantly:

"Do you know why?"

Although he had some guesses in his heart, Chen Yuan pretended not to know and said:

"Please enlighten me, Lord."

Pointing at Chen Yuan, Tao Qingyuan smiled:

"Xu Lingtian was right. Chen Yuan, you are indeed a master of playing dumb. You clearly have considerations in your heart, but you just don't say them. You are a smart man."

"Lord, you are mistaken. I really don't understand."

"Okay, you don't understand, then I will tell you," Tao Qingyuan's expression gradually changed, becoming serious: "The reason why I let you be in the limelight this time is because I have two considerations.

"First, you have a grudge with the Dragon-Tiger Gate, so it is very suitable for you to do it. Second, I want to accumulate some qualifications for you and spread your name throughout Nanling Prefecture and even Qingzhou."

Chen Yuan listened without interrupting, his eyes flickering.

Looking at it this way, Tao Qingyuan seems to be too good to him, paving the way for him step by step.

"You are so smart, you must have guessed my purpose. That's right, I am giving you favors in advance, so that when you achieve success in the future, you can help me at a critical moment, or help my descendants."

Tao Qingyuan did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose, because for things like this, especially when facing a smart person like Chen Yuan, it is best not to hide anything.

He had checked Chen Yuan's resume several times since he emerged and appeared on the Hidden Dragon List. Before that, he had secretly sent people to Ping'an County to investigate him.

The conclusion was acceptable. He was ordinary before the age of twenty, but after entering the Yamen for a period of time, he suddenly showed extremely strong talent and extraordinary temperament.

According to Tao Qingyuan's own judgment, Chen Yuan should have been lying dormant before, and actually possessed considerable strength. The period of dormancy was to investigate the situation in Ping'an County.

Then he rose to prominence, became a constable, quickly took control of the situation, and developed his power....

After seeing Zhang Xuan, he tried his best to leave a good impression on Zhang Xuan. In a short period of time, he also gained the trust of Yue Shan.

When the time was right, he revealed the traces of the Wusheng Cult demons that he had known about for a long time to Zhang Xuan, which impressed him and eventually introduced him into the Skypatrol.

From these things, it can be seen that Chen Yuan has always been purposeful in planning for his own growth, doing no useless work, and possessing an extraordinary temperament.

Such a clever mind shocked Tao Qingyuan.

It turned out that Chen Yuan had already planned his growth trajectory, growing step by step according to the plan. After entering the Skypatrol, it was still his style.

Clearly he could break through, but he suppressed his realm. After solving the previous dirty silver case and entering his sight, he revealed his cultivation.

In this way, such a capable subordinate, when Zhang Xuan was about to leave, would definitely give his growth a boost, asking him to take care of him.

Tao Qingyuan admired such a person, but there was also a hint of unspeakable fear.

Because he now couldn't see where Chen Yuan's future upper limit would be, but he was sure that as long as he didn't fall halfway, with his extraordinary temperament and terrifying cultivation talent, he would definitely be a big figure in the court in the future.

A big figure who could decide the life and death of millions with a single word.

If you want to befriend such a person, you must do it early, because after a while, Chen Yuan may not need him anymore. Realizing this, Tao Qingyuan has been maintaining Chen Yuan.

The entire Nanling Prefecture could see this.

Therefore, even if he suspected that Nie Qiyun's death was inseparable from Chen Yuan, he would no longer investigate and let the matter pass. For this reason, Tao Qingyuan would decisively attack the Dragon-Tiger Gate in accordance with Chen Yuan's wishes.

It was true that Chen Yuan convinced him, but in fact, he convinced himself.

Of course, it is also possible that his friendship with him is also in his calculations. In this case, this person would be a little scary.

If Chen Yuan could hear Tao Qingyuan's inner voice, he would probably be equally shocked. It turned out that he was so terrifying in Tao Qingyuan's mind...

The imagination is a bit too strong.

Even he himself couldn't believe it. It turned out that he was such a scheming and sophisticated person. Admittedly, Chen Yuan felt that he had some sophistication, but it was definitely not as terrifying as Tao Qingyuan imagined.

"Lord, you are very kind to me. If I can really achieve something in the future, I will never forget your kindness." After hearing this, Chen Yuan solemnly stated.

He didn't decline anymore. There was no point in declining after reaching the Tongxuan Realm.

But his behavior confirmed Tao Qingyuan's previous guesses, and he couldn't help but nod to Chen Yuan:

"I believe you are not an ungrateful person."

Who in the entire Nanling Prefecture couldn't see that he was protecting Chen Yuan? This was also his little thought. If he needed something from Chen Yuan in the future, could he pretend not to know with this kindness?

The higher the position, the more important one's reputation becomes.

Of course, from his investigation and judgment, he could also see some of Chen Yuan's temperament, that he was not a person who would turn his back on others, especially towards friends and those who were kind to him.

This can be seen from the small constable named Wang Ping.