I Become a Martial Arts God in the Chaotic Demon World-Chapter 157: Guardian of the State Mansion

"What's wrong with Elder Xu? What has upset you so much?"

The door to the study opened, and Wen Tingyun walked in from outside.

At this moment, Wen Tingyun's aura was harmonious and peaceful, and he even looked no different from before.

At least Han Zheng couldn't see any difference from before.

If there had to be one difference, it was that for some reason, Han Zheng suddenly felt as if he were further away from Wen Tingyun.

Although Han Zheng was only three or four steps away from Wen Tingyun, it felt like there was a barrier between them, which was very strange.

Xu Cunbao, however, was full of surprise, "Wen, have you broken through?"

Wen Tingyun nodded slightly, "I've been preparing for so long, it would be too pathetic if I couldn't break through smoothly."

Then Wen Tingyun glanced at Han Zheng again and nodded slightly, "Not bad, I had felt that you were hovering on the brink of a breakthrough. Breaking through to the Xuan Gang Realm was only a matter of time, and you've done it faster than I expected."

Xu Cunbao also said, "Han Zheng has a good foundation. You went into seclusion not long after he broke through.

Thankfully, Han Zheng helped me during this period, or else this old man would have been exhausted.

By the way, didn't you ask me why I was angry? This is the news that just came from Smoke Wave Prefecture."

Xu Cunbao handed the document to Wen Tingyun.

After reading the news, Wen Tingyun also furrowed his brows, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"What audacity! Elder Xu, do you believe it was the work of demons?"

Xu Cunbao's eyes also flashed with a hint of coldness, "Honestly, I'm not sure either. Smoke Wave Prefecture is too chaotic with various forces mixed in.

However, no matter who did it, the Demon Cleansing Bureau must answer for it, and Liao Hongsheng needs an explanation!"

"So, the question now is, who should we send to Smoke Wave Prefecture?"

Wen Tingyun's eyes showed a hint of contemplation.

Actually, Smoke Wave Prefecture didn't just have Liao Hongsheng as a Demon Sweeping Colonel; there were two, both in the Early Stage of the Xuan Gang Realm.

In terms of area, Smoke Wave Prefecture was not small, and logically, there should be a Garrison Captain to hold it.

But due to the lack of strength in Southern Mountain, only Liao Hongsheng, a Demon Sweeping Colonel, had been sent to garrison.

However, having only one Demon Sweeping Colonel was definitely not enough; Smoke Wave Prefecture had a total of three.

With Liao Hongsheng, a Late Stage Xuan Gang Realm Demon Sweeping Colonel as the main, and the other two Xuan Gang Realm Early Stage Demon Sweeping Colonels as assistants.

Actually, logically, since the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department was short of people, they should have promoted directly from the other two Early Stage Xuan Gang Realm Demon Sweeping Colonels.

But neither Wen Tingyun nor Xu Cunbao had such intentions.

Because their performance had been too disappointing for Wen Tingyun and Xu Cunbao.

Liao Hongsheng was their superior, and their superior had died mysteriously; yet they dilly-dallied for two days before sending the news.

And the news was unclear, merely suggesting that it was suspected to be the work of demons. Their performance was simply too slack.

Wen Tingyun pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Han Zheng, "I have a candidate; I think you going to garrison Smoke Wave Prefecture would be good."

Han Zheng was startled, not expecting Wen Tingyun to choose him.

"But Lord Wen, I have just stepped into the Xuan Gang Realm, and my time in the Demon Cleansing Bureau isn't that long; I'm afraid my experience might be lacking."

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Han Zheng was quite aware of the pressure.

Garrisoning a State Mansion is not like being sent on missions within the Demon Cleansing Bureau; coordinating various forces and other messy matters is very complicated.

Thus, the Demon Sweeping Colonels who garrison outside from the Demon Cleansing Bureau are generally those with old qualifications, capable of controlling the Xuanjia Guards under him, and are also experienced and steady in handling affairs.

Han Zheng was not lacking in strength, but experience was something he couldn't acquire in a short time.

Wen Tingyun waved his hand and said, "I don't know about other Demon Cleansing Bureaus, but our Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department definitely doesn't look at qualifications.

If it were based on qualifications, I wouldn't be qualified to handle the big and small affairs of the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department either.

"The situation at Smoke Wave Prefecture is a tangled mess that requires a swift sword to sever all these chaos."

"And you, Han Zheng, are currently the swiftest blade within the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department!"

"The qualification at the Demon Cleansing Bureau isn't earned through endurance alone, but through proven actions."

"You have completed several assignments excellently here at the headquarters. If you can achieve certain results locally, it would be even more beneficial for your future promotions."

"The situation at Smoke Wave Prefecture is indeed troublesome; now it's up to you, Han Zheng, to see if you dare to take it on."

Han Zheng said gravely, "Since Lord Wen holds me in such high regard, I naturally dare to take it on, but with one condition—could you grant me more autonomy? In short, 'act first, report later!'"

Xu Cunbao from the side said, "You've been handling all sorts of matters in various locations during this period; I believe you have plans for how to handle things at Smoke Wave Prefecture. The headquarters here won't hold you back. Go ahead and act boldly; there's no need to send queries over trivial matters like the other State Mansions."

"I only have one request—to find out the cause of Liao Hongsheng's death, to give an account to the Demon Cleansing Bureau, and also to Liao Hongsheng."

"Rest assured, Elder Xu, I will do it."

Han Zheng had a good impression of Liao Hongsheng; he just didn't expect the man to die so suddenly and inexplicably.

He would find the cause of his death, and give closure to this brother who had once invited him for a drink.

Wen Tingyun said directly, "Go collect the garrison placard, rest one day, and set off tomorrow. I will send out the notice that you are in charge of Smoke Wave Prefecture today."

Han Zheng nodded, requested a pile of information about Smoke Wave Prefecture, including the current situation of the Xuanjia Guards there, preparing to familiarize himself with the local situations beforehand.

Before leaving, Han Zheng also said goodbye to Su Wuming and the others, disclosing the news that he was going to the Guardian of the State.

Upon hearing the news, Su Wuming and the others congratulated Han Zheng immediately.

Although there were many opportunities at the headquarters of the Demon Cleansing Bureau, there was little autonomy, and they still had to follow orders from above.

Once stationed at the State Mansion, it was almost like being an autonomous lord, and the autonomy was significant; they were somewhat envious.

Moreover, almost all the higher-ups in the Demon Cleansing Bureau had experiences of garrisoning somewhere, which was considered a necessary process.

Of course, Wen Tingyun was an exception.

She actually wanted to go and garrison a State Mansion, but neither Chen Baxian nor Elder Xu would let her.

Having crammed the information overnight, Han Zheng set off for Smoke Wave Prefecture early the next day.

Han Zheng had been to Smoke Wave Prefecture before during the assault on Guiyuan Sword Pavilion, but that was just outside of Smoke Wave Prefecture; he had never been to the interior of the State Mansion.

The environment of Smoke Wave Prefecture was actually quite complex.

It was situated between the Southern Mountain and West River Road, serving as a trade route between the two, flourishing in commerce but also chaotic.

On the other side, it was adjacent to the Smoke Wave Lake. The lake harbored many demons and specters. Exterminate one den and another would appear, which was very troublesome.

Moreover, their lairs were in the water, making it difficult to completely exterminate them.

Besides the demons in the lake, there were also many bandits in Smoke Wave Lake whose strength was not weak, also making them difficult to eradicate.

That was just the terrain; around Smoke Wave Prefecture, many places were abundant in spiritual energy, so there were also quite a few Martial World factions that had established themselves there.

Considering all these, Han Zheng could imagine how chaotic Smoke Wave Prefecture was, and why it was difficult for Liao Hongsheng to hold out there for a year.

Indeed, Han Zheng found out from the information that Liao Hongsheng had only been in charge of Smoke Wave Prefecture for a mere year.

The prior Demon Sweeping Captain who had garrisoned Smoke Wave Prefecture died under the conflicts with the local Martial World factions, and then Liao Hongsheng took over.

Previously, Liao Hongsheng had been in charge of a camp at the headquarters of Southern Mountain, being very powerful and bold, hence he was assigned to such a problematic place like Smoke Wave Prefecture.

After arriving, Liao Hongsheng directly suppressed the local Martial World forces mercilessly, even having numerous conflicts with Guiyuan Sword Pavilion, barely stabilizing the situation.

However, unexpectedly, just after a year, Liao Hongsheng also died so inexplicably.

In two years, three Demon Sweeping Captains had changed, and two had died; Smoke Wave Prefecture seemed to be a dragon's pool and tiger's den.

What made Han Zheng find more intriguing was that all three Demon Sweeping Captains were directly parachuted from above; not a single one was promoted from Smoke Wave Prefecture itself.

It seemed that the headquarters of the Demon Cleansing Bureau really did not trust the local Xuanjia Guards.