Mountain Patrol Military Officer

"General, please proceed with caution!" An Ge warned.

Then Chen Yuan left the room and went outside the separate courtyard.

Gao Yu, dressed in the attire of a scholarly white-robed general, was waiting outside the courtyard gate,

"General, Xu Shaoqing from the Taichang Temple and Inspector Gou from the Sky Patrol Department sought you out all day yesterday, but I held them off."

"Additionally, the eunuch Li sent by Your Majesty confessed as per your orders and revealed the purpose of his visit."

Chen Yuan waved a hand dismissively, "Commander Pei has already informed me of this! Let's go meet this eunuch!"

Gao Yu accepted the order and immediately led the way, walking on air, and soon they arrived at the foot of a mountain, outside a courtyard.

The courtyard was indeed exquisite, with pavilions and terraces reflecting an ancient charm, but inside, the soldiers' armor was sternly guarded.

Chen Yuan descended gracefully, revealing himself in the courtyard. The armored guards were startled, and with a clatter of armor, they all knelt on one knee,

"General!"

Chen Yuan's gaze fell on a room in the courtyard, then he walked through the armored soldiers and pushed open the door.

With a creak, the door swung open.

In the next second, a muffled thud sounded as someone rushed forward, kneeling at Chen Yuan's feet with a sharp, duck-like voice pleading for mercy,

"General Chen, I deserve to die, I deserve to die, I shouldn't have offended you. Please, Your Magnanimous Excellency, forgive me. Look at my face, what has become of it! Oh, woe!"

The prostrate figure spoke while slapping his cheeks, his voice almost breaking into tears.

As he looked up, a face swollen like a pig's head was pressed against his head.

Chen Yuan looked down, seeing a face bruised and swollen beyond recognition.

Chen Yuan's eyelids twitched, unable to suppress a wry smile; it seemed his soldiers hadn't gone easy on this eunuch, although their methods were rather blunt.

But the humiliation was severe!

Yet this fellow had no one to blame. As a Heavenly Pass officer offending the Dragon and Tiger in Shu Land's Overseers, it was already a favor not to have killed him on the spot.

To be outmatched and overconfident on Chen Yuan's territory was indeed foolish of this eunuch.

Neither capable nor wise, he couldn't blame anyone for this outcome!

If Chen Yuan didn't find him somewhat useful, he could easily find an excuse and dispose of him.

Chen Yuan looked at him with an amused smile, "What is the meaning of this, Eunuch? I instructed my men to treat you well, yet why is your appearance like this?"

"It seems the eunuch is visually impaired, bumping into things."

Li Huayu, this lamp holder, could easily hear the sarcasm, but this Dragon Tiger General's audacity indicated no regard for the authority bestowed on him. Therefore, his greatest support was gone; he was nothing, at the mercy of others.

After a day's harsh punishment, he abruptly "awoke." His dignity had long been stripped away when his roots were scraped off by the knife of the eunuch in the purification chamber, lost in the cannibalistic palace; he could only lower himself and plead for survival now.

As long as he stayed alive and returned to the Divine Capital, revenge could wait, hmph.

Thus, the abrupt shift in demeanor.

Nicely phrased, it's called being adaptable!

"General Chen, please spare this servant; I acted impulsively and hope for your leniency." He pleaded, groveling without a trace of an Emperor's Attendant's dignity.

Chen Yuan squinted, standing at the door, his shadow elongated by the sunlight, watching this eunuch's clumsy act; resentment flickered in the swollen eyes, visible under his Dharma Eye.

He paid no heed, speaking in a sinister tone, "I heard the Emperor's decree commands me to cleanse myself of rebellion in public and then go to the capital to beg pardon for the Patrol Angel incident?"

Li Huayu's face twitched, quickly trying to amend, "The General killed the Three Dao Patrol Angels, naturally the Emperor must save face. But the Emperor also said that if you are willing to admit your mistake, he won't hold you accountable and may even reuse you."

Saying this, he seemed to have an idea, eyes brightening, "General Chen, think about it. Now that the Three Dao Patrol Angels are gone, isn't there a vacancy? With your mighty divine power and background in the Sky Patrol Department, perhaps this was His Majesty's intention!"

This eunuch employed his palace-learned glib talk, pulling threads at random, hoping to placate this master in front of him.

Chen Yuan, hearing this, realized the eunuch's words were all false, a cold gleam shooting from his eyes,

"I fear the Emperor wishes to lure me into the capital under false pretenses and then find a reason to have me killed!"

As he spoke, the temperature in the room plummeted, a chilling coldness enveloping the air.

The statement frightened Li Huayu, making him tremble violently and bang his head on the ground repeatedly.

"No no no, the Emperor would never...never!"

Truly terrified.

Admitting even a hint of this would likely lead to a sudden death; the terrifying threat made him feel fear.

"I don't believe you!"

"The Emperor's decree is known only to you; who knows if you bear any grudges and relay false commands." Chen Yuan's face was expressionless, eyes flashing with killing intent.

"Guards!"

As this call was made, immediately, a throng of armored soldiers surged in, drawing their swords.

Li Huayu was so frightened he nearly cried, hurriedly clinging to Chen Yuan's foot, "General, General, I wouldn't dare."

"What will it take for you to believe me?"

At this moment, Chen Yuan raised his hand, halting the soldiers behind him, stopping them from drawing their swords.

"The Emperor, as the sovereign, sees everything under heaven!" Pausing briefly, "Surely the Emperor knows I am wrongly accused, and the decree must exonerate me and summon me to the capital for comfort, isn't that right, Eunuch Li?"

Finishing, Chen Yuan's lips curved into a smile.

Yet his eyes were filled with murderous intent, staring at the prostrate, wide-eyed Li Huayu on the ground.

Li Huayu trembled like a leaf, sweating profusely; he dared not say anything contrary, for there would be no coming back from it, squeezing out words painfully from his throat, with an expression uglier than crying.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Hearing the answer, Chen Yuan's smile deepened, slightly turning his head, issuing an order to Gao Yu slightly behind him,

"Notify all civil and military officials of the Overseers to gather at the Heavenly Patrol Hall by noon and announce that a special envoy from the Court has arrived to deliver the Emperor's decree."

"Sound the Thunder Shocking Bell, let the whole city hear it!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly obeyed and passed on the command.

Chen Yuan looked at him and then swept his sleeve, a green Essence Qi shot out, instantly restoring Li Huayu's swollen face to its original state.

Soon after, with time passing swiftly, nearing noon,

Chen Yuan appeared in the Heavenly Patrol Hall,

The hall echoed with the voices of two other men speaking.

"Eunuch Li is, after all, dispatched by the Emperor. He has been missing for a day; we hope General Chen will show some leniency, a mild punishment would suffice, don't deliver a killing blow," pleaded Xu Shaoqing from the Taichang Temple, fearful that General Chen might take lethal action against the lamp holder, though the latter was rather insensitive; nevertheless, Xu was responsible for leading the group.

"Indeed, we beseech you to overlook the servant's offenses, General," Deputy Inspector Gou Yue added cautiously from the side.

Seated at the head, Chen Yuan's face held a slight smile,

"I ask that you two not worry, and rest assured that you won't need to take responsibility,"

"Yes, please don't take offense, General," He paused before continuing, "almost everyone has arrived outside, let's go with the civil and military officials of the Overseers to greet the special envoy who will announce the Emperor's decree!"

Saying this, Chen Yuan stood up from his seat, heading straight for the hall door under the somewhat puzzled glances of the two.

The grand doors of the hall creaked open.

At this moment, several streaks of light descended from the mountain, revealing the figure of the eunuch Li.

This time, his face was shockingly pale, but his outfit was pristine, his hair neatly groomed, and he was accompanied by two rows of ceremonial guards.

And from the mountain's base, several streaks of light approached, landing before the assembly, revealing the figure of Eunuch Li.

"General Chen of the Ninth Mountain on the Jiannan Road has slain demons and vanquished evil for the benefit of the realm, without any hint of rebellion, merely an unfortunate oversight...."

These words resonated in the air, as if hovering over Jingguan City!