"What's this? Does Lord Tao not recognize Chen?"

"This humble servant naturally recognizes you, Lord."

Tao Qingyuan said respectfully.

He not only recognized Chen Yuan but also frequently heard his name within the capital, knowing that Chen Yuan's current reputation and influence were something he could only look up to.

It seemed that since his separation from Chen Yuan in Nanling Prefecture, Chen Yuan had embarked on a different journey, topping the Hidden Dragon List, slaying Grandmasters, and defeating all the heroes under heaven.

Any one of these achievements was enough to shock people.

Now, the man had become his direct superior, and his feelings were very mixed. On one hand, he was happy for Chen Yuan, feeling that he had not misjudged him and that Chen Yuan's talent was even more terrifying than he had predicted.

On the other hand, he felt a bit hesitant. Now that Chen Yuan had become his direct superior, he had to address him as "humble servant," and the situation had completely reversed.

To this,

he could only sigh at the impermanence of life...

Hearing the conversation between the two, the attending patrol envoys turned their gazes to Tao Qingyuan, their eyes full of shock. They had not expected that this unremarkable deputy commander would be acquainted with the new commander.

Most importantly, they all knew who this new commander was: an unparalleled genius, the first on the previous Hidden Dragon List, who had just participated in the Ascension War in the Martial Emperor City of the East Sea last month and had forcefully reached the top!

"Since you recognize me, why be so distant?"

Chen Yuan said with a light smile.

In all fairness, Tao Qingyuan was indeed not a very qualified Azure Envoy when he was in Nanling Prefecture. He was somewhat hesitant to take action against Jianghu forces, fearing to take responsibility, but he had been good to Chen Yuan.

He had always protected his growth; otherwise, Tang Qian would not have been able to sit idly by and watch him grow.

Therefore, Chen Yuan was quite grateful to this old superior.

Tao Qingyuan felt a sense of relief in his heart, knowing that Chen Yuan did not seem to have changed. The reason he had shown respect at the beginning was because he had seen too many cases of ingratitude.

Once a subordinate rose to power, they would try their best to erase that past and suppress their former superiors.

It was precisely because the gap between them had become too large that he had not contacted Chen Yuan in the past year, wanting to maintain the previous relationship.

He had been in the officialdom for decades and had seen through some things.

Raising his head, Tao Qingyuan smiled and said:

"Even if we are acquainted, you are now the commander, and I am a subordinate, so I should pay my respects."

"Take a seat first."

Chen Yuan pointed to the seat next to him and then instructed the patrol envoys below:

"I arrived in a hurry today, and you were all unaware of the news. I don't blame you. Go back and continue your duties. However, after you finish your duties, notify all patrol envoys and above in the Eastern Imperial City Division that no one is allowed to take leave tomorrow. You must all be here before Chen Shi San Ke. Anyone who violates this will bear the consequences!"

His gaze was slightly cold, resounding in everyone's ears.

To be honest, he really wanted to see if anyone dared to trip him up. Although such things were old-fashioned, they were common occurrences. But if anyone dared to do so,

then don't blame him for burning three fires as a new official!

Of course, to avoid being accused of being too domineering, he did not stipulate that they must come today, but waited until tomorrow. If there were still various excuses to delay, then he could not be blamed.

"Yes, this humble servant obeys."

"Yes, this humble servant obeys."

"Alright, you may withdraw for now."

Chen Yuan waved his hand.

"This humble servant takes his leave."

"This humble servant takes his leave."

In the blink of an eye, only Tao Qingyuan and Chen Yuan were left in the council hall. He stood up, slowly walked in front of Tao Qingyuan, and cupped his hands solemnly, saying:

"Lord Tao, it's been a long time!"

This gesture immediately made Tao Qingyuan feel a panic in his heart, and he quickly stood up, preparing to help Chen Yuan up, while muttering:

"Lord Chen, you mustn't."

But just as he was about to stand up, he was firmly imprisoned in place by a powerful aura. Chen Yuan let out a breath and smiled:

"Just now, I paid my respects to you in my previous capacity, Lord Tao. There's no need to panic."

Before, he had been sitting at the head because there were outsiders present, and he had to maintain his dignity. Now that the outsiders had left, based on Tao Qingyuan's previous help to him,

it was worth a bow.

"Why... why do you do this?"

Tao Qingyuan said softly.

"No matter what, Lord Tao has taken good care of me before. I have always remembered this kindness in my heart. Now that fate has brought us together to work together, I should pay my respects."

"Now you are the commander; you must not bow to a subordinate like me."

"Even if I am the commander, I am still a subordinate that Lord Tao brought out. In front of outsiders, I should have the official authority of a commander, but now that it is just the two of us,

if I am still aloof and superior, wouldn't it be saying that Lord Tao once misjudged me?"

Tao Qingyuan remained silent for a long time before saying:

"If you don't mind, Lord, don't say anything else in the future. Just call me Brother Tao, and that will be enough."

Chen Yuan was able to clarify his identity, and Tao Qingyuan, who had been in the officialdom for many years, could surely do the same.

The previous things were already in the past. Now they both had their own identities. If they kept mentioning favors, it would inevitably give the impression of trying to repay a favor.

He understood the principle that a great favor is a great debt, so he did not expect Chen Yuan to repay him. If he had a conscience, he would naturally take care of him in the future. If not, once he brought it up...

Chen Yuan smiled and nodded:

"Brother Tao."

"Commander Chen."

After the two finished speaking, they looked at each other and smiled, and their hearty laughter spread throughout the hall.

Subsequently, on his first day in office, Chen Yuan took Tao Qingyuan to a nearby restaurant, found a good private room, ordered a table of wine and dishes, and began to reminisce about the past.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, Chen Yuan asked about Tao Qingyuan's recent situation.

Tao Qingyuan drained the wine in his mouth and said with a wry smile:

"To be honest, serving in the capital, although it's better than in Nanling Prefecture in all aspects, there is one thing that is not good."

"What is it?"

"Power!"

In Tangshan Prefecture, he was the Azure Envoy of a prefecture, almost equivalent to suppressing one side. Although many Jianghu martial artists caused trouble, he was very happy at that time.

He didn't need to care about anyone's opinion.

But things were different after he came to the capital. Here, although it seemed better than Nanling, he was restricted everywhere. As a mere Tong Xuan martial artist, he couldn't make any waves here.

Just throw a hammer, and you could hit several officials of the fifth or sixth rank.

And many people had extraordinary backgrounds. Even if their official positions were lower than his, they were not afraid of him at all, and he had no way to do anything about it, which was really frustrating.

He even told Chen Yuan that he was thinking of returning to Qingzhou.

Unfortunately, as a Tong Xuan martial artist in the lower three realms, he did not have the power to transfer around. If he were that powerful, he wouldn't be restricted everywhere in the capital.

Chen Yuan remained silent. This was indeed a problem. He was not very interested in serving in the capital. In Tangshan and Qingzhou, he had subordinates and a background.

Although he couldn't be called a local emperor, at least no one dared to provoke him rashly!

But what about in the capital?

Powerful backgrounds were everywhere. Even though he also had a considerable background, there were still people stronger than him. It was really not as free as in Qingzhou.

Unfortunately, the trip to the capital was related to the Dao God Palace's plan, and he was summoned by the Emperor's decree. Unless he directly resigned from his official position, it would be a capital crime of disobeying the decree.

After a long time, he took a sip of wine and asked:

"Don't you also have the Zhang faction to support you?"

Unexpectedly, Tao Qingyuan shook his head and smiled, saying:

"I am a Tong Xuan martial artist with no great potential. My limit can be seen at a glance. I have no hope of reaching the Grandmaster Realm in this life. I am just a marginal figure in the Zhang faction.

Before reaching the Grandmaster Realm, I am not even considered a figure on the stage in the capital. In fact, after arriving in the capital, that Zhang Yantong, Envoy Zhang, only took the time to see me once when I first came to visit, and he just said a few words of encouragement. Now, I'm afraid that Envoy Zhang has forgotten about me."

Listening to him say these words, Chen Yuan was quite moved. Compared to him, Zhang Yantong could indeed be said to be judging people by their appearance. He not only took him to a family banquet but also introduced him to the Emperor and gave him a lot of guidance.

It was simply not the same person that Tao Qingyuan was talking about.

And this was all due to his talent and strength!

If you really want to talk about friendship, wasn't Tao Qingyuan, who had protected Zhang Xuan in Tangshan for more than a year, even closer?

But thinking about it carefully, isn't this reality?

If you have value, others will value you. There is no unprovoked goodwill in this world. He didn't think that Zhang Yantong had done anything wrong.

Because this was justifiable. A Tong Xuan martial artist was really not worth the attention of a dignified third-rank official. Moreover, Tao Qingyuan was not young.

His potential was almost exhausted, and he was not worth cultivating.

After chatting for a few words, Chen Yuan didn't want to talk too much about this topic. Zhang Yantong did treat Tao Qingyuan equally, but he was still very good to him.

This favor must be remembered...

Besides, didn't Tao Qingyuan protect him in the first place because he had extraordinary potential?

This was all human nature.

"How is Brother Tao's injury?" He changed the subject.

Hearing this sentence, Tao Qingyuan finally showed some joy, telling Chen Yuan that his injury had basically healed. After this incident, he was about to break through to the Heavenly Palace Realm.

It could be considered a blessing in disguise.

Chen Yuan congratulated him a few times and talked about the past in Nanling Prefecture.

As they talked, Tao Qingyuan suddenly wanted Chen Yuan to tell him about what had happened after their separation. Although he had heard some rumors about these things,

how could they be more accurate than what the person involved said?

In the future, he could also use it as a topic of conversation at the dinner table.

Chen Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse, and with a light smile, he told Tao Qingyuan about his later experiences in detail, except for omitting certain secret places.

There was almost nothing to hide.

When he heard that Chen Yuan had killed Gu Hao and was ambushed by a Grandmaster, he worried about Chen Yuan. Later, when Jiang He appeared and killed everyone, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His expression, driven by the spiritual wine, was already a bit tipsy, and he couldn't help but sigh:

"Wonderful, really wonderful, even more wonderful than a Jianghu storyteller. The world of geniuses like you is indeed completely different from ours."

This conversation continued until dusk before it stopped.

And Tao Qingyuan had already passed out drunk under the powerful force of the spiritual wine. Of course, this was also because he wanted to get drunk. After coming to the capital, meeting Chen Yuan today was the most comfortable day he had had.

He didn't want to use his true essence to dissipate the alcohol at all.

Chen Yuan drank a cup of tea and, after learning where he lived, helped Tao Qingyuan back to his home. It was a good house, not far from the imperial city.

It could be considered a place where every inch of land was worth a fortune.

Obviously, even though Tao Qingyuan had many unsatisfactory things, compared to the world, how many people could live better than him?

Tao Qingyuan's family was all in the capital. Chen Yuan also personally met them this time. After hearing his name, the other party seemed to know who he was, and their tone became very respectful.

Seeing this scene, Chen Yuan didn't stay any longer, so as not to make people uncomfortable. After leaving some spiritual tea as a gift, he left Tao's residence alone.

This time, he did not return to the inn where he had been staying before but stayed in the Eastern Imperial City Division. There was a backyard where people could live, and it seemed that there was no need to find another place to live when he was alone.

Before, when he was in Tangshan, he lived in the Patrol Sky Division.

That night, Chen Yuan rarely fell asleep.

Tao Qingyuan was very happy to see Chen Yuan, and he was also very happy to see this old friend. No matter what, it was one of the four great joys of life, meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.

The faint wine mixed with sleepiness made Chen Yuan fall into a deep sleep until the first ray of sunlight shone on his eyes the next day before he slowly woke up.

......

......

After waking up, Chen Yuan washed up a little and began his daily meditation. Resting occasionally was okay, but most of his time should be spent on cultivation.

Although the sun had risen, it was still very early before the Chen Shi San Ke that he had stipulated.

And his duty was mainly to manage the Eastern Imperial City Division. The duties of those patrols and guards had nothing to do with him.

After meditating for an hour, Chen Yuan opened his eyes, jumped up from the futon, moved his muscles and bones a little, and had someone send him a breakfast.

After eating, he calmly put on his official robe and slowly walked towards the council hall.

When Chen Yuan arrived, it was almost Chen Shi San Ke. There were almost twenty figures standing in the council hall, led by three deputy commanders of the Fifth Rank.

The remaining dozen or so people were patrol envoys of the Nings Gang Realm. Seeing Chen Yuan come in, they all bowed and said:

"This humble servant has seen you, Lord!"

"This humble servant has seen you, Lord!"

"This humble servant has seen you, Lord!"

Chen Yuan's indifferent gaze swept over everyone, without stopping on anyone, not even Tao Qingyuan.

Yesterday at the dinner table, they were old acquaintances, but today he was everyone's direct superior!

"Is everyone... here?"

Chen Yuan asked, knowing the answer.

"Reporting to you, Lord, only Deputy Commander Yang has not arrived. Everyone else is here." Tao Qingyuan took a step forward, his posture very correct, without any embarrassment or other expressions.

Here, he was just a deputy commander under Chen Yuan.

Seeing Tao Qingyuan step forward, the other two deputy commanders exchanged glances and remained silent.

"Has he been notified?"

"Reporting to you, Lord, this humble servant has already sent someone to Yang's mansion to notify him." Wang Teng said quickly.

Chen Yuan gave a faint 'hmm' and didn't show any anger, but he sneered in his heart. He didn't expect that someone would actually touch the nail. Good.

Although it was a bit old-fashioned, it saved him a lot of trouble.

"I am Chen Yuan. You may or may not have heard of my name. It doesn't matter. But from today onwards, I am the commander of the Eastern Imperial City Division and your direct superior. In my presence, no one is allowed to disobey in the slightest. My words are orders, and my words here are the rules!"

Chen Yuan's voice resounded in the hall, drilling into everyone's ears, making them feel a shock in their hearts, knowing that this famous Chen Qing Shi was not a kind person.

Just like the rumors in Jianghu, indifferent, cold, decisive, and fierce!

"Do you understand?"

Chen Yuan stood at the head, overlooking everyone below.

"This humble servant understands."

"This humble servant understands."

"This humble servant understands."

"Very good." Chen Yuan nodded, looked at a deputy commander, and said lightly:

"Starting with you... everyone, announce your name."

The deputy commander, who was being watched by Chen Yuan, swallowed and quickly nodded, feeling a bit palpitation from the pressure of a Dan Realm Grandmaster:

"This humble servant is Meng Tianran, greetings Commander Chen!"

Then they lined up one by one, and voices kept ringing out.

"This humble servant is Kong Fei, greetings Commander Chen!"

"This humble servant is Zhao Qiansun, greetings Commander Chen!"

"This humble servant is Zhang Jing, greetings Commander Chen!"

In a short time, everyone in the hall had announced their name. No one dared to try to challenge Chen Yuan's authority. In fact, most people didn't dare to make trouble when a new official took office.

"Very good."

Chen Yuan nodded, pausing for a moment on a patrol envoy named "Zhang Jing." This surname was relatively rare, and he thought it might be related to the Zhang family.

At this moment, a patrol guard outside came forward and reported:

"Lord, Deputy Commander Yang requests an audience."

"Let him in."

Chen Yuan said lightly.

"Yes."

After the patrol guard outside turned and left, everyone present focused their attention on Chen Yuan, seemingly wondering how he would deal with Deputy Commander Yang.

You must know that this person's identity was extraordinary. Even the previous commander would not easily provoke him.

Chen Yuan calmly looked at a middle-aged man in the official uniform of a deputy commander, as if looking at a dead man.

That Deputy Commander Yang was bald, with wide eyes and a long scar at the corner of his eye, looking a bit fierce, and carrying some faint alcohol fumes on his body.

Wherever he passed, everyone made way for him.

Deputy Commander Yang's eyes locked on Chen Yuan, and a smile appeared on his face. He cupped his fist and said:

"This humble servant, Yang Hucheng, greets Commander Chen."

"You are Yang Hucheng?"

"Exactly, this humble servant. I drank a little too much wine with the Fourth Prince last night and woke up a little late this morning. I may be half a quarter of an hour late. I hope you will forgive me, Lord."

He looked at Chen Yuan with sincerity on his face.

"Do you know the sentence that this official said yesterday that you must arrive?"

"I know."

"Do you know the sentence that this official said yesterday that you will bear the consequences?"

"Uh... I know."

"Since you know, then get out. There is no place for you in the Eastern Imperial City Division."

Hearing this sentence, everyone present, including Yang Hucheng, was stunned. Then, he was shocked and stared at Chen Yuan with a frown, asking: "This humble servant was only half a quarter of an hour late. Commander Chen, you don't have to be so harsh, do you?"

"Not even one breath late is allowed."

Hearing Chen Yuan's aggressive words, Yang Hucheng's face turned cold, and he said solemnly:

"Chen Qing Shi, do you know who Yang is?"

Hearing this sentence, Chen Yuan smiled and waved his hand. A terrifying aura erupted suddenly, and a powerful pressure instantly enveloped Yang Hucheng,

causing him to be unstable and forcefully subdued, kneeling on one knee on the ground.

He looked at him indifferently and said:

"Then... do you know who I am?"