Xuanqing Guard-Chapter 53: Gossip

When Chen Tianwen mentioned the words "Sect Abandoned Disciple," Shen Hao was a little confused.

Chen Tianwen continued, "Have you heard of the Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute to the north of Li City?"

"I’ve heard of it. It’s said to be a first-class sect within the Dynasty. It seems like every five years they recruit new disciples from within the Li City Guard Station’s jurisdiction, right?"

"That’s right. Although Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute can’t compare with the Ten Great Sects within the Dynasty, it’s still a first-class sect. There are thousands of disciples in the sect, all extremely powerful, and getting in requires passing a thousand rounds of rigorous selection. But forty years ago, Hundred Households Tang was a once-in-a-generation cultivation genius, personally chosen by an Outer Sect Steward of Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute and brought back to the sect for training.

But two years later, for some unknown reason, Hundred Households Tang’s Dao Foundation was badly damaged, and he also violated a certain taboo within the sect, so he was directly expelled from Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute.

Still, a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even though his Dao Foundation was damaged and Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute no longer valued Tang’s talent, compared to ordinary cultivators, Hundred Households Tang was still "very strong," so he was recruited into Xuanqing Guard and all the way rose to the position of Hundred Households Officer.

There’s also word out there that Hundred Households Tang and Households Commander Jiang of Fengri City are distant relatives, but whether that’s true or not, who knows. But after all my years in Li City, I can tell Households Commander Jiang really does take care of Hundred Households Tang, so the rumors might just be true."

Shen Hao raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, does that mean Hundred Households Tang and Households Commander Jiang are on the same side?"

"Heh, that’s not necessarily the case."

"Why not?"

"Households Commander Jiang came up through the military, you know. That’s the biggest faction in our Xuanqing Guard. But Hundred Households Tang isn’t from the military; strictly speaking, he’s part of the Noble system. Even if they’re relatives, it doesn’t prevent them from being on different sides."

It’s long been said that the Xuanqing Guard is divided into several different factions: there’s the "Military Series" made up of people who transferred from the army; the "Noble System" supported by powerful noble groups; and there’s the "Pure Noble Series" for those with grassroot backgrounds.

But things like factions are still a little out of reach for Shen Hao. His rank right now is just Junior Sixth Grade; even if he wanted to pick a side, he’s not yet qualified to be included in any "faction."

Reason? He’s a tiny official—who cares which faction he’s in?

Actually, strictly speaking, even Tang Qingyuan has only just set foot into the faction game.

Before Shen Hao could ask more, Chen Tianwen continued, "That’s Hundred Households Tang. Next, let’s talk about Hundred Households Chen. Heh, actually, there are tons of rumors about Hundred Households Chen over in Fengri City—you just need to ask around and you’ll hear plenty."

Let’s start with the factions. Hundred Households Chen is neither part of the "Military Series" nor the "Noble System." He’s "Cultivation Race." Hehe, never heard of the Cultivation Race Faction before?"

Shen Hao shook his head. "Cultivation Race" sounded a bit weird to him.

"There aren’t many Cultivation Race factions in Xuanqing Guard, but their influence can’t be underestimated. They’re all from various cultivation families within the Dynasty. Many of them even have noble ranks, but fundamentally they’re very different from the Noble system. The Cultivation Race’s main feature is that their cultivation level is much higher than the average cultivator, though still a bit below the major orthodox sects.

If you pay more attention to what’s going on in the provinces, you’ll find that the Cultivation Race, Military Series, Noble System, and Pure Noble Series already permeate all aspects of the Dynasty, not just Xuanqing Guard.

Hmm... Hundred Households Chen is from the Chen Family of Changping Town, and apparently he’s the eldest son from the third branch. The Chen Family of Changping Town runs a huge Magical Artifact workshop that has close ties to the military, which is how Hundred Households Chen managed to beat out other competitors for the Chief Officer role of Black Banner Battalion at the Thousand Households Station.

I also heard that when Hundred Households Chen first took over at the Thousand Households Station, he even butted heads directly with Households Commander Jiang. That hot-tempered Jiang actually couldn’t do anything to Hundred Households Chen, so you can guess the rest."

A Hundred Households Officer daring to go head-to-head with a Households Officer? And actually forcing the higher-up to have no way to deal with him?!

This kind of thing happening inside Xuanqing Guard—a place packed with violent types?!

Shen Hao looked shocked, and instinctively felt that Chen Tianwen was laying it on a bit thick.

Seeing Shen Hao’s disbelief, Chen Tianwen just shook his head and laughed, "Don’t doubt it. These things aren’t really secret. Give it time—once you build some connections in Fengri City you’ll see whether what I said is true or not. No need for me to lie about it."

"Don’t take it personally, General Flag Chen. It’s just some things you said really caught me off guard. I was surprised, that’s all. Please go on, I’m definitely learning a lot right now."

"Haha, all right, let’s continue. We’ve just talked about Hundred Households Tang and Hundred Households Chen. By now, you should have some sort of map of who they are. And with the Black Banner Battalion currently riding the momentum, if you want to rise up using this windfall, you must pick a side. Otherwise, I guarantee, you won’t last a year before you get transferred out."

"But which side do I pick? According to you, it sounds like Hundred Households Chen is much tougher than Hundred Households Tang. Should I pick Hundred Households Chen?"

"If it were up to me, I wouldn’t pick Hundred Households Tang or Hundred Households Chen. I’d choose Households Commander Jiang! Hold on, let me finish." Chen Tianwen gestured for Shen Hao not to rush and continued, "On the surface, Hundred Households Chen looks like the bigger backer, but you have to realize that the Cultivation Race Faction is famously exclusive—they’ll never truly accept a rootless, powerless freelance cultivator like you. At best, they’re just using you as a tool.

And Hundred Households Tang’s foundation is too shallow. He doesn’t have anyone further up the chain. Even if you follow him, let alone whether he can withstand Hundred Households Chen’s pressure, you can’t expect much of a future there.

So your only way to break through the deadlock is to look directly for Households Commander Jiang. Taking refuge with him is your best bet."

"But I’m just a Flag Officer who holds a Trial Hundred Households title. Households Commander Jiang probably wouldn’t deem me worth his attention, right?"

"Hehe, maybe in the past he wouldn’t have cared, but now things are different. Right now, you’re the flagship example that the Dynasty is using to promote the Black Banner Battalion everywhere—the benefits of this reputation are much bigger than you can imagine.

And your lack of background gives you the flexibility to be classified as ’Pure Noble Series,’ which is often closely aligned with the Military Series. With this status, Households Commander Jiang would be a bit less wary of you.

All right, that’s enough talk for now, time to get back to work. Let’s go, let’s go."

"Ha, General Flag Chen, you’re not going to sit for a bit longer?"

"No, I’ll wait until your matters are settled, then we’ll find time to have a drink together."

"Definitely!"

And just like that, Chen Tianwen left, leaving Shen Hao deep in thought.

First, Shen Hao still didn’t figure out what exactly motivated Chen Tianwen to come and "teach" him so much. Second, there was just so much information that he needed time to digest it all.

He leaned back in his chair, sorting through Chen Tianwen’s words in his head.

Afterward, Shen Hao called over Wang Jian.

"Didn’t you say before that your family has some business contacts in Fengri City? Do me a favor and ask around—get me some information on the Black Banner Battalion Hundred Households Officer, Chen Yiyun..."