Da Xuan Martial Saint

Wutong Grove District.

Compared to Ninth District, Wutong Grove was not significantly larger in terms of overall jurisdiction, but its proximity to the center of South City District made it much more prosperous. It rarely featured the narrow and congested alleys; instead, it boasted more spacious streets.

Due to the larger population and greater prosperity, the City Defense Division of Wutong Grove was also somewhat larger than that of Ninth District, with its three squads totaling more than three hundred personnel, overseen by seven Head Constables, surpassing Ninth District in both number and other aspects.

Despite this.

The authority held by the Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove paled in comparison to Min Baoyi of Ninth District.

One reason was the complex forces within Wutong Grove, similar to the Red Gold Gang, it housed six or seven major gangs, and numerous powerful local forces were present. Moreover, being close to the center of South City District, it was often subject to the constraints of the City Guard General.

Unlike Ninth District, where the emperor's reach was weak, there were only a few significant gangs. Min Baoyi was almost like an emperor there, his word was law. Even the Red Gold Gang did not dare to confront him openly, which was why Chen Mu, during his days as Head Constable in Ninth District, encountered little trouble apart from that fierce ambush.

City Defense Division of Wutong Grove.

The whole Division seemed much more spacious compared to that in Ninth District, at its center stood a two-story building that appeared to have been recently constructed within the past few years. The other buildings also showed no signs of wear and were well-maintained.

When Chen Mu walked into the City Defense Division with Liu Song and others, the seven Head Constables had already gathered the three squads in the open space in front of the central building, waiting for them. Upon his arrival, they immediately bowed in salute.

"Wutong Grove City Defense Division, three squads, totaling three hundred and sixty-one people, all present, greet the Prefecture Chief."

The seven Head Constables, along with the three hundred personnel, all bowed down together.

The scene was rather impressive.

Chen Mu stood in front of all the constables, looking down with a sense of reflection in his heart. He had been in this world for nearly two years, achieving nothing remarkable, but once the opportunity arose, he seized it immediately. In just over a year, he had risen from a lowly constable to the position of a Prefecture Chief, commanding hundreds.

Perhaps outside in Wutong Grove, his orders could not move unobstructed as Min Baoyi's did in Ninth District, with no one daring to defy him, but within this City Defense Division, all constables were under his command.

"Rise."

After surveying the group, Chen Mu spoke calmly.

Now that he was a Prefecture Chief, he no longer needed to treat other constables and Head Constables with the same courtesy as before. Instead, he needed to establish the authority of a Prefecture Chief, whose will could not be defied, even though he was significantly younger than the seven Head Constables.

"Yes."

The constables answered in unison and then stood up, carefully observing their new leader, Chen Mu.

The first reaction was youth.

Too young!

Chen Mu's appointment as Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove was an open matter for Min Baoyi, Xiaokou, even He Mingxuan, and others. However, for the ordinary constables and even Head Constables below them, it wasn't so easily discerned.

Indeed, until the day before, they had no clear idea who would replace Xu Feng as Prefecture Chief.

"How can he be so young..."

"He must be from the Inner City, probably has an extraordinary background."

"Heh, you don't know, this Prefecture Chief is not from the Inner City. I know a bit; he's from Ninth District, and was a Head Constable there, gradually promoted up, apparently caught the eye of the Chief Constable."

"Is that so?"

Constables farther away whispered in very soft voices.

Their gazes towards Chen Mu were filled with surprise, admiration, and also envy. They sighed inwardly that this is how the world works; being favored by an influential figure could skyrocket one's career, and at such a young age, he was able to rise and become a Prefecture Chief.

However, compared to the constables behind, the few Head Constables at the front treated Chen Mu with utmost respect. After all, they were different, being on a higher level. Some of them had previously worked with Xu Feng in the crackdown on the Black Crow Sect, and they knew all too well that Chen Mu's promotion was not as simple as just being favored by Hongyu.

"Has Xu Prefecture Chief already left?"

Chen Mu looked towards the Head Constable nearest to him and asked.

Normally, when he came to take over as Prefecture Chief in Wutong Grove District, his predecessor, Xu Feng, would hand over the responsibilities to him, but Xu Feng was not being promoted this time, instead he had opted to retire due to illness, which made it a bit different.

"Reporting to Prefecture Chief, Sir, Mr. Xu said he was unwell and did not want to cause any trouble by staying,"

Shang Qinglai bowed and responded respectfully.

After hearing this, Chen Mu's expression did not change. He immediately said, "Disband the three groups right here, follow the usual practices, and the seven of you come with me to the Hall Office to report on the situation in Wutong Grove District."

Xu Feng was indeed ill, but it was not so severe that he would leave before Chen Mu arrived. Chen Mu surmised that Xu Feng probably did not want to meet him, and he was indifferent to this.

As both were subordinates of Hongyu and affiliated with the Yu family, it wouldn't hinder him—perhaps, he simply did not want to face the new prefecture chief in the City Defense Division in his weakened, retired state.

Chen Mu was indifferent to this as well, since Xu Feng had already prepared everything before his arrival. He had assembled the teams and clearly briefed Shang Qinglai and the other Head Constables, fulfilling the necessary formalities sufficiently on a superficial level.

Soon,

the many constables disbanded, each attending to their duties, while Shang Qinglai and the other seven Head Constables, along with Liu Song and Li Tie who had come with Chen Mu, followed him into the Hall Office for an internal meeting.

In practice, Chen Mu had already learned about the situation in Wutong Grove District from Hebe, so wanting to hear reports from Shang Qinglai and others was more about evaluating the seven Head Constables to assign them tasks later.

From what he could tell so far, it was Shang Qinglai who led the seven Head Constables. He was closest to Xu Feng and, as Chen Mu knew, seemed to be a distant relative by marriage of Xu Feng, but he managed his duties well. He showed great respect to him, the new prefecture chief, with neither word nor deed showing any disrespect based on his connections.

"Crocodile Gang, Quicksand Gang, Thieves Gang... these seven gangs have intricate and complex relationships, some with conflicts, others in alliance. Then there are the Nan Family and Zheng Family, both with relatives working in Inner City, and themselves having been powerful magnates for generations, with dozens of martial masters hired as protectors, and even more servants..."

Shang Qinglai stood to the side, outlining the many forces in Wutong Grove District.

While Chen Mu already knew much of this from Hebe's explanations, what Shang Qinglai provided was more detailed, specific to which family's daughter became someone's concubine, and which gang was involved in what kind of business and had allied with whom.

However, Chen Mu wasn't actually very interested in these details, to be honest. When he came to Wutong Grove District to serve as Prefecture Chief, he was just filling a position and did not intend to do much actual work, focusing more on his Martial Arts cultivation.

In fact,

with his current strength, even though the forces under the seven gangs and two powerful families were strong, none were less influential than the City Defense Division, and he was fully justified in saying, "I have spoken; who agrees, who objects."

When one reaches the level of Tendon Changing, it represents a completely different realm.

Yet, just as Chen Mu was reflecting on these reports, suddenly a noisy disturbance came from outside, with what seemed like a large number of people, so much so that the noise reached inside the Hall Office.

Shang Qinglai, who was in the midst of reporting, paused and glanced outside.

"Sir, I will go have a look."

Another Head Constable nearby quickly reacted, bowed to Chen Mu, and then hurried out.

But only a moment later, he returned to the Hall Office with a rather troubled look on his face: "Prefecture Chief, it's people from the Zheng family and some from the Quicksand Gang, it seems there are also people from the Thieves Gang."

Upon hearing this,

the other many Head Constables exchanged looks of concern.

Today was Chen Mu's first day as the new Prefecture Chief, and it was coincidental that the Zheng family and Quicksand Gang appeared together, mixed with people from the Thieves Gang. It certainly couldn't be to welcome Chen Mu with open arms.

"It seems I still have some reputation; just my arrival has caused quite a stir."

"Let's go."

With a calm demeanor, Chen Mu slowly stood up and walked outside.

Seeing this, Shang Qinglai and the many head constables exchanged glances before hurrying to follow him, all of them leaving the Hall Office together.