Chapter 54: Commander Ling Mo!

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly turned rather bizarre.

Chen Xuan had actually told Wang Fen to stop kowtowing and get up instead?

This was completely going against the natural order!

However, although Chen Xuan spoke up, Zhang Tianci had not given the command for him to rise. Not daring to stop, Wang Fen continued to kowtow frantically, his head slamming against the ground with loud thuds.

Seeing this, Zhang Tianci felt he had reclaimed a shred of his dignity. Putting on a profound facade, he said, "If I don't tell him to stand up, even if you gave him a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare!"

Witnessing this fellow putting on airs, Chen Xuan chuckled. Casting a sidelong glance at him, he asked, "What if I insist that he stands up?"

With that, he looked at Zhang Tianci with a deeply meaningful gaze.

The implication was crystal clear: dare to disobey my words, and you know the consequences.

Zhang Tianci instantly felt his face burning with heat. Chen Xuan was slapping him right across the face!

"I am disciplining my own man. It is somewhat inappropriate for you to interfere like this."

Zhang Tianci wore a wary expression, his words a bit stiff as he tried to salvage a shred of his reputation.

However, how could Chen Xuan possibly spare his face?

He directly sneered, "Disciplining your own men is your business; I couldn't care less. But if you dare to disobey my orders, then I will be disciplining you!"

Having said that, Chen Xuan took a step forward.

It was just a single step, yet it made Zhang Tianci's heart skip a beat, instantly filling him with a grim foreboding.

The shadow of death he had felt moments ago washed over him once again.

He was well aware of Chen Xuan's speed; just a moment ago, he had crossed dozens of paces to appear right in front of him in a single stride.

Now, only a few paces separated them. If Chen Xuan so desired, he, Zhang Tianci, would once again be grabbed by the throat like a hawk catching a chick, with nowhere to hide!

"Y-You, don't be rash. Let's talk this out."

Zhang Tianci's expression wavered. Seeing the malicious smile on Chen Xuan's face, his complexion turned thoroughly ugly.

Ultimately, he gritted his teeth and called out to Wang Fen, "Enough, Wang Fen! Stop kowtowing and get up for me!"

Yet Wang Fen continued to kowtow relentlessly, his forehead colliding with the stone tiles and producing a rapid succession of loud impacts.

Having been dazed by the continuous kowtowing, he hadn't heard Zhang Tianci's voice at all.

Utterly infuriated, Zhang Tianci shouted at a chiliarch, "Pull that idiot Wang Fen up for me!"

The chiliarch nodded, hurriedly hauling Wang Fen to his feet and whispering a few words into his ear.

Only then did Wang Fen heave a sigh of relief, bowing with cupped hands toward Zhang Tianci, "Many thanks to the Young Master for sparing my life!"

Nearby, Chen Xuan could not help feeling a bit speechless.

Zhang Tianci was the one who had forced him to kowtow until his head was battered and bleeding, yet it was he, Chen Xuan, who had ordered Zhang Tianci to let him stand.

Consequently, the first thing Wang Fen did was not to thank Chen Xuan, but rather to thank Zhang Tianci.

What kind of logic was that?

On second thought, however, this was quite normal. After all, Wang Fen was Zhang Tianci's subordinate, not his.

Still, it was worth noting that Wang Fen would undoubtedly harbor a lingering resentment toward Zhang Tianci in his heart.

In other words, a rift had been forged between the two.

Although Wang Fen currently appeared utterly deferential to Zhang Tianci on the surface, that was merely out of intimidation by power; in reality, their hearts were already alienated.

As for Chen Xuan, by deliberately playing the good guy just now, he had purposely planted a seed of goodwill in Wang Fen's heart.

This seed had yet to sprout, but once it did, he could win Wang Fen over and make him his own man!

In the Great Qian Dynasty, what was of paramount importance?

Military authority!

As long as one possessed military power, one could command everything. Marching south and battling north, crushing enemies, and seeking vengeance all required military authority as a backing!

And in Barbarian City, there were a full eight thousand elite troops!

Across the entire northwestern frontier, there were a hundred thousand elite soldiers of Great Qian!

If Chen Xuan could bring these hundred thousand elites under his command,

then he would be the King of the Northwest!

What did the imperial court matter then? Even if they issued decrees to Chen Xuan, he would obey if he felt like it, and simply ignore them if he didn't.

He would accept imperial summons for military deployment, but refuse imperial audiences!

In short, his ambitions were vast. Putting Zhang Tianci in his place to establish authority and sparing Wang Fen was merely the first step!

"Commander Ling Mo!"

At that moment, someone suddenly looked up and shouted toward the city wall.

Everyone immediately raised their eyes in unison, instantly catching sight of a figure standing atop the ramparts, gazing expressionlessly down at the scene below.

It was a middle-aged man with bronze skin and sparse stubble on his face. He possessed resolute facial features, sword-like eyebrows, and starry eyes.

With his arms crossed over his chest, he looked down coldly. A natural aura of authority emanated from him without anger, making people dare not even meet his gaze!

"Commander Ling Mo has actually come!"

"He's definitely going to help Young Master Zhang vent his anger."

"Just wait and see, whoever dared to provoke Young Master Zhang's authority is a dead man!"

"That's right, the person who provoked Young Master Zhang killed a centurion and a chiliarch, and every single centurion and chiliarch was personally promoted by Commander Ling Mo. Since he killed men valued by Commander Ling Mo, the commander will certainly not let him go!"

Countless people instantly broke into a flurry of discussion.

The moment Zhang Tianci caught sight of the bronze-skinned middle-aged man, a look of wild elation swept across his face.

It was as though he had seen his savior!

Straining his vocal cords, he roared, "Commander Ling Mo, come down immediately and save me!"

Ling Mo glanced at him indifferently without responding.

Although Zhang Tianci held a noble status, in Ling Mo's eyes, he was not yet qualified to make him bow and scrape.

Throughout the entire Barbarian City, the only person qualified to command his obedience was the Prefect himself!

However, although Ling Mo did not reply to Zhang Tianci, he still stepped forward from atop the ramparts.

Boom!

His entire figure plunged directly from the city wall down to the ground. He simply leaped down from a city wall over ten meters high in a state of free fall, landing squarely on his feet without even the slightest bend in his knees!

Immediately afterward, his gaze locked directly onto Chen Xuan.

It was merely a single glance, yet it made Chen Xuan's eyes narrow as he felt a wave of heavy pressure.

This Commander Ling Mo was formidable!

"This man is no ordinary opponent!"

An Ruoxue furrowed her brows, sensing a dense aura of danger emanating from Commander Ling Mo.

If a fight broke out, even during the period when she was uninjured, she might not necessarily be able to gain the upper hand.

"Commander Ling Mo, strike at once and kill him for me!"

Zhang Tianci shrieked shrilly, his emotions running at a fever pitch.

With Commander Ling Mo here, he could immediately exact his revenge!

Chen Qing, on the other hand, raised his brows slightly, the corners of his mouth curving upward in an imperceptible smirk.

Chen Xuan's domineering arrival had exerted a certain amount of pressure on him, worrying him that Chen Xuan might execute a series of maneuvers to control the Chen family of Barbarian City and thereby threaten the authority of their branch.

But now that Commander Ling Mo had arrived, things would be entirely different.

As long as Commander Ling Mo was willing, there was no one he could not kill!

If he were to dispatch Chen Xuan right here and now,

Heh...

Chen Qing could not help sneering inwardly!