Everyone was stunned, their eyes blank.

What is happening?

The Martial Guards brought by Zhong Qian were not only ignoring his commands, but were saluting Chen Yang respectfully?

This… Wait a second. Governor?

After a brief moment of shock, the surrounding crowd finally came to their senses. But what followed was another tidal wave of shock that crashed violently through their minds.

Chen Yang… he's the Governor? The Nine Gates Admiral, the Zhennan Prince?

BOOM!

In that instant, everyone from Zhong Qian and Zhong Yuan down to the last onlooker felt as if they had been struck by lightning. A thunderous roar echoed endlessly in their minds, churning and surging. Their thoughts devolved into chaos, their emotions were in turmoil, and their eyes bulged wide.

Isn't he a Sixth Grade Martial General? How did he become the Zhennan Prince?

That's right!

They remembered yesterday's ceremony. Military General Yan Yong had personally led his troops to suppress the disturbance, and his attitude toward Chen Yang had been utterly reverent, almost frighteningly so. Yan Yong was a Sixth Grade Martial General. If Chen Yang was also a Sixth Grade Martial General of the same rank, why would Yan Yong, in his own jurisdiction, be so deferential?

Furthermore, how could a mere Sixth Grade Martial General possess such formidable strength that even a Twelfth Rank Fist Master couldn't withstand a casual wave of his hand?

And then there was his slaughter of the Martial Association's members. Given the Martial Association's current scale and powerful influence, how could a lone Sixth Grade Martial General possibly challenge it?

All of it pointed to one thing: Chen Yang's true identity was far more than a simple Sixth Grade Martial General. No one had stopped to consider these details before, but thinking about it now, everything instantly became clear.

So, he was *that* legend.

The first man since the founding of the nation to be ennobled as the Zhennan Prince—the Nine Gates Admiral.

No wonder. No matter how great the crisis the Qin Corporation faced, it always emerged unscathed. With a deity, an invincible War God, protecting it, who could possibly shake the Qin Corporation in the slightest?

No wonder. As formidable as the Martial Association was, it repeatedly met its doom in Lingjin City. Not only did it lose several Elders, but even its protector and the Association President's Chief Disciple were mercilessly killed. Even if the Association President himself were to come, he too would likely spill his own blood and die filled with regret in Lingjin City.

The Nine Gates Admiral was a peerless master whose fame shook the ages! Before him, a mere Association President was truly beneath his notice.

GULP.

As everyone swallowed hard, their gazes toward Chen Yang changed, becoming respectful, even reverent. Of course, remembering the things they had said earlier, some hung their heads in shame. They could only blame themselves for believing slander, for not only misunderstanding Chen Yang but insulting him. If people found out they had cursed the Zhennan Prince, they would surely be condemned by everyone.

The Zhennan Prince had risked life and limb in Hanyun Valley to protect the peace, only to be cursed as an unscrupulous capitalist?

Heh… Have they no conscience?

"Governor, Zhong Qian is an Eighth Rank. As his subordinate, I had to obey his orders," Yan Yong explained awkwardly after his salute. "I meant you no offense."

Leading troops to capture the Zhennan Prince? Heh… The mere thought of it was enough to drench him in a cold sweat.

"I understand," Chen Yang said with a wave of his hand.

Yan Yong breathed a huge sigh of relief, his clothes already soaked through with sweat. He stepped aside to quietly await his orders. The events to come were not something a mere Sixth Grade Martial General like him could meddle in.

Zhong Qian and Zhong Yuan gasped, their faces paling to an extreme degree as their expressions shifted over and over. Their eyes, however, were locked on Yan Yong. Their gazes seemed to scream: *If you knew his identity all along, why didn't you tell us earlier? If you had, I wouldn't have dared to target the Qin Corporation even if I had ten thousand times the courage!* In their eyes, Yan Yong was a treacherous villain, the kind who would set you up to die and feel no remorse.

"Don't look at me like that," Yan Yong said, glancing down at them with a sneer. "You can ask Zhong Yuan. When he came to my office yesterday, I tried several times to inform him that the other party was the Governor, but he interrupted me every time."

Zhong Yuan was speechless.

"Not only that, but he mocked me for being timid and called me a coward. He was so arrogant he looked down on everyone. What more could I say?"

Zhong Yuan remained silent.

Yan Yong narrowed his eyes at Zhong Yuan and said coldly, "You called me a coward? Why don't you show me how tough you are now? Where's all that arrogance and pride you had in my office?"

Zhong Yuan had nothing to say.

At Yan Yong's words, Zhong Yuan's heart felt as if it were being torn apart, and his guts twisted with regret. The stabbing pain in his chest was suffocating.

Why did I have to be so arrogant? Why?! If I had just listened to one more sentence from Yan Yong, I would have fled Lingjin City at top speed! How could this have happened?

Zhong Yuan's eyes looked as if they would burst from their sockets. He clawed at the ground so hard his fingernails bent and broke, dripping blood, while he gritted his teeth hard enough to shatter them.

He hated.

He hated himself!

Overcome by a surge of rage, he spat out a mouthful of blood and instantly crumpled.

"Governor, I can explain! You must listen to my explanation!" Zhong Qian, all his earlier bravado and killing intent gone, looked utterly defeated. He spoke in a trembling voice, his hands flapping about uselessly.

"Go ahead."

Those two simple words gave Zhong Qian a glimmer of hope. However, that hope died when he saw Chen Yang walk over to the Martial Guards and draw a saber from the sheath on one of their backs. Zhong Qian's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

What… what does he plan to do?

Zhong Qian gasped for air and hurriedly said, "Governor, I was blinded by rage earlier! That's why I spoke such treasonous words! But this whole affair was orchestrated by my unfilial son! I swear, I knew nothing about it!"

"Fortunately, no harm came to you or the Qin Corporation. Please, Governor, be merciful and let us go."

Chen Yang toyed with the saber in his hand. The gleaming blade flashed with a cold light as he slowly walked toward Zhong Qian. "And yet," he said indifferently, "I just heard your son say you were fully aware of the matter."

"He was just using my name! Please, Governor, I beg you, show mercy!" Zhong Qian pleaded.

Did he truly not know? The idea to take over the Qin Corporation entirely had been his. Disavowing it now was purely for self-preservation. As long as he remained an Eighth Rank Military General, Zhong Yuan and the entire Zhong Family would still have a future.

"Even if what you say is true, the father is to blame for the son's misdeeds. You cannot escape responsibility," Chen Yang said, lifting the saber and flicking the blade, producing a clear, crisp ring.

Zhong Qian was speechless.

"I hear you've made friends with some very important people over the years?" Chen Yang looked down at him. "They helped you get promoted. What did you give them in return? Your public support? Or did you provide them with conveniences through the Martial Department?"

In this world, there was no such thing as a free lunch. If you accepted a favor, you had to repay it somehow.

Zhong Qian had no response. He knew at once that the Governor had already investigated him down to the last detail. He probably knew everything Zhong Qian had done over the years.

Suddenly, Zhong Qian's face turned ashen. He seemed to age a decade in an instant. He never could have dreamed he would fall at the hands of this powerful figure. Even though they were both in the Martial Department, their paths had never crossed; they had never even met before today.

Zhong Qian gritted his teeth and shot his head up to look Chen Yang directly in the eye. "Governor, are you going to kill me?"

"The Martial Department has no room for people like you," Chen Yang stated flatly.

Though he didn't say it outright, the meaning was perfectly clear. If there was no room for him, he had to be eliminated.

Zhong Qian's gaze turned vicious. "As the saying goes, 'Always leave a way out, so you can meet again on good terms.' Since you know I have connections to many important people, I advise you to think twice."

It was a blatant threat. But threatening the Governor?

The surrounding crowd collectively gasped. One had to admit, Zhong Qian was incredibly bold.

"You cannot kill this man. Get lost," a detached voice suddenly called out from afar.

Then, a middle-aged man in a long robe with a longsword on his back slowly pushed through the crowd and walked into the center of the clearing. He scanned the area, his gaze pausing for a moment on Chen Yang's business vehicle before finally settling on Chen Yang himself.

"What, are you deaf? I told you to get lost."

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