Chapter 680: Emperor's Decree!

Qiao Zhenyu moved into the Governor-General's Mansion the next day.

He had few belongings: a few sets of changeable clothes, plus some files and maps brought from the Military Office.

All of the Five Great Families of Tianzhou sent people to offer congratulations.

The first to arrive at the Governor-General's Mansion were the Du Family; the new Family Head Du Jianshan came with a cartload of lavish gifts and entered personally.

He wore a plain gray long robe; his features resembled Du Jianchuan's to some extent, but his expression lacked that gloomy scheming, showing instead greater composure and restraint.

He sat in the main hall of the Governor-General's Mansion for less than half an hour, said little, only stating that the Du Family was willing to fully cooperate with all orders of the new Governor, then left after leaving a gift list.

After seeing Du Jianshan off, the old steward returned and whispered a sentence.

"A report came from the old Du residence: Du Jianchuan returned home last night and... hanged himself."

Qiao Zhenyu was leafing through the files at his desk when he heard the words; his hand paused briefly, but he quickly returned to normal. He remained silent for a few breaths, did not look up, only gave a hum and continued reading the documents in his hand.

He felt neither satisfaction nor regret.

Du Jianchuan's choice was his own path; Qiao Zhenyu did not wish to comment further.

The Lin Family, Sheng Family, Chen Family, and Qiao Family subsequently also sent people to offer congratulations.

Lin Zhenshan arrived in person, accompanied by Lin Yanqian, his face flushed, and upon seeing Qiao Zhenyu he clasped his hands and said.

"Governor Qiao, congratulations! From now on, you will have to take great care of Tianzhou's affairs!"

Throughout the entire Tianzhou administration, everyone seemed to have completely forgotten Du Jianchuan's existence.

In the tea houses and taverns on the streets, storytellers began recounting Qiao Zhenyu's new tales, from his campaigns to his martial cultivation, embellishing them extravagantly.

And at the banquets of those aristocratic families, the most discussed topic was no longer the Du Family, but the mysterious Martial Honored One behind the new Governor.

Everyone knew that Tianzhou had changed, and the backbone supporting this new sky was the young man in a gray robe sitting in the Lin Family courtyard.

What surprised all the Tianzhou elites was that, although Qiao Zhenyu had moved into the Governor-General's Mansion, he hardly stayed there.

The guests who came to congratulate often found nothing; Qiao Zhenyu left before dawn each day, treading through the morning mist across streets and alleys, staying in the Lin Family courtyard for an entire day until dusk before returning.

At this moment, in the Lin Family courtyard, the green stone slab floor was laid with several grass-woven meditation cushions.

Qiao Zhenyu sat on the foremost cushion, wearing a fitted short jacket, beads of damp sweat hanging on his forehead, having just finished a set of Fist, he sat cross-legged, regulating his breath.

Beside him sat Lin Yanqian, in a sleek martial outfit, her aura steadier than before, with a faint breeze twining around her fingertips.

In front of them was an empty, spacious training area; around it, a ring of neatly arranged dozen or so small stools.

Lu Zhanlian sat on the small stool nearest the edge of the area, his white hair neatly combed, his back straight, hands resting on his knees, like a pupil waiting for the teacher.

Behind him was Wu Tong, his robust frame curled on a small stool, looking somewhat comical, yet his expression was extremely serious, his eyes unblinking as they stared at the two people in the center.

Further back were disciples from Zhenhai Martial Arts Hall and Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, as well as some elders of the Tianzhou Martial Arts community, each sitting properly, clutching bamboo fans or handkerchiefs, their gazes burning toward the same direction.

At the very center of the courtyard stood a towering parasol tree, its shade sheltering a bamboo lounge chair.

Jiang Feng leaned on the lounge chair, a book in his hand, its pages rustling in the wind, though he seemed not to be reading earnestly.

He glanced over the rows of seated figures and set the book down.

"Tianzhou Martial Arts are truly weak."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

The martial artists seated on the small stools subconsciously lowered their heads.

Wu Tong's complexion flushed slightly, Lu Zhanlian's brows knit briefly but he did not retort, and the younger disciples behind him wished they could bury their heads beneath their knees.

They all knew Jiang Feng was speaking the truth.

After a century of battling Ying Kingdom's martial forces, Tianzhou's martial talent has withered; the older generation of Heavenly Person Experts either fell in battle or were disabled, and the younger generation was crushed before they could mature.

Had it not been Lu Zhanlian's Battlefield Breakthrough this time, coupled with Jiang Feng's high disciple Lin Yanqian's rise to fame in a single battle, the losers would still have been them.

When the Martial Honored One said they lived up to the Xia Kingdom's martial way, they all felt embarrassed.

"But..."

Jiang Feng's voice rose again, still casual.

"Fortunately, your martial hearts have not been extinguished. Stronger than many."

The crowd lifted their heads, their gazes carrying a nervous hope.

"I still have a few days before I leave..."

Jiang Feng said, sitting up a bit straighter on the lounge chair.

"In these days, I will train you properly."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhanlian sprang to his feet, first patting his chest, his voice bearing the boldness of an old general: "We beg the Martial Honored One for guidance!"

Before his voice faded, Wu Tong also stood, followed by the elders and disciples, all rising together; though not perfectly orderly, their earnest vigor was more genuine than any meeting in Tianzhou's offices.

Jiang Feng simply stood, walked to the empty green stone slab at the center of the area, clapped his hands, signaling everyone to focus their attention.

He said no grand principles, offered no arcane formulas, merely had each person perform their strongest technique once while he watched from the side.

His adjustments took little time— a word or a move completed within one or two breaths— then he had the person repeat. The effect was immediate; those who had been guided showed visibly smoother breath flow and stronger power when they performed again.

After a day, everyone was drenched in sweat, yet each person's eyes were a few shades brighter than in the morning.

When Lu Zhanlian finished the Sha Po Lang Blade Technique and steadied his stance, he exhaled a long burst of turbid qi, feeling the true qi stored deep in his dantian had been re‑sorted, flowing much smoother than before. He glanced at Jiang Feng to thank him, but Jiang Feng had already turned back to the lounge chair and sat down again, casually picking up the book that the wind had scattered across the courtyard, as if the day's guidance had been an ordinary task.

Wu Tong stood at the edge of the area, wiped sweat from his face, and whispered as he watched Jiang Feng's back.

"These few days, enough?"

Lu Zhanlian also looked over, and after a moment of silence said.

"If the Martial Honored One says it's enough, then it's enough."

Just as everyone was fervently practicing, a sharp voice suddenly came from outside the gate.

"Emperor's Decree has arrived!"