Chapter 240: Sima Nan

As the commander's voice rang out.

Sima Nan shook his head: "Now, I am on the verge of breaking through to the Sun Wheel. Once the imperial court bestows upon me a marquis title, this Tiandou Prefecture will naturally need people to manage it for me....."

"And Jiang Daoxuan has a vast future, so extraordinary—he is perfect to temporarily join my ranks, to walk this grand path with me. Should he one day break through to the Sun Wheel, he can become my ally within the imperial court, compensating for my shallow foundations......"

"Thus, it is unnecessary to offend him over a minor player."

"Since Ding Xuan has a good relationship with the White Robe Sword Marquis, let us simply cultivate goodwill. Moreover, when the time comes, you shall travel to Wudan City and deliver my order: I intend to promote him, appointing him as governor of Lvteng City."

"Once he accepts, we can then replace him with a more obedient dog as governor of Wudan City—perfect for cultivating ties with the Jiang family......"

Sima Nan explained patiently.

This Ding Xuan, a dog bred by me, does not even bother to repay my kindness or show loyalty.

Yet he dares to conceal things from me!

This clearly proves he has turned disloyal—completely unreliable.

Therefore, he must be removed first.

As for Wudan City, where the Jiang family's ancestral mansion stands.

It must be firmly held in my palm, becoming a bridge to cultivate relations with the Cangwu Jiang family!

At this moment, hearing the prefect's command,

the commander was startled, deeply surprised: "My lord, are these conditions not too generous?"

After all, Lvteng City is a first-class city of Tiandou Prefecture.

It is traditionally lucrative, usually requiring a Star Wheel cultivator to hold the post.

Yet Ding Xuan, governor of a third-class city, is being granted direct appointment to a first-class city, bypassing realm requirements—this is truly unbelievable!

Thinking of this, the commander lowered his head silently, filled with envy.

Because first-class city posts are almost never vacant, even after over a decade of diligent service and possessing Star Wheel cultivation base, he had never once been given the chance to become governor of a first-class city.

How could he compare to Ding Xuan, who rose to power in a single step?

All of this made him seethe with envy!

At this moment, Sima Nan burst into loud laughter.

He rose from his throne, stepped before the commander, and patted his shoulder: "When he goes to Lvteng City to assume office, find an opportunity to eliminate him. As long as the aftermath is handled well, who will know what truly happened?"

"At that time, we will not offend the White Robe Sword Marquis—after all, out of respect for the Jiang family's face, I made an exception and gave Ding Xuan the chance to become governor of Lvteng City. But he failed to seize it, and thus became a short-lived fool....."

"In fact, the Jiang family will even owe me a favor. Hahaha—I want the Jiang family's favor, and I want the life of this dog Ding Xuan too!"

Hearing this, the commander's expression sharpened.

Indeed, the prefect was still as brilliant (and cunning) as ever—allowing not a speck of dust in his eyes.

He had already devised a plan to eliminate Ding Xuan without offending the Jiang family.

At this moment, Sima Nan's voice sounded again: "You have served me for so long—how could I forget your contributions? When Ding Xuan dies, you shall take his place....."

The commander's heart leapt with joy; he thrust both hands forward, prostrated himself on the ground, and banged his head three times hard.

Then he exclaimed excitedly: "Thank you, My Lord! For the rest of my life, I am willing to climb mountains of blades, walk through seas of fire, spill my brains and blood—no sacrifice is too great!!"

At this moment, years of effort had finally been rewarded!

Sima Nan nodded: "Rise. Before this, go and spread this news: the recent rumors of the dragon's emergence have unsettled many factions. Now it is clear—the White Robe Sword Marquis is from Tiandou Prefecture and has no connection to this Sun Wheel dragon. The annihilation of the Tang family and Dahe Jiangong on the same day was merely coincidence....."

"After handling these matters, take some gifts and first go to Wudan City, then visit Cangwu Mountain."

"Before I reach the Sun Wheel, it is inconvenient to have too much contact with Jiang Daoxuan—just convey goodwill for now. Your sole task is to stabilize the Jiang family and ensure they cause no trouble during this period. I need no surprises. Do you understand?"

By the end, his voice had turned icy.

The commander, well aware of his lord's nature, dared not slack off and hurriedly replied: "Your servant understands!"

Sima Nan gave a slight nod, swept his sleeve, and strode out of the hall.

Soon, only the commander remained kneeling on the spot.

Only when the footsteps faded and silence returned did he come to his senses.

He suddenly realized his entire body was drenched in sweat.

He quickly raised his right palm and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Then he rose swiftly and hurried toward the exit.

He needed to spread the news about the White Robe Sword Marquis as quickly as possible, to dispel the suspicions of other factions.

Otherwise, if left to fester, it would destabilize the situation in Tiandou Prefecture.

Meanwhile.

Outside Cangwu Mountain, in a certain mountain range.

Towering trees rose from the earth.

Their massive canopies overlapped, thick with leaves, lush and verdant, blotting out the sky!

Only faint beams of sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves!

At this moment, on a clearing,

a black-haired youth, clad in tight-fitting attire and with a lean, muscular build, wielded a silver-white long spear as he battled a three-meter-tall crimson bear!

After several strikes, the youth found its weakness, surged forward, flicked his wrist, and instantly unleashed dozens of spear shadows, piercing the giant bear's skull!

Blood sprayed everywhere; the massive bear collapsed heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust!

Seeing this, the youth exhaled in relief, sheathed his spear, and walked to the carcass. With practiced ease, he drew a dagger from his waist and swiftly cut out the bear's eyes.

"Crimson Bear eyes—once this mission is complete, my contribution points should be enough to exchange for a lower-grade Earth-class technique....."

The youth smiled.

His name was Jiang Ming, a disciple of the Yuheng branch.

He currently possessed Seventh Layer of Primordial Realm cultivation base and was among the top ten geniuses of the Jiang family's younger generation.

However, no one would have imagined that the former self had only been of middling talent.

All the change still traced back to an accident not long ago.

In that accident, he obtained two mysterious treasures.

A mysterious stone, crystalline as jade, with six faces.