Devouring Soul Emperor

However, in front of the special envoys, Grand Commander Chu Yu couldn’t go too far. He still had to keep up appearances.

"Chu Qingyun, do you have an explanation for what Guard General Liu said?" Grand Commander Chu Yu asked, his voice deep as he looked at Chu Qingyun.

Although he asked this, he had already made up his mind.

’A genius like this must be protected and recruited into the Celestial Wind Army, no matter what!’

"Sir, I have nothing to explain," Chu Qingyun said flatly.

’One of these matters involved his Storage Ring, and the other involved You Yun, a target hunted by the Martial Soul Hall. He didn’t want to reveal a single detail about either.’

Hearing Chu Qingyun say this, Grand Commander Chu Yu couldn’t help but frown, while Liu Canghai looked smug and couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

"Killing three Great Xia Dragon Guard Captains is an atrocious act that must be handled with the utmost severity! Even if we don’t expel him from the Great Xia Dragon Guard, we must impose harsh sanctions to make an example of him!"

"To have such an attitude after committing such a crime... Even if he isn’t a spy from the Martial Soul Hall, he must be punished severely!"

The two special envoys declared, their tones severe.

Neither of them was from the Celestial Wind Army, so they couldn’t have cared less if Chu Qingyun was a genius. His prior attitude had already infuriated them both.

Although no one truly believed Chu Qingyun was a Martial Soul Hall spy—if he really were one, he would never have revealed what he knew about the Zhao Family—his contemptuous attitude alone was enough. They had to punish him and make him understand the rules of the Great Xia Dragon Guard!

"Chu Qingyun, you... do you really have nothing to explain?"

Grand Commander Chu Yu asked again, giving Chu Qingyun a pointed look.

The message was clear: Chu Qingyun should just yield a little, and he would mediate and put the matter to rest.

However, Chu Qingyun simply smiled and said, "Sir, I really can’t be bothered to explain, because Guard General Liu’s accusations are utterly foolish. However, I *can* help you force out the Martial Spirit Level expert from the Martial Soul Hall who’s hiding within the Zhao Family."

Hearing these words, everyone was shocked once again!

"Chu Qingyun, do you realize what you’re saying? This isn’t something you can make baseless claims about," Grand Commander Chu Yu said gravely.

"Rest assured, Sir. If I say it, it’s because I’m certain," Chu Qingyun said calmly, his voice full of confidence.

’This was a method he and You Yun had developed after long deliberation, so of course he was confident.’

The two special envoys exchanged a glance, then said, "Chu Qingyun, you really have a way to resolve the situation with the Zhao Family? If you can actually do it, we’ll wipe the slate clean on all previous matters. We’ll even help you apply for an extra reward!"

At that moment, their tone and attitude did a complete one-eighty.

Investigating this matter was their responsibility.

If their investigation yielded nothing, they too would be punished. Now that a glimmer of hope had appeared, they were determined to seize it.

"My Lords, he’s spouting nonsense! So many people have failed to come up with a solution; how could he possibly have one?" Liu Canghai interjected anxiously.

"Liu Canghai, shut your mouth!"

Grand Commander Chu Yu had completely lost patience with Liu Canghai. After the furious shout, the terrifying pressure of an Earth Spirit Realm expert locked directly onto him.

The sudden, terrifying pressure made Liu Canghai’s legs buckle. He collapsed to his knees with a THUD, trembling so hard he couldn’t speak.

"Chu Qingyun, tell us your plan," Grand Commander Chu Yu said, turning his head.

Chu Qingyun hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, this matter is confidential..."

Grand Commander Chu Yu nodded and waved his hand, dismissing everyone else, even the three Guard Generals he had brought with him. Only the four of them—he, the two special envoys, and Chu Qingyun—remained in the room.

Chu Qingyun explained his plan to the three of them.

"...The Zhao Family and I have a long history of conflict. Their Martial Spirit Level ancestor will surely be unable to resist attacking me. When that happens, Grand Commander Chu Yu, you’ll have your pretext to make a move. As long as you can injure him, we’ll naturally be able to tell if he’s from the Martial Soul Hall."

Here, Chu Qingyun concealed a few things.

’His real ace for luring out the Martial Soul Hall members hidden in the Zhao Family wasn’t their hatred for him, but the aura of the Vermilion Bird. That was the one thing they would have no choice but to take the bait for!’

After listening to Chu Qingyun, the three of them—Grand Commander Chu Yu and the envoys—all felt the plan was very feasible. So, after some further discussion, they made their decision.

They would do as Chu Qingyun said!

After finishing their discussion, Grand Commander Chu Yu and the two special envoys felt much more relaxed. Smiles even appeared on their faces.

Having a plan and a method was far better than running around like a headless chicken.

"Grand Commander Chu Yu, congratulations. The Celestial Wind Army has really struck gold this time, recruiting such a resourceful and courageous talent. He’s bound to have a limitless future."

"Grand Commander Yu, you must do everything you can to recruit a genius like this. If you don’t want him, I’d be happy to take him as my subordinate."

The two special envoys said, laughing heartily.

"Haha, I’m afraid that won’t be necessary. Our Celestial Wind Army Master will definitely make his development a top priority," Grand Commander Chu Yu laughed in return.

"You sly fox. The moment we mention competing for him, you pull out the Celestial Wind Army Master card."

As special envoys dispatched directly by the Great Xia Dragon Guard, they held a very high status, enough to stand on equal footing with an Earth Spirit Realm Grand Commander and joke around.

But compared to a Military Lord, that was a different story.

In all of Lianshan County’s Great Xia Dragon Guard, there were only six Military Lords, and every single one was a supreme expert at the seventh-level Martial Spirit or above—the Celestial Spirit Realm!

Even these two special envoys would not dare show the slightest disrespect to a Lord Military Commander.

"My Lords, there is one more thing I’d like to say," Chu Qingyun said, cupping his hands.

"Go on. As long as it’s not an excessive request, I’ll approve it myself."

Grand Commander Chu Yu was in an excellent mood. The more he looked at Chu Qingyun, the more he liked and admired him.

"Sir, if this plan is to succeed, we must ensure absolute secrecy. Guard General Liu’s intelligence is... concerning. I’m afraid he might accidentally leak the plan, so..."

Hearing this, how could the three sharp-witted men not understand? Chu Qingyun was using his official position to settle a private score and get revenge on Liu Canghai.

However, Chu Qingyun had just helped them solve a major headache, and he was set to play a crucial role in the upcoming plan.

Therefore, even though they saw his intentions as clear as day, they unhesitatingly sided with Chu Qingyun.

"Hmm... Liu Canghai has committed a grave offense," Grand Commander Chu Yu said after a moment’s thought. "I’ll take the liberty of ordering him to remain in the City Lord’s Mansion for the next few days to face the wall and reflect on his mistakes. He is forbidden from going out or contacting anyone!"

"’Face the wall and reflect’? After causing such a disaster, there’s no need to save face for him. Just put him in solitary confinement!"

"Right, solitary confinement for a few days! We’ll deal with him more harshly when we get back to the County City!"

The two special envoys were even less merciful, directly escalating "facing the wall to reflect" to "solitary confinement."

Although they were essentially the same, "facing the wall to reflect" certainly sounded much better than "solitary confinement"...