Chapter 58

"Did you hear? They say the Masked Viscount is the East Gate Commander here. I thought I heard wrong, but I didn't expect it to really be you. When did you become a viscount?" Li Xiangfei asked, her face flushed.

"How did you come to Fenghua City? Did you come alone? Is there anyone protecting you?" Bai Cangdong wanted to find out if Lady Red Lotus had come to Fenghua City.

Li Xiangfei thought Bai Cangdong was concerned about her safety, and she said sweetly, "Don't worry. This time, I came to Fenghua City with Uncle Silver Knight for a transaction with Baron Fenghua."

Bai Cangdong let out a slight sigh of relief. Lady Red Lotus was Li Xiangfei's aunt and held a position even higher than Silver Knight. If she had come, Li Xiangfei would have mentioned her first. Since Lady Red Lotus wasn't here, Bai Cangdong felt at ease.

"This isn't the place to talk. Come upstairs for a cup of tea." Bai Cangdong led Li Xiangfei up to the second floor of the gate tower, sat down, and poured her a cup of tea, then asked softly, "What kind of transaction requires the effort of both you and Silver Knight?"

Li Xiangfei seemed to have no guard against Bai Cangdong and answered casually, "Baron Fenghua wants to trade a batch of Stone Essence for Sun True Fire."

When Bai Cangdong heard "Sun True Fire," his hand trembled slightly as he poured the tea, and his heart raced. The Immortal Sparrow Egg he possessed needed Sun True Fire to hatch.

"What is it? I've never heard of it before," Bai Cangdong asked, feigning calmness.

"Stone Essence is a material used to make alchemy furnaces. It's said to be quite valuable. Our city, Daolun, doesn't produce Stone Essence, so the alchemists have to trade for it from other places. Sun True Fire is extracted from a plant called the Sunflower on the top of Solitary Sky Cliff. It has a wide range of uses. I don't know what Baron Fenghua wants to use it for," Li Xiangfei said softly, then asked, "Why did you leave Daolun City for Fenghua City? With your strength, if you wanted to, you could get a much better position in Daolun City than East Gate Commander."

"I have some business to attend to in Fenghua City. I'll return to Daolun City once it's done."

Li Xiangfei's eyes lit up, then she lowered her head and asked softly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Everything is going smoothly. Is there any danger with your transaction this time?" Bai Cangdong was still thinking about the Sun True Fire.

"There shouldn't be any danger. Baron Fenghua and my father have a long-standing relationship. It's just a material exchange, and everything has been agreed upon in advance. We are just responsible for transporting the goods. There shouldn't be any problems. The transaction will take place tomorrow, and I'll return to Daolun City the day after."

They chatted for a while before Li Xiangfei reluctantly left.

"Sun True Fire, if only I could get my hands on it. Unfortunately, it's in Baron Fenghua's possession, and there's no way to get it unless he's willing to give it up. I wonder what he needs it for." Bai Cangdong could only put the matter aside for now.

"Commander." As the sky was about to turn dark, a viscount approached Bai Cangdong. It was Jade Face Viscount, one of the five commanders of the East Gate Guard.

"Is it your turn to guard the city tonight?" Bai Cangdong glanced at the records and saw that another commander, Wind Chant Viscount, was supposed to be on duty tonight.

"Wind Chant Viscount is attending a banquet at the baron's residence tonight and can't come. So he asked me to take his place," Jade Face Viscount said.

"I didn't see him ask for leave." Bai Cangdong said calmly.

Although Bai Cangdong had become the East Gate Commander, the five commanders were not very respectful to him.

The previous four gate commanders were all from the Knight Order, and these commanders were also from the Knight Order, considered the baron's direct subordinates, so they didn't look up to Bai Cangdong, a common viscount from elsewhere.

"Wind Chant Viscount was attending a banquet at the baron's residence and left in a hurry, so he didn't have time to ask for leave personally. He asked me to ask for leave on his behalf," Jade Face Viscount said casually.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you to tell Wind Chant Viscount that if I don't see him here tonight, he won't need to come back." Bai Cangdong said calmly, flipping through the guard records. "You can go now. Remember my words. If I don't see Wind Chant Viscount tonight, he won't need to come back."

"I will pass on your words to Wind Chant Viscount word for word." Jade Face Viscount looked at Bai Cangdong deeply before leaving the East Gate.

Bai Cangdong continued to review the records on the gate tower. By the time he finished, it was already midnight, and Wind Chant Viscount still hadn't shown up.

It wasn't until dawn that Wind Chant Viscount, with a face full of alcohol, came to the gate tower. Seeing Bai Cangdong watching the sunrise, he walked over with a sneer and said, "Commander, you're really diligent, inspecting the East Gate so early in the morning."

"Did you receive the message I asked Jade Face Viscount to pass on?" Bai Cangdong asked, still looking at the sunrise.

"Jade Face Viscount told me, but I was attending a banquet hosted by the baron and couldn't leave early. Please forgive me, Commander." Wind Chant Viscount sneered.

"Very well. Can you tell me what the punishment is for deserting one's post in the East Gate Guard?" Bai Cangdong turned around, his eyes burning as he stared at Wind Chant Viscount.

Under Bai Cangdong's piercing gaze, Wind Chant Viscount felt a chill in his heart, and most of his drunkenness wore off. However, he still said stubbornly, "Didn't I already ask for leave through Jade Face Viscount? If you insisted I come back then, it was a banquet hosted by the baron. How could I leave early? If you have any objections, you can ask the baron."

"Since you don't know the punishment for deserting one's post, let me tell you." Without a word, Bai Cangdong summoned the Evil-Banishing Sword and slashed at Wind Chant Viscount.

Wind Chant Viscount was completely unprepared and never expected Bai Cangdong to attack him. By the time he saw the Evil-Banishing Sword, it was too late to dodge. He could only quickly summon his long sword to block it.

Unfortunately, he had only cultivated to the Bronze Life Essence stage and had only about twenty segments. Using an inferior weapon, the Evil-Banishing Sword cut through his long sword and his neck, severing his head, which rolled to the side of the gate tower. His headless body fell from the wall.

"Deserters... beheaded..." Bai Cangdong coldly said, sheathed his sword, and returned to the gate tower.

The guards were chilled to the bone, completely shocked that Bai Cangdong had beheaded a commander without hesitation.

"Commander, what should we do with Wind Chant Commander's body?" After a while, a soldier timidly asked.

"Send it to the Knight Order and tell Commander Four Directions that Wind Chant Viscount deserted his post without my permission and has been beheaded according to military law." Bai Cangdong said casually.

The Knight Order was responsible for the city's security, and almost all matters related to Fenghua City's security had to go through the Knight Order. Sending the body to the Knight Order was following the rules.

Bai Cangdong's beheading of Wind Chant Viscount shocked the entire Knight Order. The other four commanders of the East Gate Guard also came to the Knight Order.

"Commander, you must do something for Wind Chant. Wind Chant Viscount has served the East Gate Guard for over thirty years, diligently and responsibly, rising from a lowly guard to a commander. Even if he had no merit, he had at least put in the effort. Moreover, he has distinguished himself in several battles against the Undead. The Masked Viscount beheaded him without hesitation, treating us like we're not human." Jade Face Viscount and the other four commanders of the East Gate Guard complained to Commander Four Directions.

"Jade Face, did the East Gate Commander ask you to tell Wind Chant to return to the East Gate during his duty hours?" Commander Four Directions asked.

Jade Face Viscount hesitated but didn't dare to lie to Commander Four Directions. Many soldiers were present, and it would be easy to verify that Bai Cangdong had indeed said these things.

"Yes, but Wind Chant was attending a banquet at the baron's residence and couldn't leave. He had already asked for leave through me, but the Commander still acted so harshly, clearly not respecting us commanders from the Knight Order..."

Slap!

Commander Four Directions slapped Jade Face Viscount and said angrily, "You still remember you're from the Knight Order, but you've forgotten the most important duty of a knight, which is loyalty and responsibility. What right do you have to mention your origins? All of you, get out. If anyone dares to desert their post like Wind Chant, I'll behead you myself before the Masked Viscount even has to."

Jade Face Viscount and the others were scolded by Commander Four Directions and left the Knight Order with sullen faces.

"Commander, although Wind Chant was at fault, he is from our Knight Order. The new East Gate Commander's actions have indeed damaged our Knight Order's reputation," a knight said.

Commander Four Directions sighed, "Times have changed. Wind Chant and the others didn't consider the current situation. The baron is nearing the end of his life, and the struggle between the Feng and Hua families is at a critical juncture. They provoked the new commander at this time, giving him an excuse to consolidate power. I believe the Masked Viscount would have beheaded all four of them if they had acted recklessly. This way, he can firmly control the entire East Gate Guard."

"This is what the baron hopes to see. The baron chose five successors to compete to select the strongest and most capable one. Even if this matter reaches the baron, he will only praise the Masked Viscount and show no mercy to Wind Chant and the others." Commander Four Directions sighed again. "Tell the brothers not to get involved in the struggle among the five successors. Otherwise, even I can't protect them."