Chapter 154: The Divine Dragon Pearl

Long Chen was stunned and said, "I certainly didn't mean that. There is only one Qianjiang Commandery, and Brother Xu is the leader, so I proposed that he become the Governor and you take the second-in-command position."

"If you are unwilling, I can simply recommend you for another official post instead."

This time, Long Chen truly had no intention of sowing discord; the bald monk was simply overthinking it.

Xu Zhi looked at Long Chen in silence. He would certainly be delighted to serve as Governor.

However, Yuan Tengfei would never agree to only serving as Commandery Vice-Governor. Then there was the Wang family; although Wang Zhong and Wang Li were both dead, there were still heirs left in the Wang family, and they would never let the matter rest without getting their share of the benefits.

Yuan Tengfei snorted coldly. "The three of us Patriarchs share a bond as close as brothers. If something is to be given, it must be distributed equally. We shouldn't have a situation where one gets more and another less, which would harm the brotherly relations among us."

As expected, Yuan Tengfei was unwilling.

Xu Zhi cast a look of disdain at Fayin and said in a hoarse voice, "Second Ancestor is right. Although my Xu family possesses great strength, we must act with fairness."

Long Chen found himself in a difficult position. He turned to Fayin and asked, "Master, there is only one Governor. What do you think should be done?"

Fayin saw the crux of the problem, but he had no solution to offer either.

"This poor monk does not know. In any case, this arrangement... seems rather improper."

Fayin regretted his words the moment he uttered them. He was a member of the Xu family, yet he had just spoken up for Yuan Tengfei, making him look like a traitor within his own camp.

Long Chen thought for a moment and said, "How about this: the three of your families will jointly nominate the Governor, and each of your three families can take the post of County Magistrate instead. How does that sound?"

There were several counties under the jurisdiction of Qianjiang Commandery, which was more than enough to be divided among their three families.

As for the position of Governor, it would be jointly recommended by the three families, effectively allowing them to jointly control Qianjiang Commandery.

Yuan Tengfei nodded in agreement. "This proposal is feasible."

Xu Zhi merely nodded without speaking a word.

Just moments ago, he was on the verge of becoming the Governor, but now he had been reduced to a mere County Magistrate...

"As long as you all agree, that is what matters. Since I consider you all my brothers, I will not let you suffer any losses. From now on, this territory will be our source of wealth."

"Tonight, we will continue the pursuit of the assassins. Once we wipe them out, we will have the final say in this region."

Long Chen smiled cheerfully and stood up, but a sudden weakness seized his knees, causing him to stagger. Zhang Qian and Wu Jian hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

Puff...

A mouthful of blood spewed from Long Chen's mouth onto the table, and Zhang Qian quickly helped him sit back down.

"My Lord, what is wrong?"

Zhang Qian was frightened.

Xu Zhi and Yuan Tengfei exchanged suspicious glances, suspecting that Long Chen was merely putting on an act.

During today's battle, the Three Patriarchs had lost over a thousand men while Long Chen's subordinates remained completely unscathed, leaving a bitter taste in their mouths.

Now that Long Chen was vomiting blood, they suspected it was a bitter-pains ruse.

"It is nothing..."

Long Chen coughed violently, spitting out a few more mouthfuls of blood.

Zhang Qian tore open the upper garment, revealing a purplish-black fist imprint.

Wu Jian gasped in shock, "My Lord, your chest!"

Long Chen smiled bitterly and said, "There is no helping it. Facing a martial artist at the Martial Emperor realm, how could one possibly escape injury?"

Xu Zhi and Yuan Tengfei stepped forward to examine the wound closely, exclaiming in surprise, "My Lord has been struck squarely in the chest."

This injury was by no means fake; only a master at the Martial Emperor realm could deliver such a ferocious fist imprint.

Monk Fayin inspected it carefully and remarked in astonishment, "My Lord is fortunate indeed that your heart meridian was not shattered. Had such a blow landed on us, our heart meridians would have ruptured long ago."

Zhang Qian said anxiously, "What is the use of standing around talking! Quickly bring some medicine!"

Xu Zhi turned his head and ordered, "Go and fetch a Dragon Pill!"

Fayin was taken aback and asked, "A Dragon Pill?"

Enduring the heartache as if flesh were being carved from his own body, Xu Zhi replied, "Yes, a Dragon Pill! Go!"

Their families' future prosperity depended entirely on Long Chen, and with so many men dead today, if Long Chen were to die as well, their losses would be catastrophic.

A servant of the Xu family immediately mounted a horse and rode back to retrieve the medicine.

Long Chen leaned back in his chair, his face pale, with noticeable congealed blood pooling around the flesh of his chest.

"If only Aunt Yurong were here."

Zhang Qian looked close to tears with worry.

Wu Jian kept his guard up, fearing that Xu Zhi and the others might seize the opportunity to launch an attack.

Before long, the servant returned holding a sandalwood box and handed it to Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi placed it on the table and carefully opened it to reveal a crystal bottle resting inside, filled with fish oil, within which floated a golden bead.

"This comes from a massive deep-sea fish that resembles a dragon. Only those exceeding a hundred meters in length can condense a dragon pearl."

"Once this dragon pearl is harvested, it must be immediately immersed in fish oil, otherwise it will spoil."

Xu Zhi explained.

Anything described in such a manner was clearly a priceless treasure. The more Xu Zhi explained, the more his heart ached; he felt he had acted rashly in fetching the dragon pearl.

Zhang Qian snatched the crystal bottle, pulled out the stopper, and said, "My Lord, take it!"

This time, Long Chen did not hesitate. He had carefully observed the expressions and actions of everyone present, and this item was indeed a supreme treasure.

Gulp!

Long Chen swallowed the dragon pearl and the fish oil in a single gulp.

Xu Zhi's eyes turned green with envy, and an expression of profound regret hung on his face, as if he had just lost a son.

Whoosh...

As the dragon pearl entered his abdomen, a refreshing sensation flowed through his entire body, and the oppressive tightness in his chest rapidly dissipated.

"Truly a precious treasure!"

"Second Brother Yuan, please do not take offense at what I am about to say. Since Brother Xu has bestowed upon me such a priceless treasure, I intend to recommend him as Governor, while you shall serve as County Magistrate. This is not an attempt to drive a wedge between you brothers, but rather my way of repaying a debt of gratitude."

Long Chen spoke with utmost sincerity.

Though Yuan Tengfei felt displeased inside, since Xu Zhi had handed over the dragon pearl to save Long Chen's life, it would be unseemly for him to raise any further objections.

"Master Fayin, please do not misunderstand either. I am not trying to use a single peach to kill three warriors; I am merely showing my gratitude to Brother Xu."

Long Chen spoke with such sincerity that even Zhang Qian believed he was telling the truth.

Naturally, Fayin would raise no further objections since he was subordinate to Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi looked at Yuan Tengfei, who gave an awkward laugh and said, "Since the Xu family has produced the dragon pearl, how could I possibly object?"

Xu Zhi cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "Many thanks, Lord Long!"

They had once been fugitive sea pirates, but soon they would become legitimate court officials appointed by the imperial government. Xu Zhi felt that this trade was by no means a loss.

Long Chen shook his head slightly and said, "Governor Xu need not stand on ceremony. Thanks to your medicine, that scoundrel's punch was truly formidable."

Hearing Long Chen address him as Governor, Xu Zhi could no longer conceal the joy in his heart. He smiled and said, "My Lord possesses profound martial arts skills to be able to withstand a direct blow from the Martial Emperor realm. If it were any of us, we would likely have perished under that fist."

Long Chen smiled helplessly and replied, "Had my martial arts truly been that profound, I would not have been struck in the first place."

"You have all worked hard today. Return early to rest, ensure the safety of your households, and be wary of retaliation from the assassins."

"This official shall rest here in the Governor's Mansion tonight."

Xu Zhi instructed Chen Zu, "Ensure the safety of my Lord. If there are any needs whatsoever, inform me immediately."

Chen Zu acknowledged, "This subordinate understands."

Xu Zhi, Yuan Tengfei, and Fayin bowed and withdrew.

Upon leaving the Governor's Mansion, Xu Zhi and Fayin returned home in high spirits, while Yuan Tengfei harbored a lingering displeasure in his heart, though he had no outlet to vent it.

Inside the Governor's Mansion, Long Chen retired to a guest room for the night. Wu Jian stood guard outside, while Chen Zu stationed guards around the courtyard.

"Is the Lord alright?"

Zhang Qian looked at the injury on his chest with deep distress.

Long Chen remarked, "This fellow really has an abundance of good treasures. The medicinal efficacy of that dragon pearl is comparable to the divine ointment His Majesty bestowed upon me."

Having taken a heavy blow to the chest, Long Chen had been constantly troubled by the oppressive congestion within, and while he had been fretting over how to heal the injury, he never expected Xu Zhi to possess such miraculous medicine.

Zhang Qian felt a lingering sense of fear and said, "That was too reckless just now. What if they had given us poison? I should have tested the medicine first."

Long Chen reached out, stroked Zhang Qian's prominent bosom, and chuckled, "If you had tested the medicine for me and ended up poisoning yourself to death, who would give me massages right here?"

Zhang Qian slapped away Long Chen's mischievous hand and scolded playfully, "Aunt Yurong's are bigger than mine; getting her to massage you would feel even better."

As the two were playfully bickering, the window stirred slightly. Zhang Qian immediately stepped forward to block it, drawing the dagger from her waist.