Damon's Ascension-Chapter 104: War In Xiangyang 5

Once the dishes were served and the table cleared of curious glances by the innkeeper’s staff, Damon finally leaned forward and asked, "Tell me, what do you know about the missing County Martial Judge?"

The room stilled slightly at his words.

Chen Yuan was the first to speak, placing his teacup down. "His name is Qian Weimin, and he’s served as the County Martial Judge for over a decade. He’s best described as strict but fair, not unkind. He’s not one of those corrupt old officials who sell justice to the highest bidder, and perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t answer directly to the noble families."

Sun Liang nodded. "It’s true. He held an Imperial Writ which gave him direct authority over martial and civil cases in the county. No matter whether it was a sect member who had killed a peasant, or a noble who was trying to steal land, the judge could override their influence. That kind of position doesn’t last long in chaotic times."

"He also oversaw all martial permits," Xue Rou added.

She shook her head. "Whenever someone wanted to establish a sect, recruit disciples, or even hold a martial tournament, it all had to pass through his office. Without his approval, you were considered an illegal armed group."

Damon tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "And yet such a powerful man vanished... just like that?"

Chen Yuan’s expression darkened. "Roughly three weeks ago with no word nor any explanation. The county governor’s office claims he was summoned for inspection by the regional court, but no confirmation ever came back."

"Some say he was assassinated, others say he ran after offending one of the noble clans. But most believe he discovered something he wasn’t supposed to," Sun Liang muttered.

"Like what?" Damon asked.

Sun Liang shrugged. "Whatever it was, he never got the chance to reveal it, though that did not stop the many wild rumors from trying to fill in the blanks. What is certain, though, is that just before he disappeared, he was cracking down hard on sect members carrying unregistered weapons. Personally, I agree with the theory that he might have uncovered secret stockpiles being funneled into rebel cells." freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Xue Rou leaned forward. "More than that, there are rumors the judge had compiled a list... names of sects and noble retainers who were collaborating to destabilize the region. He was going to expose them."

"And now he’s gone," Damon concluded thoughtfully.

Chen Yuan nodded grimly. "With him missing, but no official declaration of him being dead or alive, no one has dared take up the mantle and the judge’s post remains officially vacant. The magistrate claims it’s temporary, but... without that role, martial law is fraying."

Sun Liang added with a dry smile, "Now the noble families are using that absence to appoint their own ’provisional enforcers’ and twisting justice to suit their needs. The entire system is like a wheel spinning off its axis."

Hmm, no wonder. Damon found it strange that even in the chaotic times of Ancient China, a noble family would dare to launch a public execution. Where was the government and the military enforcers in this?

Damon leaned back slightly, eyes thoughtful. "So without Qian Weimin, the entire county is unbalanced. A single figure held this place in check."

"Exactly," Chen Yuan said.

"And if someone were to step into that vacuum?" Damon mused aloud.

The three rebels looked at each other, cautious.

"Then that would mark them instantly in the eyes of those who enjoy this state. The Liu, Cao, and Sun families would all try to control or eliminate them," Xue Rou answered flatly.

Sun Liang gave a hesitant nod. "But... they’d also have access. To county records, to sect activity logs, to the internal conflicts hidden by bureaucracy. They’d see everything."

Damon’s smile was faint, but the glint in his eye was not. "Good to know."

He lifted his tea and took a slow sip. "Then we have our next direction."

He waited for the others to finish up their meal and rest a little longer before they got up and left the inn. Their conversation had not exactly been hushed, so other parties immediately began to move after Damon left, aiming to sell this information or share it with their masters.

The county was about to welcome a period of fresh chaos again.

.................

At the grand estate of the Liu family, nestled in the eastern quarter of Xiangyang County, a low murmur of voices echoed through a marble-paneled hall lit by flickering oil lamps. Elders in long robes sat in a half-circle formation on elevated cushions, their expressions grave.

At the center stood a young man dressed in azure silk robes, hair tied in a formal topknot, a confident smile on his face that didn’t quite match the seriousness of the room.

Second Young Master Liu Yuren had just finished explaining what he saw.

"...He defeated three armed soldiers barehanded," he reported everything he had seen earlier, not missing any details. "One with a single blow, another with a slap, and the last with a pressure point technique that even Third Elder could barely track."

Across from him, the Liu family patriarch, Liu Zhenhai, sat still as a statue, his long beard tucked into his sash, and his eyes sunken yet sharp. "And you are sure... he used no Internal Force?"

"None whatsoever," Third Elder confirmed, arms folded.

Third Elder added with a hint of hesitation. "His strength, speed, and technique are completely outside the norm, even for an Inner Sect Elder. It felt... foreign... like an entirely different system."

"That’s troubling," Liu Zhenhai muttered with furrowed brows.

The Patriarch then turned to his son. "And you say he humiliated Sun Jianhao in public?"

"Yes," Second Young Master Liu Yuren affirmed with visible glee. "Publicly dismissed his offer, mocked his bloodline, and knocked one of his guards unconscious with a finger snap before threatening to do the same to him if he wanted to press the issue."

A chuckle escaped from one of the junior elders, quickly stifled under the weight of Zhenhai’s glare.

"So the Sun family will be infuriated," another elder murmured.

"And the Cao clan? Will they ignore this?" The First Elder pondered aloud.

"They won’t. Not when they hear he’s openly consorting with rebels and asking about Qian Weimin’s disappearance." Liu Yuren mused, growing more serious.

The Second Young Master added more. "He’s already positioned himself as a destabilizing element. If we don’t act, they will."

"Then we eliminate him, before he becomes a blade in our ribs." The Second Elder declared grimly.

"No! It would be an utter waste to eliminate him, we need to do what we can to get him on our side!" Yuren countered sharply, surprising several of them.

Murmurs broke out again, louder this time.

"Absurd!"

"He’s dangerous!"

"Preposterous!"

"I told him the same thing, but the lad is right." Third Elder said with a sigh, raising his hand to calm the noise.

Liu Zhenhai narrowed his eyes. "Speak."

"This man is not just a skilled martial artist, he’s something more. The way he carries himself, the way he analyzes a battlefield mid-combat... it’s not from wandering aimlessly. This is a man who has seen power, real power. And if he’s come here at this time, it can’t be pure coincidence." Third Elder shared with a low tone.

Liu Yuren stepped forward, tone steady. "If we recruit him, we don’t just get a strong warrior, we get a symbol. Someone who can stand against the Sun and Cao families openly. The people already admire him after just one appearance."

"And if he refuses?" The Fourth Elder asked coldly.

Liu Yuren’s smile returned, slower this time.

"Then we give him a reason not to. Whether it’s friendship... or necessity."

The hall fell silent for a long moment.

Then, Liu Zhenhai finally nodded once. "Monitor him, learn his habits, and learn his goals. If you can bring him into the fold, do so. But if he turns against us..."

"I’ll handle it," Liu Yuren said, eyes gleaming with ambition.

The meeting was adjourned in silence.

.........................

Damon, meanwhile, was standing in front of a local bank, his lips curling into a grin as he decided to begin enacting his ’grand plan,’ which was actually more of a test.

Looking at the businessmen and merchants coming and going from the bank, Damon stretched out his hands casually as if to grip something from the air.

First test, how much it cost to twist reality.

’What are the chances that I will obtain a valid promissory note for 10,000 taels when I snap my fingers?’

[Objective chances are currently 0%.]

Damon nodded and performed the adjustments, changing this value to 45% from 0% using his three bodies ability to augment up or down by 15% together.

As he had tested when he first got his power and the millions of times he had used Probability Manipulation since then, he knew that shifting a probability drained nothing. It was only when he successfully triggered the probability that his energy would be drained in proportion to how reality-breaking his change was.

For example, he could simplify things right now and make a demand to encounter the best possible set of martial techniques lying on the ground, but he feared even his current ability would not be enough to pay the price for such reality warping, even though he had various advantages.

Not to mention he could eventually get it if he played his cards right and followed the objectives of the instance.

However, money was something hard to acquire without spending time and effort, with the only other means being theft. As Damon was not interested in being obstructed by having crimes heaped on his head, he would rather use reality warping for this.

With that in mind, the young man snapped his fingers with expectation on his face.