Yelu Mansion.
At this moment, Yelu Mansionās exterior was guarded by over five hundred Black Cavalry, standing orderly and lending the estate an aura of somber might.
Outside the mansion were carriages and horses, imparting a stern seriousness to the entire Yelu Mansion.
The reason was simple: Nan Batian had been chased out of Mianshui City the day before, and now the entire city was plunged into chaos, with countless forces waiting for Mianshuiās major reshuffling.
And today, early in the morning, Yelu had directly summoned all these people to his mansion for a meeting.
Because todayās meeting concerned the division of Mianshui Countyās future interests.
...
"White Tiger Hall Chen Jiusi has arrived!"
As soon as Chen Jie and Xiao Hu arrived at Yelu Mansion, Ahetai immediately came out to greet them, followed by the confinement of their horses and accompanying personnel, and Chen Jie with Xiao Hu were brought into Yelu Mansion.
Seeing such severity, Xiao Hu leaned over to Ahetai and asked, "Old Brother, whatās the situation?"
Xiao Hu and Ahetai were friends; they had used Ahetaiās connections last time when setting a trap for Nan Batian.
After hearing Xiao Huās question, Ahetai replied, "Brother Hu Zi, you should be careful today. My master has invited all of Mianshuiās Thirteen Grand Protectors!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hu said, "All the Thirteen Grand Protectors have been invited?"
Ahetai said, "Grandpa Chen wants to become the leader of Guild Cao in Mianshui, and he must be acknowledged by these Thirteen Grand Protectors. If they donāt acknowledge him, Iām afraid a great battle cannot be avoided!"
Indeed, as the leader of the Fishing Guild, one person in Mianshui, if you wanted to become the Fishing Guild Leader, how could you convince the masses if you couldnāt conquer the other Energy Transformation Masters of Mianshui?
Therefore, to establish authority in Mianshui, one must obtain acknowledgment from all the Mianshui People.
"So brother, be careful. I canāt help you with the situation today," Ahetai said. After hearing this, Xiao Hu cupped his fists in thanks, "Many thanks, Brother Tai, here, this is one hundred silver taels for your tea money."
"Hey hey, Brother Hu Zi, this..."
"Take it."
Xiao Hu said, and Ahetai responded, "Alright, then Iāll accept it."
Xiao Hu nodded. If you donāt often slip some silver to others, why would someone like Ahetai share information with you? So while one may politely refuse, you canāt really withhold it; otherwise, the next time, they wouldnāt go out on a limb to provide you with information.
These were the things Chen Jie had taught Xiao Hu.
Xiao Hu returned to Chen Jieās side and reported, "Jiu Si, Iāve figured it out. The carriages outside belong to the Thirteen Grand Protectors. Today Yelu has invited all of Mianshuiās Thirteen Grand Protectors. It seems it wonāt be simple."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie smiled and said, "Oh, it seems Yelu is taking me quite seriously."
With that thought, Chen Jie headed straight for the central living room of the mansion, and soon he arrived.
By then, the living room had been fitted with a very long solid wood table, similar to the type used at Liangshanās Hall of Righteousness, and a group of people were already seated there.
At a glance, Chen Jie recognized all the familiar faces.
To the first seat on the right: Guild Caoās leader Liu Laoguai!
To the first seat on the left: empty, previously occupied by Nan Batian.
Then to the second on the left: the arrest officer and fast class constable Wu Hong!
To the second on the right: Yihong Houseās owner Qiao Hongyan Han He.
To the third on the left: The Black Marketās boss, the oil seller Third Miss Hua.
To the third on the right: The Fishing Guildās Bai Zhishan, the scholar Bai Mosheng.
The fourth on the left: empty.
The positions on both the left and right for the fourth and fifth were also empty.
Upon Chen Jieās arrival, all eyes were drawn to him. Chen Jie nodded lightly to everyone.
Elder Liu chuckled, "Jiu Si, weāve kept the upper seat on the left for you."
Chen Jie replied, "Old Brother Liu, thatās the seat of the Fishing Guild Leader. I donāt have the qualifications to sit there yet."
Saying this, Chen Jie found an empty fourth seat on the left and sat down, while Xiao Hu immediately took the seat on Chen Jieās lower hand side, sitting in the fifth place on the left!
Once everyone was seated, they just looked at each other without speaking.
But their eyes were all on Chen Jie because they knew that he was todayās main character!
Some present couldnāt help but marvel at Chen Jieās talent, thinking how in such a short time, he had grown from an unknown to his current status.
All those present had interacted with Chen Jie.
Liu Laoguai had the friendship of a shared action against Nan Batian with Chen Jie.
Wu Hong was from the same hometown as Chen Jie and was even his mentor in martial arts.
Han He, Qiao Hongyan, had the friendship of jointly transporting military supplies.
Third Miss Hua, the woman of Chen Jieās sworn brother Ni Wenjun, was almost family and best friends with Lady Yunjin.
It could be said that the remaining Energy Transformation Masters in Mianshui County all had good relations with him.
Chen Jie nodded slightly to them as a greeting.
They responded with nearly imperceptible nods, waiting for Yeluās arrival.
During the wait, Chen Jie looked at those seated around him and couldnāt help but recall the once prestigious Mianshui Thirteen Grand Protectors.
The Thirteen Grand Protectors had dominated Mianshui for over a decade, maintaining balance. Now it seemed that the old faces were almost all gone.
Back then, the Mianshui Thirteen Grand Protectors were so illustrious, but now... they were a thing of the past.
Chen Jieās mind drifted momentarily, recalling the time when he had first come to Mianshui, facing the Thirteen Grand Protectors like thirteen towering mountains.
Nan Batian, Beilao Liu, the Thirteen Grand Protectorsā unmatched rivals: beggar, constable, oil seller, Ghost Hand, scholar, and Red Face.
Blacksmith, fisherman, Blind fortune-teller, Eagle, Tiger, and Leopard!
Back then, these thirteen people were unattainable giants in Chen Jieās mind, but now, after just one year, he had interacted with most of them and even defeated some.