Returning from the military, Ye Longlin went back to his residence.
"The Murong family is hosting a banquet tonight. Prepare yourself, as tonight is unlikely to be calm."
Ye Longlin sat on the sofa and spoke after a moment of silence, realizing he needed to prepare early.
The Murong family would likely try to put him in his place tonight, that was certain.
The question was, how would they attempt to intimidate him this evening.
Yuan Gang pondered for a while, also considering how to support his boss and save face.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened. "Don't worry, boss, this will be handled perfectly. Tonight, by the Jinling river, fires will ignite and smoke will rise!"
Tomorrow was the last day, and the day after was the martial arts competition for marriage. Most of those participating had finalized their entry. Yan Wuji had taken Ye Xingchen's place guarding the arena, and the others remained unchanged; crucially, they dared not change.
The situation in Jinling was now largely settled. With various parties entering the fray, everyone was waiting to be involved.
The three sons of the Song family, the twin heroes of the Kong family, Yan Wuji of the Yan family, and Ye Wu from a branch of the Ye family.
Apart from the twin heroes of the Kong family, whom he had yet to witness, all others had been seen.
The three sons of the Song family and Ye Wu certainly wouldn't dare to continue competing. Yan Wuji of the Yan family was already on his side, so at present, only the twin heroes of the Kong family remained.
He had yet to see the twin heroes of the Kong family, and this Kong family seemed rather mysterious, with no rumors circulating about them, which piqued his curiosity.
"Should we gather information on the twin heroes of the Kong family?"
Yuan Gang asked. Although they were all mere children to his boss, the necessary preparations should still be made.
"No need. Go and prepare."
Ye Longlin shook his head slightly. Even if there were dark horses in this martial arts competition for marriage, it was not important.
"Alright, I'll have Brother Qinglong come over to accompany you to the Murong family tonight."
...
In the capital city.
The Supreme Department and the Hall of Glory convened.
This was the first time in years, but it signified that something major had occurred, as the Supreme Department and the Hall of Glory would absolutely not be together otherwise!
"Xuan Niao is currently imprisoned on the nineteenth level. Although it's unclear why he let the Red Lotus Demoness go, I suspect this matter is related to Ye Longlin. Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have remained silent. He must have had a subsequent plan for letting the Red Lotus Demoness go, but he didn't inform us of any plan!"
"Not necessarily. Have you forgotten Ye Longlin's resignation letter submitted not long ago? I have a feeling Ye Longlin is unaware of this matter. While this affair is certainly linked to Ye Longlin, I suspect he is not privy to it. Many things within your Supreme Department are unclear, leading to erroneous judgments, but we in the Hall of Glory know."
"Old Murong is right. The Hall of Glory has higher authority than you, so there are many things you are unaware of. Ye Longlin would not do such a thing. The Dark Hall has shed too much blood of Dragon Pavilion soldiers. Given his character, he would never let them go, let alone privately release the Red Lotus Demoness!"
In the conference room, the Supreme Department and the Hall of Glory held opposing views. The Supreme Department wanted Ye Longlin to pay the price, even forcing him to resign. However, the Hall of Glory believed Ye Longlin was unaware of the situation.
For this reason, they had been holding meetings for several days.
Furthermore, Ye Longlin's position was one that, if disturbed, would affect many interests, making it not so easy to remove him.
In simple terms, if Ye Longlin lost his position, and then truly left the military, who would manage the Dragon Pavilion, and who would have the ability to manage it?
Not to mention this point, the most troublesome issue was the Dragon Pavilion itself. If he left, it would inevitably affect overseas battles, which would then be problematic.
"Ye Longlin would certainly not do such a thing. There is nothing more to say. From the first meeting to now, you have been called here to discuss how to handle the aftermath, not to find trouble with our Hall of Glory!"
The leading Great Elder suddenly spoke, and the venue immediately fell silent.
"Ye Longlin was promoted by me. If you doubt his loyalty, are you also doubting my collusion with the enemy and treason?"
The Great Elder looked coldly at everyone present, a glint of coldness appearing in his eyes.
"We dare not, we dare not. We know the Great Elder's intentions; he would absolutely not do such a thing!"
"Yes, yes, the Great Elder certainly wouldn't. You jest. We wouldn't suspect anyone but the Great Elder!"
"We were overthinking it, we were overthinking it."
The Great Elder looked coldly at the people from the Supreme Department and snorted, "The Supreme Department is merely a subordinate institution of the Hall of Glory. Inviting you here to discuss is giving you face. If we didn't give you face, what would you amount to?
Ye Longlin was promoted by me. I was the one who mentioned his status as a Five-Star Heavenly King to the Supreme Being. His character is beyond reproach. Therefore, I can state with certainty that this matter has nothing to do with Ye Longlin, and he is not even aware of it. Yet, in this situation, you still slander him; what is your intention!
Or perhaps you see benefits in his departure? I solemnly warn you, if that is your thinking, I advise you to abandon this thought immediately, or I will not hesitate to make you lose your jobs!"
When the Second Boss spoke, those below dared not to argue further and quickly nodded in agreement.
"From now on, regarding matters of the military, there is no need to summon the Supreme Department for meetings. After the Hall of Glory has deliberated, they will simply notify the relevant parties."
The Great Elder left angrily, flicking his sleeve.
The assembled people looked at each other. Those from the Supreme Department were ashen-faced.
This meant that the Supreme Department would no longer have the authority to interfere in military affairs in the future. They were merely executors, not decision-makers.
And in Jinling.
Ye Longlin was indeed unaware of this matter, nor was he aware that Xuan Niao was currently imprisoned.
No one could have imagined that they would do such a thing for Ye Longlin.
By the time Ye Longlin learned of this, the capital would finally understand why Ye Longlin could not be provoked, and why even the Supreme Being thought so highly of Ye Longlin!
And the current Ye Longlin was on his way to the Murong family!
Tonight at the Murong family's residence would certainly not be peaceful. In fact, Murong Renjing, the old prince and legendary figure of Jinling, would personally greet him, likely with sarcastic remarks.
As they neared the Murong family's residence, Qinglong frowned and said, "The Murong family has peak experts, possibly even Dao realm existences. I sense a disquieting aura."