Hu Feng’s Troubles and Rumors of Discontent

As a Supreme Elder of Tianhe Gate, Hu Feng naturally owned a sprawling residence.

His residence, though expansive, was not far from the main headquarters and housed surprisingly few people. Within its walls lived only his elderly wife and three concubines, who had together borne him two sons and three daughters.

For years, Hu Feng had devoted himself entirely to the gate’s endeavors, often to the detriment of his own household. His children, none possessing significant martial talent, had abandoned the path of cultivation early.

His daughters had married, while others had established businesses far from home. Even his only legitimate son had been dispatched to the countryside to oversee their family’s estates.

As a result, very few people genuinely resided within his walls, even when accounting for servants. This was a stark contrast to the bustling, populous household of the Gate Master, Yang Xuan.

However, his residence was never truly quiet.

Having spent so many years single-handedly supporting Tianhe Gate, Hu Feng was known for his generous and righteous character. Naturally, he had amassed a considerable number of old friends.

These former comrades and subordinates, who had once fought alongside him, frequently arrived with jars of wine. They would drink and chat, reminiscing about their glorious past and discussing the current affairs of the gate.

Yet, since his return from the Western Expedition, Hu Feng found himself increasingly irritable.

He understood the reasons for his vexation, but felt utterly helpless.

Firstly, his old comrades and subordinates were all advanced in age. While they had once shed blood and battled for the gate, their youth had faded. Their status had risen, and after years of comfortable living, they had grown soft. To ask them to wield a blade again felt genuinely beyond their capabilities.

Without new merits, their positions naturally couldn’t be elevated. Watching the young talents in the gate, who, at a tender age, had cultivated formidable skills and achieved great deeds by following the Gate Master’s campaigns, surpass them and climb to high ranks, these old friends couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss. It was inevitable that they would come to drink away their sorrows, grumbling and lamenting their misfortune.

Secondly, there was the matter of parental devotion. These old fellows, seeing their own age advance and their children—whom they had watched grow up—gradually mature, naturally wished to secure good positions for them within the gate. This was simply human nature.

After all, with the great defeat of the Bai family, which had shaken the Northwest, Tianhe Gate had visibly expanded over the past three years. It was a flourishing era, a time of blossoming prosperity and intense activity—the perfect moment to secure a position. If they waited a few more years, once this round of expansion reached its limit and the gate began to consolidate its foundations and stabilize its various halls, finding a desirable position would become exceedingly difficult.

However, precisely because it was such a natural human desire, Hu Feng found it so challenging to address.

After all, the current Gate Master was Yang Xuan—the youngest Xiantian Grandmaster in the world today.

As he stepped into grandmasterhood and matured, Yang Xuan’s depth of character had also deepened. Though his demeanor remained humble and respectful, always valuing Hu Feng’s opinions, he ultimately possessed his own convictions.

For instance, regarding the gate’s future plans or who to employ in a certain hall, he had his own clear judgment—a discernment that even the Young Mistress sometimes struggled to grasp.

Over these three years, Hu Feng had observed that the young man generally adhered to clear rules in selecting personnel. He prioritized ability, merit, and loyalty, arranging everyone accordingly. Seniority, by contrast, was secondary.

His judgment was indeed exceptionally sharp.

The recent Western Expedition had primarily been a training exercise, with the chosen gate members being new faces promoted in recent years. Yet, the campaign far exceeded Hu Feng’s expectations. Including the Second Madam and several commanding officers, they proved very much to his liking.

They were disciplined, decisive, swift in their reactions, and fearless in battle; wherever their forces pointed, nothing could stand against them. This was a vitality he hadn’t felt within the gate seven or eight years prior.

Such experiences left him quite emotional, affirming that the Young Mistress’s judgment in choosing a husband was indeed remarkably astute. Aside from a slight tendency towards romantic dalliances, he truly had no other flaws. But even this was common for men of his standing; looking at the Grandmasters in the Central Plains, aside from those who single-mindedly pursued cultivation and eschewed women, which one didn’t keep seven, eight, or even ten concubines? Even Hu Feng himself had three concubines in his household.

Upon their return, during the distribution of rewards for their achievements, it was only right that priority be given to these young men who had earned their merits.

For the children of his old friends, if some were truly outstanding, he wouldn’t mind putting in a good word or writing a letter of recommendation. But how could those who were ordinary, or even had poor reputations, compete with the youths who had just licked blood from their blades and achieved great feats?

To use his status to suppress these young talents? He simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.

However, these were, after all, his good brothers who had fought alongside him, shedding blood and risking their lives for the gate. To outright refuse them felt truly heartless.

Consequently, these past few days had left him feeling quite unsettled. Before going to sleep at night, he had even complained to his old wife that it would have been better to remain guarding the Western Lands than to return.

One afternoon, several old comrades arrived again, carrying jars of wine.

They grumbled lengthily about how the young people in the gate were ignorant and disrespectful of their elders. Somehow, the conversation veered towards Hu Hai.

One old man burped. “I must say, Hu Hai truly lives up to being one of our own, watched as he grew. He’s genuinely good—skilled in martial arts, capable, respectful, and knows what’s important. He’s far better than those newly promoted in the Disciplinary Hall or the Merits Hall!”

“That’s right!”

Another old man beside him nodded repeatedly in agreement. “I heard some time ago that the woman from the Bai family tried to force her way into the deliberation hall. Not a single person stopped her along the way. If Hu Hai hadn’t led his men to block her at the end, she might actually have gotten in!”

This sparked an immediate, lively discussion.

“I heard about that too, it’s truly outrageous. They say that woman had some Gate Master’s token from who knows where, and actually walked all the way to the deliberation hall entrance! What is the deliberation hall? It’s where our gate discusses important matters. Is that a place for that Bai family woman to go? Yet she nearly succeeded!”

“In critical moments, it’s our own people we can rely on!”

“Exactly! Our own people, even if some of the youngsters are a bit less capable, their roots are here. They would never undermine us. In a crucial moment, they’ll absolutely step up! Unlike those outsiders—”

“It’s a pity the Gate Master is still too young. A whisper in his ear, and not only did he not see how good Hu Hai was, but he even let that Bai family woman order Hu Hai around to drill some ridiculous formation! Isn’t that just giving that hussy a chance to show off her power!”

Someone at the table lamented, gripping their wrist.

“Such a thing actually happened?”

At this, several old men’s eyes widened simultaneously.

“It did!”

The person who revealed the news slapped his thigh, a look of indignation on his face. “My boy works in a place near the training grounds. He said that hussy is constantly looking for faults with Hu Hai and his men. One wrong step, and it’s a whip. Especially Hu Hai, he heard he gets seven or eight lashes a day, at the very least!”

A commotion erupted among those present.