Chapter 101 - 100: Game Within a Game
In the hazy morning light, a horse-drawn carriage was heading toward South City.
Inside the carriage, Rong Yichu was carefully bandaging Gu Zhan’s wounds, speaking softly: "Sir, please rest assured. I made preparations ahead of time and arranged for a group of experts to protect us in secret. If the Six Great Families make any move, we will be warned in advance."
Gu Zhan nodded slightly,
In the carriage, Gu Zhan moved his palm ever so slightly, and a wisp of liquid True Qi, like flame, slowly dissipated and merged back into his body. Then, he opened the system interface:
Player: Gu Zhan
Realm: Innate Fourth Layer
Cultivation Technique: Fierce Sun Skill (Fourth Floor)
Skills:
Celestial Inquiry Three Slashes (Great Success)
Shadow Arrow Technique (Great Success)
Frenzied Lion Fist (Great Success)
Experience Points: 26,543
...
Today’s battle yielded a great harvest of experience points. Several Profound Tier Martial Arts were all promoted to Great Success Realm, and the realm advanced to Innate Fourth Layer. The subsequent slaughter against the major families also yielded much, accumulating over twenty thousand experience points.
Rong Yichu finished tying the gauze and said, "Sir, I’m afraid we’ve formed a deadly feud with the Six Great Families this time."
"That’s not a problem."
Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes and said, "The conflict between me and the Six Great Families is fundamentally irreconcilable. Never mind that I killed several of their direct lineage this past night—just looking at the situation in Linjiang County now, whether the Noble Family Line or the Transitory Official Line wins, neither will tolerate an unstable factor like me.
From my current position, I’m very much like Luo Bingsheng back then. The only reason they could tolerate Luo Bingsheng and the Celestial Water Gang was because the Transitory Official Line and the Noble Family Line weren’t at the point of all-out war yet—they needed a third force as a buffer. You should be well aware of this."
Rong Yichu nodded.
Back then, Luo Bingsheng and other forces like the Celestial Water Gang existed in the feud between the Transitory Official Line and the Noble Family Line precisely because both sides deliberately allowed it.
This, Rong Yichu knew full well,
because he himself used to be part of a Noble Family.
Rong Yichu said slowly, "Student understands. The annihilation of the Rong Family was a trigger. From the moment the Rong Family fell, the struggle between Noble Families and Transitory Officials reached the point of open warfare.
And from that moment, it was decided that only one faction could remain in Linjiang City. So, whether the Transitory Official Line wins or the Noble Family Line wins, they will not allow your existence, Sir. They can’t allow a second voice to appear in Linjiang County, or else all their fighting would lose its meaning."
Gu Zhan nodded.
Rong Yichu suddenly realized: "So, Sir, when you slew the Noble Family members at Pingqian Hundred Households Office today, it was to make them wary of you."
Gu Zhan said coldly, "First, after killing so many of them, they don’t have extra energy—they still have to suppress the Transitory Official Line and, for now, have no strength left to come for me. But that’s secondary. The main reason is the second one."
Rong Yichu asked doubtfully, "And that is?"
Gu Zhan slightly narrowed his eyes and said, "I have a bad temper. Whoever offends me, I kill!"
Rong Yichu: "..."
After a long silence, Rong Yichu finally spoke, "Sir, I’ve noticed another problem—though so far, it’s only a vague sign."
"What is it?" Gu Zhan asked with a frown.
"The Six Great Families seem to be plotting something big," Rong Yichu said. "I’m not sure of the specifics, but as the Rong Family was once among them, I’m well familiar with a Noble Family’s ways. Lately, facing Wan Yan’s relentless pressure, the Six Great Families have reacted quite oddly.
Also, just now, in response to your fury, the Six Great Families reacted somewhat abnormally. Though the Wu Family has always been the foremost family, that shouldn’t mean all the others obediently follow their lead. Yet just now, Wu Yang could speak entirely on behalf of the rest, which honestly isn’t normal.
I feel like the Six Great Families must have struck some kind of deal. It’s as if they are deliberately letting Wan Yan lead them by the nose; otherwise, how could Wan Yan’s plans against the families go so smoothly?"
Gu Zhan frowned and said, "You mean the Noble Families are lulling Wan Yan into complacency. It’s just that my existence broke their plan, so they took the opportunity to eliminate Wan Yan."
Rong Yichu nodded. "The Transitory Official Line has always been suppressed by the Noble Family Line—it would never change so much just because of Wan Yan’s arrival. His actions were too smooth; even my Rong Family’s downfall came too easily. It’s as if the Six Great Families discussed it in advance and all tacitly agreed to the destruction of the Rong Family."
Gu Zhan asked, puzzled, "Weren’t your Rong Family formerly closely tied to those families? You didn’t catch any hint of trouble?"
Rong Yichu shook his head. "I suspect the hidden game only began after the Rong Family’s fall. The Rong Family may have been their predetermined sacrifice. Sir, I fear we must prepare early!"
Gu Zhan leaned against the window lattice, saying, "Keep a close watch on the whole city in the coming days, especially the Six Great Families. Don’t overlook the smallest sign."
"Yes, understood, Sir."
Dawn broke, crimson sunlight piercing the clouds and shining over Linjiang City.
The carriage sped forward, heading into the light.
...
In the spring of the fifth year of Qingli, great turmoil erupted in Linjiang City.
Strictly speaking, since the fourth year of Qingli, Linjiang County had known no peace. One wave followed another, entangling many major people and forces from top to bottom. But this time, the chaos reached its peak.
The newly arrived Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Households, Wan Yan, was suspected of colluding with the rebel White Lotus Sect. When investigated, he resisted violently and was suppressed, implicating a large number of Prefecture Government officials—including Linjiang County’s highest authority, Prefect Yang Yuzhi.
For a time, Linjiang County was thrown into an uproar.
If it had only been the Embroidered Uniform Guard involved, the commotion would not have been so great. After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a notorious reputation, and the newly arrived Households Commander Wan Yan was widely spoken of as a brutal official,
But Yang Yuzhi was a different case.
Yang Yuzhi had served in Linjiang County for over ten years, was deeply respected by the people, and was one of the rare, universally praised good officials in Linjiang County Government Office.
Such things happening—many found it hard to believe.
Many bad rumors spread in the city; some even caused minor riots.
However, these rumors and riots were all quickly suppressed by the Government Office.
And soon after,
The entire Linjiang Prefecture Prefecture Government underwent massive changes—a large group of officials were replaced, with some departments completely cleaned out from top to bottom. For a while, Linjiang County was plunged into chaos.
The role of Linjiang County Prefect was temporarily taken over by County Magistrate Wu Yang. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, as the primary violent enforcement institution in the city, also saw massive changes—many high-ranking positions were replaced, with the South City Hundred Households Office’s Hundred Households, Gu Zhan, acting as Households Commander.
At the same time, the Prefecture Government had already reported to Yunzhou for instruction.
After the initial turbulence among officials subsided, the public unrest stirred up by the upheavals at the Prefecture Government gradually faded as well.