Chapter 115 - 114: Death Trap Plan (6)
Tonight in Linjiang City, a strange air hangs over everything.
Many have locked their doors, many are stumbling about in panic,
The Six Great Families have been wiped out,
The Embroidered Uniform Guard, once said to leave no survivors wherever they went, seems to have returned,
On this day,
Countless people saw the so-called God of Slaughter, Gu Zhan, riding with his blade through Linjiang City, leaving rivers of blood in his wake,
That’s a true God of Slaughter,
Nobody knows how many blades he shattered!
Under the night’s veil, one can always catch just a trace of blood on the air, and the whole city has fallen into a deathly silence, as if in a single day it turned into an empty shell.
Even the Prefecture Government is deserted and cold, dimly lit, with ruins and crumbled walls everywhere.
Today the Prefecture Government is overwhelmed, there’s no spare manpower to clear or rebuild these insignificant façades—even if those ruins look miserably broken.
Yang Yuzhi has been busy all day, only now in the deep night does he finally rest. Today Linjiang City changed in a storm, the whole Prefecture Government nearly carved open, and he summoned his men on short notice.
This led to a scene never before witnessed at the Prefecture Government—officials taking up post in haste, some still wearing prison robes.
Everyone in the Prefecture Government is caught in the bustle,
Appeasing the people, restoring order,
One matter after another, endless tasks.
"It’s still not over!"
Yang Yuzhi stands beneath the eaves, raising his head to look at the bright moon overhead.
Yuan Xing quietly appears at Yang Yuzhi’s side, and says, "My lord, are you waiting for Lord Gu?"
Yang Yuzhi nods slightly. "I’ve been wanting to talk with him."
Yuan Xing is a little surprised—he really can’t connect Yang Yuzhi and Gu Zhan together; the two are utterly different, with nothing in common. He asks, "What could you and Lord Gu possibly have to discuss?"
Yang Yuzhi smiles, saying, "Plenty, actually. Gu Zhan is a truly contradictory man. However you look at him, he’s not what anyone would call a good official. Yet at the same time, he never colluded with the White Lotus Sect to betray the realm, nor did he take bribes or bend the law. He’s arrogant, but since he came, the Martial World’s order in Linjiang City has grown far better. Strictly speaking, he’s a good official who does real work. That’s the contradiction!"
Yuan Xing hesitates, saying, "I suspect only you in the whole of Linjiang City would say such a thing, my lord."
"Every official has their own style, but to judge whether an official is good or bad boils down to just one thing: Did he fulfill his duties? Did he properly handle what was his to do? Did he violate the law?" Yang Yuzhi says in a low voice. "So, strictly speaking, Gu Zhan is a good official. He did his duty, carried out what was required. His hands are bloody, yes, but he hasn’t killed innocents and thus he hasn’t broken the law, has he?"
"This..." Yuan Xing thinks it over. "That makes sense in a way. He’s killed so many people, even nobles, but if you trace the cause back, it seems justified. Strange, though—he’s the sort who never follows the rules."
Yang Yuzhi laughs quietly, saying, "He truly doesn’t follow rules, but the ones he ignores are merely custom, not law. They were rules made by the powerful to bind the weak. Gu Zhan defies them, so he shatters those false rules. I see nothing wrong in that."
Yuan Xing asks, "My lord, you think highly of Gu Zhan?"
Yang Yuzhi nods slightly. "In times such as these, men like him are more suited to the task. If not for his character, Wan Yan wouldn’t have chosen him at the last moment to finish things off."
Yuan Xing is surprised. "There was such a step in Lord Wan’s plan?"
Yang Yuzhi nods. "Initially, the Inspection Team was meant to restore stability in Linjiang City and keep things from collapsing. But in the end, Wan Yan realized Gu Zhan was more suitable than the Inspection Team, so he sacrificed them instead."
Yuan Xing inhales sharply. "Lord Wan... really... really..."
"Really ruthless, isn’t he?" Yang Yuzhi says. "That’s his character. I studied with him for ten years, contended with him for ten, because I couldn’t stand that side of him. But I know I can’t change him—he’s ruthless not just to others, but to himself."
Yuan Xing is silent for a while, then asks, "So Lord Gu was always in your plans?"
Yang Yuzhi looks at Yuan Xing. "You overestimate. Gu Zhan has always skirted the edges of the Dead Agent Plan. He’s the sole variable—he can enter or exit at will.
In the Dead Agent Plan, he’s a third party, a third party who can flip the table at any time. Between Wan Yan and Wu Yang, neither ever feared their opponent as much as they did Gu Zhan. Both worried about Gu Zhan, this... this..."
Yuan Xing adds, "Maniac."
"Yes—a maniac." Yang Yuzhi says, "Wu Yang and Wan Yan carry out their plans step by step, but throughout, they dread that the maniac Gu Zhan might suddenly upend everything, shattering their schemes.
In the end, things happened just as they feared; Gu Zhan truly did flip the table. He slaughtered the Six Great Families’ men dispatched to South City, he destroyed the Inspection Team, forcing Wu Yang and Wan Yan to implement their plans ahead of schedule.
Really, in this game where both sides rush forward, the greatest fear is not the enemy—it’s Gu Zhan, the third party who can overturn everything. People like Gu Zhan are terrifying. He might obey the rules, or throw them aside in an instant. He possesses the power to smash the table, and anyone who claims they can control him absolutely—well, they’re flirting with death!"
Yuan Xing lets out a long breath. "But ultimately, this is just Linjiang County, a small place. If he went to Yunzhou, or the Capital City, those rules set by the powerful—he’d have no grounds to defy them."
"Heh," Yang Yuzhi laughs softly. "You think too narrowly. There are always some people in this world who are exceptional."
Yuan Xing asks, confused, "You think Gu Zhan could still act so wild in Yunzhou or the Capital City?"
Yang Yuzhi pats Yuan Xing on the shoulder. "Among those at Gu Zhan’s level in Linjiang City, there are quite a few—they all climbed ten fathoms atop the city wall. Yet where others could only reach ten fathoms, Gu Zhan did so because the wall is only ten fathoms high!"
Yang Yuzhi looks up into the night sky. "He’s probably done killing for now. Let’s go meet this contradictory youngster!"
...
In the darkness,
Gu Zhan bursts forth from a manor, spattered with blood, holding a battered blade in his hand, his horse thundering, streaked with blood as well.
The squad of Embroidered Uniform Guards follows, equally smeared in blood.
Gu Zhan takes a deep breath,
This was the last of the Six Great Families. After massacring his way from the Prefecture Government today, he began to exterminate them one by one himself.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard sealed off all of Linjiang City,
On this day, the entire city is on edge!