Chapter 135 - 134: The Guide (Part 1)
"Crown Prince!" "Prince Ling!" "..."
After the instant of silence, the manor erupted into chaos. Many of the Martial Artists from Yunzhou and the guards of the Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion were still alive,
At this moment, they all felt as if the sky was collapsing,
And it wasn’t just them,
The Embroidered Uniform Guard from the Hundred Households Office and the members of the Martial World Gangs in Linjiang City also felt a deep terror at that instant.
That was the Heir of the Marquis of Chengyang,
The Marquis of Chengyang’s own son!
Who was Marquis Chengyang? He was one of the most powerful figures in all of Yunzhou, a true titan even in the wider world. He commanded armies numbering in the hundreds of thousands—one of the greatest giants of Yunzhou. Whether officialdom or Martial World Influence, he stood at the pinnacle; with just a single stomp, he could shake Yunzhou to its core.
Now, his legitimate son has died here,
That was the Crown Prince,
The future Marquis of Chengyang!
In that very moment, the clearest-headed was Rong Yichu. His face pale, he took a deep breath, drew a signal flare from his chest and fired it directly.
"Bang!"
The signal flare exploded in the sky.
Rong Yichu took a deep breath again, and urgently shouted at several Embroidered Uniform Guards beside him, "Quick, deliver the order—kill everyone who came from Yunzhou, not a single one can be spared. Remember! Not a single one is to leave Linjiang City!"
Immediately, the Embroidered Uniform Guards began their purging again.
Yang Yuzhi let out a faint sigh and waved his hand,
The Profound Armor Heavy Cavalry was also dispatched.
"My lord, your bow!"
Right after, Rong Yichu fetched Gu Zhan’s Cold Iron Bow and quiver and tossed them to him.
Gu Zhan caught the hint, thrust out his hand, and a surge of True Qi carried the Cold Iron Bow and quiver into his grasp. With a gentle tap of his foot, he leaped onto a rooftop,
Bent his bow and drew an arrow, and with a cold flash, the Feathered Arrows shot out,
Arrows scattered unpredictably through the sky; there was no pattern to follow,
But each arrow claimed the life of a Martial Arts master.
Gu Zhan stood high and saw far.
At this moment, outside Mist Rain Manor,
It was already besieged by countless Martial World men; nearly everyone the major Linjiang City gangs could spare was present, and the manor was completely encircled,
Battles raged everywhere,
But with Gu Zhan reaping the lives of high-cultivation Martial Artists, the Yunzhou warriors and the guards of the Marquis’s Mansion were unable to stir up any further chaos,
Amidst the howls of agony,
Mist Rain Manor was drenched in the heavy scent of blood,
After a long time, the sound of the wind gradually began to fade away.
However,
This peace was merely on the surface,
Those in higher positions, like the leaders of the major gangs and the senior Embroidered Uniform Guards, all felt a shadow pass over their hearts,
They all sensed a looming storm, an imminent pressure upon them.
In the broken-down courtyard,
As Gu Zhan leapt down from the rooftop, the top brass from all the gangs gathered at once, and Rong Yichu led the Embroidered Uniform Guard leadership over as well.
Everyone wore faces full of worry,
This situation was beyond what an Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Households could bear!
"My lord..."
"Lord Gu, this..."
"..."
The gang leaders were all at a loss for words; they didn’t know what exactly they felt. Regret? There was nothing to regret, for they’d had no choice—only terror and anxiety filled them.
Gu Zhan glanced at the group and said slowly, "Now, there’s nothing else we can do. Gentlemen, we have to pack up and go—quickly. If you trust me, come with me. This world is vast—I, Gu Zhan, promise I will carve out a place for you to survive!"
Gu Zhan’s prestige was won through slaughter,
Though everyone was still afraid, they felt somewhat comforted.
"That won’t do,"
At that moment, Yang Yuzhi suddenly stepped forward and said, "Lord Gu, the battle on the front lines is in crisis, and you want to take all the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the main leaders of the Linjiang City gangs? What about the logistics for Jiming Posthouse’s war?"
Gu Zhan cupped his fists toward Yang Yuzhi and said, "Magistrate Yang, you can see for yourself—it’s not that we don’t want to guard the city, but Ling Jing kept pushing us. Now, what options do we have? Are we to fight to the death, only to await the Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion’s retribution?"
Yang Yuzhi sighed softly. "I know, it’s not your fault. Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion... never mind, there’s no point in saying more. But Lord Gu, let me make it clear: you can’t escape with this many people.
You’ve always been in Linjiang, so you don’t know the true strength of the Marquis’s Mansion and the Celestial Sword Alliance. It’s impossible to flee—there will be no place for you in Yunzhou, and escaping from Yunzhou is likely impossible too."
Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes and asked quietly, "Magistrate Yang, are you telling us to sit and wait to die?"
Yang Yuzhi smiled faintly. "Not quite. In fact, I can still look out for you."
Gu Zhan asked in confusion, "Lord Yang, can you stand against the Marquis of Chengyang?"
Yang Yuzhi pointed to the Profound Armor Heavy Cavalry and said, "Lord Gu, do you know the origins of the Profound Armor Heavy Cavalry?"
Gu Zhan shook his head.
Yang Yuzhi said, "The Profound Armor Heavy Cavalry was the personal guard of Marquis Liu of Yunzhou in his youth. Now, they are a symbol of Marquis Liu. As for Marquis Liu’s status, you should have heard—there’s no need for me to say more, right?"
Gu Zhan nodded.
Yunzhou was one of the largest military towns in the Xia Kingdom, and Marquis Liu was the only military magnate on par with Marquis Chengyang, commanding hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers.
Gu Zhan was genuinely surprised; he never expected that Yang Yuzhi—a mere prefect—could be so deeply enmeshed with someone as lofty as Marquis Liu, even mobilizing his personal guard.
Yang Yuzhi continued slowly, "Lord Gu, you needn’t be so surprised. While I’m just a minor prefect, my teacher is the Director of the Imperial Observatory of Yunzhou."
Gu Zhan’s brows lifted in shock.
The Astronomical Bureau was one of the most powerful institutions established in the last twenty years of Great Xia, rising in prominence after the decline of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—seizing their greatest authority: overseeing all officials in the realm.
The Director of the Astronomical Bureau in Yunzhou was the top figure there; in Yunzhou, he was an official giant on par with Marquis Liu and Marquis Chengyang.
Gu Zhan finally understood his previous confusion,
No wonder Yang Yuzhi and Wan Yan could formulate the Death Mission plan—a Thousand Households and a prefect involving themselves in a plot that could sway the fate of the nation. It should’ve been impossible,
No wonder Yang Yuzhi could say things like "Qi Baiyu is only a Great Cultivator,"
All manner of improbable things,
Now, seemed to make sense.
Yang Yuzhi continued, "Lord Gu, so I really can still protect you for a bit. But you’ve made too much of a mess—there’s no way I can shield you from the Marquis of Chengyang’s vengeance. I can only point you a path. Aside from you, I can save everyone else. After all, it was only you who killed Ling Jing. The Marquis of Chengyang won’t and cannot vent his fury indiscriminately by slaughtering everyone!"