Chapter 233 - 228: Infiltrating Canglan City
In an instant, the crowd watching the commotion was stunned.
Meng Yikang’s expression froze, and he shouted, "Gu Zhan, you bastard—"
"Sssht."
At that moment, a Brocade Spring Saber suddenly flew over, plunging straight into Meng Yikang’s chest.
A fast warhorse burst out, flashing like a shadow to appear beside Meng Yikang,
It was a Great Cultivator from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He gripped the Brocade Spring Saber’s hilt and lifted Meng Yikang’s entire body into the air.
At the same time,
Two more horsemen from the Embroidered Uniform Guard drew their blades and charged in,
Two Brocade Spring Sabers, one above, one below,
One saber cut across the neck,
One saber slashed through the back,
"Puchi""Puchi"—
A head flew skyward, the lower half fell to the ground, and the corpse was thrown aside.
All in the blink of an eye,
Meng Yikang was chopped into three parts.
In that moment,
The long street fell abruptly silent. Everyone stared at Gu Zhan in shock.
Gu Zhan, unfazed, was about to turn and leave.
Just then, a panicked voice rang out on the street: "Lord Gu, please calm your anger! Lord Gu, have mercy!"
A middle-aged man with graying temples hurried over with an entourage, speaking anxiously: "Lord Gu, what Meng Yikang did has nothing to do with our Meng Family! We had no idea he dared to provoke you so brazenly!"
Gu Zhan glanced over the group. The leading middle-aged man was a First Realm Great Cultivator. The others beside him were all Great Innate Martial Artists.
"Who are you?" Gu Zhan asked.
The middle-aged man replied hastily, "I am Meng Xuyi, Patriarch of the Wushan Meng Family. Lord Gu, we came to the Martial Arts Assembly on Dragon King’s orders. It was Meng Yikang who challenged you—"
In that instant,
The air tightened, Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi instantly froze,
A Flying Saber suddenly dropped from the sky,
like a bolt of lightning, slashing through the Meng Family Patriarch’s throat. The next instant, the Flying Saber slithered through the air, leaving streaks of flowing light. With each abrupt, strangled scream, blood spattered everywhere,
All of the Meng Family entourage, including the Patriarch, fell to the ground, leaving only the faint gurgle of blood.
"Anyone else want to step on my authority to climb up?"
Gu Zhan retrieved his Flying Saber, his face expressionless as he stared at the crowd of onlookers.
Nothing but silence,
Gu Zhan turned and entered the inn,
At that moment, on the long street, cries from warhorses erupted and hooves thundered—a hundred Embroidered Uniform Guard turned and charged out of the street.
Soon,
A tavern in Thousand Lights Town was completely surrounded,
It was the tavern where the Wushan Meng Family was stationed. In a flash, the Embroidered Uniform Guard rushed in, fighting erupted, screams rose and fell in the chaos, while corpse after corpse was thrown out,
The tavern stained with blood, bodies strewn about the floor.
In less than fifteen minutes,
The ranks of Embroidered Uniform Guard withdrew, leaving behind dozens of bodies and pools of blood. On the long street, only silence and terror remained.
Once the Embroidered Uniform Guard were gone,
The martial artists hiding nearby slowly emerged,
Someone exclaimed, "How can Gu Zhan dare to act so recklessly? Canglan City isn’t far from here—this isn’t like the secluded mountains of Pingyang Prefecture!"
Someone sneered, "The Meng Family was courting death. Their disciple brought disaster, and with the Patriarch right there, he didn’t stop it. Now they’ve suffered for it—who can they blame? Sure, Canglan City isn’t far, but who’d dare offend Gu Zhan to stand up for the Meng Family?"
"The key is, standing up won’t help. You’d just bring calamity upon yourself! The Meng Family is truly blinded by lard. Did they really think Gu Zhan’s reputation as God of Slaughter was a joke? Even wanted to step on Gu Zhan?"
"Maybe they thought Gu Zhan would care about his status?"
"If Gu Zhan cared about that, would he have swept the counties around Pingyang clean over the past few months?"
"If you don’t believe it, just go check Pingyang now. Who there still dares to kill and brawl in the street like before? Even ordinary folks who go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to report a crime—they get a whole team charging out to resolve it at once. The safety there—practically a paradise on earth!"
...
Inside Bu’Er Inn,
Hong Zhu personally waited on Gu Zhan as he washed up, then helped him change into a fresh outfit, meticulously arranging his clothes. She said softly, "Young Master Gu, the Sixth Young Master is already resting. He said not to call him for dinner—he plans to sleep straight through to tomorrow."
"All this travel lately has worn him out."
Gu Zhan opened his arms wide, letting Hong Zhu carefully tidy his clothes.
"What’s the situation in Canglan City lately?" Gu Zhan asked.
Hong Zhu replied softly, "The Dragon King left for Sword King City with the Left Protector. Now the Right Protector holds Canglan City.
Since the Dragon King left, the Fourth Young Master and the Eldest Young Master have been openly feuding over control of headquarters. Meanwhile, secretly, the Fourth Young Master is using Miss’s influence in the black market to sneak many Tian Family experts into Canglan City, waiting for a chance to make a move against the Eldest Young Master."
Gu Zhan nodded. "How has the Eldest Young Master responded?"
Hong Zhu said, "Because of the Martial Arts Assembly, all factions are converging on Canglan City. They’re all camped in the black market town. Miss has people monitoring the Eldest Young Master’s branch—there’s been no movement yet. But the Liu Family still has a strong presence in Canglan City."
When the dressing was done,
Gu Zhan slowly lowered his arms and headed for the door, saying, "Get ready, tomorrow we enter the city."
...
Canglan City, in a small manor.
A guard arrived at Bai Jiu’Er’s room, cupped his fist and said, "Miss, news from Thousand Lights Town."
"Speak," Bai Jiu’Er replied coolly.
"As soon as Lord Gu arrived at Thousand Lights Town, he began a bloodbath, slaughtering dozens from the Wushan Meng Family taking part in the Martial Arts Assembly, including their Patriarch. It caused a huge stir," the guard reported.
"Good." Bai Jiu’Er’s voice was soft. "The bigger the ruckus, the less attention we’ll actually draw."
The guard added, "Also, Hong Zhu sent word—Lord Gu has already entered the city."
Bai Jiu’Er frowned, saying, "It’s good he’s here. Sooner or later, there must be clarity. He killed Liu Ziyuan and is now mortal enemies with the Liu Family—there’ll be a battle between them, sooner or later."
After a pause, Bai Jiu’Er asked, "And what about the Fourth Young Master?"
The guard replied, "With our black market’s support, the Fourth Young Master’s people entered the city without drawing the Eldest Young Master’s attention. Preparations are nearly complete—tomorrow, the Fourth Young Master will try to lure the Right Protector out of the city."
Bai Jiu’Er gently stroked the cat in her arms, nodded and said, "Make ready. Once Gu Zhan arrives, we’ll go together to the Fourth Young Master’s residence."
"Yes."
The guard bowed deeply and withdrew.
Only Bai Jiu’Er remained in the room,
She looked out into the night, sighed softly, and murmured, "It’s time to leave this tumultuous Martial World behind."