Stronger by Killing

"Bang"

Gu Zhan kicked the corpse flying with one foot, lightly shook his hand, and said calmly, "Break down the door."

All the senior officers of the Hundred Households Office trembled, stunned in place for a moment.

As expected, the thing they feared the most had happened,

Not only did Gu Zhan directly clash with Gu Yuanzhong, but he also gave them a difficult choice,

Break down the door,

Just two simple words,

But they meant two paths,

First, break down the door, offend Gu Yuanzhong—and you don’t even have to guess at the consequences. In Pingyang City, plenty of people die quietly every year, including government officials; just last month a Prefect died.

Second, don’t break down the door, offend Gu Zhan—the outcome is just as simple: if Gu Zhan leaves the Gu Mansion alive tonight, they’d best leave Pingyang City early; maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope.

For a moment,

Everyone was trapped in the torment of a painful dilemma.

Just then,

The Hundred Households Zuo Yang, who had barely spoken, suddenly rushed forward. With a metallic ring, he drew his Brocade Spring Saber and struck fiercely, the saber qi surging, cleaving open the gates of Gu Mansion.

"Lord, please!"

Zuo Yang bowed respectfully, his hair streaked with gray fluttering in the cold night; still, he exuded an air of high-spirited resolve.

For that instant, all the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers were filled with astonishment.

Hundred Households Zuo Yang, an old man past sixty, known by all in Pingyang City’s Hundred Households Office, had always maneuvered adeptly between people, universally acknowledged as a slippery veteran. Indeed, to survive decades as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, no one doubts the depth of his worldly wisdom.

But precisely because of that,

Zuo Yang, who had played it smooth his whole life, suddenly making such a move, truly shocked everyone.

This was, essentially, gambling his life and fortune on Gu Zhan.

The other Hundred Households Wu Xiang was also somewhat surprised; he looked at the stern-faced Zuo Yang, gritted his teeth, walked over, and cupped his hands, "Lord, please!"

Gu Zhan looked at Zuo Yang, nodded, and slowly walked into Gu Mansion. Zuo Yang and Wu Xiang followed close behind.

At the gate, a few senior officers of the Hundred Households Office also followed quietly inside, but most remained outside.

Snowflakes whirled,

Inside Gu Mansion the lamps blazed bright, their light flashing across the falling snow.

At that moment,

All around inside Gu Mansion, swordsmen emerged from every direction, closing in.

"Dare to kill and storm the mansion? Truly outrageous. Kill them!" a commander shouted loudly.

At the same time,

From the inner courtyard of Gu Mansion, came a voice singing:

"Afraid to play the Yangguan tune, it chills the entire Wei River..."

The melody was mournful, twisting and turning.

But outside, the shouts of slaughter quickly drowned it out.

Swordsmen converged from all sides,

Zuo Yang held his Horizontal Saber at Gu Zhan’s side, and said in a deep voice, "Lord, slow your steps. Leave these men to us!"

Gu Zhan twisted his head slightly, and his hand suddenly drew the Horizontal Saber, then hurled it out with force; the saber spun through the air, shattering snow-laden pavilions and towers, seeming slow but in fact flying fast, and instantly severed the shouting Guard Commander’s neck. His head flew skyward, blood sprayed everywhere.

The swordsmen, in the midst of shouting and killing, suddenly fell silent. Their eyes followed the flying head top to bottom, and then were quickly seized by fear; their sword-wielding hands turned cold.

This Guard Commander was a somewhat famous Innate Martial Artist in Pingyang City, holding high status in Gu Mansion—yet just died like that.

The Horizontal Saber still spun rapidly in midair, whistling with the wind and snow, then returned to Gu Zhan’s hand and slid into its scabbard.

Gu Zhan dug at his ear, slowly said: "His voice was too loud—a bit annoying."

With that, Gu Zhan glanced at the surrounding swordsmen and said flatly, "You lot, are also a bit too noisy."

Just such a calm remark,

But somehow it made all two hundred swordsmen’s hearts sink; pure fear welled up inside them.

"Kill them! There’s only a few of them!"

Suddenly, in the crowd, someone shouted again.

The crowd surged again,

But in that single instant,

A willow-leaf-shaped flying saber hovered before Gu Zhan, buzzing; as everyone watched in shock, the flying saber shot out like a meteor across the night sky, vanishing in the darkness,

The next moment,

A sudden, sharp shriek rang out,

The one who shouted in the swordsmen’s ranks had a crimson gash on his neck; he clutched at it frantically, but couldn’t stop the blood jetting out, then collapsed in a heap.

In the rainy night, another piercing whistle echoed; the flying saber, darting through snow and darkness, appeared once more, transfiguring into streams of light that sped through the air!

"Shhh, shhh, shhh..."

Each blade of light was fierce and powerful, slicing the air, shredding snowflakes. They wove a tight web of blades, circling Gu Zhan’s group, their movements unpredictable and nimble as ghosts,

With each hiss, they slid past the jaws of swordsmen, leaving faint red lines. Blood sprayed everywhere, as if a torrential rain had started,

Gu Zhan stepped toward the inner courtyard,

Zuo Yang and the others followed closely behind, watching those flowing streaks of light—like Death’s scythe—with shuddering hearts,

In a daze,

They felt a vague sense of relief,

Lucky they hadn’t underestimated Gu Zhan just because he was young; lucky they’d knelt in the Hundred Households Office without resisting earlier—otherwise, death beneath the blade was certain.

Wails echoed out,

The two hundred swordsmen retreated wildly, not daring to approach within ten feet of Gu Zhan. Three or four dozen corpses lay on the ground, striking fear into all.

The flying saber was now withdrawn,

But still, no one dared approach,

The night was deathly silent; two hundred swordsmen, in an eerily awkward formation, followed Gu Zhan’s party into the inner courtyard.

Inside, stood a grand hall,

Lamps blazing; a stage set in the middle, two performers above singing with full effort.

Below the stage, a portly elderly man sat in a chair—Gu Yuanzhong himself.

A few beautiful young maids waited nearby, one kneading his legs, another pounding his shoulders, one pouring tea from a pot, a maid peeling an orange. All looked indifferent, as though they hadn’t even heard the violence outside.

Gu Yuanzhong coughed gently, lips moved slightly, and a maid hurriedly knelt, looked up, parted her cherry lips,

Gu Yuanzhong spat lightly, expectorating straight into the maid’s open mouth. The maid quickly stood up, took a top-grade silk cloth, and gently wiped his mouth.

Gu Zhan stepped into the hall,

Zuo Yang, Wu Xiang, and the rest halted at the entrance, weapons drawn, facing off against the massed swordsmen in the courtyard.

The performers sang on stage,

The people below walked slowly closer,

Gu Yuanzhong spoke slowly: "Opera should be listened to quietly. Every show ought to be heard to the end; ending in the middle brings ill fortune. Lord Gu, don’t you agree?"