Stronger by Killing

As soon as Luo Huaiyang spoke, the hall fell silent. He continued, "I have already sent people to investigate Gu Zhan’s background overnight. There’s no real backstory—he’s just a killer.

From the materials I’ve gathered, this Gu Zhan is not exactly a paragon of justice. He killed the brother of Qi Baiyu, the Alliance Leader of the Celestial Sword Alliance, in Yundong, and was chased to the ends of the earth by the Celestial Sword Alliance before he escaped to Yunxi.

However, he was rather lucky. When Qi Baiyu pursued him to Canglan Dao, he happened to run into a conflict between Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion and the Dragon King. Qi Baiyu followed them across the border and was stopped outside Canglan Dao by the Dragon King, and couldn’t enter. He then found his way to Bu’Er Inn in Thousand Lights Town and established this foothold in Pingyang City through these connections."

The people in the hall laughed at this.

Someone commented with a laugh, "I thought he was an overseas Chinese, turns out he’s just a stray dog, hahaha!"

"A stray dog is good; if he were an overseas Chinese, we might have trouble on our hands."

"A stray dog is good indeed!"

"..."

Luo Huaiyang chuckled, "Don’t underestimate him, though. To single-handedly wipe out the Guo Family overnight—even a stray dog can have sharp teeth. However, this does make things easier for us. I’ve decided to invite him to the Prefecture Government later, to gauge his attitude."

"How will you test him?" someone asked.

Luo Huaiyang laughed breezily, "He is, after all, a Thousand Households, which in terms of rank is just below the Prefect and on par with me. As hosts, we should treat him to a banquet. Then we’ll ask him what he thinks of Pingyang City and whether he can cooperate with us. Prepare the goods you’re planning to move; if he agrees, then let him take Gu Yuanzhong’s place in the future."

An official asked, "What if he refuses?"

Luo Huaiyang took a sip of tea and chuckled softly, "If he refuses, then we find another Thousand Households."

"But from what I know, he’s quite strong. Last night, he almost single-handedly destroyed the Guo Family," an official said.

Luo Huaiyang chuckled lightly, "In this world, being able to fight doesn’t mean much. Which one of the past Thousand Households couldn’t fight? Could they survive in Pingyang City? Gu Zhan acted too quickly; otherwise, even Gu Yuanzhong would have made it tough for him."

"That’s true," an official chuckled, "No matter how strong he is, can he single-handedly challenge an entire city?"

"Yes," someone nodded, "If he agrees, we welcome him. He’s a young man who’s been chased by the Celestial Sword Alliance with nowhere to run. He should be quite discerning about the situation!"

...

On Changfeng Street, the Gu Mansion, which had now been renamed the Gu Mansion.

Since last night,

The Gu Mansion had been bustling. Fortunately, in this snowy weather, dealing with the smell of blood was easier. The fresh blood quickly froze, making it difficult to clean up right away.

At noon,

Gu Zhan went to the East Courtyard for a nap. He got up under the care of the pair of maidservant sisters, just that these two inexperienced girls were somewhat clumsy, it took quite a while before Gu Zhan was dressed and ready to leave.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Zuo Yang hurrying over, cupping his hands, "Sir, the Prefecture Government sent an invitation card. County Magistrate Luo is hosting a banquet at Qingfeng Building to welcome you. Will you go?"

Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is this County Magistrate Luo?"

Zuo Yang replied, "He is essentially the true leader of the Pingyang City Government Office, hailing from a powerful local clan, with deeply entrenched influence. Strictly speaking, Gu Yuanzhong was following him, and most of the government office aligns with him."

Gu Zhan asked, "And what about the Prefect?"

Zuo Yang said, "The previous Prefect, two months ago, choked to death while eating..."

Gu Zhan was taken aback, "Choked to death?"

Zuo Yang spoke in a low voice, "That Prefect was investigating a case that involved County Magistrate Luo’s grandson."

Gu Zhan chuckled lightly, understanding, and then asked, "What about the current Prefect?"

Zuo Yang lowered his voice further, "The current Prefect is named Ji Hanzheng, transferred from Qingzhou. Just after arriving in Pingyang Prefecture, he was ambushed by horse bandits. All his servants and guests were killed, and his wife and daughter were humiliated in front of him.

Later, he was rescued by the Inspection Bureau, and he wanted to investigate and seek revenge, but the next day, his wife and daughter committed suicide at home, and since then, he hasn’t left his house."

After saying this,

Zuo Yang leaned closer to Gu Zhan and whispered, "Sir, in fact, the so-called horse bandits who attacked Prefect Ji were not real bandits but a gang from Pingyang City. Some saw a few city dandies enter Prefect Ji’s residence the day he entered the city. Each one left Ji’s residence while pulling up their trousers, and soon after, Prefect Ji’s wife and daughter had committed suicide!"

Gu Zhan squinted his eyes and said, "The sky over Pingyang City is indeed very dark!"

Zuo Yang sighed, speaking softly, "Sir, I’ve been in Pingyang City for decades, and this city truly has no laws, only its own set of rules."

Gu Zhan smiled and said, "I also have my own set of rules. Keep the invitation. I was planning to take the initiative to meet the Government Office people tomorrow, but I didn’t expect them to reach out to me first!"

...

In the evening, it started snowing again in Pingyang City.

Gu Zhan appeared on the main street with a group of people, accompanied by Zuo Yang, Wu Xiang, and three Innate Martial Artists recruited from the Gu Mansion’s swordsmen, a party of six heading towards Qingfeng Building.

Qingfeng Building was a brothel, famous in Pingyang City as a place to squander money, akin to the Baihua Building in Linjiang City, bustling with activity.

As Gu Zhan arrived outside the Qingfeng Building manor, a few young attendants came out, respectfully leading Gu Zhan to a pavilion deep within the manor.

Reaching the upstairs hall,

Many people were seated inside, with the sound of laughter and music filling the air.

Sitting at the head was an old man with graying temples. He seemed quite proper, merely sipping his drink, with no girl in his embrace, though a beautiful woman with elegant temperament stood beside him.

The old man saw Gu Zhan enter, laughed heartily, stood up, and cupped his hands, "You must be Gu Qianhu’s side. I am Luo Huaiyang, serving as County Magistrate of Pingyang Prefecture. Hearing that Gu Qianhu is taking office, I specifically set up this feast to welcome you; we are grateful for your presence. Please, take a seat!"

Gu Zhan, without hesitation, directly sat down in one of the empty seats at the front, with Zuo Yang and others standing behind him.

Luo Huaiyang glanced at the beautiful woman beside him and said softly, "Red Lady, this Sir Gu is truly a young talent; you must take good care of him!"

The woman smiled radiantly, her long hair like clouds, skin like snow, her eyes like peach blossoms, seemingly exuding affection, inevitably stirring emotions in others.

Luo Huaiyang chuckled, "Sir Gu, this is Red Lady, the top courtesan in Pingyang City. Many young and talented men wish to see her but cannot. Hearing of your illustrious name, she particularly came to meet you; we old folks benefit from your presence!"

Gu Zhan looked at Red Lady, raised his eyelids slightly, and said, "Too much clothing, not interesting, take it off!"