Stronger by Killing

Heavy snow was falling, the night was deep and impenetrable,

Pingyang City was shrouded in an intense aura of slaughter. All the citizens hid inside their homes, unable to sleep, too afraid to close their eyes. The few bolder ones who dared to peek out the windows could only see gang members fleeing in all directions—a sight beyond belief, that the city’s usual overlords now scrambled like stray dogs.

Even more shocking, on the long streets emerged squads of men so unbelievable it defied reason,

Horses’ hooves thundered, the wind howled and snow whirled,

Flying Fish Robes, Brocade Spring Sabers, charging through the snow on horseback,

They were the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

On this night, countless people rubbed their eyes again and again to confirm it,

The very force cutting down Martial World Gang members throughout the city, were the Embroidered Uniform Guard who for years had been cleaning up after those very gangs,

The Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Many wondered if they were dreaming,

No one could deny, everyone knew, that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had once lived through a glorious era. Even if the young didn’t know, the older generation would sometimes recount tales,

Back then, wearing the Flying Fish Robe and carrying the Brocade Spring Saber was every Martial World person’s nightmare. The very name of the Guard could silence a crying baby at night,

But,

That era no longer belonged to the Embroidered Uniform Guard,

The modern Guard was just there to mop up for the gangs—good enough at bullying commoners on ordinary days, but when confronted by anyone from the Martial World, they shrank like sick chickens, wishing they could bury their heads in the earth,

This type of Embroidered Uniform Guard had become a city-wide joke,

But tonight, this joked-about Guard,

Raised their sabers for slaughter, galloping through the city and massacring the gang members of every major faction,

It was like dreaming—unbelievable!

The Flying Fish Robes streaked through the bitter wind, the Flying Fish Banners swirling through the night, Brocade Spring Sabers harvesting one soul after another—wherever they passed, cries echoed and blood sprayed!

"Embroidered Uniform Guard investigation—bystanders stay clear!"

"Embroidered Uniform Guard investigation—unrelated persons, clear the way!"

"Embroidered Uniform Guard investigation!"

"——"

Above the night, fireworks in the shape of the Flying Fish burst across the sky,

Throughout Pingyang City, horses’ hooves thundered,

The Embroidered Uniform Guard charged and slew, screaming hoarsely in frenzy,

In a trance, as if dreaming of past years!

Many older Embroidered Uniform Guard felt dazed, men like Hundred Households Zuo Yang had all experienced the last days of the Guard’s glory,

Back then, they were young and in their prime,

In those days, many young men would pay lip service and call the Guard hounds of the Court, showing disdain, but deep in their hearts, countless secretly yearned to join,

Wearing the Flying Fish Robe, carrying the Brocade Spring Saber,

Shouting the Guard’s slogans with awe-inspiring might, making everyone tremble with fear,

But then, the Guard fell,

They became a laughingstock,

Telling the young about their former glory would always be met with ridicule—claims that they were spinning tall tales,

Only...

"But it was all true!"

An aging Embroidered Uniform Guard gripped the reins in one hand, the Brocade Spring Saber in the other, and charged forward,

A flash of the blade, a head flew into the night,

Blood spattered his face, blurring his vision,

"Embroidered Uniform Guard...investigation!"

The old man let out a quivering shout, choked with emotion,

In that instant,

It was as if he saw the vision from decades ago—

A young man in his prime, dressed in Flying Fish Robe and bearing a Brocade Spring Saber, returned to his village, avenged injustices, and was revered and celebrated by all!

"Embroidered Uniform Guard investigation, bystanders stay clear!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is here—lay down your weapons, those who surrender will not be killed!"

"——"

The present Guard was made up more of the young,

They rode and charged wildly,

Each with a sense of unreality, as if in another world,

They felt it more than the commoners—they felt it was a dream,

Never had they thought that one day, they would chase down gang members through the whole city. Never had they dreamed they could shout the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard so openly, so powerfully!

In their daze,

They remembered how the old would always boast of the glory days, of their prestige,

They had always scoffed at those tales,

But now, it hit them—

Maybe it wasn’t a lie after all!

"Embroidered Uniform Guard...investigation!"

...

The whole city surged with battle,

On this night, chaos reigned across the city,

Countless people saw the shirtless youth emerging from hell itself, like the God of Slaughter, wielding two cleavers, carving bloody roads through the snow,

Treading forward on a path of bones,

Walking over the corpses of Martial World masters famous for decades,

That young man’s name was Gu Zhan,

That figure pressing forward with blades in hand was seared into countless hearts—a single name etched forever into their minds—

The God of Slaughter, Gu Zhan!

...

An entire night of grim slaughter; the wind howled with fear,

The white snow poured down as Pingyang City spent the night in chaos. When dawn finally broke, the city was dead silent, the stench of fresh blood thick in the air, terrifying the citizens—few dared leave their homes.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard investigation, clear the way!"

"Embroidered Uniform Guard investigation, clear the way!"

"——"

Throughout the city, grim voices still rang out from time to time, and the urgent hoofbeats could still be heard.

On a long street,

Gu Zhan tossed his two bent, battered sabers to the ground, dismounted slowly, and gently tied back his blood-soaked hair with a strip of cloth.

He remained bare-chested,

His muscular body covered in blood, chilling to behold.

"My lord!" "My lord..."

Ahead, a squad of Embroidered Uniform Guards approached on horseback.

At their head were the high-ranking officers of the Guard, each wounded, especially Zuo Yang and Wu Xiang, who—after hurried patch-ups—had fought all night long.

"My lord!"

Suddenly, Zuo Yang and several older Guards dropped to their knees.

Gu Zhan looked puzzled.

Zuo Yang, voice choked, said: "My lord, you’re young, so you might not know—back then, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the only hope for sons of commoners like us. Even if its name was bad, it gave our generation belonging. Watching its decline these years truly broke our hearts. Thank you, my lord, for letting us relive the glory of the Guard once more!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

"——"

The old men knelt on the ground.

At that moment,

Wu Xiang and the younger generation of the Guard also knelt.

Wu Xiang said in a low voice, "After all these years in service, only tonight did I realize, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can still possess dignity!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Gu Zhan watched those kneeling at his feet. Whether sincere or for show, it didn’t matter. One thing was clear: after this night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Pingyang Prefecture would once again stand before the world!

"Rise,"

Gu Zhan waved his hand, "This is nothing—I want the Embroidered Uniform Guard to suppress the entire Martial World!"

With those words,

Gu Zhan strode forward, quietly summoning the system,

It was time to break through to Dao Realm and achieve the rank of Great Cultivator!