"Stop!"
Rong Hao roared in anger, immediately bellowing, "Gu Zhan, what is the meaning of this? I am acting under the written command of Lord Wan, yet you draw blades against me—is it because you have an issue with Lord Wan, or are you defying the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Are you planning to rebel?"
Gu Zhan glanced at the livid Rong Hao and said, "So you know that I, too, am with the Embroidered Uniform Guard? You allow such idle ruffians with neither office nor rank to draw weapons in front of me—do you truly believe everyone in the Rong Family has grown more than one head?"
"You—"
Rong Hao was furious, gritting his teeth, a surge of anger rising within him,
He had meant to bring experts from the Rong Family to assert authority, but had not expected Gu Zhan to seize upon this pretext to strike back.
"Put your blades away! All of you, out!" Rong Hao commanded coldly.
Members of the Rong Family also understood that Gu Zhan was taking advantage by wielding a feather as a command arrow, but they knew full well that they were doing the very same; if they failed to follow protocol, Gu Zhan could overturn the table entirely, which would defeat their intent to intimidate through force.
At once, the Rong Family members all exited the hall.
At the threshold, Rong Wanlin suddenly turned back, saying, "Lord Gu, it is natural for one favored in their youth to be somewhat arrogant, but a wise man knows himself; fortune and calamity have no gate but are summoned by men themselves. Good words may grate on the ear—please consider them well, Lord Gu."
Gu Zhan sneered, "Let me offer you this in return—times have changed, and the old would do well to know their place. Either step back while the current is strong, or get ready to be drowned by the rising tide of the next wave. An old man not knowing his limits is but a fool!"
Rong Wanlin’s face turned dark; he gave a cold snort and walked out.
At this time, dawn was breaking,
A thick fog enveloped everything, giving the Hundred Households Office an almost dreamlike appearance.
In the main hall, the light of candles mingled with morning’s first rays, creating a scene both eerie and severe.
Rong Hao again produced the written order, speaking frostily: "I, Rong Hao, am acting with Lord Wan’s command, here to arrest those guilty of dereliction. The South City Hundred Households Office is to cooperate unconditionally and surrender the offenders: South City Hundred Households Office Chief Banner Ma Lang, Ma Long, Small Banner Chen Fei..."
Gu Zhan returned to his seat, slowly sipped his tea, a trace of mockery on his lips as he smiled at Rong Hao.
Rong Hao felt deeply uneasy under Gu Zhan’s gaze; as he finally finished reading out the names, he realized with a jolt that the people he meant to arrest were all right there in the main hall.
A wave of foreboding swept through his heart, but he forced himself to ignore it and waved his hand: "Take them!"
Yet, as Rong Hao gave the order, the East City Embroidered Uniform Guards at his back all hesitated, shuffling nervously, none daring step forward.
Rong Hao’s face immediately darkened; he knew his men were intimidated by Gu Zhan’s reputation as the God of Slaughter—or rather, there was not a single Embroidered Uniform Guard in Linjiang City unafraid of Gu Zhan. After all, his feats of twice killing Shangguan, and many times wielding a blade, chasing several hundreds, had already become legendary within the ranks.
Rong Hao looked grim, glancing at a few of his closest confidants, then issued a cold grunt.
At once, his confidants, steeling themselves, advanced with shackles to seize the men.
But as soon as they moved forward,
Gu Zhan, seated in the place of honor, suddenly raised his head.
That single movement alone made those Embroidered Uniform Guards shudder and freeze in their tracks.
Rong Hao tensed immediately, warning, "Gu Zhan, do you intend to defy direct orders?"
"Don’t misunderstand," Gu Zhan replied with contempt, "I merely wish to say to Lord Rong: bon voyage!"
Rong Hao was instantly enraged. No matter how he heard it, those words sounded ominous, yet just as he was about to retort, he caught sight of Gu Zhan’s vague smile in the dimness. For some reason, his scalp tingled, and the words died in his throat.
"Take them away!"
Rong Hao barked the command.
His Embroidered Uniform Guards kept their eyes glued to Gu Zhan, and, noticing his countenance remained impassive, at last mustered the courage to seize the men.
To their relief, Ma Lang and the other South City Hundred Households Office leaders offered not a hint of resistance.
Very soon, led away in great disorder, the Embroidered Uniform Guards hustled their captives out of the hall as if fleeing for their lives.
As they exited the hall,
The red light of the rising sun cut through the mist,
And the Embroidered Uniform Guards all let out long sighs of relief, only then realizing that their backs were drenched in sweat.
Their expressions were dazed,
It turned out that facing the legendary God of Slaughter was truly this terrifying.
Not only did these Guards feel a lingering dread—even Rong Hao, who had always looked down on a commoner like Gu Zhan, could not help but heave a sigh of relief.
He strode quickly out into the courtyard to join the Rong Family entourage, and before anyone could speak, he declared, "Move quickly! Let us avoid untoward incidents!"
The Rong Family were somewhat puzzled, but wasted no words, following him out of the Hundred Households Office.
The moment they stepped outside,
The warmth of the rising sun fell upon them. Just then, Rong Hao slowly turned back,
And in that instant, the gate of the Hundred Households Office seemed to him like a bloody, gaping maw, a feeling of having narrowly escaped death welling up inside.
He could not help but feel a pang of resentment:
To have been so intimidated by a mere mud-legged peasant—should word of this get out, it would be a laughing stock.
The party quickly departed,
Soon reaching a street corner, where the bustling marketplace stretched as far as the eye could see—crowds so dense as to be overwhelming, vendors shouting everywhere, and Martial World People with weapons at their sides.
Rong Hao led the Embroidered Uniform Guards to clear a path at the front.
But as they reached a crossroads, suddenly all the avenues became crowded in an instant, streams of people flowing back and forth, and vendors pushed carts in every direction.
"Something’s not right!"
Years of experience among the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the underworld made Rong Hao instantly sense something amiss.
"Stay on your guard—"
Yet, before he could finish,
From the jostling, chaotic crowd, bundles and packages suddenly flew through the air, tossed straight at their party.
Rong Hao and his people dodged or raised their blades to block.
"Pfft—"
Suddenly, one bundle was slashed open,
And at once, clouds of powder burst forth,
And as the dust billowed, Rong Hao’s face changed. He said in a grave tone, "Five Stone Powder!"
The members of the Rong Family all turned pale.
Before they could react,
The chaos of the long street abruptly became eerily well-organized. From every lane and alley surged great numbers of Martial World toughs, all armed, and leading them were men whose arms bore the special flying fish insignia of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, marked with the bold characters of Special Service Battalion.
"We have received a tip-off: lawmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, abusing their authority to shield others, are trafficking illegal Five Stone Powder. South City Embroidered Uniform Guard Special Service Battalion—here to arrest the offenders!"
A dark mass of several thousand immediately encircled Rong Hao’s party.
At once, the Rong Family realized—
This was all Gu Zhan’s doing.
Rong Hao himself felt a bit panicked; the opposing force was overwhelming. He hastily asked, "Grand Elder, what should we do?"
The Grand Elder of the Rong Family understood the situation at once, and said coldly, "Hmph, at the end of the day it’s just some rabble from the Martial World. To dare block the Rong Family? I’d like to see who in Linjiang City would dare lay a finger on me, Rong Wanlin!"
Before the words had faded,
A Feathered Arrow suddenly cut through the dawn, flying swiftly to shatter Rong Wanlin’s ceremonial crown, scattering his white hair, but one of the Rong Family experts behind him failed to evade in time and was shot through the brow on the spot.

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