Fifth Grade.
In an instant, Gu Zhan's cultivation took another leap forward, his inner power surged explosively, and the solidity of his strength seemed to have crossed a new threshold.
Gu Zhan felt a bit emotional.
As expected, the further you go, the more dramatic the changes brought by breakthroughs in cultivation become.
He briefly sensed the changes within his cultivation,
then immediately began to check it in detail,
There were still 31 experience points left,
After thinking for a moment, he used thirty experience points to enhance the Mountain-Opening Saber Technique, this slaughter technique.
[Used 30 experience points]
[Mountain-Opening Saber Technique increased to Minor Success Level]
In an instant,
The bottleneck at the Initial Glimpse of the Mountain-Opening Saber Technique vanished, and Gu Zhan vaulted straight into the Minor Success Realm. It was as if he'd practiced Mountain-Opening Saber Technique for decades—every move, every stance, fully at his command, masterful.
He let out a long breath of turbid air and scanned the system panel:
Player: Gu Zhan
Realm: Fifth Grade
Cultivation Technique: Profound Yuan Skill (Fifth Floor 0/500)
Skills: Wind-Breaking Saber Technique (Great Success)
Big Goose Skill (Entry Level 0/30)
Mountain-Opening Saber Technique (Minor Success 0/70)
Experience Points: 1
...
Just within a few breaths,
Gu Zhan's combat power had risen an entire rank,
Of course, only he was aware of this.
After putting away the system,
Gu Zhan didn't leave directly, but instead looked toward the civilians cowering in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and strode over quickly.
When they saw Gu Zhan, his face still covered with blood, coming their way, the crowd of civilians panicked, immediately thrown into chaos. Many of them couldn't help trembling, all instinctively retreating.
Gu Zhan looked at these people and said in a deep voice, "If you want to keep your houses and land, today is your last chance. You all saw what happened just now. I killed quite a few from the Celestial Water Gang. This matter is definitely going to blow up.
But, to make it big enough that the Government Office has no choice but to handle it—it's not something I can do alone, nor can you. Right now, the only chance is while this is fresh: all of you must go to the Prefecture Government and file a report. I'll use the authority of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to set the case in stone. This is your only chance."
The crowd remained silent.
But many looked at Gu Zhan with doubt in their eyes,
That's just how people's hearts are,
Their first reaction was that Gu Zhan was using them.
Gu Zhan snorted coldly and said, "Do it if you want, don't if you don't. It won't affect me one bit. But you lot… heh, you've got no way out anyway!"
With that, Gu Zhan turned and left without another word.
This move,
threw the civilians into a bit of a panic,
If Gu Zhan had tried persuading them patiently, they would've suspected some ulterior motive. But seeing him so unconcerned, worry for their own fate kicked in, and they subconsciously began to believe him.
The elderly Jin, who'd been slapped by Liu Hong, gathered his courage and shouted, "Gu… Lord Gu, are you really willing to plead our case?"
"You're overthinking it," Gu Zhan replied coldly. "I'm just doing my duty—not interested in pleading for you all. Do as you like. All I'll do is collect Celestial Water Gang's incriminating evidence and hand it over to the Prefecture Government. Whether you seize this chance is up to you and has nothing to do with me!"
With that,
Gu Zhan didn't linger and left straight away.
Leaving behind a crowd of civilians looking at one another.
After a brief silence, a burly middle-aged man spoke loudly, "I'm going to take a shot! In the past, when we reported to the authorities, the Government Office always refused us, claiming we made false reports. But this time, with Lord Gu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard endorsing the case, the Prefecture Government has no reason not to accept it!"
"I'll go too!"
"Count me in! The three Jin brothers led us and got killed by Celestial Water Gang. Even if just for their revenge, we have to go!"
"We've got no way out either. Celestial Water Gang wants to seize our homes and land yet offers next to nothing for them. They're trying to kill us! Might as well fight for it!"
"..."
Outside Mud Bottle Lane,
As Gu Zhan saw the stream of hundreds of civilians—old, young, men, women—rushing out after him, a faint smile hooked at the corner of his lips.
The people's will was usable. With this advantage, he was confident he could settle this crisis. Unless it came to the last straw, he wasn't willing to be forced to flee Linjiang City.
"Captain Chen," Gu Zhan suddenly patted Chen Fei, whose face was full of confusion, and said, "Once you're back at the Hundred Households Office, go straight to the Main Hospital!"
Then, Gu Zhan turned to the other two captains and instructed, "You two, send people back to the Hundred Households Office right now—spread news about what happened today as loudly as possible. The louder the better, best if the entire office hears of it!"
Chen Fei and the others were puzzled. They asked, "Lord, you want to push the Hundred Households Office to stand up for us? Celestial Water Gang is powerful and has some serious backing in the Prefecture Government. I'm afraid that won't work!"
Gu Zhan said coolly, "How old is our Lord Hundred Households?"
Chen Fei replied doubtfully, "Around thirty, sir. Why do you ask?"
Gu Zhan gave a light laugh. "Such a young Hundred Households isn't going to stay in that post forever—he'll want to get promoted. If he's ambitious, he can't afford to ignore his reputation. The Embroidered Uniform Guard might be afraid to provoke Celestial Water Gang, but if a dignified Hundred Households is scared of a Martial World gang, how's he supposed to move up in the world?"
Chen Fei and the others' eyes instantly lit up,
Though anxiety still simmered, their burden felt noticeably lighter. The suffocating shadow of Celestial Water Gang suddenly seemed to disperse quite a bit.
...
The inner city of Linjiang was in an uproar,
Hundreds of ragged civilians, almost all with white cloth tied around their arms, three coffins carried in front, shouting slogans like "Let the Prefecture Government give us justice!" and "The Celestial Water Gang kills and burns…" knelt at the Government Office's gates.
In that moment, countless onlookers gathered,
The entire street in front of the Prefecture Government was packed solid, no room to squeeze through.
At the same time,
Gu Zhan's group arrived at the Hundred Households Office, bringing with them corpses and a gang of Celestial Water Gang goons.
Gu Zhan had just entered the East Courtyard when he was called into a large hall, where Chief Banner Lei Yun immediately stormed over and started a furious tirade.
"Gu Zhan, just what do you think you're doing? Huh? I sent you there for show—for procedure only—and you up and killed so many people! Are you trying to turn the world upside down?"
Gu Zhan's expression was calm as he replied slowly, "Lord Lei, I had no choice. Celestial Water Gang's men came at me first—they didn't have the Embroidered Uniform Guard in their eyes at all. Am I supposed to just sit and take it? Does the Embroidered Uniform Guard let some Martial World gang shout and murder at will?"
"Hmph," Lei Yun snorted coldly. "And who gave you permission to kill people in public?"
Gu Zhan retorted, "But you can't just…"
"Enough," Lei Yun waved his hand, "I think you're just too young and hot-headed. You're suspended for the time being. Go home and reflect on your actions. When you'll be reinstated—you'll be notified!"
The moment Lei Yun finished,
The two captains who had come with Gu Zhan turned pale in an instant.
Suspending him now was as good as telling Celestial Water Gang they were free to take revenge on Gu Zhan without any fear.
An Embroidered Uniform Guard with official status—if Celestial Water Gang wanted revenge, they'd have to think twice. But a guard without a post? That was a different story altogether!