"Come on!"
Gu Zhan shouted angrily at Gao Jun and the others: "A bunch of old bastards, times have changed. These days, if you want to run the scene, stop acting like some grandpa—if you're not convinced, just fight!"
The advisors from the Hundred Households Office were all intimidated, involuntarily retreating two steps. After all, they were just penpushers and scholars—not cut out for killing and brawling.
The only ones still calm in the room were Gao Jun and another Hundred Households from the Hundred Households Office. Both were martial arts experts who had clawed their way up from the bottom—though age had mellowed them, they weren't so easily cowed.
But being mocked so openly by a young punk like Gu Zhan, both their faces darkened.
The Hundred Households from the Hundred Households Office stayed fairly composed; truth was, he had no real grudge with Gu Zhan. He held back Gao Jun's fury, looked at Gu Zhan, and said, "Lord Gu, say what you will, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard's reputation matters. This public frame-job of yours..."
"Go to hell!" Gu Zhan sneered. "Isn't all this mess your doing? Fine, today I'll put it plain—we do this the hard way: Either you leave, or we have a real fight with blades and guns. Winner stands, loser lies down!"
"Insolent brat!" Gao Jun's face sank, and he said, "You really think I'm afraid of you? Gu Zhan, you ignore the law, disrespect the Embroidered Uniform Guard, abuse your private power—take my advice and admit your mistakes, or no one will be able to protect you."
Gu Zhan sneered and spoke slowly: "If you've got guts, let's go for it now. When things blow up, let's see if Luo Bingsheng can keep a lid on this."
Gao Jun's face flickered between green and pale,
He really didn't dare lead people to take Gu Zhan head-on right now,
He was certain about Gu Zhan's stance—no way he'd back down. If he pushed, it would turn into a full-blown fight, and with Gu Zhan's temperament, it would be to the death. Who knows how many casualties.
When the Embroidered Uniform Guard started tearing itself apart with heavy losses, just the Hundred Households Office couldn't cover it up. The Garrison Commandant's Office of the State Mansion would be alarmed, and then things would spiral beyond control.
"Madman!"
Gao Jun secretly cursed; he wasn't about to act as reckless as Gu Zhan. If he were younger, he might have gambled for his future, but now that he's older and has everything he wants, his concerns are piled up!
And as Gao Jun backed down,
The team from the Hundred Households Office instantly lost their momentum, while the South City Hundred Households Office's Embroidered Uniform Guards surged with confidence,
They all felt vindicated,
The Embroidered Uniform Guards from the Hundred Households Office used to look down their noses, naturally above the Hundred Households Office crowd.
To make the Hundred Households Office eat humble pie today felt strangely satisfying for all.
Gao Jun's face was dark as ink,
He realized he'd underestimated Gu Zhan's nerve. He hadn't thought Gu Zhan would dare draw his blade even after Gu Chuan left. Now he was left hanging, off-script from his plan.
The original plan was just to dominate the scene with force,
Pressure Gu Zhan into giving way, and once Gu Zhan backed down, the South City Hundred Households Office would collapse in an instant. He could directly take over and start a purge, cutting off the foundation Gu Chuan had built over the years.
"Hmph!"
Gu Zhan glanced at the silent Gao Jun with a cold snort, then beckoned: "South City Embroidered Uniform Guard, hear my order—search!"
Instantly,
The Embroidered Uniform Guards all sprang into action,
But just then,
A calm voice floated down from upstairs: "Lord Gu, isn't this a breach of protocol?"
A white-haired elder, full of energy, twirled his Buddha beads and slowly descended. Behind him trailed a swarm of weapon-toting martial toughs. At the same time, a noisy commotion erupted at the entrance of the White Rat Pavilion.
No one knew when, but the long street had emptied out,
From both ends, two masses of people marched out, each dragging a sharp blade across the flagstones with a dense 'zizi' noise like thousands of cicadas flying.
About five or six hundred martial warriors.
All from the White Rat Gang—most just hangers-on, but sheer numbers gave them real presence.
The atmosphere in the White Rat Pavilion grew heavier,
So much pressure it was hard to breathe.
The white-haired elder wore a slight smile as he descended. When he reached Gu Zhan, a martial tough quickly fetched a chair. The elder sat down with deliberate grace, took the teacup handed to him, sipped, and spoke leisurely: "I am Wang Bai."
Gu Zhan glanced at Wang Bai and said, "So you're the rat?"
"What did you say?"
"Kid, mind your mouth!"
"Big deal, Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
"..."
Gu Zhan's words instantly whipped Wang Bai's underlings into a chorus of shouts.
Wang Bai waved his hand, quelling the uproar. He smiled slightly and said, "Lord Gu is a government officer, not from the martial world, so it's fair you don't know my name. Let me introduce myself: I'm Wang Bai, nicknamed the Flying White Rat. Thanks to my peers, everyone calls me Master Bai, and if Lord Gu is willing, you can call me that too."
Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes, his tone cold: "If I really called you that, you'd probably only get to hear it with your life on the line..."
"Kid, don't get too arrogant!"
At once, a burly enforcer behind Wang Bai jabbed his finger at Gu Zhan and barked, "Letting you call him Master Bai is giving you face..."
"Qiang"
A metallic clang rang out, white light flashed,
Gu Zhan's Tang blade shot out like a flood dragon breaking the surface, straight into that enforcer's mouth, the tip piercing through the back of his skull.
As the blade came out,
The corpse collapsed with a crash, blood spraying into Wang Bai's teacup.
"What pisses me off most are people who can't figure out their place!" Gu Zhan gently shook the blood from his blade, looked at Wang Bai, and said, "Master Bai, your man didn't understand the rules—I helped you clean up, that alright?"
Wang Bai's face turned ashen, silent.
His underlings were all stunned, none of them dared make a sound.
Gu Zhan chuckled softly, took a stack of wanted posters from Chen Fei and spread them before Wang Bai. "Master Bai, these people—each and every one of them—I want them handed over. I've called you Master Bai twice, that's worth this price, right?"
Wang Bai gently placed his blood-splattered teacup on the table and said, "Lord Gu, today the lordly Hundred Households Office and Hundred Households Gao are all here. Surely you're not planning to abuse your power in front of witnesses? I, Wang Bai, run legitimate business. The lords of the Hundred Households Office can testify for me, and my brothers can vouch too. Lord Gu, why not ask them yourself?"