“Looking for me?”
The leader at the Postnatal realm sneered. “What our master wants to do with your master is bloody business. Do you want to take his place?”
As he spoke, several burly men closed in and surrounded the grain carts.
Old Yang’s face changed drastically, and the few yamen runners escorting him nearby also looked tense!
It was obvious that the yamen runners were no match for these vicious lackeys of the Liu family at all!
At once, the atmosphere in front of the Gu grain store turned tense and on edge.
The formerly noisy Shangjing Long Street suddenly came to a stop. Some passersby ducked into nearby teahouses and restaurants, while others hurried home from a distance, daring only to peek through their windows.
Murmurs rose from time to time.
“What’s going on at the Gu grain store? Did it offend someone it shouldn’t have?”
“You weren’t here just now, so you didn’t hear them say they’re from the Liu family in Linjiang City…”
“My heavens! The Liu family? I heard they can cover the sky with one hand in Linjiang City. In a few more years, they’ll count as a major family in our Great Jing!”
“But why did the Liu family come after the Gu family?”
“Are you stupid? They’re both grain merchants. The Gu grain store stole their business!”
“Ah, the Gu family’s Young Master really is conscientious in business. What a pity…”
Quite a few people, like the inn waiter, were grateful for the Gu family’s kindness and sighed in regret, silently praying for the grain store. Of course, there were also a small number of people who were just jealous of the Gu family’s business and were ready to watch a good show.
At this moment!
That Postnatal realm man looked down at Old Yang and said, “Old man, to tell you the truth, our master is very unhappy that your Gu family expanded the business into Yunzhou and Xiangzhou and stole our Liu family’s business. He plans to invite your Young Master to Linjiang City for a proper talk…”
“If you know what’s good for you, call him out, and we’ll let you lot off!”
“Don’t think about secretly reporting this to the authorities. In the end, you’ll only die even worse!”
Old Yang naturally understood that officials protected one another.
Right now, the most important thing was to make sure Young Master could leave this place safely first!
“Fine, you brave gentlemen, please wait a moment. I-I’ll go call my Young Master right away…”
Old Yang put on an ingratiating smile.
“Old thing, you’re not thinking of running off with your master from the back, are you?” One of the Liu family lackeys was also smart. Before Old Yang could even leave, he drew a blade with a swish and pressed it against the necks of the other attendants in the grain store!
“As long as you don’t come back, I’ll kill one every half an incense stick, until they’re all dead… You can decide for yourself!”
Hearing this, the smile on Old Yang’s face froze all of a sudden, and his feet seemed to take root where they stood!
The people hiding in the shadows were also secretly alarmed!
“In broad daylight, the Liu family’s servants dare to draw blades and kill people in the city. Is there still any law left?!”
“The Liu family is so far above the emperor that Linjiang City is probably even more outrageous than this!”
“Sigh, now the Gu family is really in for huge trouble!”
“…”
Heh. Aristocratic and official households can rely on power to slaughter innocent people at will. With lives treated like grass, it’s no wonder the Jing Kingdom’s national fortune has fallen so sharply…
Seeing this, Gu Lan shook his head with a faint smile.
In the original novel, the Empress wanted to reverse the decline in one stroke, but she never focused on small places like this. In the end, a thousand-li dike could be destroyed by an ant nest.
In the end, it was still a feudal dynasty. The system was just too flawed!
Gu Lan set down his teacup, his starry eyes deep, and silently formed hand seals in his mind.
Immortal-rank mental art · Spirit Control!
He hadn’t expected that the casual glance he had given it that day would now come in handy, and at just the right moment…
“Today, this Young Master will do a good deed and help that Empress clean house. Hopefully… I can kill one to warn a hundred.”
…
In front of the grain store.
At this point, the burly men had seen what Old Yang had been thinking just now, and their faces immediately turned vicious!
“Old thing, you really were trying to play us for fools!”
“Just kill him. We’ll go look for him ourselves!”
At the leader’s command, the two mortal lackeys of the lowest rank rushed up, swinging their blades as they prepared to hack Old Yang to death.
But at that very instant.
Just as Old Yang was so frightened that he closed his eyes!
The two blades actually reversed direction at the same time, slashing straight sideways and, with astonishing coordination, slit the throats of their own companions!
In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere!
Two headless corpses fell neatly to the ground!
A full 3 seconds later!
Only after Old Yang felt something warm on his face did he open his eyes, and he was instantly dumbfounded, both eyes widening round!
The people hiding in the taverns and teahouses were also stunned silly, silently staring at the two corpses on the long street, their minds all short-circuiting at once!
Only those Liu family lackeys, after a moment of shock!
All drew their blades at Old Yang at the same time, their faces full of vigilance!
“Brothers, be careful. This old man is strange!”
“Damn it! I can’t tell at all. You old thing actually dared to play the pig to eat the tiger!?”
“…”
Everyone: ??!!
Old Yang: ???
What the hell! I didn’t do anything. Your people came up and started slashing each other!
Even if he said that, no one would believe it now!
After all, with Gu Lan making a move, unless it was a great expert above the Immortal Realm, it was impossible to see through the trick!
As everyone knew, Old Yang was just a worker at the Gu family’s grain store. At most, he was a little older, and he was usually very kind and easygoing with the neighbors.
But after hearing the Liu family’s lackeys say that!
The crowd immediately could not stay calm, and every one of them looked shocked!
“My heavens, I never expected Old Yang to be a reclusive master. A master was right beside me all along!”
“Damn, I still owe him 2 taels of silver. I need to hurry and pay it back tomorrow!”
“Old Yang really hid it deeply, and he doesn’t put on airs at all. Truly the bearing of a master!”
“…”
While they were filling in the blanks with their imaginations.
The person involved, Old Yang, still hadn’t recovered his wits!
The few lackeys exchanged glances with one another.
Then, they rushed over in the exact same posture, brandishing their blades at Old Yang!
However!
At that moment, a flash of blade light suddenly appeared.
It came from behind them!
Old Yang raised his arm to block weakly. When he lowered it, what he saw was actually a field of bodies cut in half!
Several lackeys had been sliced cleanly at the waist!
He was stunned!
Because the one who had swung that blade was the leader among the lackeys, the one who had just spoken and threatened to hack him to death, the only cultivator there who had reached the Postnatal realm!
Drip, drip…
Blood dripped from the blade. The Postnatal-realm lackey stood there in a daze.
Of course, the onlookers with their backs turned to this spot could not see any of this!
They only knew that just now, this leader had suddenly turned traitor and, with one move, stabbed all the Liu family lackeys in the back!
Good grief, did you come here to pick a fight or to star in Infernal Affairs!?
Their just-sorted thoughts turned chaotic again, and they looked at everything in the distance with blank, puzzled faces!
At this moment.
Inside the grain store, Gu Lan’s lips curved, and he softly uttered two words: “Kneel.”
Outside.
That lackey’s eyes instantly went stiff, and with a thud, he knelt straight down in front of Old Yang!
Everyone: !!!
Old Yang: ???
Suddenly, that lackey spoke!
“Replying to Lord, this lowly one is named Wang Qiang, a hereditary servant of the Liu family. I came today to smash the Gu grain store and bring Gu Lan back to Linjiang City.”
Old Yang’s eyes widened. His mouth twitched as he exclaimed, “I-I didn’t ask you anything…”
But immediately after that!
Wang Qiang spilled everything he knew.
To others, it looked as though Old Yang were really interrogating him on the spot!
“Replying to Lord, the backing behind Liu Tianwen is Prince Muyun, Liu Xi. However, the two of them actually have no real connection. Liu Tianwen just gave him a lot of money, then borrowed the tiger’s might to bully others in Linjiang City.”
“As for the grain seeds from the Gu grain store, we intercepted a batch on the way to Yunzhou before and secretly diverted them to Linjiang City. Liu Tianwen was very jealous…”
“…”
After hearing all that, everyone was dumbfounded!
“So Liu Tianwen was relying on Prince Muyun. No wonder he could act so arrogantly like a local tyrant!”
“The Liu family actually dared intercept grain sent to the front lines. That was military rations… if it were found out, wouldn’t that be a death sentence?!”
“Prince Muyun is in trouble now. He’ll definitely be implicated!”
“Damn, this servant is usable. Ask him about his master’s dirty business and he really spills everything!”
“…”
After hearing his account, Gu Lan nodded lightly and swept his slender, fair hand.
Outside.
Wang Qiang’s head dropped without a sound!
Needless to say, this was done again by the hidden master Old Yang!
The onlookers felt like they had finally understood the situation!
A group of lackeys overestimated themselves, provoked the disguised expert Old Yang, and ended up dying on the street without even knowing why!
Playing the pig to eat the tiger… how terrifying!
Their eyes toward Old Yang were filled with awe!
Old Yang’s eyes, however, were full of bewilderment!
And at this moment!
Gu Residence.
Liu Yexi spotted a shadow emerging from the darkness in a corner, looked around, and walked over. “What happened?”
Only the imperial close attendants knew this shadow. It was none other than the Xuantian Bureau covert guards that made all the officials fear them!
If flying-fish robes were the public enforcers, then the covert guards were a blade held only in the Empress’s hands, able to silently take the lives of ministers at any time!
Under normal circumstances, the covert guards would not come looking on their own.
“Under Lord’s orders, we were assigned to protect Young Master Gu. There was a change at the grain store today.” The covert guard’s voice was hoarse.
Liu Yexi’s pretty face changed color instantly. “Where is Young Master Gu? Is he all right?”
The covert guard shook his head, then recounted everything that had happened.
Liu Yexi let out a breath and waved her hand. “I understand. Go and keep an even closer watch. Gu Lan’s life is your life. Remember that!”
“This humble officer understands!”
…
Liu Yexi then went to the study to see the Empress.
Mu Yuyan was currently focused on Gu Lan’s masterpiece very carefully… those sheets of paper he usually doodled on. Her beautiful eyes were utterly absorbed.
“Your Majesty, something happened at the grain store. A few servants of the Liu family came to cause trouble, and they’ve already been wiped out…”
Liu Yexi did not dare speak with the big pauses that the covert guard used. Afraid Mu Yuyan would worry, she explained the whole story in one breath.
“Did the covert guards make the move? He didn’t notice, did he, dear husband?”
After hearing this, Mu Yuyan turned slightly and asked calmly.
She did not first care about the Linjiang City Liu family, even though they had already committed the capital offense of robbing military grain and even gotten a reigning prince involved…
“Replying to Your Majesty, it was not the covert guards who made the move.”
Liu Yexi explained softly, “According to the covert guard’s description, just as he was about to act, a very strange scene happened in the street…”
The strange part naturally referred to those lackeys suddenly turning on one another.
However, Liu Yexi had her own judgment.
Having spent day and night together, she knew Old Yang was just a mortal and absolutely not some kind of hidden master, so naturally she would not think like the people in the streets.
Mu Yuyan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. “Then you think someone intervened in secret?”
“Mm, and from the covert guard’s description… this humble officer thinks it was a spirit cultivator!”
Spirit cultivators were a side branch in this world’s cultivation system, also known as ghost cultivators. Their techniques were relatively strange and unpredictable, which fit what had happened today quite well.
After thinking it over, Liu Yexi added, “The covert guards couldn’t sense that spirit cultivator at all, which means that person is at least at the King realm, maybe even… Emperor-level.”
In any cultivation system, once someone reached the King or Emperor realm, in Langzhou City they were basically someone who could turn the clouds with a flip of the hand and summon rain with a turn of the hand!
The matter of the Master of the Hongmeng Sword had not yet been investigated.
Only a few months had passed, and now there was already another spirit cultivator of unknown origin in Langzhou City?!
Hearing that, Mu Yuyan’s willow brows knit together.
Although she knew the Gu family had never provoked any spirit cultivator factions, the thought that Gu Lan was still at the grain store still made her worry and lose her composure.
She then set down the paper in her hand, her gaze cold, and said in a low voice, “Little Xi, prepare the carriage.”