It was another bright and sunny morning.
「Wangjian Inn.」
"AHH—!"
"Soone's been killed—!"
A sudden, terrified scream instantly shattered the morning's tranquility.
It was the inn's waiter, who had gotten up early to open the doors, only to see the corpse hanging on the main gate. The body was drenched in blood, as if it had just been fished out of a blood-filled vat. Fresh blood still dripped from the tips of its toes onto the ground. One could barely make out that it was the body of Manager Liu from the Wangjian Inn!
Overnight, the Red Lion Gang, which had caused trouble in Wangjian Town for decades, had been annihilated in a bloody massacre. Including their leader Cheng Haonan, over one hundred and thirty people had died tragically in the Red Lion Building.
This news spread throughout Wangjian Town in a very short ti, causing a massive uproar. Not long after, it reached the ears of Princess Guang, Gu Jianxi.
「Heavenly Azure Imperial Capital.」
In King Guang's Mansion, Gu Jianxi was dressed in a long gown of pale green gauze and adorned with an ornate crown. She looked dazzling and luxurious, but sohow, she failed to give off an aura of noble grace and elegance. She always seed to lack a certain quality.
At this mont, Gu Jianxi's face was as dark as it could be. She put down the confidential letter and said, "Inform the Shadow Tower. Send people to Wangjian Town to investigate."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Gu Jianxi casually tossed the letter aside and rose, walking toward the exquisitely luxurious bedchambers.
To her, a minor power like the Red Lion Gang was nothing more than a pack of dogs she kept. She wouldn't care if there was one more or one less, nor would it affect her in any way. But if you're going to beat a dog, you still have to consider its master. The dogs she had raised for years were slaughtered by soone else, and she, their owner, naturally couldn't save face. If she didn't respond promptly, incidents like the extermination of the Red Lion Gang would surely happen again. Besides, Cheng Haonan had worked hard for her over the years, amassing a considerable fortune. Even if he had no great rits, he had certainly toiled for her.
Soon, Gu Jianxi found Luo Yunnie in the bedchambers, busy reviewing morials to the throne.
"Your Highness… when are you going to deal with that Shen Luo Comrce Guild?"
Luo Yunnie looked at the wife who had shared his bed for so many years and felt a sudden wave of impatience. "Jianxi, you are a Princess Consort, and more importantly, the mother of Emperor Hao. You stand at the pinnacle of the Three Thousand Worlds… So, can you please have sothing other than money in your eyes?"
Hearing this, Gu Jianxi pouted, her displeasure evident. "Ever since that Shen Luo Comrce Guild was established, my businesses have suffered one setback after another. Many of my enterprises have been driven to bankruptcy. Now that we've discovered there's a problem with this Shen Luo Comrce Guild, why don't you just deal with them directly? I've long found that Li Ruiting and Lin Wansuo to be an eyesore!"
Luo Yunnie stated solemnly, "The Shen Luo Comrce Guild is backed by the Minister of Revenue, who controls seventy percent of the Plateau's economic lifeline. Tampering with it could destabilize everything. How could it be sothing we move against on a whim? In short, I will make my own decision on this matter. You are a woman of the household; you should refrain from recklessly discussing matters of state."
"Hmph, I don't care!"
Luo Yunnie sighed softly and paid her no more attention.
He had long grown accustod to, and even understood, Gu Jianxi's vulgar behavior, which was like that of a common woman from the market. After all, their entire family had climbed from the very bottom to their current heights. The mindset and habits of the lower class were deeply ingrained and truly difficult to change.
Many, many years ago, Luo Yunnie's family was just a part of the Luo Clan Outer Tribe, constantly bullied and oppressed. However, compared to other outer tribes, Luo Yunnie's family was slightly better off. At that ti, the couple had been married for six years; Luo Xian had just turned five, and Luo Hao was two. The couple had to pull many strings to avoid being exiled, and they were finally assigned to work in the Inner Plains, responsible for trimming the flowers and grass beneath the Sacred Tree. To put it nicely, they were gardeners; to put it bluntly, they were laborers.
Until one night, the couple found a baby who had fallen from the sky beneath the Sacred Tree…
From that mont on, the gears of fate began to turn. A once-bullied outer tribe now stood at the Summit of the Plateau, looking down on all of existence.
「Wangjian Inn.」
Luo Xiu slept until he woke naturally. After washing up and stepping out of his room, he found Wang Wu and A Wei waiting for him at the door.
"What are you two doing?"
Without a word, Wang Wu and A Wei dropped to their knees and kowtowed loudly.
"Brother Haoran, words cannot express our gratitude! From now on, my life is yours!" A Wei exclaid.
Wang Wu's eyes were red as he said, "Haoran, I was narrow-minded before, always picking fights with you. I apologize for that!"
"Haoran, from now on, my life is yours too!"
Luo Xiu was left sowhat speechless by their display.
Wang Wu looked up at him. "We will never speak a word about what happened last night with the Red Lion Gang. And thank you for avenging . Those bastards… I wish I could eat their flesh and drink their blood!"
A Wei added, "Brother Haoran, you did a great job killing them! It's a pity I wasn't there last night, or I would have slaughtered a few of those bastards myself!"
Luo Xiu waved his hand. "Alright, there's no need to bring it up again. By the way, how are the two of them doing?"
At this, Wang Wu sighed. "After we got back, Yueyue has been crying nonstop. She refuses to leave her room."
A Wei, standing beside him, also sighed, his eyes filling with tears as he thought of how his beautiful wife had suffered such humiliation.
Luo Xiu felt a pang of guilt. "Comfort them as best you can," he said.
After sending the two n away, Luo Xiu left the inn alone, planning to find sothing to eat on the street.
Suddenly, as if appearing from nowhere, the ever-elusive Jian Jiu Yang materialized from the crowd and clapped Luo Xiu on the shoulder.
"Young friend Haoran, co with ," he said.
A short while later, outside Wangjian Town, an old man and a young man stood atop a mountain. Below them was the Red Lion Building, a place still thick with the stench of blood.
Breaking the silence, Jian Jiu Yang suddenly asked, "You're the one who killed them, aren't you, kid? I can still feel the remnants of your Sword Intent here."
"So, Senior, have you co to capture ?" Luo Xiu asked.
Jian Jiu Yang smiled faintly and countered, "Why would you think I've co to apprehend you?"
Luo Xiu replied slowly, "As the Highland Sword God, you carry the heavy responsibility of protecting the Plateau. Since I killed so many people on the Plateau overnight, it seems only right that you would co for ."
Hearing this, Jian Jiu Yang burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
Jian Jiu Yang's expression turned serious. "My duty is to protect the Plateau, not to protect a bunch of animals like the Red Lion Gang."
Luo Xiu was silent.
"Let ask you this," Jian Jiu Yang continued. "When you drew your sword and killed them, did you feel any guilt in your heart?"
"None at all," Luo Xiu replied without a second thought.
"Good! That is what it ans to be worthy of your sword!" Jian Jiu Yang praised loudly.
"Then what exactly does Senior intend?" Luo Xiu asked.
"The trouble is that the woman Gu Jianxi is the one behind the Red Lion Gang," Jian Jiu Yang explained. "I just received news that the Shadow Tower has apparently been mobilized. They're coming to Wangjian Town to investigate this matter."
He added, "But don't you worry about it. They haven't figured out it was you yet, so just focus on participating in your Sword Discussion Assembly. I'll take care of this for you."
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