Pingyang City, Hundred Households Office.

The intelligence from Youyang was sent back to the Hundred Households Office at the very first moment. When they received the news, Mo Beiyan and the rest of the upper echelon were all dumbfounded.

After a long while, Mo Beiyan slowly said, "Brother Gu’s actions... are always so unexpected. The Lingxi Sword Sect just vanished like that, and even the Lingyang Gu Family is willing to support Brother Gu as a whole clan. This... truly... truly... is unimaginable!"

The group of higher-ups also wore expressions of disbelief,

These people were all Mo Beiyan’s confidants. They were well aware that the purpose of rebuilding the Embroidered Uniform Guard in recent days was precisely to control the Pingyang Martial World.

However, the seven top-tier forces of the Pingyang Martial World were tacitly resisting the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Apart from minor scuffles, the Guard had no way to make a move at all.

And the Hundred Households Office massacre in Youyang City,

All were still worried that this would become the beginning of these seven major forces sanctioning the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Yet no one ever imagined, Gu Zhan would charge into Youyang City, hacking about wildly, and actually managed to force open a breach.

After a round of exclamations,

An elderly Hundred Households stood and cupped his hands, saying, "Sixth Young Master, now is not the time for joy. There are two major loopholes in this matter. Should there be the slightest carelessness, we may be doomed for eternity."

Mo Beiyan asked, "What loopholes?"

That Hundred Households said, "From the intelligence, Lord Gu was rather impetuous. He killed the Lu Family Grand Elder. No matter what the Grand Elder has done, in the end, he had nothing to do with the extermination at the Hundred Households Office. Lord Gu killed him, and this might become an opportunity for all the factions to stir up trouble.

Second, given Lord Gu’s temperament, he would certainly wipe out the Lingxi Sword Sect directly. Yet that’s a first-tier force after all, and many of its disciples are entangled with the other Pingyang Martial World influences. But Lord Gu is precisely the kind of man who kills without hesitation; this too will directly become a pretext for the great factions to make things difficult."

Mo Beiyan frowned, troubled, "Then... what should we do?"

That Hundred Households said, "As things stand, we may need the Beidou Sect Sub-Branch to step in and mediate. Either way, we must first suppress this matter. Otherwise, even with the Gu Family’s help, there are still five other major forces, not to mention the many second- and third-tier groups—under siege, even Lord Gu cannot withstand it."

Mo Beiyan immediately nodded, "Make preparations. I’ll set out for the Pingyang Sub-Branch right away."

...

The Beidou Bang, as the undisputed overlord in Canglan Dao, could not be held down by the Nu River Dragon King alone. Half of the Dragon King’s fame came from his own strength; the other half belonged to the Beidou Bang under his command.

In those years, Canglan Dao was a land of warring heroes,

Several top-tier factions with Grandmasters existed, but in the end, all were either destroyed or driven off under the might of the Dragon King and his Beidou Bang. Thus came an era where only the Beidou Bang stood dominant.

Based on the pattern of the Seven Stars of Beidou, the Beidou Bang established the seven great Sub-Branches—Dubhe, Phecda, Merak, Megrez, Jade Balance, Kaiyang, and Shaking Light—across the seven largest County Mansions of Canglan Dao.

Though these Sub-Branches might not be able to rule over the local Martial World influences by force, they truly held the right to command the Martial World, resembling the Martial Arts Alliance—keeping the entire Canglan Daoist Martial World in check for the Beidou Bang.

Among the seven Sub-Branches, Dubhe, Phecda, Merak, and Megrez were the Upper Four Sectors, always managed by the Beidou Bang Elder Council, while Jade Balance, Kaiyang, and Shaking Light, the Lower Three Sectors, were more remote and always under the direct command of Gang Leader Mo Jingzhou.

Pingyang Prefecture was where the Kaiyang Sub-Branch resided, and several nearby County Mansions’ Martial World forces were all regulated by Kaiyang Sub-Branch.

This Kaiyang Sub-Branch was thus one of the Lower Three Sectors,

Precisely because it was one of the Lower Three Sectors, it had always been managed directly by Gang Leader Mo Jingzhou, allowing it to maintain neutrality throughout years of succession disputes.

The reason Mo Jingzhou placed his powerless, backgroundless son Mo Beiyan—Sixth Young Master—here, was largely to shield Mo Beiyan from being dragged into conflicts, and, in the future, regardless of which son ascended as Gang Leader, he would still be able to keep close tabs on Mo Beiyan, preventing suspicion and ensuring Mo Beiyan’s lifetime of affluence.

This was a tacit understanding among the upper echelon of the Beidou Bang, so these past few years, Mo Beiyan lived comfortably in Pingyang Prefecture, all due to the deliberate care of the Kaiyang Sub-Branch Leader. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

And this Branch Leader had always remained neutral, fair in all affairs, impartial to any young master. Mo Beiyan had every confidence he could persuade this Leader to step in and mediate—it was, after all, a Sub-Branch’s duty.

On the journey,

Mo Beiyan wasted not a moment, riding his Red Fire Dragon Steed day and night without rest.

The Red Fire Dragon Steed was a particularly rare variant—a bloodline-mutated horse of extraordinary speed and strength, each worth a fortune in the Martial World, coveted by all. Many special Heavy Armored Cavalry in military forces used such steeds; ordinary horses simply couldn’t bear the power of a strong Martial Artist.

Such a horse, if casually placed among regular horse kings, would be crowned the king of kings—whether strength or endurance, both were terrifying.

The Kaiyang Sub-Branch was set at a wharf in Pingyang Prefecture, controlling the water routes of Pingyang and several surrounding County Mansions. This was also the foundation of Beidou Bang’s dominance, and the source of the Nu River Dragon King’s title.

This Kaiyang Sub-Branch was a familiar place for Mo Beiyan; many there recognized him, and he faced no obstacle, quickly arriving within the branch itself.

However, to Mo Beiyan’s surprise, he was not met by the Branch Leader, but by a Steward.

This Steward was not a veteran of the Sub-Branch, only assigned here a few years prior, and did not hold much sway in the branch.

Mo Beiyan was puzzled and asked, "Where is Squad Leader Liu?"

The Steward cupped his hands, "Sixth Young Master, truly sorry, but recently many things have happened in our Sub-Branch. Squad Leader Liu has been promoted to Elder in Canglan City and left, taking with him a large group of people. The new Branch Leader just arrived and then left to handle affairs, so the Sub-Branch is in chaos. We haven’t had time to notify you; the new Branch Leader also planned to visit you after returning, but you came first. Since you’re here, why not stay a few days? The new Branch Leader will be back soon!"

Mo Beiyan waved his hand, "Then, who is currently in charge here?"

"That would be me," said the Steward.

Mo Beiyan quickly summarized what had happened in Youyang City, then said, "I need the Sub-Branch to send people with me to Youyang City for mediation, so as to avoid turmoil in the entire Pingyang Martial World!"

The Steward looked troubled, "Sixth Young Master, I cannot make this decision. The Sub-Branch is already chaotic, and the new Branch Leader isn’t back yet. Would you be willing to wait a few days? There is no other way!"

Mo Beiyan stared at the Steward and asked, "Who is the new Branch Leader?"

"Liu Ziyuan—Squad Leader Liu!"