Chapter 246: Chapter 241: If the Dragon King Won’t Teach, I Will

"Embroidered Uniform Guard, where are you?"

Gu Zhan pulled the reins, shouting loudly.

"Here!" "Here!" "Here!"

Hundreds of Embroidered Uniform Guards roared in unison, their voices shaking the mountains and rivers, stirring the hearts of all nearby and rousing a heroic, impassioned momentum that set battle blood ablaze!

The Mansion Army Commander’s face changed dramatically, shouting, "Gu Zhan, what are you doing? Are you defying the Elder Council’s order? You—"

"Pa!"

Gu Zhan lashed out his horsewhip. In that instant, the air froze, Primordial Qi pressed in, and though the commander was a Great Cultivator, he had no way to dodge, taking the lash squarely, flipping and smashing hard onto the ground.

Gu Zhan spurred his horse toward the commander, iron hoofs trampling directly on him.

The commander recoiled in terror, blood streaming from the whip wound on his cheek, and he shouted, "Gu Zhan, are you rebelling?"

"Pa!"

Gu Zhan lashed out again, his whip curling around the commander’s neck. No matter how fiercely the commander struggled, he could not break free and was dragged along the ground.

Without even glancing aside, Gu Zhan dragged the commander toward the Mansion Army’s ranks, his voice cold as ice: "First, I am the Squad Leader of Kaiyang Sub-Branch, directly under the Dragon King’s command. Who the hell are the Elder Council to question my authority?"

Second, you are government soldiers, the Dragon King’s Personal Guard. You take orders only from the Dragon King and the City Lord’s Mansion. Yet you follow another’s command to block the Young Lord from entering the city—this is rebellion, enough to wipe out three generations. Get lost!"

As he roared "Get lost,"

it was as if a god thundered in rage and the heavens exploded.

Instantly, a terrifying aura washed over—the Mansion Army trembled, some men fell to the ground in fright, warhorses neighed wildly, chaos breaking out in their ranks.

Gu Zhan pulled his reins, advancing on the government troops. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Dragged on the ground, the Mansion Army Commander let out a piteous howl. The soldiers, leaderless and shaken, saw Gu Zhan approach and scattered into further disorder.

At that moment, a voice called out: "Gu Zhan, the Mansion Army is here under my command. The inquiry is a joint order from the Law Enforcement Hall and Elder Council. Do you object?"

The Mansion Army slowly parted,

and a mounted company rode forth, their leader a middle-aged man bearing some resemblance to Mo Beiyan.

Upon seeing this man, the battered Commander on the ground shouted, "Third Young Master, save me! Gu Zhan... Gu Zhan is rebelling!"

In an instant, everyone recognized the man as Mo Qinghuan, third son of Canglan City.

Gu Zhan’s mind flashed with Mo Qinghuan’s background. Compared to the Eldest Young Master Mo Yan’an and the Fourth Young Master Mo Zhening, each born of a legitimate wife or favored concubine, Mo Qinghuan was but a concubine’s child of Mo Jingzhou.

Still, in contrast to unknown sons, his birth was decent, backed by his mother’s clan. With some ambition, he’d drawn support to vie for succession rights.

But aside from brief early momentum, once the political winds clarified, both Mo Yan’an and Mo Zhening rapidly outstripped and sidelined him.

Yet this man was ever ambitious but shallow, full of wild dreams and bitter over his defeat. Last winter, on pretense of his mother’s memorial, he returned to Canglan City and lingered, unwilling to depart.

But with Mo Yan’an and Mo Zhening present, he could not stir up any real trouble—and neither cared to bother with his petty schemes, letting him play his harmless little games.

But Mo Qinghuan didn’t see it that way,

always convinced his cunning went unnoticed, always biding his time, convinced this was patient forbearance and long suffering for future revenge.

Finally,

today the Liu Family approached him, and Mo Qinghuan instantly believed his moment had come—his patience and endurance had paid their due.

Mo Yan’an and Mo Zhening were both dead,

as if fate itself favored him,

and his only rival now was Mo Beiyan—a bastard son without even a proper title, a true nobody.

If Mo Yan’an or Mo Zhening, or any of the earlier contenders, were still present, he might still hesitate. But with a mere Mo Beiyan as opponent, he was certain fortune smiled on him,

If he could fool even Mo Yan’an and Mo Zhening, why would he fear a rootless Mo Beiyan? With his own methods, victory was in the palm of his hand.

As for Gu Zhan,

he truly didn’t regard him at all,

a mere brute good at fighting, nothing more,

and what was his own status?

The struggles between young masters—how could such a brute dare interfere? What’s more, he now had the Liu Family’s support!

...

Looking at the arrogant Mo Qinghuan, Gu Zhan couldn’t tell for a moment whether the man was truly stupid or simply reckless because he thought he was untouchable.

"Gu Zhan!" Mo Qinghuan shouted coldly. "I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?" Then, turning to Mo Beiyan with contempt, "Mo Beiyan, is this how you control your men? Do you teach them no sense of rank or etiquette?"

Mo Beiyan froze,

staring blankly at Mo Qinghuan, at a loss for words,

Not to mention the Xuanhu Sect matter or what role Gu Zhan played—just today, he had beheaded Liu Xifan, a renowned Fifth Realm Great Cultivator, in public on Qingyun Street, and exterminated all of Mo Yan’an’s guards; for that alone, hardly anyone would dare address Gu Zhan so casually,

let alone that Gu Zhan was now the newly famed genius of Yunxi. After today, he’d surely be ranked in the top ten— even a Grandmaster would treat him with respect.

Most importantly,

Mo Qinghuan, unlike Mo Yan’an, held no official position in Beidou Bang—he was a mere commoner, even less than Mo Beiyan, who at least was Hall Master of Beidou Sect Sub-Branch and held an official post in Court.

But for this moment of confusion between Gu Zhan and Mo Beiyan, Mo Qinghuan was immensely satisfied, thinking he had cowed them both. At once, he snapped, "Mo Beiyan, mind your place. Get out of my city at once!"

He then turned back to Gu Zhan, voice icy: "Gu Zhan, did you not hear my words? Release him, get off your horse, and present yourself to the Law Enforcement Hall for punishment—or else..."

"Enough noise!"

Gu Zhan could not bear it any longer; he flicked his arm,

"Bang!"

A loud crack. The government army commander’s neck snapped and his head flew into the air.

At the same moment, Gu Zhan lashed out—

With a sharp crack, the whip lashed across Mo Qinghuan’s face.

"Ahh!" Mo Qinghuan shrieked, tumbling to the ground, screaming, "Gu Zhan, how dare you! You... You... men, kill him! Kill him!"

Gu Zhan dismounted immediately, striding toward Mo Qinghuan,

"Pa pa pa pa..."

His whip lashed furiously, each strike wringing pig-like screams from Mo Qinghuan, leaving him covered in wounds.

"Since the Dragon King never taught you manners, today I’ll show you what true respect is in his stead!"