Stronger by Killing

She knew that the recent period in Yunxi would be the last phase of tranquility. It wouldn’t be long before it became the center of a storm, a storm that revolved around Gu Zhan. If Gu Zhan could endure, a bright future awaited.

She had great confidence in Gu Zhan.

Therefore, she was eager,

If the Gu Family missed this time frame, later on, under Gu Zhan’s command, there might not be room for the Gu Family. The sooner they act, the larger share they would occupy with Gu Zhan, and since Gu Zhan had just purged Yunxi, he urgently needed manpower.

As Gai Qingcheng thought,

Gu Zhan had gathered resources from all factions in Yunxi, and while he wasn’t short on funds and food in the short term, he lacked manpower.

Gu Zhan’s rise was too rapid, his territory expanded at an unimaginable speed, leaving no time to cultivate his foundation or team, resulting in a lack of capable people under his command to manage the entirety of Yunxi Land, making governance strained.

The Gu Family’s timely appearance was crucial.

As members of the Gu Family arrived in Yunxi one after another,

Rong Yichu and Nangong Weiyang both breathed a sigh of relief.

Governing a region is different from managing Martial World Sects,

Most of the people under Gu Zhan came from the Martial World, and were clueless about governance or military management.

So, over this period,

In terms of governance, Rong Yichu carried a heavy burden; regarding military affairs, Nangong Weiyang was extremely busy, especially since Yunxi had always been a place with strong Martial World influences, and recruits were mostly from the Martial World, unsuitable for military and government roles.

However, with the arrival of the Gu Family’s members,

The Yunxi Land finally returned to normal order in a short time.

...

Canglan City, Marquis Yun’s Mansion.

The morning mist was slowly dissipated by the sunrise.

Rong Yichu passed through unobstructed, directly arriving outside Gu Zhan’s courtyard.

Marquis Yun’s Mansion, previously the City Lord’s Mansion of Canglan City, was now incomparable to the past; it was deeply guarded, filled with experts.

Nevertheless, Rong Yichu could freely move within the City Lord’s Mansion, by special permission from Gu Zhan. There was no one within Marquis Yun’s Mansion who didn’t recognize Rong Yichu, who held multiple official positions and was second only to Gu Zhan in Yunxi.

Arriving outside the courtyard where Gu Zhan lived,

Rong Yichu stopped, not rashly barging in. Though Gu Zhan granted him free access, Rong Yichu understood the meaning of discretion.

Just as Rong Yichu was preparing to summon the guards,

A breathtakingly beautiful woman with a graceful figure emerged from the courtyard. It was formerly the Moon Worship Sect’s Saintess, Kou Baimen. However, ever since Gu Zhan unified Yunxi, Rong Yichu deemed it necessary to control both Martial World and official affairs, hence re-establishing the Martial Arts Alliance with Kou Baimen as the Alliance Leader.

"Alliance Leader Kou!" Rong Yichu called out.

Kou Baimen inclined her head, cupped her hands, and said, "Mr. Rong, are you here to see the Marquis?"

"Yes," Rong Yichu replied. "I have some official business to report, thought I came early enough, but didn’t expect Alliance Leader Kou to arrive even earlier."

Kou Baimen smiled, saying, "No matter how early you arrive, it can’t be earlier than me, I came last night!"

Rong Yichu: "Alliance Leader Kou, you’ve worked hard..."

"It’s the Marquis who has worked hard," Kou Baimen chuckled lightly. "Your timing is perfect, the Marquis was about to send me to find you."

Rong Yichu asked, puzzled, "Is there something going on?"

Kou Baimen’s smile vanished, becoming serious, "Recently, I’ve discovered many White Lotus Sect members sneaking in from the Northern Territory into the Ten Thousand Mountains. The Marquis suspects that changes in the battle situation in Yunzhou might have caused the White Lotus Sect to seek refuge in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Rong Yichu said, "I came to see the Marquis about this matter today too, although my intelligence is slightly more detailed and certain than yours."

"What news?"

Suddenly, at that moment, Gu Zhan’s voice came from within the courtyard, and a figure slowly appeared.

Both Rong Yichu and Kou Baimen hurriedly performed formalities.

Rong Yichu reported, "Marquis, I previously secretly purchased information from a few agents of the Astronomical Bureau; just received news of internal strife within the White Lotus Sect, Marquis Chengyang’s rebellion failed, Ling Family and Dugu Faction troops in Qingzhou and Liangzhou simultaneously mutinied, facing internal and external pressure from the Court, their defeat is inevitable!"

Kou Baimen, upon hearing Rong Yichu’s words, turned to Gu Zhan and said, "Marquis, since you have important matters to discuss with Mr. Rong, I’ll take my leave!"

"No need," Gu Zhan waved his hand, "You should also listen. You now manage the Martial Arts Alliance, and the Martial World’s direction in the entirety of Yunxi depends on you. These matters are necessary for you to understand."

Kou Baimen hesitated for a moment, cupped her hands, "Alright."

Gu Zhan nodded slightly, patted Rong Yichu’s shoulder, and said, "Come on, let’s discuss inside."

Soon, the three of them sat down in a living room.

Gu Zhan picked up a cup of tea, sipped it, and said, "Did you just say, internal strife in the White Lotus Sect?"

"Yes."

Rong Yichu cupped his hands, sighed, and said, "Actually, it can’t be called internal strife; more accurately, Yang Yuzhi’s contingency plan was activated. I’ve always been speculating what Yang Yuzhi’s support was, enticing Marquis Chengyang to rebel, and involving Dugu Faction and Ling Family into the fray. This plan was incredibly bold and crazy.

Paired with the White Lotus Sect’s Dugu Faction and Ling Family, they could quickly gather an army of nearly a million; a small mistake and they could directly assault the Capital City. So, I kept wondering what Yang Yuzhi’s contingency measure was, giving him such confidence.

I speculated that after Yang Yuzhi’s many years of strategy, he must have planted many people in Yun, Liang, and Qing Three States, ready to mutiny once the time was ripe. But I didn’t expect the Celestial Maiden of the White Lotus Sect to be Yang Yuzhi’s contingency plan."