Decision

"Decide already!"

Gu Sheng was no indecisive man. The journey from Wu’an back to Jiangning had taken him along a road of blood and blades, teaching him the true nature of this chaotic age.

This was a world that had already gone mad. Almost no one followed the established moral standards anymore. Everyone struggled for one thing, something simpler than anything else: to survive—to live with dignity and safety.

"I will!"

As expected, the first to act was the man who had been speaking with Gu Sheng all along. He released the warhorse that had followed him for many years, then took off his armor. Holding a blade in his left hand, he suddenly hacked down at his right wrist.

"Ugh…"

The man let out a muffled groan. When he raised his head again, his face was pale, his lips bloodless, and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"You can go."

Gu Sheng waved his hand. The man revealed the joy of one who had survived a disaster. Losing one hand would affect his life somewhat, but after this battle, he had lost all desire to compete and fight.

He had managed to save a modest amount over the years. Wouldn’t it be better to return to his hometown, buy some fields, build a house, and live out the rest of his days peacefully?

After Gu Sheng released the man as promised, more people slowly began to stir. Compared to losing one hand or losing one’s life, most people would not choose death. With the first man leading the way, those who followed gradually began to act on their own, saving Gu Sheng quite a bit of time.

"Qingshan!"

After instructing his clansmen to collect the bodies of the Wang Brothers and the other dead bandits, Gu Sheng turned to Teng Qingshan and said, "Something may have happened in Yicheng. Go to Li Commerce Company yourself and bring Qingyu back."

Although he did not take the bandits rampaging outside seriously, Gu Sheng did not dare be careless in the slightest. The situation outside Teng Village was unclear, and ordinary people would likely encounter danger if they went out. Since he had to remain in Teng Village, he could only send Teng Qingshan—the "protagonist"—to run this errand.

"Mm~"

Teng Qingshan had no objections. After exchanging a few words with his parents and younger sister Qingyu, who had come to the training ground, he stopped a newly captured Crimson Fire Steed and rode it swiftly toward Yicheng.

"Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!"

Two hours later, urgent hoofbeats once again rang out outside Teng Village. The cavalry escort of Li Commerce Company had returned under Teng Qingshan’s leadership.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"

As they approached the gates of Teng Village, the riders pulled hard on their reins and stopped at the entrance. One after another, they swung their legs over the stirrups and dismounted. This time, Qin Da and Cold Wolf had come with Chu Xin. Lord Li had not come, likely staying in Yicheng to handle affairs.

After dismounting, Qin Da and Cold Wolf cautiously surveyed their surroundings. When they saw the group of horse-bandit riders lying dead in gruesome states, waves stirred in their hearts.

Such a powerful bandit cavalry force would have been enough to give even the elite riders of Li Commerce Company a hard time. Yet Teng Village had taken them down with ease and seized so many warhorses.

Although Li Qingyu (Chu Xin) had told them before how powerful Gu Sheng was, they had initially taken it as a young girl’s praise of her beloved and had not believed it much. Now that they had witnessed this scene, they fully believed what Chu Xin had said. Teng Qinghu (Gu Sheng) truly possessed the strength to sweep across Yicheng.

At Teng Village’s training ground, Gu Sheng sat on a chair with the Cleaving Mountain Blade in his hand. He kept wiping the blade with a towel. A wooden basin sat on the ground beside him, and several filthy towels floated in its dark-red bloody water.

"You’re here."

When Chu Xin and the others arrived, Gu Sheng did not turn around. He continued wiping the blade, though he had switched to a clean towel and was carefully removing the droplets of water from its surface bit by bit.

The Cleaving Mountain Blade felt fairly comfortable in his hand. There might be another great battle before he left. Wiping a blade before battle would not only make it sharp and bright—it would also make killing easier.

"Tell me. What happened in Yicheng? I’m asking about Hong Zhenjie of the White Horse Gang."

Gu Sheng wrapped the clean Cleaving Mountain Blade in a cloth before turning to question Chu Xin and the others.

Chu Xin’s little face wrinkled, but she did not speak. Qin Da stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Young Master Teng, please don’t take offense. Some trouble did indeed arise in the city."

"Lord Li previously took the young lady to speak with Third Master Liu about your plans. Everything was going well at first. After the young lady explained everything in detail, Third Master Liu also became interested in your plan."

"But at that moment, the White Horse Gang’s young master, Hong Zhenjie, came to visit Third Master Liu. After seeing the young lady, that man actually brazenly demanded that she marry him. Lord Li naturally refused and brought up the Gui Yuan Sect to make him back down."

"But who would have thought that he would…"

"He secretly cause trouble and create this whole mess, right?"

Gu Sheng picked up his words. His killing intent toward Hong Zhenjie was boundless. That bastard had bullied Teng Qinghu in the original story, and now he had come again. Did he really think Gu Sheng was still the same Teng Qinghu who could be bullied so easily?

"What did Liu San say? How did he respond?"

Hong Zhenjie could be killed, but Gu Sheng was more concerned about how matters had progressed.

Qin Da answered with some difficulty, "Third Master Liu said that after Hong Zhenjie returned, he invited Fourth Master Hong. During the White Horse Gang’s meeting, he publicly rejected his proposal and even declared that if they wanted the White Horse Gang to agree to the militia training, the young lady had to willingly marry him."

"Bang!"

Gu Sheng plunged his blade into the ground, and the entire training ground shook violently.

"What nerve! Heh…"

Gu Sheng pulled out the Cleaving Mountain Blade and shook the dirt from its edge. His eyes brimmed with killing intent. "Where is the White Horse Gang’s headquarters?"

"Gu—Brother Qinghu, that Hong Zhenjie is disgusting! You have to teach him a good lesson!"

Chu Xin ran over to Gu Sheng and spoke angrily. Whenever she thought of Hong Zhenjie, she felt her scalp prickle. The way he looked at her had been truly horrifying.

Gu Sheng said coldly, "Don’t worry. He won’t live."

"Young Master Teng, please calm down!"

Qin Da hurriedly bowed and cupped his fists. "This matter should still be left to Lord Li to handle!"

"Lord Li has already obtained the support of the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Association and all the major and minor merchants in the city. City Guard Ni has also expressed his agreement with the plan. Fourth Master Hong is not someone who ignores the bigger picture. As long as we spend some time and pay a certain price, the White Horse Gang will yield."

"No need. I’ll go to Yicheng myself!"

A divine light flashed through Gu Sheng’s eyes. He had already decided to return to Yicheng. It was not that he doubted Lord Li’s abilities; he simply had no time to keep dragging this out.

If Lord Li were allowed to form alliances and gather the strength of Yicheng’s officials and merchants, the White Horse Gang would indeed lower its head in the end. But that would be far too slow. Who knew how many conditions that old fox Fourth Master Hong would demand? Gu Sheng could not wait around for negotiations.

Only a few days remained before this mission ended. Before his return, the matter in Yicheng had to be settled. Since Fourth Master Hong and Hong Zhenjie had chosen to court death, they could not blame him for cutting through the chaos with a swift blade.

"Qingshan, give Wang Tiefeng and Wang Tiehai’s weapons to Qin Da. We’re going to Yicheng!"

Once Gu Sheng made up his mind, he never hesitated. After calling out to Teng Qingshan, he took Chu Xin’s little hand. The two mounted the Black Wind Leopard and sped toward Yicheng.