Great Dao Lord through Deducing Myriad Arts

Chapter 268: Chapter 225: Despicable Tactics, the Great Battle Begins

After refusing Chen Sujin’s offer to warm his bed, Wu Liangchen began his training.

But this night was anything but peaceful. Just as Wu Liangchen was immersed in the Hundred Beasts Facing Heaven Stance, the sound of crashing and smashing erupted from outside.

Wu Liangchen leaped into the courtyard in a single bound, only to find the ground littered with broken bricks and shattered tiles.

Just then, Xu Kai and his wife also ran out. They were stunned by the sight.

"What’s going on?" Xu Kai asked, bewildered.

Wu Liangchen stood atop the wall, scanned the surroundings for a moment, and then leaped down.

"Someone’s doing this on purpose!"

Xu Kai was quick on the uptake. "Did Gu Yi send them?"

"Most likely. They’re fast—they threw their junk and retreated immediately."

In truth, with his current level of awareness, Wu Liangchen could have easily caught the fleeing culprits.

But there was no need.

’Because they’ll definitely be back.’

"Gu Yi is a Grandmaster, isn’t he? Why resort to such despicable methods?" Xu Kai asked, his anger rising as he surveyed the wreckage in the courtyard.

"Master Wu, what do we do now?"

"Leave it. We’ll deal with it tomorrow," Wu Liangchen said before turning and heading back inside.

Resigned, Xu Kai could only return to his room with his wife.

Meanwhile, in a small courtyard about three li from the Xu family’s home, a group of local thugs was being addressed by a man.

It was one of the three servants who had delivered the letter to Wu Liangchen earlier that day.

"You did well just now," he said in a low voice, "but it’s far from enough. I want you to make life for the Xu family an absolute nightmare. The more chaos, the better. The goal is to make sure that Wu Liangchen gets no rest."

"Of course, I know you’re no match for Wu Liangchen. You don’t have to confront him directly. Just play to your strengths. In fact, the viler your methods, the better!"

The thugs chuckled sinisterly. "Don’t you worry, boss. That Wu Liangchen might be some big shot, but when it comes to fighting dirty, we’re his ancestors!"

"That’s right! Just you watch. I’ll go set a fire in a bit, give that Wu Liangchen a little more entertainment!"

"Excellent. Here’s your pay for tonight. Do a good job, and I’ll double it tomorrow."

The gang of thugs was overjoyed. "Thank you for the reward, boss!"

With that, they scattered in all directions.

Gu Yi’s personal attendant, however, remained in the courtyard, waiting quietly.

The thugs hadn’t been bluffing. For a group that regularly harassed merchants to extort money, these kinds of nauseating tactics were second nature.

Tossing bricks had just been a probe. Next, they could set a fire, or maybe smear the walls with filth.

In short, the goal wasn’t to cause real harm, but simply to disgust and annoy him.

Having succeeded in their first probe and retreated unscathed, the thugs’ confidence surged. Carrying flasks of oil and other supplies, they crept back to the walls of the Xu family home.

But just as they were about to splash the oil onto the walls, brilliant flashes of white light suddenly exploded before their eyes.

SPLAT!

The heads of the thugs at the very front were instantly obliterated.

Seeing this, the men behind them were scared witless and turned to run.

But a volley of whistling pebbles immediately followed, ending their lives.

Wu Liangchen had been merciless, annihilating the entire group of thugs in the blink of an eye. Then, with a single leap, he vanished into the darkness, speeding toward the distant courtyard.

He covered the three-li distance in what felt like an instant. By the time he arrived, Gu Yi’s attendant had sensed that something was amiss and was preparing to flee.

When he saw Wu Liangchen, his pupils contracted violently. He opened his mouth, about to shout.

Wu Liangchen gave him no chance to speak. A single pebble ended his life.

Wu Liangchen watched with a cold expression as the attendant’s body crumpled to the dust.

He had been so ruthless to make a statement, to warn anyone else with malicious intent to think long and hard about whether they were qualified to make a move against him.

Wu Liangchen then returned to the Xu family’s home and told Xu Kai to bring constables from the Ministry of Justice Office to dispose of the bodies that very night.

Xu Kai was shocked to hear that Wu Liangchen had gone out for only a short while and killed so many people.

But what was done was done; there was nothing more to be said.

He immediately left for the Ministry of Justice Office and brought back men to handle the corpses.

The gruesome state of the thugs’ bodies made even the veteran constables marvel at the carnage.

However, this actually made the matter easier to handle.

The dead thugs were all notorious criminals with long records. Furthermore, they had harassed the residence of a high court official in the middle of the night. That crime alone was a death sentence.

Thus, the entire matter was resolved before dawn.

It wasn’t until the next day that people found out what had happened, but by then, nothing remained but a dark bloodstain on the ground outside the Xu family’s wall.

The neighboring merchants, however, rejoiced at the news. They were so grateful they practically wanted to kowtow to Wu Liangchen.

After all, every last one of the dead thugs had been a good-for-nothing scoundrel.

Extorting money was the least of it; they had formed gangs that preyed on out-of-town merchants, bullied men, and assaulted women. Their list of evil deeds was long.

As for Gu Yi, who had lost his personal attendant, he made no public statement on the matter.

The Broken Sword Sect, too, remained as silent as ever.

For the next two days, however, the Xu family’s home was perfectly tranquil. Forget harassment—people didn’t even dare to walk past too loudly.

「Three days passed in a flash.」

On the appointed day, before the sky had even begun to lighten, people were already staking out spots in the snow-covered field outside Dingyuan Gate.

They endured the bitter cold, all for a chance to witness this rare spectacle.

By sunrise, the vast, snow-covered field was already packed with people.

The crowd buzzed with discussion, people asking one another who they had bet on to win.

If they had bet on the same person, they would share a knowing look.

If they hadn’t, a verbal sparring match would inevitably ensue.

They waited until the sun was high in the sky, when suddenly, a stir like a tidal wave rolled through the distant crowd.

"He’s here! He’s here!"

"Is that him? Wu Liangchen? He’s so young!"

Those who had never seen him before strained on their tiptoes, craning their necks to see. A young man dressed in robes whiter than snow was making his way, step by step, toward the center of the field.

Wherever he passed, the packed crowd parted automatically, as if held back by an invisible barrier. No one dared to come within five meters of him.

Finally, Wu Liangchen reached the center of the field, stopped, and stood waiting.

Meanwhile, Xu Kai, Jiang Feng, and even people from the Ministry of Justice Office had all rushed to the scene. As for Chen Sujin, she had arrived earlier than anyone.

All eyes were fixed on Wu Liangchen, who stood in the center of the field like a drawn sword.

An indiscernible amount of time passed. The sun climbed higher and higher, yet there was still no sign of the Broken Sword Sect.

The crowd began to grow restless.

"What’s going on? Why haven’t the people from the Broken Sword Sect shown up yet? It’s so late."

"Could it be that Gu Yi is scared? That he doesn’t dare to come?"

Such were the thoughts of the common folk. The Martial Artists in the crowd, however, saw things differently.

They knew this was a deliberate ploy by Gu Yi.

It was a cunningly calculated ploy to wear down Wu Liangchen’s edge.

But Wu Liangchen didn’t seem anxious in the slightest. In fact, the longer he waited, the clearer and calmer his mind became.

Finally, as the sun neared its zenith, a group of people in uniform attire began to enter the field.

In their midst was a massive sedan chair.

The palanquin bearers were several tall, brawny men who, despite the freezing weather, were bare-armed as they strode toward the center of the field.

Seeing this, a glint appeared in Jiang Feng’s eyes.

’He’s here!’

’So, the great Gu Yi has finally arrived!’

At the same time, as if sensing something, Wu Liangchen sharply raised his gaze, his eyes fixed on the large sedan chair in the distance.