"Uh..." The shopkeeper hesitated a little.
Wang Bai waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'm staying here. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard shows up, I'll hide. If word gets out, how am I supposed to make a name for myself in the Martial World after this?"
The shopkeeper said with some concern, "But, Gang Leader, I've heard this Gu Zhan isn't someone to mess with. He's young and arrogant, doesn't care about anyone. I heard Gao Jun had suffered under him before. As for his subordinate Chen Fan, they say he died on a mission, but the rumor is he was hacked down by Gu Zhan when he caused trouble. Gu Zhan isn't exactly someone who plays by the rules!"
Wang Bai frowned slightly and said, "True, youth brings arrogance—he's trouble for sure. Still, I can't leave now. If I just run away like this, decades of reputation would be ruined. People would laugh at me for being scared out of my wits by some brat. Here's what I'll do: I'll stay hidden for now, and wait until Gao Jun arrives before showing my face."
The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "With Gao Jun here, that should be all right."
Wang Bai nodded, then asked, "By the way, everyone is tucked away, right?"
The shopkeeper nodded, "The brothers involved today have all been arranged and hidden safely."
"Good," Wang Bai said, "As long as Gu Zhan can't catch anyone, he can't do anything no matter how crazy he is. Don't forget to arrange for those brothers to lay low for a few days."
"Understood." The shopkeeper nodded in response.
Not long after,
A commotion erupted downstairs.
The shopkeeper went to the window for a look, and saw a large squad of Embroidered Uniform Guard arriving on the main street—at least a hundred strong.
"Gang Leader, the Embroidered Uniform Guard are here. I'll go down and take care of it."
Wang Bai nodded and said, "As long as they can't catch anyone, there's nothing to fear. Just wait for Gao Jun to show up."
"Yes, sir."
The shopkeeper cupped his hands politely, then hurried downstairs.
...
White Rat Pavilion, the number one antique shop of Linjiang City.
A massive building, five or six stories tall, with a large courtyard on the first floor, ornate beams and painted rafters, pavilions set against landscapes—a place full of charm. The foot traffic is heavy,
Basically, anyone dealing in antiques—whether buying or selling—White Rat Pavilion is always the first choice. With Flying White Rat Wang Bai's reputation, the trust level is high and you don't have to worry about getting scammed. After all, the biggest scammer in this business runs the place.
Right now, White Rat Pavilion was still bustling with people coming and going.
"Embroidered Uniform Guard business, all nonessential persons clear out—now!"
Suddenly, a loud shout startled everyone in White Rat Pavilion, and then a swarm of Embroidered Uniform Guard burst through the front door, immediately dispersing the guests inside.
Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard's reputation was already in the gutter in the Martial World, they were government after all, and for most people still carried weight—so most left quietly.
But those who came here were usually rich or noble, and some simply didn't care about the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
A young lordling in a golden brocade garment, with a stunning woman on his arm, was chased out of a private room by several Embroidered Uniform Guard. Muttering curses, he shouted angrily at Gu Zhan and the others leading the group: "Where are you Embroidered Uniform Guard from? Do you even know who I am? Barging in here and disturbing me..."
"Smack"
The lordling didn't even finish his sentence before Gu Zhan slapped him across the room. The woman next to him went pale with fright and scrambled to help him up.
The lordling burned with rage, clutching his swollen face as he crawled up, bellowing, "How dare you? Do you know who I am? My father is with the Inspection Bureau... uh..."
His words were cut short as Gu Zhan grabbed him by the throat and said coldly, "You want to say your name? You believe if you say it, your father will spend the night in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Imperial Prison?"
Gu Zhan had him by the neck—the lordling struggled desperately, but upon hearing Gu Zhan's words, immediately froze.
"My name is Gu Zhan, Chief Banner of South City Hundred Households Office."
In that instant, the lordling turned ghostly pale.
These days, anyone with any status in Linjiang City, unless they were utterly ignorant of outside affairs, could not have missed the madness coming out of the South City Hundred Households Office, and the terrifying reputation of Little God of Slaughter Gu Zhan.
And this lordling? He definitely wasn't one of those shut-ins. Sweat poured off his back in terror.
During this time, elders at home must've warned him countless times not to offend the South City Hundred Households Office—it had gotten to the point where just mentioning them made people shudder.
"S-sorry..."
"Get out!"
Gu Zhan hurled the lordling to the ground.
The lordling didn't dare say another word—he got up and bolted, wishing for a few extra legs.
Gu Zhan snorted coldly and waved, "Embroidered Uniform Guard, listen up—search the place!"
Just then,
There were hurried footsteps upstairs. A middle-aged man with a goatee rushed down, wearing a smile, and hurriedly said, "Gentlemen, what's going on? If you need anything, just let me know. I do have a business to run!"
As he spoke, the man walked up to Gu Zhan, bowed and respectfully said, "I am Wang Hu, the shopkeeper of White Rat Pavilion. Greetings to Lord Gu."
While bowing, Wang Hu quietly slipped a stack of silver banknotes into Gu Zhan's hand.
Gu Zhan waved him off, took a stack of portrait sheets from an Embroidered Uniform Guard nearby, and handed them to Wang Hu, saying, "You recognize these people, right? Hand every last one over to me, now!"
Wang Hu took the portraits and looked over each one carefully, then returned them respectfully to Gu Zhan, smiling as he said, "Lord Gu, it's not that I won't cooperate with you, but honestly, I have no clue who these people are. If you're searching for them here, you've come to the wrong place!"
Gu Zhan's pupils narrowed, his tone cold: "Trying to fool me? Every last one of these people is from your White Rat Gang, and you're telling me you don't know them? You think the Embroidered Uniform Guard's blade isn't sharp?"
"Oh, Lord Gu, please don't say that," Wang Hu hurriedly replied, "Sir, White Rat Pavilion is an honest business, legal and proper. We are not some gang, sir—you can check, White Rat Pavilion is registered and filed with the Prefecture Government, fully licensed, every brick and tile approved!"
Gu Zhan tilted his head slightly and said coldly, "You don't admit it? Fine. I have intelligence saying White Rat Pavilion harbors banned drugs and is suspected of smuggling. Men, search the place—if you can't find anything, dig three feet down!"
"Yes, sir!"
Immediately, the Embroidered Uniform Guard started moving.
Wang Hu rushed to block their way, saying, "Lord Gu, this isn't proper procedure. If you're going to search, you need a warrant from the Prefecture Government. Saying it's smuggling—well, you need evidence. You can't just say it and—"
"Bang"
Gu Zhan suddenly kicked Wang Hu to the ground, and said coldly:
"Procedure?
My word is procedure. You got a problem with that?"