Great Dao Lord through Deducing Myriad Arts

The moment the clamor arose outside, Zhang Pengcheng, who had been dozing on his bed, shot awake.

"What’s going on!"

"Reporting, Lord Commandant! Someone shot an arrow into the flagpole!"

"Oh?" Zhang Pengcheng immediately threw himself out of bed and went outside.

When he saw Mo Daoyuan’s head pinned to the flagpole, the last vestiges of his sleepiness vanished, replaced by a bone-deep chill.

It was obvious. Someone was using Mo Daoyuan’s death to warn him.

And in all of Huangpu Guard, only one person had both the motive and the means to do something like this.

"What’s the situation outside now?" Zhang Pengcheng asked, his voice hoarse.

"Our men just searched the area. There’s no sign of an enemy within several hundred meters of the camp."

"Idiot! I’m asking about the situation in Huangpu Guard, who asked you about the area outside the camp?" Zhang Pengcheng roared in a sudden fury.

"Yes, I’ll go find out right now."

His subordinate scurried away. Zhang Pengcheng stood beneath the flagpole, gazing at Mo Daoyuan’s face. Dehydration had pulled the corners of its mouth back, making it look as if it were smiling. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

"Old Mo, don’t blame me for being ruthless before. Who told you to get so many of my men killed? Now that you’re dead, it doesn’t matter who killed you. Every grievance has its source, so you should go find him. Just don’t come haunting me. I’ll be sure to burn some extra joss paper for you later."

Despite being a military commander and the commandant of a camp, Zhang Pengcheng was extremely superstitious, a firm believer in ghosts and spirits.

At the same time, someone discovered the bodies of Ni Jingtian and the Wangyue brothers by the river. The news began to spread like wildfire, escalating quickly.

The Black Banner Camp had always been well-informed, so it wasn’t long before Zhang Pengcheng received a detailed report on the entire incident.

After reading the report, he gave a bitter smile, then turned to the head—which had been taken down and was now sitting on the table—and murmured.

"Oh, Old Mo, Old Mo. Of all the people to provoke, you just had to go after him. You managed to escape before, and that should have been the end of it. But you couldn’t let it go and came back to settle the score. And look where it got you—you threw your own life away."

Just then, his subordinate asked in a low voice, "Commandant, what should we do now?"

Zhang Pengcheng rolled his eyes. "What else *can* we do? We’re fresh out of options!"

"Isn’t it obvious? This Wu Liangchen killed the men Old Mo sent, then followed the trail back to eliminate him too. Then, while he was at it, he sent the head over as a warning to me."

"For him to dare to do something like this, it proves he’s completely confident."

At this thought, Zhang Pengcheng felt a chill on the back of his neck. He subconsciously flinched, then gritted his teeth.

"Fuck, I’d better lie low for a while. With that kid’s archery and Body Technique, I wouldn’t feel safe no matter how many men were guarding me."

This just went to show how terrifying a high-level Martial Artist could be, especially one like Wu Liangchen, who seemed to have no weaknesses.

It didn’t matter how many men you had under your command; if a Martial Artist like that targeted you, you wouldn’t be sleeping at night.

"Pass down my orders! Prepare at once. We break camp and leave the city at dawn. Just say we’re heading out for training and to set up an external garrison."

"Yes, sir!"

With the order given, the entire Black Banner Camp sprang into action.

Zhang Pengcheng let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and shot a grin at Mo Daoyuan’s head.

"I admit, I’m a coward. But it’s because I’m a coward that I’m still alive, and you’re already dead! So, Old Mo, you can rest in peace. If you’ve really got a grudge to settle, go find that Wu Liangchen kid. I’m not sticking around for it."

Afterward, Zhang Pengcheng had his men dig a hole to bury Mo Daoyuan’s head. He even made a point to burn some joss paper before finally leaving.

「Meanwhile」

The various powers within Huangpu Guard also began to receive the news.

First, Ni Jingtian of the Heaven-Shaking Gang was found dead by the river, along with the bodies of two unidentified men. At the same time, Mo Daoyuan’s headless corpse was discovered in the Yu Xiang Inn. This string of events shocked everyone.

But it didn’t take long for people to put the pieces together, and all eyes turned toward Flower Square.

After all, anyone who wasn’t an idiot could guess who was behind it all.

Mo Daoyuan’s case was obvious.

As for the grudge between Ni Jingtian and Wu Liangchen, the various factions had heard whispers of it.

After all, while the deathmatch between the Qingxiang Gang and the Cyan Simurgh Association hadn’t been a major event, the various powers were still aware of it.

Furthermore, Ni Jingtian had publicly denigrated Wu Liangchen on several occasions, proclaiming that he would definitely teach him a lesson.

But now, the one who had boasted about teaching someone a lesson was the one who had lost his head.

Combined with Mo Daoyuan’s death, the perpetrator’s identity was all but confirmed.

Only the identities of the two strangers, one old and one young, were difficult to confirm, but that was a minor detail.

The Cyan Simurgh Association.

Cao Juncai was packing her bags.

She had been among the first to learn of Ni Jingtian’s death, and she knew at that moment that the game was up.

Although Wu Liangchen wouldn’t necessarily come after her, it was now impossible for her to establish a foothold in the acrobatics trade in Huangpu Guard.

So she made her decision without a moment’s hesitation: she had to leave this place of trouble immediately.

Besides, after all these years of hard work, she had amassed a considerable fortune. If she was frugal, it would be more than enough to last the rest of her life.

Soon, her valuables were all packed. Without a backward glance, Cao Juncai turned and left.

And as she was leaving Huangpu Guard under the cover of night, Zhu Wan’Er was startled from her sleep. She now sat at her desk, poring over the reports that had been delivered.