Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

The narrow alleyway fell silent again, with five corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

Fresh blood slowly flowed through the cracks in the bluestone slabs.

Gu Yannian frowned slightly as he looked at the corpse on the ground.

The night patrolmen of Shuntian Prefecture will soon arrive here.

If these five corpses are left alive, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture will surely launch a massive operation and conduct a city-wide manhunt.

The Ministry of Justice and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also be involved in the investigation.

At that time, as a high-ranking official of the third rank, he was assassinated in the street, and he would inevitably have to deal with wave after wave of questioning and visits.

These kinds of trivial matters would seriously disrupt his daily routine of going to get off work on time and living a peaceful life.

Gu Yannian stepped forward and activated the power attribute that had been accumulated within his body for more than twenty years.

He hovered his palms three inches above the corpse, and an immense amount of internal energy emanated from his body.

An invisible, terrifying pressure formed, trembling heavily downwards.

This power is far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Five corpses, along with their clothes and the steel knives in their hands.

Under the pressure of this high-frequency oscillating internal force, it shattered inch by inch.

Flesh, bones, and steel were all shattered into extremely fine powder.

A gust of evening wind swept through the alley, scattering the layer of grayish-white powder on the ground.

It blended freely into the dust in the corner of the wall.

The bloodstains on the ground were also evaporated by the internal energy.

The narrow alley was spotless, as if nothing had ever happened.

Gu Yannian withdrew his palms and turned his gaze southward.

Suzhou, Shen Wanquan.

In an attempt to obstruct the implementation of the silver-for-cash policy, the wealthy and powerful in Jiangnan even dared to hire assassins to kill government officials.

Five people were sent today, and ten may be sent tomorrow.

If the Shen family is kept around, they will constantly cause trouble and disrupt his peaceful life.

To cut weeds, you must remove them by the roots.

Gu Yannian turned and walked out of the narrow alley, returning to his small courtyard.

He took off his bright red official robe and carefully hung it on the wooden frame.

He then changed into a black outfit suitable for nighttime travel and covered his mouth and nose with a black cloth.

He pushed open the door, walked into the courtyard, squatted slightly, and then suddenly exerted force.

Terrifying agility and endurance erupted in full force at this moment.

He kicked two deep holes in the blue brick ground, and his body shot into the sky like an arrow.

In an instant, they passed over the towering city walls of Shuntian Prefecture.

He does not need to ride a horse or a carriage.

The steeds of the mortal realm simply could not withstand his speed during long-distance runs.

They might even die from exhaustion halfway through.

Gu Yannian landed on the official road outside the city and ran wildly, alternating between his legs.

With each stride he took, he could leap dozens of feet.

The trees and villages around him flew backward as blurry afterimages.

A strong wind rushed towards him, making his black outfit flutter loudly.

But his physique made his muscles as firm as black iron, easily breaking through the wind resistance.

He headed south.

It crosses the plains of the Central Plains and traverses the rolling hills.

When he encountered wide rivers, he relied on his astonishing speed and perfect control of power.

His toes lightly touched the water's surface as he waded through the water, his shoes barely getting soaked.

A journey of two thousand miles would take ordinary people several months.

Even the fastest horse, traveling 800 li in an urgent manner, would need several days.

Gu Yannian, on the other hand, only took a few hours.

At 3:45 AM (丑时三刻).

Jiangnan, Pingjiang Prefecture.

The night was deep, and the gates of Suzhou had long been closed.

Gu Yannian swept over the city wall without any hindrance and landed in the city.

Following the directions he remembered, he headed straight for Liuyuan Garden in the west of the city.

Liuyuan Garden was the ancestral home of Shen Wanquan, the richest man in Jiangnan. It covered an area of ​​100 acres and had countless pavilions and towers.

At this moment, lanterns are hanging high in the Lingering Garden.

Squads of guards armed with knives and guns patrolled back and forth in the garden, maintaining a tight security.

Gu Yannian, like a ghost, drifted into the front courtyard of Liuyuan Garden.

Two guards carrying lanterns happened to walk by.

A dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and before he could utter a sound, Gu Yannian had already pounced on him.

He used both hands to crush the throats of the two men, and then casually pulled a hundred-refined steel knife from one of their waists.

He carried the knife and walked steadily toward the inner courtyard.

Gu Yannian did not utter a word, and the victims did not have time to cry out.

He walked through winding corridors and through exquisite gardens.

He killed all the patrolling guards and night watchmen he encountered with a single blow.

His swordsmanship had no fancy moves, only speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness.

With every swing of the blade, someone falls.

Blood splattered on the artificial hill, flowers, trees, and white walls, meandering along the bluestone path.

A heavy stench of blood permeated the Lingering Garden.

Shen Wanquan was sitting in the main hall on a grand chair, with a cup of strong tea that had long since gone cold beside him.

His eyelids twitched, and he felt a vague unease in his heart.

The five assassins he sent to the capital should have succeeded by now, but no news of their victory has arrived yet.

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door of the main hall was kicked open with tremendous force.

The two door panels shattered into pieces and flew into the hall.

Shen Wanquan was shocked and stood up abruptly.

Gu Yannian, carrying a blood-dripping steel knife, stepped over the threshold and walked into the main hall.

The black outfit was stained with dark red bloodstains.

Above the black veil covering his face, a pair of deep eyes coldly stared at Shen Wanquan.

"Who...who are you? How dare you trespass into the Lingering Garden! Guards! Protectors!"

Shen Wanquan shouted loudly, but his voice trembled uncontrollably.

There was a deathly silence all around, and no one answered his calls.

Apart from the two of them, there was no other living creature left in the entire Lingering Garden.

Gu Yannian pulled off the black cloth covering his face, revealing his handsome features.

"Gu Yannian, a third-rank official of the Ming Dynasty, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Shen Wanquan's legs went weak, and his face turned ashen instantly.

"Gu...Vice Minister Gu! How...how could you be here? This is impossible! The capital is two thousand miles away from here..."

Shen Wanquan's face was filled with disbelief.

Gu Yannian walked up to him and looked down at him.

"You paid 100,000 taels of silver to save my life in the capital. I am a man of principle, and since I have accepted your gift, I will naturally pay you a visit in person."

Gu Yannian spoke calmly, slightly raising the steel knife in his hand.

"With you by my side, I can't sleep peacefully in the capital. In order for me to be able to leave the office on time every day, I have no choice but to let the entire Shen family go to the Yellow Springs together."

Shen Wanquan knew he was doomed.

He kowtowed desperately on the ground, his forehead bleeding profusely.

"Lord Gu, spare my life! This humble subject knows his mistake! There are three million taels of silver in the underground vault of Liuyuan Garden, as well as countless land deeds and farm deeds. This humble subject is willing to offer them all to you, sir! I only beg you to spare my dog's life!"

Gu Yannian's expression remained unchanged.

"I feel at ease with the money in the imperial granary. I have no interest in your private property."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared on his blade.

Shen Wanquan's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open, filled with extreme fear and resentment.

Gu Yannian stepped over Shen Wanquan's corpse, picked up his knife, and continued walking deeper into the inner courtyard of Liuyuan Garden.

Since he had decided to exterminate the entire family, he would not leave any survivors.

Cutting off the weeds and eliminating the roots was his only creed for survival in this world.

He pushed open the doors of each room and killed the female members of the Shen family and their relatives who were hiding there.

His heart was as hard as a rock, unmoved by cries and pleas for mercy.

Until he reached the last secluded courtyard.

Pushing open the door, I saw only a single, dimly lit candle inside.

In front of the canopy bed in the corner stood a boy who looked about seven or eight years old.

The boy was wearing a brocade robe, his hands gripping the hem of the robe tightly, his whole body trembling.

The boy watched Gu Yannian walk in, and saw the steel knife in his hand that was dripping blood.

I saw the suffocating stench of blood emanating from Gu Yannian.

The boy's eyes were red.

Despite being terrified, he still gritted his teeth.

He stared intently at Gu Yannian and shouted loudly:

"You're a bad person! You killed my whole family! I'll remember your face! When I grow up, I'll kill you and avenge my father!"

The child's voice echoed in the blood-soaked room, carrying a deep-seated hatred.

Gu Yannian stopped and quietly looked at the boy in front of him.

His face, stained with a little blood, still maintained its usual serene calm.

Gu Yannian looked at the boy, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

He slowly raised the steel knife in his hand.

Blood dripped from the blade onto the blue brick floor.

"Then I will not give you the chance to grow up."