Chu Ge had more or less guessed that the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult might seize this rare opportunity to attack the caravan guarded by the Wang Family.
But City Guard Captain Tian Youji should have anticipated this as well, and surely had a backup plan.
When the two sides clashed, the Wang Family's guards naturally wouldn't suffer any major mishaps.
However, seeing the caravan members fleeing back from outside the city in panic, Chu Ge couldn't help feeling puzzled.
"Could the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult really have succeeded? Did Tian Youji and Wang Youcai not communicate beforehand?"
Just as he was wondering—
"Hyah!! Make way! Clear the road!"
A sudden roar of galloping horses thundered in, drawing nearer like a streak of lightning before swiftly rushing past the inn.
Chu Ge looked down. Every rider wore an official uniform—they were runners from the county yamen. At their head rode a man with a short beard and leopard eyes: none other than City Guard Captain Tian Youji.
"So he's finally making his move. But isn't it too late for the City Guard Captain to rush over now? Or does he have some other plan?"
Chu Ge's eyes lit up as he looked toward the city gate. Then, keeping his expression calm, he ordered Steward Fu to return home and make sure the servants took shelter in the woodshed cellar. They were not to wander about, lest anything happen.
After Steward Fu left, Chu Ge didn't hesitate any longer.
He went to the bed, pulled out a bundle, shook it open, and draped it over himself. In an instant, he was cloaked.
"Whoosh—"
The cloak fluttered, and he was already gliding out the window like a gust of wind.
He flipped through the air and landed on the back of a sturdy horse in the stable outside, black clouds seeming to gather around him.
"Neigh—"
The horse reared with a piercing whinny, but Chu Ge's Thousand Jin Drop forced it back down. Then it sprang forward, leaped over the stable rail, and charged away.
Now that City Guard Captain Tian Youji had ridden out, Chu Ge wanted to follow and fish in troubled waters, to see how strong the foreign envoy was and whether there might be a chance to reap some advantage.
Catching the enemy when they were down was better than waiting for the envoy to come looking for him later.
Outside Linyuan City, a chilly wind howled.
Along both sides of the road at Ten-Mile Slope,
cries of battle mingled with the clang of metal on metal, ringing without end. Blown into the distance by the wind, they became a mournful wail.
"Splurt—"
A long saber gleamed coldly as it was pulled from the throat of a guard escorting the caravan.
The martial artist collapsed in a spray of blood, his eyes still wide open, staring at nothing in particular.
Nearby, another martial artist had one arm chopped off. He stumbled back in terror, wildly thrusting the long saber in his remaining hand at his opponent, like a mad tiger.
But a mysterious figure in a cloak quickly cut him down too, and his head hit the ground.
A glance around showed more than a dozen corpses already sprawled across the battlefield. Goods of every kind lay scattered everywhere, leaving the place in utter disarray.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
The sound of fluttering garments rang out in quick succession as dozens of cloaked figures gathered together. One of them said,
"We've received word that the City Guard Captain has been lured out. Move quickly. Gather the valuables; abandon everything else that's too difficult to carry!"
"Yes!"
On another stretch of the forest road, more than a dozen people were locked in a fierce struggle.
Most were runners from the city, with Little Qin unmistakably among them. The rest were mysterious cloaked figures who had been surrounded and were at a disadvantage.
Just then—
"Clip-clop, clip-clop—"
A flurry of hoofbeats thundered along the main road, kicking up a trail of mud.
Both sides were slightly startled.
Little Qin and the others glanced over amid the fighting and immediately spotted Chu Ge on horseback.
"Young Master Chu?"
Little Qin froze, nearly so angry his nose twisted.
First, a rich young lady from the Wang Family had run out of the city to meddle, and now another young master of the Chu Family had done the same.
These young masters and ladies might all have learned martial arts, but their combat experience and judgment were truly lacking.
He hurriedly forced an enemy back with his saber and shouted, "Young Master Chu, it's dangerous here! Hurry back to the city and tell the master of the Snow Saber Martial Arts School that Ding Ying is a traitor! He also abducted the Wang Family's young lady, Wang Xiuyun!"
He had barely finished speaking before he was swept back into the fierce battle.
Chu Ge, who had just ridden onto the scene, froze. Little Qin's warning nearly left him unable to process what he'd heard.
Ding Ying, the man Wang Youcai had hired at great expense, was actually a traitor?
And Wang Xiuyun, the Wang Family's young lady, had also left the city—and Ding Ying had captured her.
He hesitated for a moment. Seeing no sign of Tian Youji, he found it strange.
But Little Qin and the other runners already had the upper hand, so Chu Ge felt reassured.
"Go! It's extremely dangerous here! Don't throw your life away!"
Little Qin shouted.
"All right. Be careful!"
Chu Ge nodded and immediately turned his horse around.
The runners could handle the fight on their own, so he didn't need to show off. That way, he wouldn't make them overthink things and throw themselves into disarray.
"Trying to leave? Take him down first!"
At that moment, two cloaked figures suddenly rushed out of the forest road opposite them. With a shout, they swiftly launched into movement techniques and chased after Chu Ge.
"Bad! Young Master Chu, run!"
Little Qin's expression darkened.
Chu Ge's face changed too, but his thoughts quickly turned.
If he drew these two lackeys away, that would ease the burden on the runners.
He immediately galloped off, shouting as he went,
"Don't chase me! I'm just passing through!"
"If there's a chance of killing, don't let it pass!"
"Even an innocent passerby has to die. Bad luck for you!"
The two cloaked men sneered viciously and sped up their pursuit. They had clearly specialized in leg techniques, and in a flash they were racing after Chu Ge's horse.
"It's over! I can only hope Young Master Chu makes it out alive." Little Qin sighed inwardly, feeling helpless.
What good was being rich? Without the strength to protect his wealth, a rich man was just a fat sheep in troubled times. Young Master Chu might have trained at a martial arts school, but he could never be a match for these vicious bandits.
A few dozen breaths later,
Chu Ge seemed to have ridden in a panic to a secluded creek. Two gusts of killing intent came from behind, one on either side, their icy menace closing in.
"Die!"
Both cloaked men sneered, their faces twisted with cruel intent.
But in the next instant, the fear vanished from Chu Ge's face. He kicked off the stirrups and sprang into the air.
The two men saw a blur before their eyes. Their weapons sliced through the air above the horse's back, but struck nothing.
Before they could react, a dark shadow came crashing down overhead like Mount Tai. Two legs moved faster than lightning, slamming into them.
"Thud! Thud!"
A tremendous force surged into their bodies. Neither had time to block; both screamed as they were hurled backward into the creek, sending up splashing waves. Their chests felt stifled, and their vision went black.
Before either could get back up, two powerful arms plunged into the water. Like catching chicks, Chu Ge clamped a hand around each man's neck and hauled them up.
They tried to fight back, but a terrifying force instantly tightened around their throats.
Those two hands gripping their necks brought a suffocating terror and the threat of death. The strength drained from their bodies; their limbs went stiff as they stared at Chu Ge in fear.
They could feel the surging, terrifying force of qi and blood within the young man before them.
Even now, this harmless-looking little lamb had become a fearsome presence.
Beneath his open collar, his chest muscles bulged like solid rock, while the muscles in his arms seemed forged from iron bars, packed with astonishing strength.
Clearly, he had mastered some kind of body-hardening martial art, and now his surging qi and blood were laid bare.
But the strength of his qi and blood might already have surpassed the Bone-Training realm. He was nothing like the rich young master who had just fled in blind panic.
What the hell!
The world had turned upside down!
If he was this strong, why had he been so scared and run away just now?
Chu Ge looked at the two men, then grinned, baring a row of white teeth in a bright, sunny smile. "You enjoyed chasing me just now, didn't you? Now I ask, and you answer. Get it wrong, and you die!"
Both men's eyes widened. Their faces flushed like ripe persimmons, full of terror and regret.
So all along, they'd been chasing the King of Hell.
He'd even told them not to chase him, but they had kept going. Now they'd never leave unless they killed him first.
"Where is your envoy? Did he fight the City Guard Captain? And where is Ding Ying?"
"No rush. Think carefully. Answer one question at a time!"
Chu Ge suddenly loosened his grip a little.
The men felt the terrifying grip around their necks ease. Their suffocation lessened, and they felt as though they'd been dragged back from the gates of hell. In their terror, they immediately scrambled to answer.
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