Using Stratagem to Trap the Beast

As Chu Ge hid in the shadows and collected the bodies.

In the small stream behind him, Wang Xiuyun had clearly regained her strength and was climbing out of the water, calling out weakly.

"Thank... thank you, benefactor, for your help. My Wang Family..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw the mysterious man, whose skin was as dark as an old farmer's, leap away. Only one sentence drifted into the forest with his hoarse, elderly voice.

"Young lady, the martial world is treacherous, and people's hearts are unpredictable. Strength and realm don't represent actual combat power. You need to be more careful."

Wang Xiuyun was stunned. She lay by the cold stream, completely soaked, watching the figure quickly disappear through the trees. Her eyes suddenly became a little lost.

She had returned from the Prefectural City, thinking she had seen many young talents and experienced grand occasions. Her martial arts were all top-notch, so her mindset had indeed been a bit restless these past few days.

Hearing today that her family's merchant caravan had been ambushed and people had been killed or injured, she had defied her father's stern warnings. Confident in her skills and courage, she had quietly climbed out of the courtyard and out of the city, intending to turn the tide.

Unexpectedly, she was deceived by the traitor Ding Ying and fell into trouble.

Thinking about the dire consequences if she had truly fallen into the hands of the bandits, she realized she had only made things worse.

"Fortunately... that great... great master saved me."

Wang Xiuyun murmured to herself, getting up from the stream.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching and immediately became alert.

Seeing that the clothes of the people coming from the forest opposite were all from the city constabulary, she breathed a sigh of relief, but did not completely let down her guard.

A lesson learned, she would never trust anyone easily again.

Within Linyuan City, it was already in chaos.

More than a dozen mysterious figures in cloaks suddenly attacked the homes of some wealthy families in the affluent district, causing panic everywhere.

Fortunately, the master of the Tiger Martial Arts School and the constables remaining in the city intervened in time, intercepting many of the attacking bandits. The two groups were currently engaged in a fierce battle.

Inside a large, deep courtyard, several collisions of qi and blood, as explosive as thunderclaps, erupted, shaking the surrounding flowers, plants, and dirt.

Two figures darted rapidly back and forth within the courtyard.

There were even people fighting in the corridors in other directions.

Soon, one of the figures, an old man, grunted and retreated, his body flashing as he landed on a rockery in the back and stopped.

With a "bang," the rockery cracked and swayed precariously.

The old man staggered a few times, barely managing to stand. His expression was grim as he stared at the cloaked man outside the pavilion. His gaze then subtly swept over his men, who were all entangled.

"Hehehe, Hu Xuezhi, is that all your Tiger Crouching Technique is capable of? Those are cat claws, not tiger fists!"

Outside the pavilion, the man in the cloak chuckled leisurely. A cold arc formed on his thin lips. "Since I, this envoy, have lured Tian Youji away, how could I overlook you?

Did Tian Youji think that by asking you to guard the city, everything would be foolproof? He underestimated this envoy too much.

If you don't make a move now, you can still retreat safely. I'm only after wealth. Once my subordinates outside have collected their spoils, I will leave. What do you say?"

Hu Xuezhi's face darkened, but he did not reply.

Suddenly, a steady and stern voice came from outside the courtyard wall.

"You should worry about whether you can leave safely yourself!"

With a "bang," the courtyard gate burst open, and Tian Youji, a burly figure with short hair and piercing eyes, appeared.

The Iron Token Envoy in the cloak's expression changed drastically. "You didn't leave the city?"

"Feint to the east, attack to the west. Did you really think Tian would be so easily fooled by you?"

Outside the city, Chu Ge had removed the mask of the porter's skin, revealing his true face, and was riding his horse back rapidly.

He had originally intended to go out of the city to observe the fight between Tian Youji and the envoy of the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's stronghold, and perhaps pick up some benefits.

Unexpectedly, on his outing, he didn't encounter Tian Youji or the Iron Token Envoy at all. Instead, he accidentally saved Wang Xiuyun and collected five corpses.

However, by interrogating the two "Pursuing Life Ghosts" and eavesdropping on Ding Ying and the others' conversations, he had already understood.

It turned out the Iron Token Envoy was not outside the city at all, but was using a feint to launch a surprise attack on the city.

He also quickly realized.

The reason he hadn't seen Tian Youji outside the city was probably because Tian Youji had never left the city.

"Perhaps Tian Youji had already seen through the opponent's feint to lure the tiger away from its mountain. How did he see through it? Could he have an inside informant?"

Chu Ge galloped his horse.

Seeing the city's outline ahead, he suddenly leaped off his horse and abandoned it. His cloak spread out like a large bird taking flight.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

He instantly unfastened his cloak, rapidly employing his movement techniques. His well-defined muscles moved in coordination, full of explosive power. Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he rushed into the city with incredible speed, faster than a horse.

Tian Youji not leaving the city meant he was likely already fighting the Iron Token Envoy within the city.

With Hu Xuezhi, a Blood Change Realm martial artist, in the city, even if Hu Xuezhi's qi and blood were depleted, the Iron Token Envoy wouldn't gain an advantage.

Chu Ge, however, was worried that his old residence would be raided by some careless disciples of the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult.

After all, he had a lot of gold and silver stored in his main residence. If it were all looted, he would have nowhere to turn.

After a short while.

Chu Ge had already arrived at the bustling, chaotic city gates.

Robbers and villains had appeared within the city, causing many panicked and uneasy citizens to flee. However, they didn't dare to go too far, gathering instead at the city gates. The crowd was dense, making it quite noisy and disorderly.

With such chaos even at the city gates, and no soldiers to maintain order, the situation inside the city was clearly even worse.

Chu Ge had to push his way through the chaotic city gates and into the throng of people.

Some fishermen who recognized him saw that people were still entering the city and immediately warned him.

"Young Master Chu, there are many vicious robbers in the city. People have already been killed. Please don't go in."

"That's right, Young Master Chu. Let's all stay here together and consider it a loss to avoid disaster."

"It's alright. I'm also a martial artist from the Tiger Martial Arts School. I have the strength to protect myself. Thank you all for your concern, neighbors."

After thanking them, Chu Ge passed through the crowd and entered the city.

At this time, there were hardly any people to be seen within the city. Many citizens who hadn't left were hiding in their homes.

Occasionally, he would see panicked citizens on the streets, also running towards the city gates.

Even some local thugs were taking advantage of the chaos to loot and pillage, stealing grain and rice. It was utter chaos everywhere, revealing the worst of human nature.

Chu Ge had no time to pay attention to anything else and headed straight for the affluent district where his home was located.

Just as he reached the entrance of the street, he heard the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts of combat.

His expression changed slightly, and he stopped at the entrance of the street to observe for a moment.

He saw many city guards, yamen runners, and disciples of the Tiger Martial Arts School not far away, surrounding and fighting a group of Heaven and Earth Incense Cult cultists dressed in cloaks.

Judging by the situation of the battle, the city's forces clearly had the upper hand.

The group of cultists was gradually falling into a disadvantage.

"Thankfully, it looks like the situation is under control."

Chu Ge breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a cultist broke through the encirclement and fled towards him, his expression fierce and desperate.

His Qi and Blood surged, his skin turned greenish, and his muscles bulged – a clear sign of the Muscle Refining Realm. His skin was tough, and his muscles were like iron.

The sabers of the surrounding soldiers seemed to only leave small wounds on him, with not much blood splashing out.

This person, like a charging tiger or wolf, broke through the encirclement and headed straight for the street entrance where he was.

Chu Ge's heart stirred, and he took a step back, preparing to wait for the rabbit.

Now that their side had the advantage and the situation in the city was under control, he had no intention of showing off.

He didn't want any hidden, powerful figures from the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult lurking nearby to notice him. However, stopping a Muscle Refining Warrior was well within his capabilities.