Expensive items often prove to be quite useful, much Black Dragon, which after being fed and watered, bolted out of the city at a breakneck speed.
It took just half an hour to reach Yang Family Town, Desolate Tomb Ridge, which was much sooner than expected.
But once there, Chen Jie’s expression changed, realizing there was no one around. His master and the others had not arrived, nor was there any sign of Gu Qingfeng. How could this be possible!
Where was Gu Qingfeng?
A sense of foreboding suddenly emerged in Chen Jie’s heart. If Gu Qingfeng wasn’t here, was it because he hadn’t arrived, or...
Chen Jie suddenly thought of a possibility, immediately mounted again, and fiercely kicked the horse’s belly, urging it into a gallop.
What he feared most might have happened: Gu Qingfeng had changed the location of the ambush!
The sky grew increasingly stormy, the thunder rolling in dense waves, growing more muffled, like the growling of beasts or the snoring of giants.
Bai Wenjing and her group rode on horseback.
Bai Wenjing asked, "Where are we?"
Chen Shu looked around and replied, "We should be at Twenty Miles Inn now."
Bai Wenjing muttered to herself, and just then, the cavalry troop abruptly halted.
The riders pulled back on the reins, and then they saw two large trees fallen across the official road ahead, with a massive rock between them, and a person sitting atop it with their back to them.
Seeing this scene, everyone exchanged bewildered looks, then turned to look at Chen Shu.
At that moment, a few of the Twelve Guards looked towards Chen Shu. Chen Shu furrowed his brows and said, "Don’t move yet; it might be the Green Forest Road."
Upon hearing this, Chen Niu on the side remarked, "Boss, have you heard of any Green Forest robbers successfully setting up here in Mianshui County?"
"Yeah, this place belongs to the Fishing Guild and Guild Cao, what kind of bandits could establish themselves here? Boss, I’m afraid the newcomers don’t bode well, be careful."
Chen She spoke at this time. Hearing this, Chen Shu said, "Right, stay alert, I’ll go have a look. You all protect Mr. Bai. If anything happens, you know what to do, right?"
Upon hearing this, one of the guards said, "Hehe, don’t worry, everything should prioritize keeping Mr. Bai safe, we can sacrifice ourselves when necessary."
Chen Shu addressed his brothers, "Fellows, we are the direct loyalists of our Hall Master; he took us out of Xiantao Town. Otherwise, we might have had to spend our entire lives there as farmers, forever oppressed by others."
"Oppressed, humiliated, persecuted by others, it was the Hall Master who gave us the life of ordinary people, a generous house, a warm home, and some of us even have the chance to marry and have children. As the saying goes, ’A man would die for someone who understands him.’"
Hearing his words, the people nodded together and said, "A man would die for someone who understands him!"
They looked at each other, and at that moment, Chen Shu pulled out two fifty-tael Silver Ingots from his pocket, then walked down to the big rock and politely said, "To the elder and the young ones here, I’m not sure which path you follow, but a meeting is a kind of fate, so here’s one hundred taels of silver. Whether it’s too little or too much, please accept this token with our apologies."
After speaking, Chen Shu took a step back and then turned to Chen Niu, "Second Brother, let’s go."
The group dismounted, ready to lead the horses and leave.
However, just then, a voice suddenly rang out, "Hehe... did I say you could leave?"
At those words, the Twelve Guards, along with the White Tiger Guards behind them, all became alert.
All twelve guards grasped their swords, and then they heard the person say, "Oh, quite vigilant, aren’t we? You’re all good seeds indeed. Too bad someone has paid for your lives—ten thousand gold coins, much more valuable than your one hundred silver taels..."
"Form up, protect Master Bai!"
Hearing this person’s words, the Twelve Guards instantly became alert, shouting loudly to protect Doctor Bai. The next moment, the group closed ranks, guarding Doctor Bai in the center while drawing their long swords, ready for battle.
Seeing this, the person sitting on the rock chuckled, "What, you don’t think that just with these twenty or so of you, you could survive under my hand, do you?"
Saying this, the person slowly stood up, and then turned around.
Upon seeing the person’s face, everyone looked up in alarm, "Gu, Gu Qingfeng!"
They might not recognize other people, but how could they not recognize someone as famous as Gu Qingfeng, one of the Mianshui Thirteen Grand Protectors, the famous Ghost Hand, and also the Ghost Hand Hall Master of Guild Cao!
They couldn’t believe he had come back to ambush them!
Considering this, everyone was very puzzled; yes, this man was from Guild Cao, why would he come to ambush them!
They couldn’t really be blamed, because when they left Mianshui, Gu Qingfeng had not yet defected, so in their minds, Gu Qingfeng was still that famous Ghost Hand Hall Master of Guild Cao!
When Doctor Bai heard this, he stepped forward and said, "Master Gu, long time no see. How have you been doing?"
Doctor Bai knew Gu Qingfeng, and they had a good relationship. Previously, when Peng Shizhong, Zhang Liye, and Gu Qingfeng, along with two officials from Huangzhou Prefecture, came to Mianshui County to catch Ni Wenjun, they all visited Bai Wenjing.
After all, Bai Wenjing was senior.
At this moment, Bai Wenjing joined the conversation, and Gu Qingfeng looked at her and courteously replied, "Doctor Bai, it’s been a long time. I hope you’ve been well."
"Thanks to Master Gu’s blessings, I am quite well. But what is the meaning of this today, Master Gu?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng said, "Doctor Bai, today I am merely fulfilling someone else’s request. So, I would prefer not to make things difficult for Doctor Bai. I really don’t want to kill you. How about this, Doctor Bai? You take your own life, and then hand over the antidote that you sought from Shennong to me, and I’ll ensure these people remain unharmed, how does that sound?"