Gu Chengyu originally wanted to go forward to pursue, but in the end, did not move, instead focusing attention on the man lying on the ground.

The Map Master escaped without taking the man because taking him would be a burden.

And as for that man, without even going forward to check, Gu Chengyu already knew the result.

"Lord, quick! We can’t let him escape!" Ming Mo and the others came chasing from behind, and upon seeing no sign of the Map Master, they urgently shouted.

Ming Yan had already gotten up to pursue, with Ming Mo following closely behind.

"Come back! Don’t chase!" Gu Chengyu urgently shouted from behind them.

The two paused, feeling a bit puzzled. The Map Master had already been injured by the lord, and the injuries were not light, so why were they not allowed to pursue further?

"Someone has already come to rescue him earlier, and we shouldn’t pursue a desperate enemy. Who knows if there are still ambushes waiting for us? Moreover, this mission is related to the Jiangnan flood issue, and we cannot be delayed by this matter for too long."

As for the Map Master escaping, Gu Chengyu felt some regret in his heart. But since someone came for reinforcements, how could he be sure that there was only one person?

If a dozen or twenty people came, wouldn’t going up be sending them to their deaths? Maybe they just wanted to lure them over for a complete capture!

Moreover, his energy was also limited; although he looked fine on the surface, he had actually consumed a lot of Inner Strength.

If another expert like the Map Master came, he would still find it quite arduous to deal with.

Thinking this, he quickly took out an elixir to restore Inner Strength from the storage space and swallowed a pill. Then he circulated his cultivation technique to digest the freshly consumed elixir.

This elixir was originally in the space, and there was only one bottle. Every pill consumed is one less, and he still hasn’t learned to make them himself.

He had treasured it before and never taken it. These were life-saving elixirs meant for emergencies.

He was taking it now because he feared the Map Master might return with reinforcements, and besides, there were those four people behind too!

Then Gu Chengyu started walking toward Heba to see if he could find any clues on this person.

Ming Mo and Ming Yan became sullen, with a bit of unwillingness.

Just a bit more effort, and they could have caught the Map Master. It was really a pity.

"Lord, we didn’t see any signal; how did someone rescue him? He targeted you this time, and if he makes a comeback, we really won’t be able to guard against it."

Ming Mo sighed, feeling deeply concerned about this trip to Jiangnan.

This time was different from going to Hejian Prefecture. Although it was to deal with the Jiangnan flood, he always felt that this matter was very dangerous.

Because many officials in the court are implicated in this matter, the lord’s promotion at this time had really risked his life.

No wonder the Emperor was so generous this time, not only promoting him three ranks but also giving him the Imperial Sword and gold medal.

The Emperor must also know how perilous this affair is, hence giving so many benefits. No wonder he is an Emperor, really scheming!

However, the Imperial Sword and gold medal are useful for dealing with officials and commoners but cannot deter those lurking in the dark waiting to strike!

"Lord, Ming Mo is right. Since we let him go this time, we must be doubly cautious next time."

Ming Yan was also quite unwilling, but he glanced over and saw the man lying on the ground, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Lord, be careful!"

Saying this! They raised their swords and approached the man and Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu smiled and said, "Rest assured! He is dead, utterly dead."

Ming Mo and others were very surprised, "What happened? We planned to capture this man alive, and you said to leave him alive, so we didn’t strike hard!"

Gu Chengyu focused on the man. His thigh was bloodied, as if burned.

Even the blood flowing from the thigh was black, with almost no sign of fresh blood.

This must have been when the Map Master scattered poison, and the man accidentally got it on him.

Because the Map Master did not pay attention to the wind direction when scattering the antidote, and the man was not far from the Map Master. The wind blew the poison towards the man, and he probably couldn’t avoid it and got some on his leg.

The man was already severely wounded and half-kneeling on the ground. When the poison was scattered, he had no time to run.

Ming Mo and the others remained vigilant, seeing their lord had already approached. Seeing that the person on the ground indeed lay motionless, they put down their swords and walked over.

The man’s body also had various large and small wounds, all left by Gu Chengyu and Ming Mo and the others.

However, the fatal wound was not the poison or those injuries, but a broken section of the Nine-section Whip stuck in his chest.

It was evident that the Map Master personally killed this man before leaving. Naturally, it was to prevent the man from being captured by Gu Chengyu and revealing their secrets.

It must be said that the Map Master acted decisively and ruthlessly. But perhaps this is what people often say, that those who achieve great things do not bother with trifles!

"This man was killed by his accomplice. He couldn’t take this person, and couldn’t let him fall into our hands either."

Gu Chengyu circled around the man and then ordered, "Strip his clothes and see if there are any clues on him."

Gu Chengyu directed the two to strip the man naked and, in the meantime, searched through his clothes, then inspected the man’s body closely.

Ming Mo and Ming Yan exchanged a glance; this looked so strange, three men intently examining another man’s naked body, and the one lying on the ground was dead.

Gu Chengyu certainly couldn’t look at the man’s important parts, otherwise, he would surely have vomited.

Gu Chengyu first focused on the man’s chest, where the nine-section whip’s tip had entered.

"Oh?" Gu Chengyu suddenly saw something unusual at the wound, and he squatted down to take a closer look.

He didn’t pull out the nine-section whip’s tip, but instead used a handkerchief to wipe away the surrounding bloodstains.

"Lord! Let me do it!" Ming Yan hurriedly stopped him when he saw Gu Chengyu doing it himself.

Those long, jade-like hands doing such rough work, it was simply a waste of heavenly gifts, truly sinful! So sinful!

Gu Chengyu waved his hand and continued to wipe the area clean, revealing what indeed looked like a tattoo on the skin.

He leaned over to take a closer look, discovering that it was a circle, and inside were some patterns resembling vines.

Unfortunately, the most critical part in the middle was damaged by the blade of the nine-section whip.

Gu Chengyu sighed, realizing that the Map Master had intentionally destroyed the evidence on this man when he killed him.

At that time, the Map Master was still trying to escape. It had to be said that even in such a critical situation, he remained so calm; it was evident he was quite the character.