Chapter 1004: Chapter 840: Making Conversation for the Sake of It

This person should have a high status within their group.

However, these two actually came to kill him, so Gu Chengyu could be sure that his trip to Jiangnan this time had definitely obstructed the other’s plan.

He shifted his gaze downward and then noticed a wolf head totem on the inside of the man’s arm.

Hmm? He felt a bit puzzled. The destroyed totem above could be explained as a sect’s symbol. But how about this wolf head below? Could it be a code name?

Or is it just the man’s personal interest? Gu Chengyu frowned, it seemed that after returning to the Capital, he needed to conduct a thorough investigation.

He planned to turn over the corpse, but upon seeing the handkerchief in his hand, he hastily threw it aside in disgust.

"Ahem! Turn him over and take a look!" Gu Chengyu turned his head to the side and instructed Ming Mo and the others.

Ming Mo and his companions stepped forward without changing their expression and turned the man over.

"Oh! Sir, how long has it been since this person had a bath? He smells terrible!" After turning the man over, Ming Yan quickly jumped to the side. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Standing aside, Gu Chengyu had already taken several deep breaths. He had smelled the odor on the corpse when he crouched down to examine it earlier.

He couldn’t stand it anymore, so he stood up. Originally, with the clothes on, it didn’t feel this bad, but who knew it would smell so awful after they were removed.

An indescribable odor made it impossible for Gu Chengyu to find words.

After examining the man’s backside carefully, he found nothing unusual.

It was just that the man’s body was considerably more robust than an average person, with more body hair and coarser skin.

"Alright! Let’s go!" Gu Chengyu took another handkerchief and wiped his hands vigorously. After smelling it and sensing no odor, he threw it away.

Anyway, these handkerchiefs were very ordinary, with no patterns or words, just plain white silk.

They were kept by Gu Chengyu for emergencies, and even if someone picked one up, they wouldn’t know whose it was.

Gu Chengyu held the Soft Sword and sliced a few marks on both of the totems on the man’s body. He wouldn’t take the corpse away, but he couldn’t let others see the totems either.

"Sir! Will it be troublesome that this person died here? Previously, many people saw him at the tea house, and we were there too."

Ming Mo was a bit worried. He and the Map Master had left shortly after. Now that the man was dead, would those people suspect them?

"So what? After all, they didn’t see anything with their own eyes." Ming Yan was indifferent, thinking Ming Mo was being overly cautious.

Gu Chengyu thought for a moment and then picked up the Soft Sword, making a few more cuts on the man’s face.

"Alright, although we’re not afraid of trouble, it’s best to avoid it as much as possible!"

After glancing at the man’s clothes, Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Mo to throw the clothes into a tall grassy area ahead.

Then he whistled, and a black steed galloped toward him from afar.

This horse was one Gu Chengyu had bought from the horse market earlier. At that time, the horse was sick and no one cared for it.

But he liked it at first sight because he saw the spirited gleam in the horse’s eyes.

This was a highly intelligent horse, which Gu Chengyu named Zhu Lang.

The sound of hoofbeats drew nearer. Despite being obscured by the tall grass, Gu Chengyu could already see Zhu Lang’s sleek and muscular back.

As Zhu Lang approached and saw Gu Chengyu in the grass, it neighed happily.

Gu Chengyu stepped forward to pat its back, then discreetly moved his hand under Zhu Lang’s belly to return the Imperial Sword to its original place in the hidden compartment.

How precious was the Imperial Sword? Naturally, Gu Chengyu couldn’t flaunt it openly. To avoid attracting attention, he had tied it under Zhu Lang’s belly.

Earlier, during the skirmish with the Map Master and the two fighters, Gu Chengyu feared losing the Imperial Sword, so he put it away in the compartment.

And to conceal their martial arts, both Ming Mo and Ming Yan did the same. After all, they weren’t Jianghu people; holding long swords in hand was too conspicuous.

Ming Mo and Ming Yan returned to fetch the horses, and the three of them headed back to the official road they had passed earlier.

Just less than a stick of incense’s time after setting off, Gu Chengyu heard galloping horse hooves approaching behind him.

Judging by the sound, there were, not surprisingly, four horses. Gu Chengyu looked back and saw it was the same four people who had rested at the tea house earlier.

The four of them charged forward on their horses, and unexpectedly spotted the silhouettes of the master and servants ahead. The leader was puzzled that these three were still here?

After all, they had left half an hour later than those three, and shouldn’t have caught up to them! Could it be that the three of them weren’t in a hurry, just traveling for leisure?

If they’re not in a hurry, why didn’t they use a carriage? Isn’t that more comfortable than being exposed to the elements on horseback?

And what about the man and the elder who had gone ahead? Did those two really leave? Could it be they had overthought, and the man had no ill intent toward the master-servant trio?

Gu Chengyu nudged his horse slightly to the side; he wasn’t used to exposing his back directly to others, especially strangers.

Ming Mo and Ming Yan spurred their horses forward, shielding Gu Chengyu from behind. They were also very alert to the four riders, as having just sparred with two experts, facing another four might be challenging.

Even if their master’s martial arts skills were superior, it would still be difficult to fend off four attacks at once. Besides, the fight with the Map Master had already exhausted a lot of Inner Strength.

Seeing that Gu Chengyu and his followers slowed down, the leader knew that the trio had become wary of them. After some quick thinking, he urged his horse towards the three.

Ming Mo and the others heard the hoofbeats approaching from behind and immediately tensed up, their hands moving toward the sword hilts concealed beneath their saddles.

"Young sir, please stop!" The leader shouted as he approached.

Having no intent to make enemies with the three, he naturally had to speak up to express he bore no malice. Otherwise, if a fight broke out, it would be unjust.

Especially since this person could very well be Gu Chengyu, a man even his master had praised highly. His master wanted to befriend him, so how could he cause trouble for his master?

Gu Chengyu subtly moved his hand toward his waist, slowed his horse, and turned to look at the approaching leader.

"Brother, you’ve called out to me, may I ask your business?"

Cleverly using this opportunity to scrutinize the man, Gu Chengyu noted his full beard, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. Coupled with the probing gaze, he seemed a man well-versed in worldly matters.

"Haha! We saw you three dining in the tea house earlier and now met again here. It seems fateful. Young sir, are you heading to Jiangnan?"

The leader ignored Ming Mo and the rest; anyone with eyes could see that the two behind were the followers of the one in front.

"Indeed!" Gu Chengyu almost rolled his eyes. This road led to several State regions in Jiangnan, didn’t it? Truly making conversation out of nothing.