Another person appeared somewhat wooden, merely hanging his head and bending his waist, looking puzzled and at a loss.

The man speaking shifted his gaze slightly, and upon seeing Gu Chengyu, his pupils contracted momentarily, showing a trace of unusual expression.

However, in an instant, he reverted to his previous honest and sincere demeanor.

The surrounding townsfolk smelled the foul odor but dared not speak up.

Why investigate so thoroughly someone who collects night soil? Could anyone hide inside a night soil bucket? Wouldn’t they be suffocated?

These government officers really have nothing better to do. They might as well conduct searches earlier and go about the entry thoroughly.

Early morning city entrants are mostly small vendors carrying home-grown vegetables, as well as chicken, duck, fish, etc.

Others are carrying their handmade baskets, dustpans, and other household items, all eager to enter the city and secure a good spot!

The government official took out two sheets of paper from his pocket, carefully comparing them with the two men, and then looked at the filthy, foul-smelling large wooden bucket outside.

He wanted to lift the lid to check but couldn’t muster the will, eventually waving his hand to signal for permission to pass.

When the official took out two portraits earlier, Gu Chengyu slightly leaned forward to have a look.

He found that the two men depicted were drawn very abstractly, both with full beards and wide-open eyes, only differing in hairstyle and overall facial shape.

He couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, thinking that catching these two wanted criminals with such sketches was indeed astonishing.

As for why they were to be caught, these two portraits didn’t indicate, seemingly needing a look at the notice at the city gate.

Gu Chengyu surveyed the faces of the two men behind him, noting their dark skin, with both possessing thick eyebrows and large eyes.

Then, he cast his gaze upon their necks, discovering that the skin inside their collars was much lighter than the skin on their faces.

Gu Chengyu didn’t pay it much mind, as ancient clothing involved many layers, unlike the previous life where one could go bare-chested; having lighter skin was normal.

His gaze inadvertently shifted, suddenly noticing that when these two raised their hands, the skin at the wrist was notably whiter than the hands.

This seemed odd indeed, since farmers definitely couldn’t escape fieldwork.

Farmers rolling their sleeves and pants to work was common, so how could there be different skin tones at the wrists and hands?

Holding doubts, Gu Chengyu paid more attention to these two.

The crowd slowly moved forward, Gu Chengyu stepped along with the long line, and upon nearing the city gate, he finally saw the notification’s content.

Vicious murderers? Escaping after killing? The notice indicated these two not only robbed a farming family’s money but also killed five family members at home, setting the farmhouse ablaze and reducing it to ashes.

After reading, Gu Chengyu felt somewhat puzzled. Even if robbing someone of silver coin, it shouldn’t require killing an entire family?

What’s the matter if someone saw their faces? After all, this ancient time wasn’t like the previous life with developed technology; as long as they weren’t local, they could roam elsewhere after the crime, using fake official certificates and travel permits. Could the government truly catch them?

Isn’t murder excessive? Murdering bears a far heavier crime than robbery; who would act this way usually?

Unless the robbers held deep hatred toward the family, their aim wasn’t silver but killing to vent anger.

And, with portraits involved, certainly witnesses existed, so why did witnesses escape harm? Did they hide somewhere invisible to the fugitives?

Gu Chengyu shook his head, feeling something unusual about this matter.

Finally entering the city gate, Gu Chengyu headed straight towards the inn where he previously stayed with Ming Mo.

This time coming to Yingnan Mansion, Gu Chengyu didn’t bring Ming Yan. He left Ming Yan at Hangtian Prefecture to monitor the situation there and report promptly to him.

...

"Are you sure? Is it truly the person?" One man pushing the wheelbarrow asked another, his tone tinged with doubt.

"Absolutely certain, this person is exceedingly handsome, I wouldn’t mistake him." The other man replied in a low voice.

"Did our master not instruct to avoid this person? Unexpectedly, we’ve come to Yingnan Mansion and still ran into him, truly relentless!"

"Right? Wasn’t it said that this person was in Hangtian Prefecture at this time? How could he appear in Yingnan Mansion? Should we proceed with our plan?"

"Let’s wait for now, complete the finding task before proceeding. This person is a variable, better to avoid losses of both manpower and resources, it’s wiser to be cautious."

The two men pushed the wheelbarrow toward the southern alley, where it was mostly civilian residences. Normally, Old Man Wang began collecting night soil from there.

"Should we utilize this Li Taixing?"

"No way! This person is overly cunning, we better follow the master’s orders and not take matters into our own hands. Otherwise, if the master holds us accountable, none of us can bear it."

Gu Chengyu and Ming Mo found the inn, ignoring everything else, first catching a few hours of sleep.

A few hours later, Gu Chengyu rubbed his dry eyes, noting the sky outside had darkened.

"Sir, you’re awake?" Ming Mo entered the room with a copper basin, preparing to help Gu Chengyu freshen up.

"Any news on Li Taixing’s activities in recent days?" Gu Chengyu got up to dress, went to the copper basin and washed his face with warm water, feeling slightly rejuvenated.

"Recently, Mr. Li has been hosting numerous engagements at his residence. Apparently, tonight he’s entertaining merchants with notable reputations from the city."

Ming Mo handed over the towel to Gu Chengyu, who paused as he received it, "Entertaining merchants?"

His eyes flashed sharply. Clever Li Taixing, had he caught wind of Hangtian Prefecture’s situation?

"How did he handle disaster victims at the city gate?" Gu Chengyu placed the towel on the wooden rack and sat down at the table.

"Disaster victims arrived at Yingnan Mansion last night. Mr. Li ordered strict guarding of the city gate and increased night patrol constables, forbidding disaster victim entry. Yet he didn’t appear in person, only made such arrangements."

Ming Mo recalled meticulously, ensuring nothing was left out.

"What about Ding Shiliu? Didn’t he deliver my handwritten letter to Mr. Li?" Gu Chengyu’s expression darkened, confirming Li Taixing’s cunning disregard for him.

"Indeed, as dusk was approaching yesterday, Ding Shiliu reached the city gate. Entering the city, he proceeded to the government office’s corner gate delivering your card and handwritten letter, handing them to the gatekeeper who asked him to wait. But after Ding Shiliu waited long, no further response came."

Ming Mo expressed indignation, especially since this time the letter contained an attached card stamped with Gu Chengyu’s official seal.

Why would Mr. Li refuse Ding Shiliu? Didn’t he recognize the importance of their master being the Emperor’s appointee as the imperial envoy? Could Li Taixing be so foolish?