A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 296 Ancient Bones (1)

Song Li did as instructed, releasing several acupoints on Lin Jiao, allowing him to move his limbs freely.

Unexpectedly, just as the group had ridden their horses a few feet away, before the horses had even started to run, a powerful killing intent suddenly arrived from all directions!

Countless assassins in black, wielding gleaming longswords, charged towards the crowd!
The horses were startled, and their neighing echoed through the mountains!
The group reacted swiftly, immediately drawing their weapons to meet the enemy!

Mu Qingcheng's soft sword was once again transferred to Song Shuyu. Song Shuyu lightly touched the ground with both feet and flew towards the assassin, unleashing a killing spree!
During a lull in the fighting, he shouted, "Everyone, listen to my command! This is a matter of life and death. There's no need to capture them alive. Kill the assassins on the spot!"

Song Li's task was to look after Lin Jiao, but he was more worried about Song Shuyu. Seeing that the assassin's target was not just Lin Jiao, but all of them, he decisively released all of Lin Jiao's acupoints, so that Lin Jiao could not only save herself, but also defend them against the enemy!
Meanwhile, Song Li drew his sword and charged towards Song Shuyu, cutting through thorns and brambles. Wherever his cold sword passed, rivers of blood flowed!
However, Song Shuyu ordered Song Li, "Don't worry about me, protect Qingcheng!"

Song Li continued his attacks, taking a moment to reply, "They are all my masters, I must protect them all!"

This was a massive, chaotic battle that left everyone in awe!

Lu Xun's swordsmanship was fierce, and with guards protecting him to the death, the assassins could not get close to him, so they turned around to kill Mu Qingcheng!
Although Mu Qingcheng's martial arts skills were no less than Lu Xun's, her weapon was not suitable for her. She was using an ordinary long whip, which had no barbs or mechanisms to extend or shorten, making it unsuitable for close-quarters combat. She wrapped the whip around an assassin's head, but before she could seriously injure him, the assassin's accomplice cut the whip in half with a sword!

Song Shuyu and Lu Xun kept a close eye on Mu Qingcheng's situation. Upon seeing this, they immediately turned around to rescue her!

Surprisingly, a white figure suddenly fell from the sky!

The newcomer stood in front of Mu Qingcheng with a sword in hand, exuding a murderous aura as he faced the assassin directly!
The few dozen surviving assassins were all startled when they saw the man in white!
Mu Qingcheng was standing close enough that when the white-clad man's face came into clear view, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Young Master Shen!"

Shen Che glanced at Mu Qingcheng and said loudly, "Don't worry, heroine, I will protect you with my life!"

Mu Qingcheng was stunned.

She was about to say she didn't need it when she saw Shen Che point his sword at the assassin and say sternly, "Anyone who wants to kill her, or any of them, will have to step over my dead body!"

Upon hearing this, the cold-blooded assassins all stopped, their eyes showing barely perceptible hesitation and fear!
Song Shuyu and the others gathered around Mu Qingcheng, exchanged glances, and then waited to see what would happen.

Shen Chai refused to yield an inch, and the assassin leader finally waved his hand, leading his men in retreat!
Song Shuyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly checked if Mu Qingcheng was injured. Mu Qingcheng shook her head. The guards on both sides of her were protecting her from the enemy and had blocked many of them.

Now, what she was more concerned about was, "Young Master Shen, how did you happen to appear by chance?"

However, before Shen Che could answer, Song Li suddenly cursed, "Lin Jiao, you son of a bitch, how dare you run away!"

Everyone was startled and quickly looked over, only to see Lin Jiao leap onto his horse, cracking his whip, and charging forward at high speed!
At that moment, with no time to spare, everyone rode off in hot pursuit!

Lin Jiao did not return to Yuyang Town. After leaving Dahuang Mountain, he fled westward. Everyone pursued him relentlessly. Song Li attacked Lin Jiao with hidden weapons several times, but he dodged them all with his quick reflexes!
The cool moonlight of midnight illuminated the outline of the mountain peaks in the distance.

"My lord, don't you think the shape of that mountain in front is strange?" Mu Qingcheng's voice, carried by the cold wind, entered Song Shuyu's ears.

Song Shuyu gazed into the distance, his brows furrowed deeply. "What's strange about it? I don't see anything wrong!"

Mu Qingcheng reminded him, "The innkeeper said that if you go ten miles west from Dahuang Mountain, there is a mountain called Eagle Beak Mountain. It is named after the shape of an eagle's beak."

"That's right, we're heading west of the Great Wilderness Mountain!" Lu Xun interjected, speaking loudly.

Suddenly, something flashed through Song Shuyu's mind. "I remember now. The shopkeeper said that Eagle Beak Mountain is haunted from time to time, and some unclean things always appear. Many years ago, it was sealed by a Taoist priest with high magic skills, who told us not to go there!" "That mountain does look like an eagle's beak!" Lu Xun's eyes sharpened. "Could it be that Lin Jiao is going to escape to Eagle Beak Mountain?"

Song Shuyu was immediately stunned with anger, "Damn it, going to Ghost Mountain in the middle of the night, isn't that just asking for death?"

"My lord, didn't you say that there are no ghosts or gods in this world, that people's hearts have become corrupted, and that they've done too many bad things and are just scaring themselves?" Mu Qingcheng raised her lips and teased.

Song Shuyu's handsome face flushed. "I... I didn't say I was afraid. With you, the coroner, here, what do I have to be afraid of? Even if there are unclean things, you'll protect me, right?"

"Mmm." Mu Qingcheng responded with a single word, the cold wind whistling against her face like a knife, but her eyes shone brightly.

Lu Xun spurred his horse and galloped away.

Lin Jiao indeed escaped into Eagle Beak Mountain!

In the dead of night, Lin Jiao, dressed in black, disappeared into the mountains like a fish in the sea, and quickly vanished without a trace!
They searched for an hour, but found nothing!

Seeing that everyone was exhausted, Song Shuyu made a quick decision: "Stop searching! Everyone rest here and replenish your strength. We'll continue searching after daybreak."

Song Li took out a blanket from the bundle on the horse's back, found a clean spot, helped Song Shuyu and Mu Qingcheng sit down, and covered them with the cloak.

Lu Xun also had guards to look after him, and the group settled down in the wilderness for the time being.

The guards lit several bonfires and took turns keeping watch with the other guards.

Fortunately, they were all martial artists with internal strength. After sleeping for several hours, apart from feeling a bit stiff and cold, they were still able to hold on.

The sky is bright.

Following the hoofprints and footprints, the group searched for Lin Jiao all over the mountains and fields.

As noon approached, the hungry group finally found Lin Jiao unconscious outside a cave in the heart of Eagle Beak Mountain.
Mu Qingcheng checked Lin Jiao's breath, "She's not dead, she's still breathing."

The tension between Lu Xun's brows slowly disappeared, and he asked, "Why is he unconscious? Is he injured?"

Mu Qingcheng examined him carefully and found no injuries, but there were signs of fever. "Lin Jiao's fainting is probably caused by a cold. He needs to return to Yuyang Town as soon as possible to find a doctor to examine him and prescribe medicine."

“We’re getting further and further away from Yuyang Town now. It might take at least two hours to get back.” Song Shuyu considered the situation and said, “Let’s get something to eat first, and then we can head back. Otherwise, it won’t just be Lin Jiao catching a cold.”

Song Li immediately said, "Please wait a moment, Master."

After speaking, he took two bodyguards and went hunting.

The guard, who was patrolling the area, accidentally lifted the thatch blocking the cave entrance and exclaimed in surprise, "A seal! There's a seal here!"

(End of this chapter)