I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 232 High fives as an oath
"This is Lord Du Rusong, and this is Lord Xu Han. Xianyu hasn't met them yet, has she? Come over and pay your respects."

Hong Yuze introduced the two first-rank purple-robed officials to Chen Ming.

Chen Ming bowed respectfully, "Your subordinate, Gu Xianyu, greets the two lords."

He was pondering what reason Du Rusong had for killing him.
The next moment, he felt two tangible gazes cast his way, and a chill ran down his spine.

"So you're Chief Xia's son-in-law, huh? You're really something." Du Rusong's cold voice rang in her ears, clearly carrying a hint of hatred.

It was all because of that cheap father-in-law?
Chen Ming quickly distanced himself, "Sir, you jest. How could I possibly be worthy of Miss Xia? To be honest, I already have a marriage agreement in the capital. This marriage is off the table."

This person is not only a top-tier expert, but also one of his superiors. He can't afford to be resented by this person.

"Oh?"

Du Rusong's expression remained unchanged, but the murderous aura emanating from him had lessened somewhat.

Xu Han said calmly, "I heard that Chief Xia's daughter is now living with you? What, Lord Gu, are you planning to marry both of them? That's quite a scheme."

broken.

Chen Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He had almost forgotten that Xu Han was in charge of the intelligence department. His cohabitation with Xia Mudan was naturally known to her spies.

Now, even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.

Hong Yuze also realized that these two colleagues seemed to have a grudge against Xia Shaowen and were taking it out on Gu Xianyu, so he changed the subject, "Gentlemen, let's proceed as we just discussed. Lord Du will go and arrest Xie Jianqiu. Lord Xu will stay at the yamen, and as for the prison—"

"I'll leave the prison to Lord Hong," Du Rusong suddenly interrupted him. "This time, I heard that young Gu displayed great prowess, killing two first-rank demons from the Nine Nether Sect and saving face for Xia Prefecture. He must possess astonishing skills. Let him accompany me to capture Xie Jianqiu this time."

"this--"

Hong Yuze looked at Chen Ming. He originally wanted Chen Ming to take charge of things at the prison, but he didn't expect Du Rusong to make such an arrangement.

Based on his understanding of Du Rusong, this was clearly ill-intentioned.

Du Rusong said calmly, "Don't forget, Xie Jianqiu has several disciples, all of whom are quite strong. My men alone might not be able to defeat them. We need a young man with exceptional strength like Xiao Gu. Only by capturing Xie Jianqiu as soon as possible can we give an explanation to Lord Zhong."

Hong Yuze sensed the threat in his words and asked Chen Ming, "What do you think?"

"It's all up to you, my Lord."

"In that case, you should go with Lord Du. You might be able to make another great contribution."

"Yes," Chen Ming replied, then asked, "Lord Du, when shall we depart?"

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately."

"Please allow me to send someone to your home to inform you."

"it is good."

……

Chen Ming rode a black horse, following Du Rusong and several other colleagues out of the gates of Xiazhou City. He was at the back of the group, and he had already roughly guessed what had happened with those five assassination attempts.

Among those who want to kill him now is the man in black who killed the Righteous Clan. For some reason, this man seems to have his eye on him.

Therefore, as long as he leaves Xiazhou City alone, this man in black will follow him.

Rumor has it that the members of the Killing Righteous Clan possess a unique tracking method; once they have their eye on someone, no matter how well they conceal their whereabouts, they will eventually be found.

Therefore, changing one's identity and leaving Xiazhou City is not an option.

Then there's Zhou Wentao of the Righteousness Sect. He's probably been keeping an eye on Xia Mudan, and if she leaves Xiazhou City, he'll kill her.

Therefore, the path of leaving with Xia Mudan is also a dead end.

Staying in Xiazhou City would also be a dead end.

Because the Gu family has already sent a first-rank expert here, it's less about teaching and more about protecting Gu Xianyu, this rising star of the family.

At the age of twenty, he was a third-rank official. Even if Gu Xianyu's father disliked him, the elders of the family could not turn a blind eye to him and would definitely give him special attention.

Therefore, the middle-aged man who killed him in the fifth murder scene must be Gu Xianyu's "Fifth Uncle," who discovered he was an imposter and killed him.

After Chen Ming figured all this out, he knew that leaving Xiazhou City with Du Rusong was his only chance of survival.

With Du Rusong and his group by their side, the people from the Shayi Clan would absolutely not dare to make a move.

In this way, they can also avoid Gu Xianyu's "Fifth Uncle".

The only thing we need to deal with now is the threat from Du Rusong.

First of all, no matter how bold Du Rusong was, he would never dare to kill him in public, because he would not be able to explain it to his superiors.

He couldn't bear the consequences of murdering a colleague, especially a core member of the Gu family. The Gu family was a hereditary ducal mansion, a top-tier noble family that had existed since the founding of the nation; anyone would have to think twice about it.

Therefore, compared to other options, following Du Rusong is actually the safest choice.

If Du Rusong wanted to kill him, he would have to do it flawlessly, leaving no room for anyone to find a loophole. The best approach would be to use someone else to do the dirty work.

The knife they borrowed, of course, was from Xie Jianqiu, the first-rank master who had escaped from prison. "However, we still need to be careful."

Chen Ming felt a chill run down his spine. In the scene foretold by the tortoise shell, it was indeed Du Rusong who had personally taken action. There must be some reason behind this.

He then looked at the other five people, four of whom were third-rank officials in gold robes. They were Du Rusong's most capable subordinates and were known as the Four Tigers at the time.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, Zhu Wanlin turned to look at him, a cold smile playing on his lips.

That's right, this person is also one of Du Rusong's subordinates.

Chen Ming even suspected that Zhu Wanlin might have killed Xia Mudan's brother at Du Rusong's behest. However, he lacked evidence.

In addition, there was another "acquaintance".

He was an old man whom he had met in Jiangzhou. The old man had moved next door to him and lived there for a while. The old man also had a granddaughter, but she did not come with him this time.

Now he finally knew the old man's identity. His name was Tao Zhiquan, a former member of the Six Doors who had retired. He was extremely famous, and Zhu Wanlin and others respectfully called him "Divine Detective" because he was skilled at tracking and solving cases.

Even Du Rusong was very polite to Tao Zhiquan, so it seemed that the capture of Xie Jianqiu, who had escaped from prison, would depend on this brilliant detective.

For some reason, Chen Ming felt that the old man's gaze was a bit strange, as if he had seen through Chen Ming's disguise, which made him feel uneasy.

Du Rusong had received news that Xie Jianqiu was last seen in Qingtian County, so they needed to get there as quickly as possible.

The seven people hurried on their way and arrived at Qingtian County, a thousand miles away, in less than a day.

Their cultivation level was at least third rank, and even after traveling all day, they were all full of energy. Du Rusong's four subordinates, in particular, were all excited.

For them, this was a chance to make a name for themselves. Once they had enough merit, they would have the opportunity to study the visualization diagram in the Demon Suppression Hall and thus have the chance to advance to the second rank.

Chen Ming remained at the very back, silent, waiting for a chance to slip away.

He could sense that, although Du Rusong had never looked back at him along the way, he had actually been watching him the whole time, as if to prevent him from slipping away.

Moreover, with that "divine constable" around, even if he manages to escape, he'll probably be found very soon.

We must wait for the perfect opportunity.

……

The group arrived at a riverbank. The north wind howled, the waves surged, and not a single sail could be seen on the river.

Du Rusong gazed at the other side of the river and said, "This Danjiang River is the dividing line between Xiazhou, Yuzhou, and Jiangzhou. Intelligence says that Xie Jianqiu disappeared after being shot into the river by Lord Li. Where do you think he might have fled to?"

Lord Li, a first-rank military commander stationed in Qingtian County, fought Xie Jianqiu, resulting in both being severely wounded. He was unable to pursue the matter further.

This happened the night before last.

For a top-tier expert, such a long time is enough to escape to a great distance.

Chen Ming thought to himself that Xie Jianqiu's intention in fleeing here was quite clear: to leave Xiazhou. Once he went to another state, the pursuit would definitely be less intense.

Zhu Wanlin said, "I heard that Xie Jianqiu has a disciple who has established a sect in Yuzhou. It is very likely that he has gone to join that disciple."

Another man surnamed Zhou said, "It's also possible that he went to Jiangzhou. Doesn't Xie Jianqiu have a disciple who runs a martial arts school in Jiangzhou?"

"It's also possible that it was a smokescreen, and that this fellow escaped back to Xiazhou."

The four people started arguing, and none of them could convince the others.

Du Rusong looked at Tao Zhiquan, who had remained silent, and politely asked, "What are your thoughts, Elder Tao?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Zhu Wanlin and the other three fell silent. They looked at this highly renowned old man, wanting to know what insightful opinions he had.

Tao Zhiquan looked distressed. "This old man is of lowly status. How dare I speak presumptuously in front of you gentlemen?"

Du Rusong said, "I am well aware of Elder Tao's abilities. It is truly a pity that Elder Tao was not promoted to the third rank back then."

Then, he changed the subject, "If Elder Tao can help me capture Xie Jianqiu, I can promise you that I will raise the bounty on your traitorous disciple to the first rank!"

Tao Zhiquan's previously cloudy old eyes instantly cleared, and he solemnly asked, "Is this true?"

Du Rusong said, "I never speak in jest."

Zhu Wanlin and the other three men's eyes lit up. A first-rank wanted poster represented a first-rank merit. Wanted criminals of this rank were usually first-rank masters.

Tao Lao's disciple was only a third-rank expert. A first-rank reward would be enough to tempt many first-rank experts, let alone them.

If they could capture Tao Zhiquan's disciple, the merit points would be enough for them to exchange for the right to use the visualization diagram for several years, and breaking through to the second rank would be a piece of cake.

"it is good!"

Tao Zhiquan raised his hand, "Let's make a pact. As long as you keep your promise, I'll risk my life to help you find that person."

Du Rusong raised his hand and gave Tao Zhiquan a high five.

(End of this chapter)