It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Before he finished speaking, he felt a warm current flowing through his throat. Upon closer inspection, he found that Lid had stuffed the wine glass in his hand into his mouth without knowing when! The Lord of Shoudong City hurriedly spat out the wine glass. The next moment, he felt as if his whole body was falling into an icy cave. He held his throat with both hands. After a long time, he couldn't say a word, and then fell to the ground with blood flowing from all his orifices.

The dancer in Reed's arms screamed and tried to run away, but Reed grabbed her neck and pressed her directly onto the table of leftovers.

The guards of Shoudong City drew their swords one after another, and the remaining three members of the investigation team also drew their knives warily to confront them.

In the tense atmosphere, Lid laughed. He seemed to be still drunk. He kicked the Lord of Shoudong City twice casually and asked:

"Get up and keep drinking."

Of course no one could take up this line.

So Lid turned around and said to the remaining three members of the investigation team:

"Hey, is this the alcohol tolerance of the Lord of Shoudong City? I haven't even had enough, and he can't drink anymore. Remember this person, and put it on record! How can he be the Lord of a city if he can't drink so much? But since this is his level, we can't force him. Let's go, leave the city, and go to the next one! The sooner we get to the next city, the sooner we can find someone else to drink with!"

After a moment, Xiang Zhehua put away his sword first and followed Lid out.

Luo Ye and Xiang Meng swallowed their saliva and hurriedly followed.

28. It still hurts

The carriage continued to creak southward.

Lid was still sleeping soundly in the car, but Luo Ye, Xiang Meng and Xiang Zhehua, who were awake, no longer looked at him with the same contempt they once did. After spending a morning without being disturbed, Lid turned over and got up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and said to the other three people present:

"Guys, I have a big announcement to make."

The three people became alert instantly, and then they saw Lid pat his stomach and said lazily:

"I'm hungry."

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, but they couldn't help but clench their fists and resist the urge to hit someone. But Luo Ye still threw a shortbread and said:

"It's a remote place right now, there's not much place to eat, so Team Leader, please have some dry food first."

Lide took the biscuit and stared at the cloth bag beside Xiang Meng. Xiang Meng had no choice but to take out a piece of dried meat from the cloth bag and handed it to him. Lide rolled the dried meat with the biscuit and took out the kettle to eat and drink. He was not particular about his meal and did not look like a nobleman at all, which once again strengthened the three people in the car's judgment that he was a "nouveau riche".

Halfway through the meal, Lid put down the kettle and asked Luo Ye:

"Are we safe now?"

Luo Ye closed his eyes, felt the surrounding atmosphere, and nodded:

"There are no living people within 500 meters. It's safe for now."

Lid nodded, and suddenly leaned back, grabbed an arrow shot into the carriage with his bare hands, broke it, and threw it out of the window:

“It seems that it is not that safe.”

He clapped his hands and spoke nonchalantly, as if he was just swatting a mosquito.

The three people present were shocked. Luo Ye drew out his sword and looked around, saying in a low voice:

“There’s an assassin—!!”

While watching their guarded movements, Lid took out the remaining half of the cake and continued to eat, saying:

"Now he's gone. A ninth-level master of archery can only shoot one arrow. If he misses, he won't make any follow-up moves. The carriage is moving forward. If he shoots another arrow, I can roughly guess his position. The other party should be very clear about this and will not launch another attack in the short term."

The three people present all looked unhappy.

If the poisoned wine yesterday gave them some face, what happened here was a ruthless assassination. It was hard to imagine that such a thing would happen in the second-best territory in the world, Nanchu. They were in a peaceful place, but even basic personal safety could not be guaranteed. The imperial envoy was assassinated in the street like a dog. No one would dare to believe it if they told others.

Lid finished his cake slowly and continued:

"The enemy is probably just testing us. There will be a more fierce attack later. If I'm not mistaken, it will be a rain of arrows. First, our horses will be killed, and then the ambushes on both sides will rush over. Luo Ye, Xiang Meng, you two should be able to survive with your realm and cultivation. Let's run east together. Xiang Zhehua, follow me."

Xiang Zhehua placed his hand on the sword and said in a deep voice:

"I can fight too..."

Lid nodded:

"Okay, I'll leave you alone. I'll run by myself."

Xiang Zhehua was stunned for a moment, as if she had never expected such an answer, and she didn't know what to say for a moment. In fact, she knew very well what her realm was, and it was not enough in such a melee. Although she was Xiang Geling's granddaughter, the opponent might not dare to kill her, but as the saying goes, swords have no eyes, and if a fight really started, who would care about her identity?

The six major perfections would be considered a promising young talent elsewhere, but it is really not enough in this situation of siege.

Xiang Zhehua bit her lip and stared at Lid with her beautiful eyes, but Lid completely ignored her.

He continued to instruct Luo Ye and Xiang Meng:

"The next city is Danqing City. We will meet at the city gate tonight. Luo Ye, Xiang Meng, either you two come back together or don't come back. If only one of you comes back, I will treat that person as a traitor. After all, judging from the situation, the one who came to kill us must be someone from one of the forces in Nanchu, and the four of us cover almost all the forces in this situation. So theoretically speaking, there is a traitor among us. I am too lazy to guess whether you are a traitor or not. I will use a simple and rough method to solve this problem."

Luo Ye and Xiang Meng looked at each other and nodded helplessly.

The two of them could have gone to different places, or ignored each other, but since Reed had said so, they could only cooperate with each other in the next battle. At the same time, Reed's words also pointed out a problem that everyone knew but no one talked about - there must be someone in this team who didn't want the case to be investigated further.

Fortunately, at present, the peace faction is the most suspicious, so Luo Ye and Xiang Meng are most likely on the same front.

The one sent by Zhuhe was Xiang Zhehua. This woman's cultivation level was not high, and she followed Lide. Luo Ye and Xiang Meng were too lazy to care about her. The carriage continued to move forward, and suddenly there was a cold whistling sound. This time, Luo Ye and Xiang Meng, who were well prepared, waved their swords to block the iron arrows shot into the carriage, but the carriage did not stabilize, but suddenly began to accelerate.

"The horse was shot by an arrow, and the carriage accelerated abnormally in pain... prepare to jump out of the carriage!"

Lid shouted. Xiang Meng gritted his teeth and shouted angrily:

"People from Yunyang, people from the Prince's Mansion, people who advocate peace, people who advocate war... How serious would it be if we died here? Damn rebels, how dare you kill us and our horses?!"

Xiang Meng and Luo Ye were both in the middle of the ninth level. They jumped out of the car and started slashing with their swords. While blocking the rain of arrows, they slashed down several soldiers with their faces covered with black cloth. Xiang Zhehua put his hand on the hilt of the sword, not knowing whether to draw the sword or not. His lips turned white with his teeth, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to ask Lid for help.

Lid grabbed her wrist, and before the carriage fell, he took her out of the window, rolled her twice to release the force, and then took her hand and ran away regardless of anything. Xiang Zhehua's delicate skin was scratched by the rough gravel, and her knees were even more painful because of the rubbing. But she still endured it, refusing to make any embarrassing sounds, and instead drew out her long sword to block some cold arrows.

In fact, it didn't matter whether she blocked it or not, Lid could naturally avoid it. But Lid didn't interrupt her, because Lid knew very well that Xiang Zhehua was doing these meaningless things because she wanted to prove that she was useful, so that she would feel better.

"Bear with it."

Lid quickened his pace, and the sound of wind was strong beside his ears. He turned around and said to Xiang Zhehua who was almost floating behind him:

"I'm going to sprint!"

Xiang Zhehua only felt his head was dizzy, and after a sound of "hmm", his whole body almost floated up. His arm was like the string of a kite, and he could feel a tearing pain from his shoulder to his wrist.

29. Repairing the plank road in the open, but marching through Chencang in secret

"Tell me, if we catch a few people alive, can we get anything out of them?"

Reed asked Zhehua.

Xiang Zhehua was dragged by Lid all the way, and his face became very bad. He covered his mouth and coughed softly, while shaking his head and said:

"It's impossible... Nanchu's assassins... have been trained as emotionless monsters since childhood... Many such things have happened before... and they have never been found out."

Xiang Zhehua held down his pounding heart and sat on a piece of bluestone to recover his strength.

Lid had probably guessed that this would be the result. The Lord of Shoudong City died, and soon a new Lord of Shoudong City took office. All the undercurrents happened in places he could not see, and there was not even a ripple on the surface. Lid wanted to check the background of the Lord of Shoudong City who tried to poison him, but found that his background was too complicated and he had connections with too many forces, so he could not tell which side he belonged to.

In other words, it is precisely because his identity is too complicated that those hiding in the dark choose him to be the assassin.

The other party's plan was also very thorough. It was almost impossible to find their flaws from the places that everyone could consider. These noble families had been entrenched here for hundreds of years. Not only did they not decline, but they became more and more unfathomable. Lid was now trying to compete with them on his own. At present, he really couldn't gain any advantage in the early stage.

However, what really took up Reed's time to think was not the dangers along the way, but the reasons why those people did so.

The nobles of Nanchu had the courage to assassinate the imperial envoy and the ability to set up an ambush in such a peaceful area, which shows that they have great power in Nanchu. In this case, why didn't they just destroy the crime scene, burn all the evidence, and then let the investigation team investigate? Instead of spending so much effort to assassinate the investigation team, it would be better to make the blood-stained clothes case an unsolved case from the beginning, so that no one can find the problem, which can be regarded as a permanent solution.

In other words, what are they afraid of? Why are they willing to risk their lives to kill the investigation team? Is there some evidence that cannot be destroyed, or is there some other hidden secret that cannot be told to others?

Reed glanced at Zhehua, then began to slowly unbutton his clothes.

Xiang Zhehua didn't look at him at first, but stared at the sword in her hand in a daze. Over the years, she has never given up on improving herself, and has always strictly required herself as Xiang Geling's granddaughter. However, judging from the assassination just now, her previous efforts seemed like a joke. Even though she knew why her grandfather sent her here, Xiang Zhehua still couldn't accept everything in front of her in a short period of time.

Among all the forces at present, the pro-peace nobles who have an old grudge with Jiang Yuesheng are the most suspected. Xiang Geling, as the leader of the pro-peace nobles, sent his most beloved granddaughter to the investigation team, which shows his attitude: Xiang Zhehua's cultivation level is not high, and putting her in the investigation team is equivalent to a hostage. With this hostage, the pro-peace nobles will definitely not take the initiative to assassinate the investigation team.

Xiang Zhehua also knew all this, but after having experienced the brink of life and death, she still couldn't help but lose consciousness for a moment.

What prompted Xiang Zhehua to come to her senses was that she found that the pervert in front of her started to untie his belt after taking off his clothes, and he looked like he was going to take off his pants as well. Xiang Zhehua's mind was filled with alarm, and her hand had already touched the sword. She whispered:

“What… are you doing…?”

Lid looked back at her and said:

"Don't just stare at me, you've taken it off too."

Xiang Zhehua drew his sword and pointed it at Lid first. After thinking for a while, he felt that he could not defeat him, so he pointed the sword at himself and said in a slightly trembling voice:

"You rude bastard...don't come over here!"

Li De casually crumpled up his official uniform, dug a hole in a place with lush vegetation beside the road and threw it into the hole. He then tore off a small piece of cloth from the sleeve of his official uniform and hung it on a dead branch by the river. Then he said to Zhehua:

"Change into casual clothes. We are not going to Danqing City today. Let's take a shortcut."

Xiang Zhehua was stunned for a moment and asked:

"But didn't we just make an appointment with them for tonight..."

Lid took out a package from his arms like a magic trick, threw it to Xiang Zhehua, and replied casually:

"It's just a smokescreen. The other party must know that we are going to meet at the foot of Danqing City. Going there now would be a trap. Change your clothes quickly and leave as soon as possible."

Xiang Zhehua took the package and opened it to find a short cloth skirt. Thanks to the fact that the climate in Nanchu is far from cold, the clothes are not thick, so Lide hid the casual clothes under the loose official robes without being discovered. Xiang Zhehua held the clothes, carefully savoring what Lide just said, frowned and asked:

"Do you suspect that there is a traitor between the two of them?"

Reed shook his head:

"It's hard to say. Even if there is no secret, it's no secret that we are going to Danqing City tonight. We chose the shortest route before, and even a fool should be able to guess our movements. After the assassination, we split into two groups in a hurry, and we will most likely meet at the foot of Danqing City at night. So they will definitely go to Danqing City to block us. Going there now is just asking for trouble."

Xiang Zhehua stopped talking and waited for Li De to turn around. She gritted her teeth and went to a nearby thick banyan tree to change her clothes. Then she wrapped her original underwear into a ball and handed it to Li De. Li De took the clothes that were still warm and fragrant, threw them into the pit, and then dug the soil to bury them and clean up the traces. It was a smooth operation.

Reed took Xiang Zhehua and ran through the jungle into the distance. On the way, Xiang Zhehua felt more and more that something was wrong.

Reed is an outrageous person!

When everyone thought he was going to sneak to Sai'an Village carefully, Lid raised the banner and took the shortest route openly. He turned the poisoned wine to kill the lord of Shoudong City, caught an arrow shot by a ninth-level perfect archery master with his bare hands, and calmly dispatched commands on the spot when facing an ambush.

However, when everyone thought he was going to kill everyone and reach the end, he did it again. And from the fact that he secretly changed into civilian clothes under his official robes and brought a set of clothes for Xiang Zhehua, it can be seen that this was not a sudden decision, but a premeditated one.

Xiang Zhehua is a smart person. After she calmed down, she slowly began to understand the purpose of Reed's actions.

This was a plan that killed many birds with one stone, but she had no way of guessing the exact number of N. But she knew one thing, that the investigation team leader was missing, and those people would definitely divide their forces to investigate, while she and Lid were rushing to Sai'an Village day and night, which would create a crucial time difference in the current situation.

Focusing on competing with those hiding in the dark will not solve any problems.

The only way to solve the blood-stained shirt case is to investigate the case itself. The sooner we get to the crime scene, the better chance we have of getting to the bottom of the truth.

30. When the storm is coming, people should flee first

After Reed left, someone naturally followed him here and found the piece of cloth that Reed had pinned on a dead branch by the river.

"From the situation at the scene, it is likely that he was forced too hard and chose to jump into the river."

"Jumping into the river...? It's normal for Xiang Zhehua to jump into the river when he is chased to the state of perfection of the sixth level. But from the news we received, Lord Yunyang's state should not be underestimated. How could he be chased by the pursuers and jump into the river? This strip of cloth was clearly placed here deliberately to divert our attention!"

"Are you sure? Lord Yunyang aside, Xiang Zhehua must be very familiar with the water system in Nanchu. There is a high possibility that they will choose to escape by water."

"Damn it... Send half of the people to investigate downstream along the river! Inform the brothers who are setting up an ambush in the back to also send out a group of people to search for nearby passenger ships!"

The people with their faces covered with black cloth quickly split up.

The leader punched an old tree with such force that the tree broke and fell into the river, drifting downstream. His hands were covered in blood and his brows were furrowed, as if he had suffered a great insult.

To be fair, he believed in his decades of experience, and believed that Lord Yunyang and Xiang Zhehua must have changed clothes and fled to other roads, but he did not dare to make this judgment. Because if he won the bet, he would not get any benefits, and if he lost the bet, he could not afford the consequences, so he could only divide his troops. Once the troops were divided, it would inevitably weaken his pursuit strength, which made him very angry.

In the evening, Luo Ye and Xiang Meng, who were covered in injuries, also arrived at Danqing City.

It was only at this time that Xiang Meng put away the sword in his hand and said to Luo Ye:

"You are more trustworthy than you think."

Luo Ye just said calmly:

"I am from the Prince's Mansion. I just want the truth."

Xiang Meng smiled and said:

"Don't pretend with me. Luo Ye, your Prince's Mansion is acting suspicious of everyone, forcing Xiang Geling to send his precious granddaughter to the investigation team. But we, the pro-war faction, don't buy it. In our eyes, your Prince's Mansion is also one of the suspects in the blood-stained shirt case."

Luo Ye shook his head:

"At least, we won't use the old general as a pretext."

Xiang Meng exhaled and said: