Eternal Sword

Chapter 144 The Snake is Startled

After washing the blood stains off the four people's coats, Dugu Qingcheng wrung them hard and hung the coats on a tree branch not far away.

Then she went down to the river and caught a few fish. It was the beginning of spring and the river fish were fat and delicious. She simply prepared the fish and roasted them over the fire.

This whole process seemed extremely skilled and it was obviously not the first time.

Not long after, Yuwen Heigou woke up first.

He did not open his eyes immediately, but checked his body. He felt relieved when he found nothing abnormal.

His nostrils flared as he smelled the aroma of grilled fish, and his mouth began to water.

Gulu gulu!

Yuwen Heigou's stomach growled with hunger.

Dugu Qingcheng looked over when she heard the sound, clapped her hands and laughed, "You have such a keen nose, you are worthy of being a big black dog, you woke up first!"

Yuwen Heigou knew he couldn't pretend any longer, so he sat up straight.

He turned his eyes and saw the washed clothes hanging on the tree branches, then glanced at the grilled fish that Dugu Qingcheng was making. He wanted to complain a few words, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't continue.

Yuwen Heigou just snorted softly, walked silently to the fire, and waited to be fed.

the other side.

Chang Sun Jingren also woke up in a daze, stood up suddenly, holding a gun in his hand, looked around with a nervous expression.

Only when he saw there was no danger did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Changsun Jingren stared at Dugu Qingcheng and asked, "Why did you poison us?"

"Play~~"

Dugu Qingcheng replied with one word.

Chang Sun Jingren almost vomited blood after hearing this.

Dugu Qingcheng said jokingly: "Look at you all, you are all good at talking and talking about your experience in the martial arts world, but what's the use? You were still easily poisoned by me."

"That's because..."

Chang Sun Jingren blushed and argued, "I trusted you and was not on guard, so I fell into your trap."

"alright!"

Dugu Qingcheng coaxed him, "I grilled some fish for you, one for each of you, as an apology."

Chen Tang pretended to have just woken up, sat up, and without saying a word, went straight to the fire, waiting to eat fish.

"Look at Haitang."

Dugu Qingcheng said: "After waking up, don't be angry or complain. This is the mind of a real man."

Yuwen Heigou and Zhangsun Jingren were also secretly surprised.

Weird, how could he be so calm?

Are we really too petty?
Yuwen Heigou was really hungry, and seeing that the fish was almost cooked, he was about to catch it.

Snapped!
Dugu Qingcheng stretched out her hand and patted the back of Yuwen Heigou's hand.

"Don't move, it's not healed yet!"

Dugu Qingcheng scolded lightly.

Yuwen Heigou retracted his palm and lowered his head slightly. He looked at the back of his hand through his eyes hidden by the straw hat with a complicated expression, as if he was a little uncomfortable with this action.

"I think it's almost healed."

Changsun urged surprisingly.

Dugu Qingcheng said, "No, it has to be grilled until the outside is crispy and the inside is tender. If it's overcooked, the skin will get mushy, and if it's not cooked enough, the taste will be a little off. This is my experience from many times."

After waiting for a while, Dugu Qingcheng began to sprinkle some seasonings on them, and then handed the three grilled fish to Chen Tang and the others.

I took the last one and blew away the hot air on it gently, preparing to let it cool down before eating.

After blowing it carefully for a while, Dugu Qingcheng looked up and was startled.

Chen Tang and the other two were sitting in front of the fire, staring at the grilled fish in her hands.

"Where are your fish?"

Dugu Qingcheng asked.

“It’s all gone.”

The three said in unison.

There were some fish bones around Chen Tang and Changsun Jingren.

Yu Wen Hei Gou didn't even spit out the bone. He just chewed it and swallowed it all.

"You guys eat too fast!"

Unable to bear the looks from the three men, Dugu Qingcheng had no choice but to catch a few more fish, clean them, and grill them for Chen Tang and the other two.

After more than an hour of hard work, the four of them finally had their fill of food and drink, and they each mounted their horses and headed towards Qingcheng County.

Not long after they walked, the four of them smelled a bloody odor at the same time!

The four of them followed the scent and found several bodies lying in a jungle not far from the official road. They were probably in their twenties or thirties, wearing guard uniforms and did not look like civilians.

Each body had fatal knife wounds.

Yuwen Heigou dismounted and checked several bodies. He said, "Looking at the time, they must have died last night."

"last night?"

Zhang Sun Jingren was thoughtful and asked, "Could it be the people from Wushan Village who did it?"

Yuwen Heigou said: "Looking at the wound, it should be."

"The token of Qingcheng Prefecture!"

Chen Tang took out a token from one of them and took a look at it.

The four of them looked at each other, confused.

If the Qingcheng County Magistrate was the Painted Skin Ghost from Wushan Village, why did the county guards die outside the city, or were they killed by Wushan Village?

The four searched through several bodies but found no more clues, so they continued on their way.

Chang Sun was shocked and said, "Actually, what Hei Gou said makes sense. We should notify Qing Long Si about this matter and let them investigate."

Chen Tang said: "It would be best if the Qinglong Division could solve this matter. We don't have to risk our lives. Besides, it may not be easy for us to get close to a county governor and uncover his true identity."

Without any status, ordinary people would have no chance to meet the county magistrate.

"alright."

Seeing that all three of them said so, Dugu Qingcheng had no choice but to compromise, but she was still a little reluctant and said, "Anyway, I don't trust the Qinglong Division."

"Why do you have such a big problem with Qinglong Si?"

Yuwen Heigou suddenly asked.

"Humph!"

Dugu Qingcheng snorted and said, "I don't even trust the Qian Kingdom court!"

Yuwen Heigou remained silent. At night, the four arrived at Qingcheng County.

At this time, the city gate had already been closed.

Of course, even during the day, the four people did not have any customs documents and it was not convenient for them to enter the city.

"This city wall is more than 30 feet high. Can you sneak in?"

Dugu Qingcheng asked.

Yuwen Heigou jumped without saying a word, tapping the city wall with his toes repeatedly, using the force to rise up, and soon he reached the top of the wall.

After waiting for the patrolling guard to pass, he climbed up to the top of the wall and waved to the three people below.

"The big black dog's agility is pretty good."

Dugu Qingcheng praised quietly.

"Haitang, are you okay?"

Dugu Qingcheng asked.

Chen Tang's cultivation level is the lowest among the three, just the lower seventh level.

The other three are all sixth rank.

"It's not a big problem."

Chen Tang nodded.

Dugu Qingcheng said: "Don't be so arrogant, if it doesn't work, tell me and I'll take you up."

"Can you still bring people?"

Zhang Sun Jingren was a little surprised, then whispered: "I am not good at this kind of wall-climbing skills, please lead me."

"Easy to say!"

Dugu Qingcheng took out a cylindrical device from her arms. There was a hook on the top. When the mechanism was triggered, the hook flew out with a whoosh and hung on the wall.

Afterwards, Dugu Qingcheng grabbed Changsun Jingren's arm, and the two of them easily flew to the top of the wall along the rope.

The three of them came to the city wall and looked down at Chen Tang in the corner.

Without saying a word, Chen Tang used the gecko wall-climbing technique. His whole body almost stuck to the city wall and moved around. In just three or two moves, he reached the top of the wall.

The three of them were stunned.

"Gecko Wall-Climbing Technique!"

Changsun was surprised to recognize this movement.

"Big gecko!"

Almost at the same time, Dugu Qingcheng also said something, obviously recognizing this movement as well.

Chen Tang nodded.

The four of them didn't stay on the city wall for long and slipped down.

That night, a feather arrow with a letter tied to it fell into the Qinglong Division.

the next day.

Chen Tang and his three companions found an inn near the County Magistrate's Mansion and stayed there temporarily. At the same time, they could observe the people coming and going in the County Magistrate's Mansion and detect any movements at the first time.

"Look, it's someone from Qinglongsi!"

The four of them looked in the direction of the county governor's mansion.

I saw a team of Qinglong Guards riding on tall horses, walking towards the county magistrate's mansion. The leader was wearing bronze armor, and behind him, there were several guards wearing bronze armor.

Behind them were dozens of Qinglong Guards.

Chen Tang said: "It seems that the Qinglong Division attaches great importance to it. The captain brought several guards here."

The four of them watched as the Qinglong Division entered the County Magistrate's Mansion, and then waited secretly in the inn.

Not long after, another group of disciples from Xuantian Temple came towards the County Magistrate's Mansion not far away.

One of them was sitting in a sedan chair carried by eight people.

When the onlookers saw this man, they all showed awe on their faces.

Some people even stopped to salute with respectful expressions.

The master of Xuantian Temple in Qingcheng County, Wen Wen.

"Why are people from Xuantian Temple here?"

"I don't know, could it be related to this matter?"

The four of them chatted for a while but couldn't come to any conclusion.

The master of Xuantian Temple entered the county governor's mansion with a group of disciples.

After noon, the Qinglong Division and the Xuantian audience left one after another. The Qingcheng County Magistrate personally went out to see them off, smiling and bowing.

"Is this okay?"

The four of them looked at each other and frowned.

Yuwen Heigou seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said, "I'm going out for a while and will be back soon. You wait for me here."

After saying that, Yuwen Heigou walked away quickly, as if he had something important to do.

Chen Tang seemed to be thinking about something.

It looks like the Qingcheng County Magistrate is fine.

In other words, there are two possibilities.

First, there was nothing wrong with the Qingcheng County Magistrate in the first place, and the information provided by the seventh leader of Wushan Village was false.

Second, the Qingcheng County Magistrate was indeed the Painted Skin Ghost, but for some reason, or some evidence, it was enough for the Qinglong Division to dispel their suspicions and lead their men to withdraw.

Either possibility may lead to a consequence.

The snake was startled.

Not long after the Qingcheng County Magistrate returned home, many yamen runners from the county government dispersed into the city. Some of the yamen runners brought with them unpaid servants and began searching the streets one after another. Some patrolling city defense troops even stepped up their vigilance.

Their inn is very close to the county governor's mansion.

It won't be long before you find out here!

However, they did not have any customs clearance documents issued by the government.

Once the investigation is brought back to them, it will be hard to explain clearly.

"Gotta go quickly."

Changsun Jingren also noticed this scene and said in a low voice.

Dugu Qingcheng frowned and said, "But the big black dog hasn't come back yet. He asked us to wait for him here."

Changsun looked at Chen Tang in surprise.

Chen Tang groaned and said, "Wait and see. If we leave now, I'm afraid there will be no place to hide in the city."

(End of this chapter)