After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The setting sun bathed the country cottage in a golden hue.

Ning Nan, holding Peng Datan Master hostage, blocked the entrance to the small house.

A dozen or so members of the Heavenly Principle Sect stood indignantly in the dimly lit room, staring at him.

They gritted their teeth, gripping their swords, spears, axes, and halberds tightly, ready to strike.

It was as if, at the slightest command, they would unhesitatingly smash their weapons at the man and tear him to pieces.

Gongsun Heng stood outside the door, tugging at Ning Nan's clothes.

Half of his body was hidden in the shadow of the eaves, his body cool and shaded.

The other half of his body was bathed in orange light.

The sun, which had not yet set, gave her some warmth.

"I'm really leaving."

She tugged at Ning Nan's sleeve, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Let's go quickly," Ning Nan said calmly, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

His tone was soft and resolute, but anyone could hear the weakness in it.

After the recent outbursts and the prolonged standoff, it's clear that Old Man Peng is no pushover; he's been constantly trying to break free.

His left arm had to keep holding him tightly, and he was already a little exhausted. He needed to get rid of Gongsun Heng as soon as possible.

The white horse in the front yard was provided by the Heavenly Principle Sect. Judging from the snorting sound coming from the back yard, there were probably about ten horses in this group. Ning Nan frowned slightly; this group was indeed quite troublesome.

Gongsun Heng's lips moved slightly, as if afraid she would forget something, and she kept muttering to herself.

As she read on, a pang of sadness struck her, and she pursed her lips, about to turn away.

"etc."

Ning Nan suddenly called out to her.

"Help me remove the strips of cloth from my feet."

Gongsun Heng was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

He paused for a few breaths before letting out an "oh".

Squat down.

Blushing, she lifted the other person's robe and helped him untangle the strips of cloth wrapped around the soles of his boots.

Old Peng was really tough. He even snorted and said with a sinister smile, "You had strips of cloth wrapped around your feet. No wonder I didn't hear your footsteps back then."

The members of the Heavenly Principle Sect inside the room were already extremely surprised to see that the man's right hand, which was holding the knife, was wrapped with a strip of cloth. They felt that this man must be a murderous wretch whose killing intent was no less than theirs.

At that moment, the other person lifted their robe.

Only then did they notice that the man had strips of cloth wrapped around the soles of his boots, which must have been done before he ambushed Master Peng in the dark room, so that he wouldn't make a sound when he walked.

"Such a meticulous mind."

Shen Shou's long, horse-like face showed a solemn expression, and he sighed in a very low voice.

Feng Yu and the others nodded, feeling that this person was not like a scholar at all, but more like a seasoned killer who had killed countless people.

Feng Yu gritted his teeth; the scene of this person playing chess, tasting wine, and writing poetry still seemed to be right before his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, this man went from being a prisoner to a desperate fugitive who single-handedly killed the three of them and kidnapped their leader!

Feng Yu glanced at the scholar's cold, piercing eyes and felt a chill run down his spine.

"Master Xiao..." Feng Yu said in a low voice, "I'm afraid he really will die at this man's hands."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shou and the others felt a chill run down their spines. After a moment, their expressions turned serious, and they all nodded.

I previously thought this person was able to kill Xiao Chun by following Gu Xichuan around and reaping credit, but in the end, Xiao Chun lost to Gu Xichuan.

Looking at the current situation, the cunning and resourceful leader of the Beikan Water Altar, Xiao Chun... everyone couldn't help but feel a chill. It was indeed very possible that... he had been completely defeated by this man.

Gongsun Heng quickly removed the strips of cloth from Ning Nan's two boots with both hands.

Strangely enough, as soon as we helped the other person remove the cloth from their left boot, a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance wafted out.

Her face flushed red. Clutching two filthy rags in her hands, she cursed herself inwardly, thinking she must have been out of her mind. Weren't her feet supposed to smell bad? How could they smell good?

In a daze.

I even felt that my hands were filthy.

Seeing the two tattered pieces of cloth and the boots, she couldn't help but think of the gold hairpin hidden in her bosom.

After killing Yu Dayong.

To her utter astonishment, the other person used a gold hairpin to remove the iron handcuffs, leaving her completely surprised and feeling as if the other person were performing magic.

Before wrapping the two pieces of cloth around her boots, the woman sat down on the ground and poked the sole of her boot with her gold hairpin.

She handed the hairpin back to him, frowned as she looked at it, and didn't ask what he was doing. She assumed that his feet were covered in mud, but thought the hairpin was too dirty.

However, there was nothing she could do in this situation. She took the gold hairpin, washed it with the remaining water in the bamboo tube, and then vigorously wiped it with her robe. As she wiped it, she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

He'll probably use this gold hairpin to commit suicide later, so why bother with this?

It far exceeded her expectations... The Go master who was so gentle and refined, cooking for his wife in the kitchen, had suddenly become someone she couldn't understand at all... He killed several people without even blinking!

This master was like a god of death, taking someone hostage and fighting his way out of the underground!

Gongsun Heng's eyes shone and then turned red. She had never experienced anything like this before, and she felt emotions she had never felt before.

I don't want to escape alone. I'm worried that if I encounter danger on the road, no one will come to my rescue. I'm worried that if I leave, this might be the last time I see the other person... My feelings are complicated and hard to describe. The more I think about it, the less I want to leave. Maybe we should leave together.

But remembering what the other person had told her in the cellar, and the place names she had been forced to memorize, Gongsun Heng could only grit her teeth and resolve to ride back to Nanjing as quickly as possible.

She stood up, about to throw away the two tattered pieces of cloth in her hands, when she heard Ning Nan say:

"Stuff the strips of cloth into the horse's ears."

The pretty female disciple was stunned, not understanding why.

The members of the Heavenly Principle Sect inside the room couldn't help but narrow their eyes. As they exchanged glances, they murmured, "Well done, Ning Baixuan!"

After a while, Gongsun Heng said "Oh," and trotted over to stuff two pieces of rag into the white horse's ears.

He grabbed the reins and mounted the horse.

"Master, I'm leaving now," the female disciple said.

Ning Nan didn't even glance at her, only staring intently at the dozen or so members of the Heavenly Principle Sect in front of him.

He was worried that the other party might feed the horse something like croton, so he stalled for time. Seeing that the horse was normal, he quickly glanced at the horse's eyes and tail. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about the horse's eyes, he nodded to Gongsun.

He was also worried that the Heavenly Principle Sect might have sent people to ambush the female disciples ahead, so he instructed her to first take a detour to the west and then take the official road, and finally go east back to Nanjing to find the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The crisp, clattering sound of horses' hooves rose and fell into the distance.

Ning Nan's held breathing gradually subsided.

As he relaxed his breathing, his tense body involuntarily loosened, and the sharp knife resting on Peng Liangang's neck shifted downwards.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, a sharp gust of wind blew by, and Ning Nan's pupils contracted as a sudden force struck his right wrist!

The distance between the knife and Peng Liangang's neck suddenly increased!

A gap appeared.

"Do it!" someone shouted.

In an instant, five or six figures rushed over.

A long spear deflected the dagger in Ning Nan's right hand, two figures snatched Peng Laoguan'er away, and two more figures bound his hands and feet... Ning Nan pursed his lips, and as his body was captured, he glanced outside.

Seeing that the white horse was nimble and didn't seem to have been drugged, and noticing that Gongsun Heng wasn't stupid and wasn't heading east along the path to Nanjing, but instead towards the western mountains, he stopped struggling and let the group capture him.

He simply stomped his boot on the ground.

As these people yelled and cursed at him while tying him up with ropes, Ning Nan's tired eyes turned to look at the ground where his boots had just been treading.