TGCFNM -Chapter 147 A Simple Favor

Chu Ling tilted her head in silence, looking at Nangong Jue.

Why would Bai Zhuoxing have killed him? Judging from Bai Hu’s return to the Nangong household, the Nangongs hadn’t taken sides yet—there was no need to kill him outright.

Nangong Jue seemed to realize something and fell silent, his expression dark.

Chu Ling thoughtfully turned her head and looked at Bai Hu. “Are you heading to Dongle City to capture someone?”

Chen Lan, feeling frustrated, said, “I’m afraid we won’t succeed.”

Bai Hu cupped his hands and bowed to Chu Ling. “Thank you for clearing this up, Master Chu. Now I must personally escort my elder brother back and lay him to rest.”

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded with a smile. “No need to thank me. It’s a simple favor.”

At that moment, Bai Su stood beside Chu Ling and subtly tugged at her sleeve.

Chu Ling looked at Bai Hu and Chen Lan. “I’ve been traveling all the way here and I’m exhausted. I’ll head upstairs first.” With that, she went up with Wan Sanjin and the others.

After discussing matters with Chen Lan, Bai Hu also confirmed the night-watch assignments, preparing to continue their journey back to the capital the next day according to plan.

Once upstairs, Chu Ling’s eyes casually glanced down. Nangong Jue’s figure was slowly fading until it disappeared completely.

At this, the others quickly got to work, arranging the room for the Qīng Qí troops to rest.

Shangguan Cheng looked at Shangguan Shi and said, “He really is quite formidable.”

Shangguan Shi nodded gravely. “Brother, don’t make an enemy of him.”

Shangguan Cheng crossed his arms, annoyed. “I wouldn’t dare.”

—

Upstairs.

Back in his room, Chu Ling blew out the lamp and sat by the bed.

Cui Xi clutched her chest. “You scared me half to death. I thought he might come up with us.”

“He did have his suspicions,” Bai Su said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “He was observing all of us, but he couldn’t be certain. Doubt lingered in his mind.”

“Good thing he’s such a suspicious person,” Chu Ling exhaled in relief.

The Ghost Scholar sat quietly in his chair and said softly, “Nangong Jue must have stayed in Dongle City for some reason. And judging by Bai Hu’s return to the Nangong family, it’s likely that this matter was directly ordered by His Majesty.”

Chu Ling nodded. “So Bai Zhuoxing probably killed Nangong Jue because of this matter.”

Bai Su’s eyes suddenly widened. She gripped her garment tightly, her fingers turning white. “If that poison really is Fēng Dǐng Hóng, does that mean… apart from the three vials in the palace, Bai Zhuoxing also managed to produce this poison?”

Chu Ling shot to her feet. “No way… didn’t Su He say the poisonous herb was extremely rare?”

Bai Su shook her head, her face pale. “No one can be certain.”

Chu Ling’s expression hardened. “Indeed. No one can be certain.”

Bai Su looked at her seriously. “If we encounter him again, we must be extremely cautious. This person is extraordinarily dangerous.”

Chu Ling rubbed her forehead and sighed. This really is going to be a huge headache.

—

The next morning.

Chu Ling pushed open the window and looked outside. The rain had stopped, but a mist lingered, and the air was damp.

The Qīng Qí troops were already ready, and the coffin had been brought outside.

Seeing Chu Ling at the second-floor window, Bai Hu nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then swung onto her horse and led her men away.

At that moment, Wan Sanjin came knocking.

Chu Ling opened the door and looked at him casually. “I know. They’ve already left.”

Wan Sanjin entered and closed the door behind him. “Master, do you know why this post station is so crowded?”

Chu Ling pondered for a moment, then hesitantly raised her eyes and asked, “Because of Nangong Jue?”

Wan Sanjin nodded heavily. “They came to confirm whether Nangong Jue was really dead, and more importantly, to try to bring his deputy, Chen Lan, down.”

Chu Ling paused in thought, frowning. “What was Nangong Jue doing in Dongle City, and why was he stationed there?”

Wan Sanjin pulled out a rolled-up paper and handed it to Chu Ling. “Message from Tianxia Zhi.”

Chu Ling unrolled it and glanced at it. “Iron shavings?”

The Ghost Scholar beside him explained, “The armory.”

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up with understanding. “The Qingqi Army is in Dongle City to manufacture weapons!”

The Ghost Scholar sneered. “Although His Majesty has allowed the struggle for succession, he doesn’t trust anyone. He’s ordering the production of weapons himself.”

Wan Sanjin rubbed his forehead. “The message I got from Tianxia Zhi last night—our elder brother must have guessed that we didn’t return to Sishui County.”

Chu Ling clenched the scroll in her hand, then blew a firecracker to burn it immediately. “Someone wants to snatch the Dongle City assignment. So Nangong Jue must die, and if Chen Lan isn’t brought down, this matter will still fall on the Nangong family…”

Wan Sanjin said, “I think, in the end, it will most likely fall on the Nangong family anyway.”

Chu Ling nodded, his tone indifferent. “This time, the Nangong family will not let it go easily. Or rather, His Majesty won’t allow them to.”

“Sir, should we stick to our original plan and wait a day before leaving?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling shook his head. “No. We must head to Linzhou as soon as possible… That Doctor Gu is very likely Bai Zhuoxing.”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes widened. “I’ll have them pack up immediately. We’ll leave right after breakfast.” Saying this, he opened the door and went out.

After summoning a courier for hot water, Chu Ling washed up briefly and went downstairs.

In the main hall on the first floor, most of the tables and chairs had been restored, but few people were there for breakfast, giving the place a quiet, empty feeling.

Wan Sanjin leaned closer and whispered, “Everyone left—back-to-back.”

Chu Ling clicked his tongue. “They’re afraid Bai Hu would figure out their intentions.”

At that moment, the two brothers, Shangguan Cheng and Shangguan Shi, approached and saluted Chu Ling. “Sir, we’ll be leaving first.”

“You’re going back to the capital?” Chu Ling asked casually.

Shangguan Shi shook his head. “We’re heading to Linzhou. There’s a bookstore there that’s said to be selling several rare ancient texts.”

“Oh, go ahead.” Chu Ling smiled and waved.

After bidding farewell with a bow, Shangguan Shi pulled Shangguan Cheng along and left.

Once Chu Ling and his group finished breakfast, they said goodbye to the courier supervisor, mounted the carriage, and headed toward Linzhou.

Because the plan had changed, Bai Su decided that during the mid-journey rest, she would teach each person a set of martial skills, so they could use their free time to practice.

Zhang Dong, who drove the horses, learned whip techniques.

Xiao Hua naturally learned staff techniques.

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin both learned sword techniques.

Su He was a bit more complicated, but after thinking it over, he also decided to learn sword techniques—though his “sword” was his scalpel.

With this settled, aside from travel time, the five of them used every spare moment to practice, aiming to become familiar as quickly as possible.

Two days later, the group finally arrived at Linzhou.

But as soon as they reached the city gates, they were stopped. A soldier guarding the city asked, “Where are you from? What have you brought? What is your purpose?”

Chu Ling didn’t want to waste words and directly presented the Bihu Order.

The guards scratched their heads. “Never seen this before.”

Chu Ling pursed his lips, then took out his official county magistrate’s appointment order and handed it over.

“Oh, so you’re the new magistrate. Please, sir,” said the soldier, stepping aside.