TGCFNM -Chapter 23 Ambushed

Chu Ling had always believed herself to be hard-hearted and cold-blooded. She only cared about her own safety and had never intended to play the saint.

But when the scholar’s elderly mother clutched her arm tightly, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her in desperate plea, Chu Ling found she simply could not refuse.

“I’ll go,” Chu Ling said, helping her to her feet. “I’ll take a look. But I can’t promise anything.”

The old woman finally broke into loud sobs. Even Chu Ling felt a pang of sympathy, and not far away, Sun Yang couldn’t help but feel his nose sting with emotion.

After seeing the old woman off, Chu Ling grabbed the box of pastries and tossed it into Sun Yang’s arms. “Since Master Zhang wants me to go, then prepare a boat for me—a good one. I’m bringing people along.”

“Yes, yes, Your Excellency, rest assured. I’ll make the arrangements immediately,” Sun Yang replied hurriedly, clutching the pastry box and bowing repeatedly.

Chu Ling gave a snort, slammed the back door shut, and returned to the county office.

The Ghost Scholar looked at her. “This old man will accompany Your Excellency. Bai Su as well.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Coroner Su must come too. I need to reexamine the body.”

The next day.

A large crowd had already gathered by the banks of the Si River. Many of them carried items in their hands. They all knew the magistrate was heading to Chengyang, because a scholar from Sishui County had died there. Their magistrate was going to seek justice.

This time, it was practically the entire yamen on the move. Aside from Qi Da, who had to remain behind to guard Sishui County, Chu Ling brought two more constables—Wang Hu and Wang Long. The two brothers were Qi Da’s most capable subordinates.

Zhang Dong and Xiao Hua, of course, were coming along. Wan Sanjin and Su He were necessary as well, and this time Sun Yang also followed them.

When Chu Ling arrived, she had not expected so many people—or so many hopeful eyes fixed upon her.

“In such a remote county, raising a scholar is no easy thing,” Ghost Scholar said with a sigh.

Chu Ling quickly walked up to the elderly woman, clasped her hand, and said solemnly, “On this trip, at the very least, I will bring his body back for a proper burial.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!” the old woman cried, dropping to her knees.

Chu Ling helped her up and handed her over to someone nearby. Then she stepped back, cupped her hands in farewell, and boarded the boat first.

The watching townsfolk passed the prepared items to Zhang Dong and Xiao Hua one by one, then watched as each of them boarded. Only when the wind rose and the current carried the boat away, its stern slowly disappearing from sight, did the crowd finally disperse.

Not far away, in a teahouse, Master Zhang lifted his teacup. Hiding the cold smile at the corner of his mouth, he drained it in one gulp.

“It’s a pity I wasn’t at the yamen that day,” Wan Sanjin said with a deep frown. “Leaving our jurisdiction without orders or official documents—if someone files a complaint, it’ll be troublesome.”

Su He glanced at Chu Ling before saying to Wan Sanjin, “In that situation, you couldn’t have refused.”

Wan Sanjin also looked at the somewhat silent Chu Ling. “Your Excellency is kind-hearted.”

Chu Ling slowly raised her head. “Could it be that because I kept Zhuifeng for myself, Master Zhang went to complain to his brother? I’m afraid this time he’s looking to cause me trouble. If disaster strikes, remember to run for your lives.”

Wan Sanjin: “…” He had clearly overthought it.

“Don’t worry, Your Excellency,” Xiao Hua said, completely unbothered. “My brother is stern taking care of Zhuifeng. Once he’s fat and strong, he’ll definitely run fast.”

She calmly set out the pastries the townsfolk had given them and even brought over a pot of hot tea.

Cui Xi watched with growing approval and whispered in Chu Ling’s ear, “Miss, this is what a loyal servant looks like.”

Chu Ling pinched a pastry and said to Wan Sanjin and Su He, “Eat something. It’ll take three days to get there.”

Wan Sanjin and Su He exchanged a glance before finally relaxing. After all, if anything happened, the magistrate would bear the brunt of it. They would surely be able to escape.

That night…

The ship dropped anchor and temporarily came to a stop.

The people Chu Ling had brought were all resting in their respective cabins. Zhang Dong stood guard over Zhuifeng. After Xiao Hua brought over some hot tea, she too went down to rest.

Once everyone had left, Chu Ling rose and rummaged through her bundle. She took out a miniature sleeve crossbow and strapped it to her wrist. Then she let her sleeve fall, perfectly concealing it.

Bai Su stood nearby, explaining how to use it. This was something that could save her life at a critical moment.

“If Aunt Su were alive, she definitely wouldn’t have been an unknown nobody,” Chu Ling remarked with feeling.

Bai Su smiled and adjusted her hair bun. “You little thing—always trying to probe into my identity whenever you get the chance.”

“A scholar and a wandering heroine of the jianghu… If the two of you were brought together, I can only think of one possibility—that you were retainers,” Chu Ling said, genuinely curious. “Who could possibly have been powerful enough to hire you both?”

“No matter how powerful, he’s dead. What’s there to be curious about when it comes to the dead? You’d better hurry and familiarize yourself with that sleeve arrow.” Bai Su gave a helpless chuckle and turned to leave the room.

The Ghost Scholar followed shortly after.

Cui Xi stayed by the bedside. “Miss, rest easy. I’ll keep watch for you tonight.”

Chu Ling hummed in acknowledgment and simply lay down without changing out of her clothes.

Late at night, the moon shone bright, and a gentle breeze brushed across the water. The boat swayed softly.

At that moment, a hand suddenly gripped the ship’s rail. A black-clad, masked figure silently leapt up from the water and climbed aboard. After regrouping, the four men followed their employer’s instructions and located the largest cabin.

“Boss—”

“Shh!” The man called Boss shot him a glare, and the speaker immediately shrank back in fear.

The Boss gestured for another man to step forward.

That man pulled out a hollow bamboo tube from his robes. After poking a hole through the paper window, he blew a wisp of green smoke inside. Then he went around to the other rooms, blowing in sleeping incense as well.

After half an hour passed, the Boss approached the largest cabin. Carefully, he used a knife to lift the door latch and pushed the wooden door open.

The instant the door opened, a sleeve arrow shot out with lightning speed. The Boss didn’t even have time to cry out a warning before he dropped dead on the spot.

Chu Ling stood frozen for a moment. She had thought killing someone would make her uncomfortable—but in the space between life and death, she hadn’t hesitated at all to trigger the sleeve crossbow.

By then, the others had emerged from their rooms. Aside from Wang Long, Wang Hu, and Sun Yang, the rest were completely clear-headed.

Wan Sanjin brandished a dagger and engaged in combat. Xiao Hua shielded Zhang Dong and effortlessly seized one attacker, lifting him and flinging him toward the stern.

Su He crouched slightly, gripping his tools, and sliced through a man’s trouser leg with precision, causing him to collapse instantly.

After a brief fight, the four men were bound together—including the already dead Boss.

“Zhang Dong, steer the boat closer to shore. After we toss them off, we’ll continue on,” Chu Ling ordered.

Zhang Dong answered with a quick “Aye!” and immediately went to maneuver the boat, with Xiao Hua assisting him.

“My lord, do we keep them?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

These desperate fugitives wouldn’t reveal anything useful. Even if they did, it would only add unnecessary trouble. Better to resolve it cleanly.

Su He stepped forward and efficiently dealt with the remaining three men using his tools. Looking at their unwilling expressions before death, he sighed regretfully. “Such fresh corpses. If we were in Sishui County, I could’ve examined them thoroughly.”

Wan Sanjin shuddered and hurriedly pushed Su He back into the cabin to rest. He’d handle throwing the bodies overboard himself.