TGCFNM -Chapter 474 Audacious Beyond Belief

The orange-red of the horizon seemed to leap out all at once, its warm light sweeping across the land—and over the three figures running below.

Under the shadows of the trees, Wan Sanjin panted heavily, his face scarf soaked with sweat, while Han Jin, carrying the bundle behind him, was equally exhausted.

By contrast, Chu Ling, carrying an even larger bundle on her back, appeared much more relaxed, even running slightly faster than them.

Han Jin, still gasping for breath, couldn’t help but praise, “As expected of our master—your martial arts are amazing.”

Chu Ling adjusted her breathing, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Where’s Steward Liu? Why haven’t we seen him yet? We didn’t go the wrong way, did we?”

Wan Sanjin, too tired to think straight, said, “I… I don’t know. We didn’t, right?”

Han Jin answered confidently, “No, it’s fine. It’s just that Master Wan told Steward Liu to keep a distance, so he’s running further behind.”

Wan Sanjin: “…”

Who would have thought that they would end up carrying gold themselves? A miscalculation!

“We’re almost there! Almost there!” Han Jin encouraged, picking up the pace again. About fifteen minutes later, when the faint outline of the carriage appeared in the distance, relief washed over them.

Xiao Hua, surprised to see the three running towards her, immediately went to meet them.

Han Jin felt the weight on his back lift, leaving him light as air, as if he could sprint even further.

Chu Ling also felt completely relaxed, turning to gratefully say, “Xiao Hua, our mansion really does rely on you.”

Xiao Hua, casually holding two bags of gold, looked curiously at Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin. “Master, Master Wan, you two ran so slowly just because of this little bit of gold?”

Wan Sanjin looked at how easily Xiao Hua carried it and wanted to cry. “We tried our best.”

Bai Su quickly reminded them, “Hurry, it’s still chaotic over there.”

Chu Ling urgently called out, “Quick! Run first, talk later!”

The group immediately ran toward the carriage again. When they reached it, Su He pulled one person up with each hand, and Han Jin climbed aboard as well.

Zhang Dong and Steward Liu urged the horses to quickly head back.

Inside the carriage, Chu Ling panted, lowering her scarf, finally feeling alive again.

Wan Sanjin slumped against the carriage wall. “I’m dead tired.”

Chu Ling, exhausted, casually glanced around inside the carriage. “Where’s everyone else?”

Han Jin exhaled. “They got a head start.”

Chu Ling nodded tiredly, leaning against the wall of the carriage, unwilling to say another word.

Bai Su watched and laughed, “Little greedy ghost, tired now, huh? Out of energy?”

Ghost Scholar laughed too, gently shaking his folding fan. “Let her rest well. She brought back quite a lot of gold.”

Cui Xi glanced at the two large black bundles in the carriage and nodded in agreement.

Su He frowned, looking at the two. “Just lighting incense—and you guys fell so far behind?”

Wan Sanjin sighed helplessly. “We took a wrong turn, but later wandered around with Master and lit all the incense. How about you? Where did you light yours?”

Xiao Hua, a bit excited, spoke up, “The coroner Su, found a hidden ventilation shaft. He told us to spread out, find these hidden spots, light the incense, and then retreat.”

Han Jin nodded, still shocked even after so long. “That incense is deadly. One whiff and a person passes out. Thanks to us running fast, we avoided the people coming in before or after.”

“Quite a few people?” Chu Ling asked. On her side, thanks to Aunt Su, there weren’t many people around.

“Lots of people, seems like they belong to different factions, yet all decided to stick their nose in at the same time,” Han Jin said, frowning. “My lord, I’m afraid that besides the Wan family, someone else has also spread news.”

Chu Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly. That “someone else” was probably none other than Chu Yue himself.

“So Han Yin and the others returned first to the money house, planning to ask who leaked the other news, then report back to you. Then we can decide whether to take the lead or wait and see,” Han Jin explained.

Chu Ling nodded. “Good. Find out the truth first before making a move.”

As they chatted, the carriage gradually slowed, finally coming to a stop.

Chu Ling, not suspecting anything, assumed they had arrived, called out, lifted the curtain, and jumped down from the carriage. At the same time, Zhang Dong turned back.

“My lord, another carriage is heading toward us…”

Chu Ling glanced at Zhang Dong, then at the approaching carriage.

Only when Lu Chong, the coachman on the other carriage, slightly turned his head did their group catch a clear glimpse of who was inside.

And if Lu Chong was driving, then most likely…

It was Lord Lu!

Chu Ling felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn’t done anything wrong recently, had she?

At that moment, a group of people in black got off alongside them. The last to step out was Master Wan, who hadn’t yet seen the full situation. He immediately shouted, dragging off the black cloth and having someone carry it away.

“My lord, why aren’t you taking action?” Wan Sanjin asked, puzzled.

Su He looked back at him. “My lord, Sanjin’s exhausted.”

Chu Ling also turned to him. “Master Wan, snap out of it! We’re doomed!”

Wan Sanjin looked up in confusion and happened to recognize the coachman on the opposing carriage. But the elderly figure who lifted the curtain and stepped out seemed even more familiar!

“My lord! I’m seeing things—I see Lord Lu!” Wan Sanjin shouted in terror.

Chu Ling slapped her forehead. “We’re done for!”

Lord Lu’s steps halted. He frowned as he looked at the group of “black-clad people,” his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Lu Chong stared in shock at the opposite side. “What are Lord Chu and the others up to?”

Lord Lu snorted coldly. “What else could they be doing? Dressing head-to-toe in black masks in broad daylight—do you think they’re here for a good deed?”

Lord Lu’s deep voice carried over, and Chu Ling’s group instinctively shrank their necks.

Wan Sanjin even loosened his grip without thinking. A black bag fell to the ground, its corner unfastened, and an irregularly shaped gold ingot slowly rolled downhill.

Chu Ling’s eyes widened instantly. She darted after the gold, and just as it reached Lord Lu’s feet, she bent down, snatched it up, and tucked it into her bosom.

“Lord Lu… you didn’t see anything, right?”

Lord Lu: “……”

Lu Chong beside him looked as if he’d been struck by a shock, his aged drooping eyelids lifted in surprise. “Lord Chu, we’re not blind.”

Chu Ling scratched her head awkwardly and decided to tell a bold lie. “Hahaha! Early this morning we went up the mountain to collect herbs. The thing that fell… was Huanglian. Yes, Huanglian!”

Lord Lu almost laughed in anger. “You’re dressed all in black, clearly coming from Half-Moon Mountain, and digging up Huanglian? Why not say you were digging ginseng and dyed it yellow while you were at it?”

Chu Ling chuckled, taking a step back.

Lord Lu’s eyes landed on two black bags not far away, narrowing sharply. “Pretending to be sick, but the gold mine is real—you really are bold and reckless!”