Chapter 31: Brother-in-law, aren’t you too mercenary!
Perhaps it was because Mengyao Gu had shown her strength, but the assassins who attacked Gu Yu and his group afterward decreased significantly, making their journey much smoother and naturally increasing their speed.
It was originally estimated to take ten days to reach Lianzhou, but now it seemed like seven or eight days would be enough. If there were no more attackers, they might even be faster.
“Brother-in-law, do you think there’s a shortcut we can take to get to Lianzhou faster?”
“Perhaps, but that would require a local guide. Otherwise, if strangers like us get lost, the gains would not outweigh the losses.”
That day, while the group stopped to rest, Gu Qingheng suddenly approached Gu Yu, eating the dry bun in his hand and talking to him, his intentions very clear. Gu Yu raised his eyebrows, wondering what crooked ideas his brother-in-law was having now.
According to the current progress, they would reach Lianzhou in another six days. Why be so impatient? Although Gu Qingheng was indeed talking about a shortcut, with the current plan, they would reach Lianzhou without wasting too much time. If something unexpected happened while taking a shortcut, it would be better to continue on the original route!
“Brother-in-law, I think we can try it. Although it will still take six days to reach our destination on this route, what if the people who kidnapped Sister Xia Tian take a shortcut and return to the Tang Sect before us! Then my Sister Xia Tian would be tortured by the Tang Sect, and by the time we arrive…”
“Go away, go away! Think positively! Even if Xia Tian is sent to the Tang Sect, she won’t be in any trouble!”
“But no one can guarantee that Sister Xia Tian will be fine!”
After Gu Qingheng expressed his worries, Gu Yu shook his head at him, indicating that he didn’t need to overthink things and that Xia Tian would surely be fine. However, after hearing Gu Yu’s words, Gu Qingheng looked at him with doubt in his eyes, clearly not believing what Gu Yu was saying at the moment, thinking that he was just comforting him.
How long had Sister Xia Tian been taken away? She must have been exhausted from the journey all the way. If she were also mistreated by the people of the Tang Sect, it would be truly bad! The more he thought about it, the more distressed he became, and Gu Qingheng couldn’t even chew the dry bun in his hand anymore. He felt a lingering urge to cry.
“I know you’re worried about Xia Tian, but don’t let your reason be overwhelmed by emotions. Calmly think about the relationships involved and the consequences. This way, you can deal with future matters.”
“I can’t help it…”
“Alas, forget it. I’ll give you a definitive answer now! Xia Tian will definitely be fine, because according to my speculation, the Tang Sect Leader called us over this time not because he suspected us of killing Tang Wenshi, but because he wanted to ask if Tang Wenshi had any last wishes, and also to confirm who the traitor of the Tang Sect really is.”
“Just for these reasons, they kidnapped Sister Xia Tian? Why couldn’t they just talk properly instead of using such extreme measures!”
“If they didn’t use such extreme measures, how could they force us to rush over so quickly! Don’t overthink it. When we get to the Tang Sect, if the Sect Leader doesn’t give us something good, I’ll make him know how powerful I am.”
“If they give you good stuff, you won’t teach the Tang Sect Leader a lesson? Brother-in-law, aren’t you too mercenary!”
“How can this be called mercenary! This is clearly the adult world, you child should not get involved.”
“…”
After successfully persuading his brother-in-law, Gu Yu secretly took a chicken leg from his spatial storage and handed it to Gu Qingheng. As soon as Gu Qingheng saw the fragrant roasted chicken leg, his eyes were fixed on it, and he was almost drooling.
After Gu Qingheng took the chicken leg, he quickly wolfed it down, lest others see it and find it difficult to explain the origin of the chicken leg. Seeing his usually picky brother-in-law like this, Gu Yu felt a pang of sadness, thinking that Gu Qingheng had paid a lot for Xia Tian. If it was just unrequited love, then… However, emotions were unpredictable. After all, no one could predict what would happen next. But Gu Qingheng’s current effort made Gu Yu look upon him with new admiration, thinking that he could add another condition to threaten his brother-in-law in the future.
Poor Gu Qingheng, even though he was gratefully gnawing on the chicken leg now, if he knew what Gu Yu was thinking, he would definitely roll his eyes to the sky, thinking how he ended up with such a brother-in-law!
“Yu, how is Qingheng? I’ve been very worried seeing him in a poor state these past few days! I told my father back at the Gu Residence not to let Qingheng come along, but my father insisted…”
“Mengyao, Qingheng is fine, don’t worry! He just wants to see Xia Tian sooner, so he’s thinking about taking a shortcut.”
“A shortcut?”
“Yes, although I don’t think it’s very safe, if there really is a shortcut, we might be able to reach Lianzhou a few days earlier.”
While Gu Qingheng was gnawing on the chicken leg, Gu Yu stood up and walked aside. When Gu Mengyao quickly approached him, Gu Yu quickly assured her that his brother-in-law was fine and she didn’t need to worry. However, Gu Mengyao showed a dejected expression. As she spoke, she deeply regretted her decision to soft-heartedly agree to let Gu Qingheng come along. The long journey through mountains and waters was not something a child could endure. It was only because Gu Qingheng knew that time could not be delayed that he endured the hardship, just wanting to reach the Tang Sect faster. But Gu Mengyao, as his elder sister, felt very distressed seeing her brother like this.
“A shortcut? We can try this. There’s a town ahead. If we can find a local person to guide us, we might be able to reach Lianzhou quickly.”
“I’m just afraid that instead of arriving early, we’ll be delayed.”
“How will we know the result if we don’t try! Yu, don’t worry too much. We’ve already saved a lot of time with the previous journey.”
“Alright.”
Gu Mengyao, doting on her brother, changed her previous safe approach upon hearing about the shortcut and chose to go to the town ahead to inquire if there was indeed a shortcut. If there was, even arriving two days earlier in Lianzhou would be excellent! Gu Yu, hearing his wife give the command, naturally dared not disobey. Immediately, everyone mounted their horses and quickly rode towards the town ahead.
However, it wasn’t as they had guessed; they couldn’t find a local person to ask about shortcuts. As they approached the town on horseback, Gu Yu looked at the quiet town ahead and his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He immediately pulled the reins of the horse he was riding, unable to move forward any further. Even if some towns had very few residents, a town with no signs of life was indeed a bit strange.
“Brother-in-law, there are so few people in this town!”
“It’s not that there are few people, it’s that something has happened.”
“???”
Gu Yu’s sudden stop caused the others to stop as well after they reacted. They rode their horses to Gu Yu’s side, wondering why he had stopped. Gu Qingheng’s words at this moment caused Gu Yu’s lips to curl up, and his frown eased. His brother-in-law had already noticed, so they couldn’t continue forward.
“Mengyao, we can’t stop. We must keep moving and talk about it at the next town.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Afterward, when Gu Yu told Gu Mengyao not to go into the town, Gu Mengyao was not surprised and obediently nodded, agreeing to Gu Yu’s decision. Gu Yu was never one to do useless things. Since he had decided not to go into the town ahead, he naturally had his reasons. As for asking where the shortcut was, there was no rush for the moment.
“Gu Da, do you know how to bypass this town?”
“I know, but it will take more time.”
“It’s okay, lead us!”
Seeing that Gu Mengyao didn’t mind, Gu Yu didn’t say anything more. Instead, he spoke to Gu Da, asking him to lead the group around the town.
“Brother-in-law, someone’s coming out?”
Just then, the sharp-eyed Gu Qingheng saw an old man coming out of a house and wandering around. There wasn’t a soul just now, so why did an old man suddenly appear? Or perhaps they were overthinking it?
“Ignore him. Let’s continue bypassing it. I have a very bad feeling about this town! If there’s real danger, it’s definitely a situation with no escape.”
“Then let’s hurry and bypass it! Safety is more important. If I die here, no one will go to save Sister Xia Tian.”
“…”
However, even with an old man coming out to wander, Gu Yu did not change his mind and still chose to take a detour. For some reason, Gu Yu had a feeling that there was danger ahead. It was like a terrifying giant beast, opening its mouth towards them, just waiting for them to deliver themselves into its jaws. Although he had spatial storage by his side, so Gu Yu didn’t have to worry too much, it was better not to attract trouble at this time.
…
“Big Brother, they’re bypassing it!”
“What!!! Didn’t they say they had no food? They should come to this town to buy things and look for a shortcut to Lianzhou… Why are they bypassing it! Or has our action been exposed?”
“How could it be exposed…”
“What should we do next?”
“What else can we do? Chase them!”
In the town’s inn, after a person disguised as an old man walked in, he heard what he said, which made the innkeeper and the waiter’s faces turn grim. They had been looking forward to their prey, but it had escaped right from under their noses, which was truly frustrating. They had originally thought that by disguising themselves, they could kill Gu Yu and the others. What a waste of these prepared traps!
“Just give up like this? How long have we been preparing to kill Gu Yu and the others…”
“It’s all nonsense to say this now. They’ve already bypassed and left, can you still persuade them to come back? Hurry and change your clothes, we need to chase after them quickly.”
“What about the corpses in the backyard?”
“Burn them.”
The innkeeper didn’t remain depressed for too long. Instead, he directly removed the fake beard stuck to his face and then told his subordinates to hurry up and not waste time. Lord Jiang’s plan had failed!
