Sure enough, not long after he stopped, three more shadowy figures crept past. Seeing this, Zhang Qian couldn't help but let out a cold snort. They were still too green to play this game with him.
The one left to cover their retreat was Yang Chun. He deliberately kept a distance of two li from Da Lao Hei, so that if Da Lao Hei was tracked, he could discover it in time. However, Yang Chun had not expected that today he would encounter a worthy opponent.
After Yang Chun had walked for two li and was sure that the area behind him was quiet, Zhang Qian quietly slipped out and headed down the mountain.
As he walked, Zhang Qian felt something was wrong. It seemed someone was following him.
Ahead was a large rock. After passing it, Zhang Qian ducked and swiftly darted to the side.
After waiting for a moment, he heard faint footsteps behind him.
It was two people talking in low voices, "Third Brother, that shadow seems to have disappeared."
Zhang Qian chuckled upon hearing this. They were his own people.
As the two approached, he suddenly leaped out from behind the rock, covering their mouths with his hands.
"Ah!" As the two were about to cry out, Zhang Qian whispered into their ears, "Don't shout, I am Zhang Qian."
Only then did the two breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'll ask you, are there any other people on the mountain?" Zhang Qian asked urgently.
The two exchanged glances and shook their heads. "Not far past the Mountain God Temple, Military Advisor Ma told us to stay behind. We don't know what's beyond that."
Zhang Qian nodded. "Good. Don't fall too far behind, let's hurry and catch up."
As they walked forward, Zhang Qian stumbled and almost fell. By feel, the object beneath his foot was soft. Zhang Qian covered the tinder with his clothes and gently wiped it.
Lying on the ground was a person.
He lit the tinder again and this time recognized the face. It was one of their own, who had come from the capital with Liu Yuanwu.
A wave of sorrow washed over Zhang Qian.
But he knew this was not the time for grief; he had to hurry. If he was any later, he might lose them.
He immediately instructed, "You two carry him down the mountain, I'll go on ahead."
Walking further, Zhang Qian encountered two more corpses. This made him sigh inwardly. Alas, they were too impatient. If they had waited a little longer, their rear wouldn't have been compromised.
Hurrying along, Zhang Qian finally saw shadows moving ahead before he reached the foot of the mountain.
Good, at least he hadn't lost them.
By this time, Da Lao Hei and his men had already arrived outside Hetou Village. They retrieved their horses from the depths of the nearby woods, mounted them without delay, and galloped towards Wengongling.
Soon, Yang Chun also arrived with two men. After mounting their horses, they rode onto the official road. Yang Chun, however, pointed in the direction of the county town. "We'll go this way."
The two underlings, not understanding, asked with slight surprise, "Second Master, this is the road to the county town, not back to the stronghold."
Yang Chun smiled slightly. "We've dealt with so many people tailing us along the way. Who can guarantee there's no one watching us from behind?"
Upon hearing this, the two underlings gave him a thumbs-up. "Second Master is brilliant! Luring the tiger away from its den, a masterstroke!"
Without another word, Yang Chun flicked his whip and galloped towards the county town. Zhang Qian naturally followed closely behind.
After Da Lao Hei and his men had ridden for a while, Hou Liu couldn't help but look back. "Big Master, why isn't Brother Yang Chun catching up?"
Xiong Fei, standing beside him, said, "Don't worry, Brother Yang Chun is meticulous in his work. Nothing will go wrong."
Da Lao Hei also laughed heartily. "Yes, they haven't caught up. They likely have tails behind them. We'll just keep going and wait for Brother Yang Chun at the stronghold with food and wine ready."
From Hetou Village to Wengongling was over fifty li. Da Lao Hei and his men covered the distance in less than an hour.
Seeing these men ride onto Wengongling, Liu Ce gritted his teeth in anger. He marked the spot by the roadside, arranged for someone to keep watch, and then turned back.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qian followed Yang Chun and his group all the way to the county town. After entering the town, Yang Chun quickly found an inn and checked in. Unaware that he had fallen into a trap, Zhang Qian noted the inn's name and marked the location before turning back to report.
As the sun rose high, Zhang Qian was the first to return.
Hearing that the murderers had gone to the county town to stay at an inn, Liu Rumei frowned.
This seemed rather abnormal. Logically, after committing such a serious crime, shouldn't they flee as far away as possible? Why would they check into an inn?
Just as he was pondering this, Liu Ce also returned.
"Miss, I followed them all the way to Wengongling. It should be Da Lao Hei and his men who did it."
Zhang Qian, who was nearby, immediately snapped back to attention. "Damn, I've been tricked! It was their 'luring the tiger away from its den' ploy."
Liu Ce nodded. "Fortunately, Miss was one step ahead and had us lie in ambush on the official road."
Zhang Qian cupped his fists towards Liu Rumei. "Miss's plans are divine, we are no match for you."
Liu Rumei didn't respond to his words. Instead, she turned to Liu Ce. "Did you leave anyone at Wengongling?"
Liu Ce nodded. "We left three brothers there. We'll send more men over later."
Liu Rumei made a gesture, and soon Xiao Qing brought over a terrain map and spread it on the table.
Liu Rumei pointed to the location of Wengongling, then looked at Hetou Village, and then at the county town.
"Normally, we and Wengongling have no quarrel. Why did they attack my second brother this time?"
Liu Ce, standing nearby, immediately cupped his fists and said, "Miss, these bandits are greedy for money. It's highly likely they killed for silver."
Liu Rumei nodded. "Oh, I'm not talking about that. The bandits at Wengongling generally have mediocre martial arts. It's even less likely that anyone would know the archery techniques of the Li family from Southern Xinjiang."
"Miss, you mean the employer not only paid money but also sent people to help?"
Just then, someone reported that Yang Zhi requested an audience.
Liu Rumei frowned. "What does he want?"
But she still raised her hand, signaling for Yang Zhi to be admitted.
As Yang Zhi entered, his face was filled with grief. He cupped his fists towards Liu Rumei. "Miss Liu, I heard of the Second Young Master's sudden misfortune and am deeply saddened. I have come to offer my condolences."
Liu Rumei inclined her head slightly and returned the courtesy. "Thank you, Leader Yang. We have not set up a mourning hall here, so I'm afraid I cannot allow you to offer condolences."
After speaking, she turned to Liu Ce.
Liu Ce understood and made a gesture for Yang Zhi to follow him.
Liu Ce led Yang Zhi to a side room. Liu Yuanwu's corpse lay on the bed.
Yang Zhi glanced at Liu Yuanwu and shed a few insincere tears. His gaze then shifted to the two long arrows lying beside the body.
"These are arrows from the Li family of Southern Xinjiang."
Liu Ce nodded. "Yes, the Li family of Southern Xinjiang. These arrows are truly formidable, piercing the heart from over thirty zhang away."
Hearing Liu Ce's words, Yang Zhi was taken aback. He looked up at Liu Ce, then at the two arrows on the bed.
"Steward Liu, are you sure it was from over thirty zhang away?"
Liu Ce nodded.
Yang Zhi couldn't help but exclaim, "At such a distance, only one person can do it!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ce's gaze turned sharp. "Oh, you know who it is?"