I Only Stomp on Weaklings

"This is Lord Du Ruzong, and this is Lord Xu Han. You haven’t met them yet, Xianyu? Come over and pay your respects."

Hong Yuze introduced the two First Grade Purple Robes to Chen Ming.

Chen Ming respectfully saluted, "Subordinate Gu Xianyu, pays respects to both lords."

However, in his heart, he was pondering, what was Du Ruzong’s reason for wanting to kill him?

The next moment, he felt two piercing gazes cast upon him, sending a chill down his spine.

"So you’re the dragon-in-law of Gang Master Xia. Quite impressive indeed." Du Ruzong’s cold voice came to his ears, clearly carrying a hint of resentment.

Could it be because of that opportunistic father-in-law?

Chen Ming hurriedly distanced himself, "My lord jests. How could a subordinate be worthy of Miss Xia? To be honest, I already have a betrothal in the Capital City. This engagement doesn’t count."

This person was not only a First Grade powerhouse but also one of his superiors. He must not earn this man’s enmity.

"Oh?"

Du Ruzong’s expression remained unchanged, but the hostility emanating from him lessened a bit.

Xu Han, however, said indifferently, "I heard that Gang Master Xia’s daughter is currently residing with you. So, Lord Gu, are you planning to have both women, enjoying the best of both worlds? Quite the clever scheme."

Damn.

Chen Ming’s heart sank halfway. He nearly forgot that Lord Xu Han was in charge of the intelligence department. His cohabitation with Xia Mudan surely wouldn’t escape her spies.

With this, even if he had ten mouths, he couldn’t explain it away.

Hong Yuze also noticed that these two colleagues seemed to hold a grudge against Xia Shaowen, taking it out on Gu Xianyu, so he changed the subject, "You two, as discussed earlier, Lord Du will take the lead in capturing Xie Jianqiu. Lord Xu will oversee the government office, as for the prison—"

"Regarding the prison, I leave it to Lord Hong," Du Ruzong suddenly interrupted, "I’ve heard that young Gu displayed great might and slew two First Grade demon men from the Nine Nether Sect, restoring some face for our Xiazhou. Surely he possesses remarkable skills. On this mission, let him accompany me to capture Xie Jianqiu."

"This—"

Hong Yuze looked at Chen Ming. He initially intended for Chen Ming to manage the prison affairs, but unexpectedly Du Ruzong wanted to arrange it this way.

With his understanding of Du Ruzong, this was clearly not well-intentioned.

"Let’s not forget," Du Ruzong said blandly, "Xie Jianqiu has several disciples, none of whom are weak. My subordinates alone might not be able to handle them. We need talented young people like young Gu. Only by swiftly capturing Xie Jianjian can we give an account to Lord Zhong."

Hong Yuze heard the threat in his words and asked Chen Ming, "What do you think?"

"I defer to my lord’s decision."

"If that is so, then you shall accompany Lord Du. Perhaps you might achieve another great merit."

"Yes." After responding, Chen Ming asked, "Lord Du, when do we depart?"

"There’s no time to lose; we depart immediately."

"Allow me to send someone to inform my family."

"Very well."

...

Chen Ming rode a black stallion, following Du Ruzong and several other colleagues out through the gates of Xiazhou City. As he followed at the rear of the group, he had already roughly figured out the situation with those five assassination plots.

Among those who wanted to kill him now was that black-clad man from the Killing Righteous Sect. For some reason, this person seemed fixated on him.

Therefore, as long as he left Xiazhou City alone, this black-clad man would follow.

It was rumored that people from the Killing Righteous Sect had a unique tracking method. Once marked by them, no matter how one hid their trail, they would be found.

Thus, leaving Xiazhou City incognito was not an option.

Then, there was Zhou Wentao from the Qingyi Sect. He seemed to be keeping an eye on Xia Mudan. If she left Xiazhou City, he would attempt to kill her.

Hence, taking Xia Mudan along was also not a viable path.

Staying in Xiazhou City remained a death trap.

The Gu Family had already sent a First Grade powerhouse supposedly to guide him, but more likely to protect Gu Xianyu, this rising star of the family.

A Third Grade at the age of twenty, even if Gu Xianyu’s father couldn’t stand him, the family elders wouldn’t ignore him and would insist on significant cultivation.

So, the middle-aged man depicted in the fifth assassination painting who wanted to kill him was surely Gu Xianyu’s "Fifth Uncle," who discovered he was an imposter and intended to eliminate him.

After considering all this, Chen Ming knew that leaving Xiazhou City with Du Ruzong was the only chance for survival.

By following Du Ruzong, the people from the Killing Righteous Sect wouldn’t dare to make a move.

This way, he could also evade Gu Xianyu’s "Fifth Uncle."

Now, the only threat to deal with was from Du Ruzong.

Firstly, no matter how bold Du Ruzong might be, he wouldn’t dare kill him in front of witnesses, as he couldn’t explain that to the higher-ups.

To murder a colleague, particularly a core descendant of the Gu Family, was a consequence he couldn’t bear. The Gu Family held a hereditary dukedom, a top echelon nobility continuing from the country’s founding, so everyone must tread carefully when dealing with them.

So, comparatively speaking, following Du Rusong is actually the safest option.

For Du Rusong to kill him, it would have to be flawlessly executed, with no traceable flaws. The best course of action is to use a borrowed knife to kill.

The borrowed knife, of course, is the one held by the First Grade master Xie Jianqiu who escaped from the prison.

"However, caution is still necessary."

Chen Ming was alert in his heart; the scene predicted by the Turtle Shell indeed showed Du Rusong personally taking action. There must be some reason behind this.

He then looked at the other five people; four were Third Grade golden-clad members, Du Rusong’s most capable subordinates, known as the Four Tigers by contemporaries.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, Zhu Wanlin turned his head to look at him, with a cold smile on his lips.

Indeed, this person is also a subordinate of Du Rusong.

Chen Ming had his suspicions that Zhu Wanlin murdering Xia Mudan’s brother might have been under Du Rusong’s orders. But there was no evidence.

Besides these, there was one more ’familiar face.’

It was an elderly man whom he had once seen in Jiangzhou, and later he had moved next door to Chen Ming’s home for some time; the old man had a granddaughter who didn’t come along this time.

Now he finally knows the identity of this old man: his name is Tao Zhiquan, who was previously a member of Six Gates, retired, and highly reputable; Zhu Wanlin and others respectfully call him ’Divine Capture,’ skilled in tracking and solving cases.

Even Du Rusong treats Tao Zhiquan with great respect; seemingly this time, catching the escaped Xie Jianqiu would rely on this Divine Capture.

For unknown reasons, Chen Ming always felt that the old man looking at him had a peculiar gaze, as if his disguise had been completely seen through, making him uneasy.

Du Rusong had already received news that Xie Jianqiu’s last known appearance was in Qingtian County, so they had to rush there as soon as possible.

The seven of them traveled in haste, and within a day, they arrived in Qingtian County, thousands of miles away.

Even the lowest cultivation among them was Third Grade, yet despite traveling for a day, they were all energetic. Especially Du Rusong’s four subordinates, who were all excited.

For them, this was an opportunity to earn merits; accumulating enough merits would give them a chance to go to the Demon Suppression Hall to study the visualization map, thereby possibly advancing to Second Grade.

Chen Ming still followed at the back, not speaking, waiting for an opportunity to slip away.

He could sense that all along the way, even though Du Rusong never turned back to look, he was actually keeping his eye on him, seemingly preventing him from escaping.

Moreover, with that ’Divine Capture’ around, even if he managed to escape, he would likely be found soon.

He must wait for a perfect opportunity.

...

The group arrived at a riverside; the north wind howled, waves were raging, and not a single sail was visible on the river.

Du Rusong gazed across the river and said, "This Dan River marks the boundary between Xiazhou, Yuzhou, and Jiangzhou. The intelligence says that Xie Jianqiu was knocked into the river by Lord Li and then disappeared. Where do you think he would flee to?"

Lord Li is the First Grade Governor stationed in Qingtian County; he fought Xie Jianqiu, and both sides were severely injured. He was unable to continue tracking.

This happened the night before last.

For a First Grade expert, this amount of time is more than enough to escape far away.

Chen Ming thought, Xie Jianqiu escaping to this place obviously intends to leave Xiazhou. As long as he goes to another state, the strength of tracking him would certainly be less intense.

Zhu Wanlin commented, "I’ve heard that Xie Jianqiu has a disciple who established a sect in Yuzhou; it’s quite likely he went to seek refuge with that disciple."

Another man with the last name Zhou said, "It could be Jiangzhou as well, didn’t Xie Jianqiu have a disciple running a martial arts school in Jiangzhou City?"

"It could also be a blinding technique, and this fellow might have returned to Xiazhou again."

The four started arguing, unable to convince one another.

Du Rusong then looked at Tao Zhiquan, who hadn’t spoken, and asked politely, "Tao Lao, what are your thoughts?"

When he spoke, Zhu Wanlin and the other four fell silent, looking at this highly reputed old man, eager to know his insights.

Tao Zhiquan’s face was full of distress, "I am of low status, how dare I speak recklessly in front of the lords."

Du Rusong said, "I am well aware of Tao Lao’s capabilities. It was truly regrettable that Tao Lao didn’t make it to Third Grade back then."

Turning the topic, he said, "As long as Tao Lao can help me catch Xie Jianqiu, I promise you, I can raise the bounty on your rebellious disciple to First Grade!"

Tao Zhiquan’s previously cloudy eyes became instantly clear, and he solemnly asked, "Is this true?"

Du Rusong replied, "I do not speak lightly."

Zhu Wanlin and the other four’s eyes also lit up; a First Grade bounty signifies First Grade merits. Wanted criminals of this level are often First Grade experts.

While Tao Lao’s disciple is only Third Grade, a First Grade reward is enough to tempt many First Grade experts, not to mention them.

If they could catch Tao Zhiquan’s disciple, the merits would be enough for them to exchange for several years of visualization map usage, making a breakthrough to Second Grade no problem.

"Alright!"

Tao Zhiquan raised his hand, "Let us make a vow by clapping hands. If the lord can uphold this promise, even if it means risking my life, I will help you find the person’s whereabouts."

Du Rusong raised his hand and clapped with Tao Zhiquan.