Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 260 - 251: Actually... I Can Catch Ghosts!

Chapter 260: Chapter 251: Actually... I Can Catch Ghosts!

The night breeze was as gentle as a whisper, and the verdant waves rolled like surges.

Under the silent moonlight, the large boat borrowed from Long Xutuo made its way through the river, cutting through the waves. Despite the deck being lined with armor-clad guards, there was an air of unusual charm.

Third Miss Gan stood at the bow, looking towards the north.

That was the direction of Capital Region Road, the direction of Daxing City in the capital, the direction of the journey’s end this time.

To say that Third Miss Gan wasn’t worried would be a lie.

However, she knew as long as she stood here, the people from the Town Martial Office behind her would feel much more at ease. Therefore, as the Acting Officer of the Town Martial Office in Chuan-Yu Road, she had to stand firmly, reassuring everyone.

On the deck, Pei Shoushen somehow got hold of two skewers of candied hawthorns, one in each hand, running and eating at the same time, while Long Xutuo watched his little apprentice with a gratified smile.

Everything seemed so calm.

But no one believed the journey would be trouble-free.

At this moment, Wen Ruchu emerged from the cabin and walked toward Third Miss Gan at the bow, bowing respectfully.

"Wen Ruchu pays respects to Officer Gan."

Third Miss Gan felt displeased. Is it not enough to call me Officer? Do I need you to remind me of my surname?

Still, she turned around with a cheerful smile to glance at Wen Ruchu.

"Oh, it’s Young Master Wen! Why aren’t you asleep at this late hour? I’ve heard that lack of sleep hinders growth."

Wen Ruchu still wore a smile on his face, and spoke softly, "We will be arriving in the capital soon, and my Wen Family holds some influence there. Is there anything I can assist with?"

Third Miss Gan thought it over for a moment before replying softly, "Speaking of which, I am not sure if we can accommodate so many people in the capital. Perhaps the Wen Family could help us with lodging and meals?"

Wen Ruchu nodded with a smile, saying ’alright’ before turning away.

Yet the instant he turned around, the smile on Wen Ruchu’s face turned to coldness and gritted teeth.

His goal was to earn some credit during this escort mission.

After all, since arriving in Chuan-Yu Road until now, he couldn’t claim to have accomplished nothing, although he had indeed caused a great disaster.

The deadly blame for Hu Feipan’s death was on him, and even Uncle Liu had died.

Although he could pass all the blame onto Uncle Liu, ultimately, as the eldest son and the eldest grandson of the Head of the Wen Family, pushing the old servant to take the fall looked like a last resort because of his incompetence in the eyes of the nobles and titled lords.

Suddenly, Wen Ruchu thought of something, and turned to look once more towards Third Miss Gan at the bow.

Though this trip to the capital required several boats, he hadn’t seen Zhang San and his followers on this boat; Wang Junwu and Wang Ziteng, who always followed Zhang San, were missing too. Xu and Wei, who had close relationships with Zhang San, weren’t here, and neither were Ximen Jinxing who seemed to have a fondness for Zhang San, nor his Martial Chief Wu Changling.

Why were all these people closely related to Zhang San missing?

Wait a second!

Suddenly, a bold thought crossed Wen Ruchu’s mind.

Wen Ruchu quickly walked to the back of the boat to look at the trailing ships using his Observation Skill.

However, it seemed he couldn’t find Zhang San and the others on any of the boats.

Being tasked with escorting these officials, they had often encountered assassins along the way. Now, travelling by water so ostentatiously, were they truly fearless, or was it that the officials weren’t really using the waterway?

With this thought, Wen Ruchu immediately returned to the cabin and pulled out a map of Chuan-Yu Road.

Wen Ruchu astutely noticed that if they were to travel by boat, they would first head east before disembarking at Jingzhou, continue north for a while on land and then onto the waterways again to reach the capital, disembarking to lead the people into Daxing City.

However, if they travelled by land, they could head northeast after leaving Fuling City, reach Fengdu County, then cross a bridge north of Fengdu County, pass through Azure Dragon Township, go through Dazhou to reach Wanyuan City and Ankang City, and finally head north straight to Daxing City.

That is to say, actually, the time it would take to travel by land was about the same as by water, and there was indeed a safe and steady road available.

After all, the areas they would pass through along the way were mostly stationed with troops or were Town Martial Office strongholds.

Could it be...

At that moment, a bold speculation appeared in Wen Ruchu’s mind.

Early the next morning, Third Miss Gan, who spent the cold night at the bow, prepared to go rest when Sun Wushuang came to report.

"Officer, we’ve just discovered that Wen Ruchu is missing, and so are all the martial artists from the Wen Family."

Third Miss Gan nodded slightly, instructing Sun Wushuang to go down.

"Should we not look for them?"

Third Miss Gan smiled lightly and said, "They are probably untraceable now. Inform Commander Wei and the accompanying officials from the Ministry of Punishment that Wen Ruchu is missing. We in the Town Martial Office shall deem it as desertion during the execution of a mission. As for how they decide to judge and report it to the capital, that is their business."

In fact, Third Miss Gan knew that although Wen Ruchu had never been able to outdo Zhang San in their various confrontations, it wasn’t because Zhang San was too resourceful while Wen Ruchu was inept. After all, being one of the Four Young Masters of the Capital and the eldest son and grandson groomed by the Wen Family, the future inheritor and Family Head couldn’t possibly be without skills.

Wen Ruchu must have guessed that Zhang San was actually escorting those officials by land, and might even have divined the correct route.