"Brother!"
Inside the carriage, Chen Er'ya's voice was slightly panicked.
Evidently, she had seen the exchange just now clearly from inside the carriage.
"It's nothing."
Chen Ping'an stepped forward and comforted the Xiao Yatou.
"Just a small wimp, it's nothing!"
"Mm."
Chen Er'ya nodded her head.
She knew what to do at this moment so that her brother wouldn't worry.
Shaoyao, who was beside her, covered her mouth, and although there was fear on her face, she still held Chen Er'ya's hand, forcing herself to remain calm.
"Young Miss, with the Young Master here, it's nothing."
After confirming that the two maids were not too frightened and were generally fine, Chen Ping'an began to deal with Ding Tong's body.
He searched him up and down and found a lot of banknotes and broken silver on Ding Tong's body. However, he didn't find any Secret Manual.
Indeed, not everyone carries a Secret Manual with them everywhere they go.
Such a situation is quite normal!
On the inner side of Ding Tong's calf, Chen Ping'an found a dagger. The hilt of the dagger was inlaid with a ruby. Drawing the dagger, it gleamed with a cold light, clearly not an ordinary item.
"This dagger is good!"
Chen Ping'an praised it and then put it away with satisfaction.
This trip, besides gaining silver, also yielded a weapon! It was a small comfort!
According to Chen Ping'an's judgment, this dagger was likely a high-quality sharp blade.
Compared to broadswords and longswords of the same quality, daggers are generally worth a bit less. But no matter how low, it's still a high-quality sharp blade.
It's more than enough to exchange for one or two sharp blades!
Since they were on the official road, and although the night was already deep, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be any passersby. So, after Chen Ping'an searched the body, he moved it to a distant spot. The horse Ding Tong had been riding was still there, so he also led it to a nearby bush and tied it up.
After doing all this, he took out his flint and skillfully began to destroy the evidence.
Although he wasn't afraid of the truth coming out, he still needed to conceal what kind of martial art Ding Tong had died from.
Speaking of which, his Great Vajra Palm had only reached the Minor Achievement Realm, yet he was able to defeat Ding Tong so decisively. This was ultimately due to the absolute advantage of his Realm!
If it were a contest between opponents of the same Realm, even with his amazing combat experience, he would have difficulty achieving such an effect with just a Minor Achievement-level Great Vajra Palm.
After confirming that the body had turned into a mere remnant, Chen Ping'an extinguished the remaining fire and returned to the official road, driving the carriage straight along the road.
"Were you scared just now!"
Holding the reins, Chen Ping'an asked the two.
"A little bit."
Chen Er'ya said softly.
Chen Ping'an felt a little heartache. To be honest, he wanted to protect Chen Er'ya perfectly, not letting her experience any of the hardships of this world.
But in reality, he couldn't do it!
Although his strength was good enough to protect himself now, there were always people coming one after another to provoke him.
He also found it difficult to completely protect Chen Er'ya.
While Chen Ping'an was still thinking, Chen Er'ya's voice rang out again.
"More than being scared, I was more worried about Brother."
When Chen Ping'an heard this, his heart almost melted.
"Nannan, Brother made you worry."
"Brother, didn't we agree not to call me Nannan outside? I've grown up~"
"Yes, yes, you've grown up. But there are no outsiders now, are there!"
"Brother!"
"Hahahahaha..."
The carriage sped along, and to the senses of the few people, it didn't feel like much time had passed before they arrived at an inn.
Lanterns hung at the entrance of the inn, and a young attendant stood inside. Seeing a carriage approaching, the attendant quickly came forward to greet them.
"Guest, please come in! We have excellent rooms, and hot water for foot washing..."
The attendant enthusiastically introduced.
Chen Ping'an leaped down from the carriage.
"Two excellent rooms, and I want good fodder. Please take good care of the horses!"
"Alright!"
The attendant smiled warmly.
This place was still within the influence of Weishui County City, and since the inn was located by the official road, there was no need to worry about it being a black inn.
After settling Chen Er'ya and Shaoyao, Chen Ping'an also entered another room.
After waiting for a while, Chen Ping'an used the window to flip out and quickly left the inn. The entire process was silent, and no one noticed anything.
Soon, Chen Ping'an arrived back at the official road where he had been ambushed earlier. In the distant woods, the horse was still tied to a tree, snorting.
With Chen Ping'an's current martial Dao Realm, if he ran at full speed, he wouldn't be any slower than a fast horse. But considering the journey back to Weishui County City, Chen Ping'an still chose to ride the horse.
He flipped onto the horse and galloped all the way!
...
Inside the dilapidated temple, Fang Rui grew more and more anxious as he waited.
"It's been so long, why hasn't Ding Tong returned yet?"
Listening to Fang Rui's question, Fang Shicheng lowered his head slightly and said, "Young Master, Ding Tong might have been delayed by something."
"What could it be? Could he have let the person escape?"
Fang Rui's expression was somewhat displeased.
Originally, his idea was to follow Ding Tong directly to witness Chen Ping'an's miserable state in person. But in the end, Fang Shicheng persuaded him against it.
After all, according to the latest news, Chen Ping'an had already entered the Inner Qi Realm. Although he had just entered and his Realm might not be stable, he was still a genuine Inner Qi Realm expert!
If Fang Rui went, things could go wrong and he might become a vulnerability!
After all, there were many examples in those storytelling books where Young Masters were kidnapped, guards were threatened, and the kidnappers eventually escaped!
Although such a possibility was small with Ding Tong present, it was a risk that should be avoided if possible!
Although Fang Rui knew that what Fang Shicheng had said earlier was reasonable and had listened to his advice to stay in the dilapidated temple to wait for news, the prolonged wait for a result eventually made him impatient.
"Tower-Bearer Ding Tong has been famous for many years and possesses a unique grappling technique. Even an ordinary Inner Qi Second Level practitioner may not be able to escape from his grasp. It's impossible for Chen Ping'an, a mere junior who has just entered the Internal Energy Realm, to cause Ding Tong to fail!
It must be that Chen Ping'an is cunning, or perhaps Ding Tong couldn't find Chen Ping'an immediately, which caused a lot of delay!"
Fang Shicheng speculated appropriately.
Upon hearing Fang Shicheng's explanation, Fang Rui's expression softened slightly.
Just as the two were conversing, the guard who had been observing the situation outside the dilapidated temple suddenly walked in.
"Young Master, there are hoofbeats in the distance!"
"Hoofbeats?"
Fang Rui was overjoyed at the news.
"It must be Ding Tong returning!"
Hearing the guard's report, Fang Shicheng, who was beside him, also let out a sigh of relief.
"Chen Ping'an, just you wait and see how I'll torment you later! I'll let you know the suffering I endured in prison!"
Fang Rui stood up, waiting for Ding Tong to bring Chen Ping'an back, a cold sneer on his face.
He had already thought of ways to torment Chen Ping'an later. The reason he had asked Ding Tong to capture him alive was for this very moment, so he could vent his anger!
Clop clop! Clop clop! Clop clop!
The sound of hooves gradually approached, and soon reached outside the dilapidated temple. Just as Fang Rui thought the horse would stop, he heard the hoofbeats outside showing no signs of slowing down, continuing along the main road into the distance.
"Hm?"
"It's not Ding Tong?"
Fang Rui frowned. Through the window of the dilapidated temple, he saw a fast horse galloping on the main road. He could faintly make out a figure riding on the horse.
"What's going on?"
Fang Rui suddenly snorted coldly.
Fang Shicheng's heart trembled.
What's happening!
He was equally puzzled.
Where did Ding Tong go?
Just as Fang Shicheng didn't know how to reply, the sound of hooves came again from outside.
Clop clop! Clop clop! Clop clop!
"Young Master, he's back! Perhaps Ding Tong rode past!"
Fang Shicheng said with a joyful expression.