Gu Shi Yi left from the other end of the small town on horseback, but just as he had left the town gates, two men suddenly leaped out from the roadside and stood in front of Gu Shi Yi. Gu Shi Yi was startled and upon a closer look, it was none other than old acquaintances!
They were the same two men who had caught up with him to question him that day; his heart sank.
"This is... an ambush!"
The two men crossed their arms and gave Gu Shi Yi a cold smile,
"Kid, we've been waiting for you!"
Gu Shi Yi cursed his luck and regrettably thought,
"Indeed, I still lack experience in the Itinerant World. I was careless and didn't scout the town's exits before leaving!"
But it was too late for regrets now. Gu Shi Yi grew more cautious and looked around, and indeed, he saw two more people carrying weapons slowly approaching from the way he had come.
"Kid, you can't run now!"
A bitter taste filled Gu Shi Yi's mouth as he forced a wry smile and saluted the two men with a fist-palm gesture,
"Big brothers, that carriage was indeed purchased by me at the market. If it truly was a lost item from your estate, I have already returned it to you. Why must you keep chasing me so persistently?"
One of the four men, who appeared to be the leader, let out a cold laugh,
"A mere carriage is not worth our bother to chase you down this far, but the crime of killing our men and abducting our family's second young lady, that we absolutely cannot overlook!"
Gu Shi Yi forced another bitter smile upon hearing this,
"I have never met your family's young lady, much less know of her whereabouts, so there's no question of abduction!"
But whether he said this or not no longer mattered because they were not listening. The four men had already lunged at him. The Pu Family's servants were well-trained warriors. Their attack was well-coordinated; two men charged at Gu Shi Yi while the other two went for the old horse between his legs.
Gu Shi Yi was reluctant to see the silver he had spent go to waste and didn't want the old horse to get injured. Knowing it was impossible not to fight back, he rolled off the horseback and landed on his feet, then he patted the horse's behind,
"Go!"
Although the old horse wasn't much for strength, it had lived a long time and gained some sense. Seeing the situation, it knew it couldn't stay, so it trotted back towards the town. Gu Shi Yi, holding Big Boss under his left arm and using only his right hand, struck out at the man charging him first,
"Bang..."
The servant had seen that Gu Shi Yi always tried to escape before, and though he knew Gu Shi Yi must have some skill, he was confident in his own martial arts and had been somewhat contemptuous when he approached. As Gu Shi Yi's palm came striking, he reached out to grab Gu Shi Yi's wrist, only to find that his fingers hadn't even touched the wrist before everything in front of him blurred, and somehow, Gu Shi Yi's palm had landed squarely on his left chest. A muffled sound followed, and the servant was sent flying, crashing heavily into the grass beside the road.
The remaining three men's expressions changed,
"He turns out to be a trained warrior!"
Gu Shi Yi let out a wry laugh and saluted them, placing the broken pot he was holding down, and spread out his hands,
"Why resort to fighting and killing? Injuring you isn't good, and injuring me is even worse. Rather than wasting time on me, wouldn't it be better for you to continue searching for your young lady?"
The other three were unwilling to listen. They exchanged glances and then advanced on her, surrounding her in a circle and reaching for the swords at their waists, the intent to kill evident on their faces. With a light sigh, Gu Shi Yi twisted and dodged about, his footwork unclear - his entire body turning into a fish slipping through the gaps between the three men. In an instant, he had broken out of the encirclement,
"Bang..."
Another palm strike landed on one man's back, sending him sprawling forward. Gu Shi Yi then swiftly spun behind another man. As the man turned in shock and threw a punch, he found Gu Shi Yi had ducked under his arm. A sharp pain erupted in his ribs, and the next thing he knew, he was being lifted off the ground,
"Tsk!"
Gu Shi Yi shouted out loud, using his shoulder to support the man's body and securing the others' pressure point with one hand. A surge of inner energy made the tall man's half-body go numb, leaving him immobile and at Gu Shi Yi's mercy to be tossed far away, landing heavily on the ground...
The last man, seeing how Gu Shi Yi had laid out three men in just a few breaths, stood frozen in disbelief,
"You... you..."
If you're so skilled, why the hell did you run before?