A scumbag husband fakes his death to escape his marriage? I'll burn down his funeral hall and s

Chapter 364. She's not bad looking. Take her away and wash her clean.

"Is there anything special about that mountain?" he continued to ask.

“This…” The old man hesitated for a moment, “There is an abandoned hunting ground halfway up the mountain, and it is rumored that the group of people is stationed there.”

"However, sir, I advise you to leave quickly. Those people are extremely wary of strangers and will kill anyone they see!"

Gu Cheng'an nodded, put down a few silver coins, and turned to leave the general store.

"How is it?" The soldiers gathered around and asked in low voices.

“The situation is more complicated than we imagined.” Gu Cheng’an said gravely. “According to the old man, this band of bandits probably has a different background.”

“We need to split into two groups. One team will come with me to the mountainside to investigate, while the other team will stay at the foot of the mountain to provide support.”

Everyone accepted the order and began their preparations.

The mountain path was rugged, and the higher you went, the denser the trees became.

Gu Cheng'an led ten soldiers forward cautiously, taking each step with utmost care.

"Lieutenant, there's movement ahead," a soldier whispered a warning.

Gu Cheng'an raised his hand to signal to stop, held his breath, and sure enough, he heard voices coming from not far away.

He made a gesture, and the group immediately hid behind a tree and quietly approached.

Through the dense bushes, Gu Cheng'an saw about twenty burly men practicing their weapons in an open space.

They were dressed in uniform leather armor, their swords gleaming, and their movements were perfectly synchronized, showing no trace of the undiscipline of bandits.

Even more striking was a flag planted in the center of the open space, embroidered with an unfamiliar emblem.

Gu Cheng'an thought the face looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it, so he could only make a mental note of it.

These bandits were well-trained; no wonder the county constables were all wiped out!

Just as Gu Cheng'an was about to retreat and have his soldiers quietly withdraw, a slight noise suddenly came from behind him.

"Who goes there!" a loud shout rang out.

Gu Cheng'an turned around and saw that two "bandits" with knives had spotted them and were striding closer.

"Go quickly!" he shouted, drawing his sword and charging forward.

Fighting two enemies at once, Gu Cheng'an moved with lightning speed, wielding his sword to repel one enemy while the other was entangled by soldiers who arrived shortly after.

"Pass down the order: retreat immediately!" Gu Cheng'an commanded while fighting. "Make sure to bring the message back!"

This battle immediately alerted the enemy in the open area.

Shouts rose and fell, and more "bandits" charged forward with weapons.

Gu Cheng'an knew things were going badly; the investigation had been exposed, and the most urgent task was to ensure that the intelligence was transmitted back.

"You go first, I'll cover the rear!" He slashed back another enemy with his sword and shouted to the soldiers behind him.

"Lieutenant, we can't abandon you!" The soldiers refused to retreat.

"This is an order!" Gu Cheng'an shouted sternly. "Someone must take this message back!"

The soldiers gritted their teeth and finally found an opportunity to break out of the enemy's encirclement.

Gu Cheng'an faced the surging enemy alone.

But outnumbered, his arm was quickly slashed.

"Take him alive! Don't kill him!" someone shouted.

Gu Cheng'an gritted his teeth and continued to swing his knife, but there were too many enemies. Finally, after a fierce battle, he was tackled by five or six people, his knife was taken away, and his hands were tied behind his back.

"Hmph, just a businessman, but he's got some nerve."

A woman with a seductive figure stepped forward, her slender eyes scrutinizing the subdued Gu Cheng'an. "Oh, not bad looking. Take him away and clean him up."

Gu Cheng'an felt a chill run down his spine and coldly looked up at the woman.

She was dressed in a dark red outfit, with a carved dagger hanging at her waist, and her eyes revealed a fierce look.

"Yes, sir!" Two burly men roughly grabbed Gu Cheng'an and dragged him deeper into the camp.

"Wait," the woman suddenly spoke again. She walked slowly closer, reached out and lifted Gu Cheng'an's chin, carefully examining his face, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"These eyes..."

Gu Cheng'an shook off her hand and said coldly, "Have you seen enough?"

"Heh, quite the tough one," the woman sneered. "I'll see how long you can keep up this tough act. Men, search him!"

Several henchmen immediately stepped forward and roughly searched Gu Cheng'an's body.

Soon, a token was found in his boot.

"Sir, this is the army's token!" A bandit handed the token to the woman.

The woman took the token, her sneer growing even louder: "So you're a spy. No wonder you're so skilled."

She fiddled with the token in her hand for a few moments, then suddenly leaned close to Gu Cheng'an and asked, "What are you here to investigate?"

"Just passing by." Gu Cheng'an said without changing his expression.

"Slap!" The woman slapped him across the face. "Just passing by? Bringing so many people past a bandit's den? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Gu Cheng'an had a red mark on his cheek, but he remained silent with a cold expression.

"Take him away for interrogation. If you can't get him to talk, don't blame me for being ruthless!" The woman waved her hand and turned to leave.

Gu Cheng'an breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed this woman didn't want to kill him...

He figured that if his men managed to escape, they should be able to get the news back to the camp soon.

At that time, his elder brother will surely send troops to rescue him. As long as he can buy time, he has a chance to survive.

Meanwhile, a banquet was held in the palace.

Just as Gu Junze and Chu Ruohan were about to set off, they received a message hurriedly delivered by a soldier.

"General! General Shi urgently requests an audience!"

Gu Junze frowned, then turned to Chu Ruohan and said, "Take Yun-ge'er to the palace first, I'll be there shortly."

Chu Ruohan felt a pang of anxiety. Although she had doubts, she knew that something must have happened to make Gu Junze so hasty.

She nodded: "Be careful."

"Mother, why isn't Father coming with us?" Yun-ge'er stood beside Chu Ruohan, looking up and asking curiously.

Gu Junze squatted down and gently rubbed his son's head.

"Father has some military affairs to attend to, he'll come find you later."

Yun-ge'er nodded as if he understood, "Then Father, you must come quickly, otherwise Yun-ge'er will miss you."

Gu Junze smiled slightly and kissed his son on the forehead: "Yes, definitely."

Chu Ruohan led Yun Ge'er onto the carriage, but felt a vague unease in her heart.

Gu Junze's hurried departure suggests that something else has happened...

The carriage slowly made its way to the palace. Chu Ruohan sat inside, absentmindedly looking at the scenery outside the window.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Yun-ge'er keenly sensed his mother's unusual behavior, crawled to her side, and gently tugged at her sleeve with his little hand.

Chu Ruohan snapped out of her daze and forced a smile: "It's nothing, Mother was just thinking about something."

"Is Mother worried about Father?"

Yun-ge'er put on a mature expression, "Mother, don't worry, Father is very capable, nothing will happen."

Chu Ruohan was amused by the little guy's innocent yet earnest words of comfort, and the gloom in her heart dissipated somewhat.