Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 255 Formidable Skills

The man who appeared to be the leader stopped first, looking warily at Gu Qingyue and her group, while the dozen or so men behind him drew their knives at the same time.

Gu Qingyue's eyes quickly scanned their weapons. She searched her mind for information on various assassin organizations, but to no avail.

Just then, the leader in black raised his hand and said, "Kill."

Without uttering a single extra word, he drew his knife and charged forward.

Gu Qingyue was already mentally prepared.

Since they were dressed in black and masked, they naturally did not want anyone to know their whereabouts.

They just happened to run into them, and there were only six of them. They seemed weak, so why would they let them go like that?

The first to charge forward with his sword was Gu Yi, whose movements were as swift as lightning and whose figure was as fast as the wind.

Gu Qingyue could barely see how he made his move, yet he had already taken down three men in black.

Gu Yuanen shielded Gu Qingyue behind him, drew three arrows, nocked them, and prepared for any moment.

Cui Shuming and Jiang Wan stood with their swords drawn in front of the two, their imposing presence overwhelming.

Butler Qiu glanced in their direction and then leaped into the fray.

Just as the men in black were showing signs of weakness, another group of about twenty men in black, dressed the same as the first group, suddenly appeared from the forest.

Dressed in black and masked, he exuded a chilling aura.

"Go," Gu Qingyue said lightly, and then she took the lead in rushing towards the man in black who had just emerged from the forest.

In an instant, Gu Yuanen's arrows whistled as they left the longbow and pierced the bodies of the men in black, killing three of them instantly!

Not to be outdone, Cui Shuming and Jiang Wan followed in Gu Qingyue's footsteps and immediately engaged in combat with the men in black.

Instantly, the sounds of swords clashing filled the air.

Gu Qingyue drew her twin swords from her waist and used them to fight her enemies for the first time.

Although she couldn't quite reach the level of swift sword strikes, she incorporated Gu Qingyue's own skills and managed to carve a bloody path through the midst of the men in black.

For a moment, no one dared to come within three steps of Gu Qingyue.

Not only the man in black in front of them, but also Butler Qiu and Gu Yi, who were not far away, were so shocked that their eyes almost popped out!

Although the young lady did not appear weak and frail along the way, she did not make a move either. They had no idea that Gu Qingyue had such formidable skills!

Steward Qiu was inwardly amazed! The old Duke's worries were truly unnecessary!

Fearing that something might happen to Gu Qingyue on the road, the old Duke sent a team of secret guards to accompany her after he and Gu Yi set off, ready to provide support at any time.

But right now, there's absolutely no need for it!

Take a look!

Butler Qiu's eyes widened once again!

Gu Qingyue had just thrown her two swords far away, and now she had a black gold dagger in her hand, gleaming with a ghostly light, ready to kill on sight!

This startled even Gu Yi, who was locked in a fierce battle with Butler Qiu back to back!

Miss's skills are so strange!

But it was simple and direct; in the blink of an eye, the two men in black were killed instantly with a single stab to the throat.

He hissed and stabbed the man in black opposite him through the neck with his sword.

Suddenly, a melodious and clear whistle rang out, "Whoa!"

In an instant, the men in black who had been fighting desperately retreated, picked up their injured companion, and quickly flew to the other side of the road, disappearing into the forest in the blink of an eye.

Gu Qingyue put away her dagger and saw that they had all run away, leaving only the corpses of the men in black on the ground.

Butler Qiu gestured for everyone to calm down. No one chased after the man in black, as they had only met by chance and had no prior grudges.

"Butler Qiu, who are they?" Gu Yuanen asked after everyone had relaxed.

Steward Qiu's expression was inscrutable. After a moment, he said, "Judging from their clothes, they may be guards or secret agents from a noble family, but they could also be—people from Nanzhao or Western Jin."

Gu Qingyue was surprised to hear this, "How did Butler Qiu figure that out?"

In fact, in terms of appearance, the Nanzhao people originally belonged to the Great Chu and looked no different from the people of the Great Chu.

Aside from the slight differences in appearance among the indigenous people of the small tribes of Nanzhao, it's impossible to tell the others apart without them speaking.

Furthermore, I've heard that the people of the Western Jin Dynasty were no different from the people of the Great Chu.

Moreover, they were wearing masks.

When Butler Qiu heard Gu Qingyue ask the question, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face.

"The reason we suspect they are Nanzhao or Western Jin people is because of their black boots. Our Chu nobles, whether masters or guards, mostly wear 'Chu Qiao,' which is the style we wear now, while that group of people uniformly wear 'Ping Lu,' which is very similar to the style worn by Nanzhao and Western Jin nobles."

Steward Qiu paused for a moment, then continued, "Of course, most commoners in the Great Chu also wear flat shoes, but this group of people in front of us are clearly guards or something similar, so I have some guesses."

Gu Qingyue looked down at the white deer ankle boots on her feet, and sure enough, the toes were upturned.

Since she traveled to ancient times, she only thought that the style of the shoes was different and never really paid attention to it. She realized that only nobles and wealthy merchants wore these kinds of shoes.

She glanced at the shoes of the other five people; they were all 'Chu Qiao' brand, just with different colors and patterns.

She stared thoughtfully at the distant mountains and forests, remaining silent for a long time.

"Miss Yue'er," Butler Qiu said, approaching Gu Qingyue.

He continued excitedly, "I never expected Miss to have such skills. This old servant is so proud of the old Duke. Thank God!"

Seeing that Butler Qiu's face was flushed with excitement, Gu Qingyue waved her hand and said, "It's alright, my master is even more amazing."

Ahem, thick skin makes you invincible. Take Gu Qingyue, for example. She found the origin of her martial arts skills and praised her master in the process.

I didn't see anything wrong with praising my master casually.

"Heh------" Gu Yuanen, who was standing next to him, laughed out loud upon hearing this.

This little girl has absolutely no idea what humility is; she's so adorable.

Gu Qingyue looked at Gu Yuanen with a blank expression. Had she said something wrong?

Butler Qiu nodded upon hearing this, feeling utterly relieved.

Not only is the young lady capable of protecting herself and possesses such superb martial arts skills, but she also has an even more formidable master. From now on, the old Duke can rest assured.

After finishing lunch, the six mounted their horses and continued galloping. They did not encounter any other suspicious persons and narrowly entered Liulin County before the city gates closed.

Three days later, we arrived at Yushan Town.

They were already two or three days away from the capital, and Gu Qingyue was a little excited.

Putting everything else aside, she was still very excited and looking forward to witnessing the prosperity of the capital city of an ancient great power for the first time.

It was morning, and they were currently about three or four miles past Yushan Town.

As soon as Gu Qingyue turned her head, she saw a procession of carriages coming down the mountain road on the left. The road was winding and twisting, and it seemed that there were quite a few people in it.

If you go down the mountain and head back in the direction they came from, it's only a few hundred meters away.

Of course, this is on the premise that the convoy is also heading towards Beijing.

Jiang Wan followed Gu Qingyue's gaze and looked into the distance. A group of more than twenty guards were protecting three carriages. They were imposing and grand, and it seemed to be the travel protocol of a noble family.

Gu Qingyue glanced at it again, then turned to ask Gu Yuanen, "What place is that on that mountain?"

Gu Yuanen glanced at it from afar and said, "That's the royal Ci'en Temple. The worshippers who went to offer incense must have come down."

"Ci'en Temple?" Gu Qingyue glanced at it curiously. The temple should be hidden in the mountains and forests, and there was no trace of it at all.

"Fourth Young Master, is that temple very efficacious?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan asked excitedly. The little girl was still young and was very curious about the royal temple.