Chapter 185: No Turning Back

“You’ve got some nerve.” Justin glared at Wu Qingsong. “Do you know who I am?”

“Do you know who I am?” Wu Qingsong retorted.

“Just a lowly squire who hasn’t even been knighted,” Justin sneered. “Even if you get knighted, do you think you’ll soar to new heights? What’s Riniconia? Never heard of it. This is the Grand Duchy of Sentalus. A self-important guy like you, I just need to lift a finger, and you’ll never get knighted.”

Wu Qingsong silently stared at him without saying a word.

Justin felt he had successfully intimidated him, a wave of satisfaction surging within him. 

“Kid, let me give you some advice. Your two maidservants aren’t bad. The Grand Duke might like them. If you offer them up, I’ll pretend this never happened.”

Daryl’s rage boiled over at these words. He couldn’t help but grip his sword hilt tightly, barely restraining himself from drawing it.

Wu Qingsong slowly shook his head, causing Justin to furrow his brows even deeper.

“You’d better agree quickly,” the innkeeper whispered. “You can’t afford to offend Lord Justin. They’re just two maidservants. If you anger him and he brings in troops, you’ll be in real trouble.”

“Lord Justin, is it?” Wu Qingsong said.

Justin snorted in response, ignoring him.

Wu Qingsong nodded at Beck, who understood his intention and nervously swallowed before quietly leading two men toward the main door.

“This girl is named Ram,” Wu Qingsong said. “She’s my fiancée.”

“So what?” Justin scoffed. “You’re a half-elf about to be knighted, planning to marry a raccoon girl? Don’t make me laugh. Today, either you hand them over, or—”

“Or what?” Wu Qingsong interrupted.

Justin sensed something was wrong. At that moment, a guard behind him suddenly let out a horrifying scream.

Startled, Justin turned around to see his guards clutching their heads in agony, some writhing on the ground in pain.

“You… you…” Justin stammered. 

As Wu Qingsong drew his sword and slowly approached, Justin panicked.

“I’m the local steward. Crossing me won’t end well for you! The Grand Duke will… Don’t come any closer! I was wrong, I was wrong! Please, spare me, I promise—”

Daryl watched in astonishment as Wu Qingsong swiftly slashed Justin’s throat, feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. Meanwhile, the hound warriors swiftly dispatched Justin’s remaining guards and innkeeper. 

The inn’s main door had already been closed by Beck, who cautiously peered outside through a crack. 

In the nearby fields, a group of soldiers supervised the slaves at work. Fortunately, the road itself was usually quiet, so no one seemed to notice what had just transpired.

“What do we do now?” Darryl was pleased with the outcome but also a bit puzzled. 

Wasn’t Wu Qingsong afraid of being discovered? He always emphasized the importance of assessing the situation.

“Erase all records of our stay,” Wu Qingsong replied.

It was truly bad luck to have been targeted by this guy, but weighing the options, this approach seemed the least troublesome.

There was no way he would hand over Ram and Liuli. Justin was clearly the type who, once given an inch, would take a mile, always lording his power over others. The issue wouldn’t be easily resolved. If Justin stirred up trouble and brought the surrounding soldiers, it would cause a commotion too large to cover up.

“It’s simple, just set a fire.” 

Wu Qingsong’s words made Ram feel a bit sweet inside, but the current situation was far from what she wanted. 

“What about yesterday? If they investigate, it will be easy to trace our identities.”

“I’ll take Beck back and destroy the records,” Wu Qingsong said. “Or we burn down the inn. Why keep a place that cheats and harms people? You head north and find a way to leave the Grand Duchy of Sentalus.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Ram said. “The two of us can buy as much time as possible.”

Wu Qingsong understood her intention and immediately made arrangements.

Bernar was tasked with leading everyone north immediately, while Wu Qingsong and Ram used her abilities to create the illusion that everything was normal, buying them as much time as possible. Then they would burn down the inn and travel light to catch up with the group.

Daryl had never seen Ram’s abilities before. He turned to look back into the inn and saw that the bloodstains and bodies on the floor had all disappeared. The innkeeper lay alone on a lounge chair, snoring as if nothing had happened.

“This is incredible,” he muttered in astonishment.

What else was Wu capable of?

“We need to go, quickly!” Bernar urged.

As they left, the inn suddenly fell silent.

The hound warriors had already moved the bodies to the warehouse, and flammable materials had been placed nearby. The two of them watched as the sky darkened, shut the door, and found themselves with nothing to do.

“How far do you think they’ve gone?” Wu Qingsong asked, trying to make conversation.

Ram looked at him with a complex expression.

“Don’t look at me like that. It makes me feel…” Wu Qingsong said awkwardly.

“Makes you feel what?”

“Makes me feel like I want to eat you up,” Wu Qingsong tried to joke, but Ram leaned in and kissed him passionately.

“When we get to the capital…” she whispered.

“What?” Wu Qingsong asked in surprise, only to be playfully pinched by Ram.

As night fell, they began dousing everything in oil. Soon, the inn was engulfed in flames, erasing all traces of their arrival and stay.

In this world, unless a mage happened to be nearby, a fire of this magnitude was impossible to extinguish.

By the time they had ridden two or three miles away, the surrounding villages and watchtowers began lighting their lamps. The two of them pressed forward in the darkness on horseback, retreating to the roadside and using Ram’s abilities to conceal themselves whenever they encountered anyone.

Just before dawn, they reached the inn where they had stayed the previous night. Taking advantage of the early hour when no one was around, they snuck inside and swiftly dispatched the obnoxious and spiteful innkeeper. Using the same method, they set the entire inn ablaze.

This time, the response was much quicker, as many slaves were already out carrying tools, ready to start their day’s work.

However, faced with such a massive fire, there was nothing they could do. They could only try to clear out the inn’s surroundings, cutting down everything to prevent the flames from spreading further.

“Will they catch us?” Ram asked, slightly worried. 

Soldiers and slaves rushed towards the burning inn, but none saw them.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Wu Qingsong replied. “Even if a god tried to take you from me, the result would be the same.”

Ram playfully smacked him, scolding him for joking about the gods. But her eyes couldn’t hide the happiness she felt.