After reporting to the authorities, the government recognized these deceased individuals as habitual bandits, speculating that they intended to rob the Gu family, only to be killed by them instead.
Of course, this was merely the constables' conjecture, as the Gu family was nowhere to be seen, neither alive nor dead.
The most peculiar aspect was that the Gu family had reportedly purchased an immense quantity of medicinal herbs, yet not a single liang of herbs was found in the warehouse; it was completely empty, not even a wisp of dried grass.
Furthermore, according to the city guards, no carts laden with a large volume of medicinal herbs had been seen leaving the city recently.
Were the Gu family alive or dead?
And what about the medicinal herbs they sold?
For a time, it became a mystery.
However, it was fortunate that the Gu family had conducted business on a cash-on-delivery basis; the money for the medicinal herbs had not been owed. Therefore, apart from the corpses of bandits scattered on the ground, no further complications were left behind.
The authorities subsequently deemed this matter an unsolved case.
Naturally, with the subsequent flooding of Jiaozhou City, even this unsolved case was no longer mentioned.
"Fortunately, we ran fast. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome if we had attracted the attention of the authorities."
Gu Qingcheng only breathed a sigh of relief once they were on the boat.
Yet, she still felt a lingering fear.
The situation today, a single misjudgment could have led to a life-threatening disaster.
Fortunately, everyone had cooperated with tacit understanding, allowing them to escape unharmed.
Speaking of family unity, it was truly not for naught. If the family members had not been strengthened by the Great Strength Pills, making them so robust, they would have long since become the ghosts of the bandits' blades.
The yacht was equipped with a fully automatic defense system, so once aboard, it was akin to a safe, mobile water fortress, allowing for complete peace of mind. It was only then that Gu Qingcheng relaxed and could discuss the matter with her family.
"Indeed, even if the authorities knew those were bandits, they would surely have investigated the ins and outs, and we couldn't hide the large amount of medicinal herbs we received. Next, we would have been extorted by the officials.
What if these bandits had some connection with the authorities? Then we would be even more miserable."
Hu Lanfang fully unleashed her imagination, fueled by watching Qing Dynasty dramas.
"That's right, this is the thirty-sixth stratagem, and fleeing is the best."
Mi Guo quoted a classical saying, demonstrating the practical application of his knowledge.
"In short, this trip was incredibly fruitful. We've certainly stocked up enough medicinal herbs. I don't think it's just enough for the villagers of Phoenix Village for decades; it's enough for ten more villages.
We've ultimately turned a crisis into a blessing."
Gu Chaobei had stayed in Jiaozhou City for nearly a month this time, and it could be said that he had collected all the precious and ordinary medicinal herbs of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
In times of chaos, only food and medicine could bring a sense of security to people.
Gu Qingcheng said, "We made a mistake this time. We stayed in one place for too long and spent money too generously, which attracted their attention.
We'll learn from this lesson in the future and avoid making such mistakes again."
"Yes." Gu Chaobei nodded in approval. "This time, I was too greedy."
"No one has experience."
Gu Qingcheng didn't blame anyone, as she had participated in the entire process and hadn't noticed anything amiss beforehand. How could she blame everything on the elders?
"Qingcheng, you've grown up and know how to learn from failures and crises and reflect on them."
Gu Chaobei was very pleased to hear this.
Now that they were on the boat, they were no longer tense. They each took a comfortable bath, enjoyed a good night's sleep, and then had a sumptuous dinner.
They had been staying in an inn, which, though decent, had meant they were constantly on edge due to their circumstances and couldn't truly relax.
Only now, on the boat, could they finally completely relax and have a good sleep.
Dinner was prepared by Mi Guo, featuring Chongqing mala hot pot made with king crab, black gold abalone, conch slices, and snowflake beef, all redeemed from the Hill Cat Supermarket by Gu Qingcheng.
Hu Lanfang, fearing spiciness, still prepared a yin-yang hot pot with both spicy and non-spicy broths.
Hot pot was the most accommodating dish, allowing everyone to find their favorite ingredients.
Mi Guo's skill in preparing seafood now rivaled that of a chef graduated from Lanxiang; his knife work was practiced.
He first removed the innards of the black gold abalone, then sliced it into thin pieces, arranging them on a platter for hot pot dipping.
The snowflake beef was sliced into thin pieces along the grain and placed on a white porcelain plate, creating a visually appealing contrast of red and white that whetted the appetite.
The king crab was cut open, its roe scooped out, and drizzled with a delicious sauce made of sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce, which was incredibly flavorful for dipping various meats.
As for the crab leg meat, it was also painstakingly extracted and placed on platters for everyone to dip in the hot pot.
Once all the hot pot ingredients were prepared, Mi Guo called his family to eat.
Hu Lanfang was very satisfied and said, "Mi Guo's cooking is still the best."
Mi Guo was extremely content. His greatest pleasure in cooking was for everyone to praise his food and to finish every last morsel.
After the delicious seafood hot pot feast, as dusk approached, Gu Qingcheng docked the boat in a stable bay area, preparing to spend the night there.
If it were in the past, she might have had the leisure to go fishing with her father, but now, the thought of the fish's food source in the water made her feel disgusted, and neither father nor daughter had any interest in fishing.
This trip to Jiaozhou City to purchase medicinal herbs had been a great success, and Gu Qingcheng had also earned 30,000 "Shuang" points. Thinking about the water problem, she decided to exchange all these points for large barrels of mineral water to stockpile, feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
As night fell, distant lights flickered, revealing a medium-sized village nearby.
The bay area where their boat was anchored was rather desolate, and no one dared to venture there at night, so they weren't afraid of attacks.
Gu Chaobei gazed at the village from afar. The lights opposite flickered erratically. Suddenly, he said,
"Qingcheng, look at that village. It seems like something is happening?"
As if to confirm his words, shortly after the whole family turned their attention to the village, more and more torches appeared within.
The eerie thing was that these torches were heading in their direction.
"Huh? Did they discover us? Do they have ill intentions?"
Gu Qingcheng asked strangely.
"Then what should we do?" Hu Lanfang's voice trembled slightly with fear.
"Mother, it's alright. No matter how many people there are, they can't break in. If I don't want them to come up, they won't be able to."
Gu Qingcheng said calmly.
She had the majestic automated system; what did she have to fear from these rustic folk?
"Oh, that's good. But we still need to be careful."
As they spoke, the torches grew closer to their boat.
In the wilderness without moonlight, apart from the distant torches, their intentions were unclear.
Gu Qingcheng picked up the infrared binoculars and looked. Only then did she realize that the villagers didn't seem to be coming for them. They appeared to be driving away or chasing some kind of "animal."
The "animal" ran rapidly ahead of them. The infrared binoculars couldn't get a clear view of its true form, so they didn't know what kind of "animal" it was. At this moment, the villagers' shouts could be heard:
"Kill it! Kill it!"
"Don't let it escape!"
Gu Qingcheng's pupils suddenly constricted. She handed the infrared binoculars to her father and said,
"Dad, take a look. Is the creature they're chasing a person?"
Gu Chaobei took the binoculars and observed using the infrared rays.
After a while, he nodded and said with certainty, "It's a person. What's wrong?"