AUBTN -Chapter 166 The Culprit Isn’t the Princess?

At the same time, the gates of Wutong Garden were tightly closed.

Rumor had it that Su Hewan, disheartened by Shen Jue accepting the princess’s jade pendant, had shut herself away, refusing visitors, even throwing out all the rare antiques Shen Jue had given her.

The entire capital was watching these two women make fools of themselves.

In teahouses and taverns, people gossiped about how they overestimated themselves and how they had been abandoned by men.

That night, the moon was hidden, and the wind blew fiercely.

Yu Qing walked alone, carrying a lantern, along a secluded path leading out to the city docks.

In her hand, she carried a small bundle. She walked while sniffling and sobbing, muttering, “Scumbags… all scumbags… boo hoo hoo…”

From the shadows, a black figure followed silently, like a ghost.

In the figure’s hand was a curved knife, the handle engraved with a rose.

Just as the figure raised the knife, ready to deliver a fatal strike to the lone woman—

Yu Qing, who had been crying, suddenly stopped. She turned around, and there wasn’t a trace of tears on her face.

She made a funny face at the shadow and grinned, “Big brother, you’re late. The director’s about to call ‘cut.’”

The shadow froze, caught completely off guard.

“Whoosh—”

A massive golden net descended from above!

“Attack!”

Lu Yan shouted fiercely, leaping down from the treetop beside her. His embroidered spring sword slid from its sheath, its cold blade gleaming sharply.

At the same time, Shen Jue, clad in red like a hellish Asura, emerged from the shadows, twirling a finely crafted dagger in his hand.

The shadow turned pale with shock and tried to bite the poison pouch hidden in his gums to commit suicide.

“Want to die? Not that easy.”

Shen Jue sneered. In a flash, he grabbed the shadow’s chin and—crack—snapped off his jaw cleanly and efficiently.

The fight ended without suspense.

Yu Qing clapped her hands and commented, “That’s it? I thought this would be a king-level villain, but it’s just bronze. Seriously, the quality of villains these days is worrying.”

Lu Yan sheathed his sword and strode quickly to Yu Qing, scanning her up and down. Seeing that not even a single hair was out of place, he frowned and scolded, “Next time, don’t get so close! Swords and knives have no eyes!”

“Alright, alright, Lord Lu, the scene’s over. No need to act!”

Yu Qing pouted. Though her words were teasing, seeing the fine sweat on Lu Yan’s forehead softened her heart unexpectedly.

“Hmph, seeing how tense you are, I’ll let the previous matters slide… for now. Consider it a warning while you remain on duty.”

Lu Yan heard this thought echo in his mind and finally allowed a faint smile to lift the corners of his mouth.

Elsewhere, Shen Jue tossed the assassin to his subordinates like garbage.

He turned and looked at Su Hewan, who had been standing quietly under a tree the entire time.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating her cold, serene face.

Though only a few steps apart, it felt as if thousands of mountains and rivers separated them.

“Wanwan,”

Shen Jue spoke, his voice slightly dry, “that jade pendant—”

“I know.”

Su Hewan cut him off, her gaze calm as it met his.

“I know you did it to investigate the case, and I know you did it for the greater good.”

Shen Jue froze.

He had prepared a slew of explanations, even ready to kneel and swear if she didn’t believe him—but he hadn’t expected her to say this.

“So you—”

“Shen Jue.”

Su Hewan sighed, stepping forward two paces, looking directly into his always sharp, cunning phoenix-like eyes.

“We’re not just lovers; we’re comrades. I don’t want to be the little white rabbit protected behind you. I want to be the one who can stand beside you and poke a hole in the sky.”

She reached out and gently adjusted Shen Jue’s slightly disheveled collar.

“This time, I’ll forgive you… for now!”

Shen Jue shivered all over.

He looked at the woman before him—seemingly delicate, yet with an inner strength so immense it shook him.

All this time, he had felt like he was living in darkness, unworthy of this bright moon.

He had tried desperately to push her away, yet also desperately tried to shield her, fearing his own filth might taint her.

But now he understood—she didn’t need that kind of protection.

She was willing to step into his darkness and, in fact, had illuminated it.

A faint, fragmented smile instantly appeared in Shen Jue’s usually gloomy eyes.

Suddenly, he reached out and pulled Su Hewan into his arms.

The hug was so forceful it seemed as if he wanted to press her into his very bones.

“Alright.”

Shen Jue whispered into her ear, his voice hoarse but carrying unprecedented gentleness.

“From now on, whether it’s hell or the abyss, I won’t keep anything from you.”

Not far away, Yu Qing—currently being forced by Lu Yan to check for injuries—saw this and couldn’t help but smile secretly!

The four shadows stretched long under the moonlight, intertwining with each other.

Though the road ahead remained perilous, this brief thaw made them understand one truth—

In this cannibalistic era, only by trusting each other and fighting side by side could they survive.

In the damp, dark dungeons of the Eastern Depot.

The assassin hung on the rack like a puddle of rotting mud.

Shen Jue had casually reattached the assassin’s jawbone, but this was not mercy—it was so he could speak.

He methodically wiped the blood off his dagger.

“Speak.”

His voice was light, almost airy, yet it sent shivers down the spine.

“Our patience isn’t infinite.”

The assassin’s swollen eyelids lifted with great effort. He glanced at Lu Yan’s expressionless face, then at Su Hewan and Yu Qing, both burning with anger.

He let out a bitter laugh and spat a mouthful of blood.

“I’ll speak… I’ll say everything.”

“The Eldest Princess… that poisonous woman!”

His voice was hoarse, laced with deep hatred.

“The Young Master didn’t die of illness! She poisoned him with her own hands!”

At this, the four in the dungeon stiffened.

Though they had long known Li Yunxi was ruthless, they hadn’t imagined her madness would go this far—not sparing even those closest to her.

“I was a death-bound warrior secretly saved by the Young Master of the Ningyuan Marquisate in the Western Continent. The Young Master has been as kind as a mountain to us!”

Tears streamed down the assassin’s face.

“But that poisonous woman is obsessively controlling. When he discovered the Young Master had a mistress, she killed the concubine right in front of him—two lives lost. The Young Master argued with her briefly out of anger, and she killed him! I came to kill her to avenge the Young Master!”

Yu Qing drew in a sharp breath, feeling a chill run down her spine.

【Holy crap! Is this woman the reincarnation of the Black Widow?】

Lu Yan’s eyes narrowed. Such blatant disregard for human life crossed the line for him as the commander of the Jinyiwei.

“Continue. Since you came to avenge Li Yunxi…”

“Why target Wan Niang?”

At the mention of Wan Niang, Su Hewan’s fingers clenched sharply, nails digging deep into her palms.

The assassin’s gaze flickered, betraying a hint of guilt.

“I… I just arrived in the capital. I couldn’t approach the Eldest Princess’s residence at all.”

“I heard that the Women’s Guild is the most famous place in the capital recently. I thought of using it to stir up trouble, muddy the waters, and force that poisonous woman to show herself.”