AUBTN -Chapter 337 Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

Shen Jue’s long fingers lightly tapped against the tabletop as the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.

“To prove that she knows martial arts is simple.”

“If a snake refuses to come out of its hole, then smoke it out.”

Lu Yan immediately understood. A look of realization appeared on his stern face. “You mean… lure the snake out of its hole?”

Shen Jue shot him a sideways glance and smiled. “Not too stupid after all. That woman thinks her plan is flawless. But if, by accident, word were to leak out that an important piece of evidence was found at the crime scene and is currently stored in my study at Yu Garden…”

Su Hewan’s eyes lit up as she continued the thought, “Her guilty conscience will drive her to take the risk and sneak into Yu Garden at night to destroy the evidence!”

Shen Jue’s tapping paused slightly. From the corner of his eye, he quietly glanced at Su Hewan, the smile on his lips deepening a little.

Yu Qing slapped her thigh excitedly. “Isn’t this basically entrapment?”

Lu Yan frowned. “Interesting tactic. But yes, we’re fishing.”

Shen Jue smiled and warned the two women, “Yu Garden will definitely be dangerous tonight. You two are completely defenseless, so no matter what happens, do not come out.”

“We promise we’ll stay hidden in the room and won’t make a sound!” Yu Qing swore confidently.

The night was dark, the wind high.

Inside the study at Yu Garden, only a single dim oil lamp remained lit. Its flickering flame cast mottled shadows across the window lattice.

On the surface, all the Eastern Depot agents and Imperial Guards appeared to have withdrawn. In reality, an inescapable net had already been laid in secret.

Behind the treasure shelf in the inner room of the study was an extremely concealed hidden chamber.

Yu Qing tugged on Su Hewan’s sleeve and peeked through a narrow crack outside, so excited that she was nearly panting. “Wanwan, do you think she’ll come?”

Su Hewan calmly stared outside. “She’ll definitely come. After years of endurance and planning, she won’t allow even the slightest flaw.”

Meanwhile, behind the folding screen in the study, Shen Jue and Lu Yan also held their breath, hidden within the shadows.

A quarter past midnight.

A strange gust of wind swept through the corridor, instantly extinguishing the study’s only oil lamp.

The entire room plunged into dead silence and darkness.

Everyone held their breath.

Then came an extremely faint sound—the window lattice had been pried open from outside with a razor-thin dagger.

A shadow silently flipped inside.

Judging by the figure, it really did seem to be a woman.

In the darkness, she moved accurately toward the desk, heading straight for the red sandalwood brocade box that held the bait.

The instant her hand was about to touch the box, the sharp sound of a blade leaving its sheath suddenly exploded through the silence!

Lu Yan’s embroidered spring saber slashed out directly from the shadows, aiming straight for the masked figure’s face!

The black-clad intruder reacted astonishingly fast. Her body bent backward at an impossible angle, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike.

“Heh, just as expected—you came.”

Shen Jue’s cold laughter spread through the darkness.

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, several silver needles glowing with eerie blue light shot out, sealing off the intruder’s escape route.

Seeing that her identity had been exposed, the black-clad figure not only failed to panic, but instead drew a flexible sword from her waist and, rather than retreating, charged directly toward Lu Yan’s blade!

Weapons clashed, sparks flying everywhere!

Inside the hidden chamber, Yu Qing’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She covered her mouth, practically screaming like an overexcited ground squirrel.

However, the black-clad intruder’s martial arts skills far exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Her movement technique was incredibly strange, always slipping free from Lu Yan’s sweeping blade like a fish through water.

Not only that, but her attacks were vicious to the extreme—a completely reckless, life-for-life style of fighting!

Inside the secret chamber, Su Hewan watched with her brows tightly furrowed.

【What a bizarre fighting style. No flashy moves at all—just pure killing techniques forged through life-and-death battles on the battlefield.】

Hearing her thoughts, the interest in Shen Jue’s eyes deepened further.

“Lu Yan, being this soft-hearted toward a woman is going to cost you.”

“Hmph, worry about yourself first,” Lu Yan shot back while fending off attacks.

Shen Jue let out a cold snort and flashed into the fight as well.

With the two top experts joining forces, the entire study descended into chaos. Tables and chairs shattered apart while scrolls flew everywhere.

Facing two opponents alone, the black-clad figure gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Her breathing became hurried. She knew that if this dragged on any longer, she would undoubtedly die.

The moment Shen Jue struck her chest with a palm, Lu Yan’s blade simultaneously slashed across her left arm.

Yet at the exact instant she was wounded, she used the intense pain and the recoil from Lu Yan’s strike to launch herself backward violently, kicking the rear window of the study to pieces with one foot.

“Trying to run?” Shen Jue’s gaze turned icy as a hidden weapon shot from his fingertips.

But while still midair, the black-clad figure suddenly hurled out a white smoke bomb.

Thick, pungent smoke instantly filled the entire study, stinging everyone’s eyes shut.

By the time the smoke dispersed, the black-clad figure had already vanished into the endless night.

“Damn it!” Lu Yan sheathed his blade, his face dark as he looked at the wreckage covering the floor before striding to the window. “She actually escaped!”

As the commander of the Imperial Guards, letting an assassin slip away right under his nose was an unbearable humiliation.

But Shen Jue merely pulled out a pristine white handkerchief and leisurely wiped the dust from his hands, his tone calm and chilling.

“Escape? Where could she possibly run to?”

The hidden chamber door opened, and Yu Qing emerged clutching her chest, supported by Su Hewan.

“Oh my god, that was thrilling! But seriously, the two of you grown men teamed up against one little girl and still let her escape. If word gets out, how are you two ever going to face anyone again?” Yu Qing mocked gleefully.

Lu Yan: “…”

Shen Jue: “…”

Su Hewan walked to the window and carefully examined the bloodstains on the ground under the moonlight, her gaze calm as still water.

“She can’t get far. Lu Yan’s strike landed solidly on her left arm, and the wound is deep. An injury like that won’t heal within just two or three days.”

Shen Jue stepped beside her, his gaze falling on Su Hewan’s composed profile as a trace of admiration flashed through his eyes.

“Correct.” Shen Jue curled his lips coldly.

“She’s heavily injured now. The only place she can run back to is the prince’s estate.”

Lu Yan also realized it immediately, the gloom in his eyes instantly swept away.

“So all we need to do is visit the Southern Prince Estate tomorrow morning to check on this delicate Fourth Miss who supposedly can’t even care for herself. We’ll see whether there’s a fresh wound on her left arm.”

Su Hewan nodded.

“And we must move quickly. She knows she’s been exposed. There’s no telling whether she’ll do something even more extreme. We have to catch her off guard.”

“Tomorrow morning.” Shen Jue casually tossed the handkerchief into the brazier, the flames illuminating his darkly handsome face.

“Let’s see how she plans to continue this performance.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing clapped her hands.

“This is what they call catching the thief with stolen goods in hand! Tomorrow we’ll rip apart that white lotus facade of hers. Just thinking about it feels satisfying!”

Looking at Yu Qing’s excitement and obvious delight in stirring up trouble, the corner of Lu Yan’s lips unexpectedly lifted into a faint smile.

That night in Yuyuan, no one was destined to sleep.

The next morning, Su Hewan and Yu Qing walked side by side along the covered corridor leading toward Xiao Yuyao’s chambers.

Today, under the pretense of showing concern for the bereaved and checking on her health, they had deliberately come to visit the supposedly frail and helpless Fourth Miss of the prince’s estate.

In Su Hewan’s hands was an exquisite celadon medicine bottle, held neatly and properly.

Inside the room, Xiao Yuyao reclined weakly against the bed, her lips utterly devoid of color.

Hearing movement, she forced herself to sit up.

Cough cough… “Why have the two Princess Consorts come personally? Yuyao has been unwell and unable to welcome you properly. Please forgive my discourtesy.”

She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, coughing violently as though her lungs might burst apart.

Anyone else who saw her would undoubtedly feel endless sympathy for her.