AUBTN -Chapter 390 He’s Injured

The passageway of the dungeon was narrow and dim. The pine-resin torches mounted on the walls occasionally crackled and popped, casting strange, distorted shadows that stretched eerily across the stone walls.

Lu Yan deliberately made his footsteps sound disordered and heavy. As he walked, he loudly muttered, “Your tolerance for alcohol is really getting worse by the day… That was only a few cups! From now on, you’d better just follow Your Highness obediently…”

Shen Jue was completely unconscious on his back. His head lolled limply against the crook of Lu Yan’s neck, while his wet, ink-black hair fell loosely over his face, obscuring most of his features.

Just around the corner was the inner gate of the Ministry of Justice’s prison.

“Stop!”

The prison warden guarding the gate had been dozing against a table. Hearing the commotion, he abruptly opened his eyes and stepped into the middle of the passage, one hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Lu Yan’s heart suddenly tightened.

His right hand slid unobtrusively toward his waist, where a blade as thin as a cicada’s wing was concealed.

He remained secretly on guard. If the warden made even the slightest suspicious move, he would force his way out and slit the man’s throat before he could utter a single word.

“It’s Your Highness.”

Lu Yan raised his head slightly, revealing a handsome face as cold as frost.

“The Prince?”

The warden was startled and hurriedly bowed with a deferential smile.

But when he got a clear look at the person on Lu Yan’s back, suspicion flashed across his face. He cautiously stepped forward.

“This… this gentleman is? Why does he look somewhat unfamiliar to me? And, according to regulations, no one is supposed to…”

“Commander Zhao was in a foul mood tonight, so he had a few too many drinks with his master just now.”

Lu Yan shot him a cold glance.

He deliberately shifted his body to block the warden’s view, preventing him from seeing Shen Jue’s face clearly.

“Shen Jue is going to the execution platform tomorrow. Zhao Zhou was personally trained by Shen Jue, after all, so naturally he’s feeling miserable. He couldn’t handle his liquor and passed out drunk. This prince finds him utterly disgraceful, so I was going to personally send him home. What? Are you even going to stop this prince from leaving?”

The warden sniffed the air. He could indeed smell a strong, almost overpowering stench of alcohol, but he still hesitated.

After all, his superiors had given strict orders. Tonight’s circumstances were highly sensitive, and everyone entering or leaving had to be thoroughly inspected.

The warden reached out, pretending to lift the disheveled hair covering Shen Jue’s face.

“Your Highness, please forgive me. It’s not that this humble servant deliberately wishes to make things difficult for you. It’s just that the higher-ups are watching us closely. I’ll only take one look. Just one look, and I can report back that I’ve done my duty…”

Lu Yan’s fingertips had already touched the icy edge of the concealed throwing knife, and murderous intent flashed unmistakably in his eyes.

Just then, a hysterical roar suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the prison!

“I have been wronged!!”

The voice was hoarse and shrill, carrying the madness and ferocity of a man driven to the end of the road.

“Wen Xianzhong, you’re abusing your authority to settle a personal grudge! If I don’t die, I swear I’ll tear you limb from limb!!”

“I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty—!!”

The warden was so startled by the sudden outburst that he shuddered. The hand he had stretched toward Shen Jue instantly withdrew, and his expression changed drastically.

“Master, please stop shouting!!”

The warden hurriedly turned toward the dark, winding passageway, sheer terror filling his eyes.

“Quick! Go take a look! The execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning!”

The two jailers on duty nearby also panicked and hurriedly ran inside.

The warden no longer had any time to inspect the person on Lu Yan’s back. He quickly stepped aside and repeatedly waved Lu Yan through, bowing as he spoke.

“Your Highness, take care! Your Highness, take care! Please, go on!”

“Hmph. The man has truly gone mad.”

Lu Yan snorted coldly, suppressing the killing intent in his eyes.

With Shen Jue on his back, he strode forward and quickly disappeared into the dark, rain-soaked night outside the Ministry of Justice’s prison.

The rain grew heavier and denser.

In a small alley outside the Ministry of Justice’s prison, a carriage was waiting.

Inside the carriage, Su Hewan and Yu Qing sat side by side.

Their hands were tightly clasped together.

At that moment, Su Hewan stared unblinkingly at the gently swaying curtain of the carriage.

She was frantic with worry.

“According to the laws of Great Wei, security is at its tightest on the night before an execution. But that’s also when people are at their most exhausted, and when the most loopholes appear… As long as Lu Yan can successfully sneak in… No, there’s only a sixty percent chance of success. If Wen Xianzhong’s men are there, the situation will be even worse…”

She repeatedly built a wall of reason in her heart, trying to keep herself calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the panic within her.

Beside her, Yu Qing suddenly clasped her hands together and began muttering under her breath, “Taishang Laojun, heed my command! Bodhisattva, please protect me. Please, please don’t let us get exposed. If we get caught, my delicate skin and tender flesh really won’t be able to withstand the torture here…”

Suddenly, hurried, faint footsteps sounded through the curtain of rain.

Both women froze simultaneously.

The carriage curtain was abruptly thrown open, and a mixture of rainwater, strong liquor, and the pungent stench of blood instantly flooded the cramped carriage.

Lu Yan carefully lowered Shen Jue from his back into the carriage, then climbed in after him and quickly pulled the carriage curtain tightly shut.

“Catch him!”

“Shen Jue!”

The moment Su He Wan saw the man’s face clearly, she felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

The Eastern Depot’s Commander, once impeccably dressed and so beautiful that he seemed almost otherworldly, was now lying limp on the soft couch inside the carriage.

His clothes were completely drenched by the rain, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his excessively thin frame.

And beneath the soaked fabric, dark-red bloodstains were slowly spreading.

“How did he get injured? Did you encounter danger while retreating?” Su He Wan’s voice trembled.

Her trembling hand reached out and gently caressed his cold, pale cheek. But the instant her fingertips touched his skin, she felt a scorching heat.

He was still burning with a high fever.

“No. That old bastard Wen Xianzhong used torture on him.” Lu Yan gritted his teeth as he pulled the wound medicine and clean gauze he had brought with him from inside his robes and handed them to Su He Wan.

“What?”

“Stop wasting time, Su He Wan. Treat his wounds. Yu Qing, bring the water flask and ginseng soup!”

At that moment, Su He Wan’s heart ached beyond words.

How could they—how dare they—torture him like that?!

Tears instantly spilled from her eyes.

Seeing Shen Jue unconscious and unresponsive, Yu Qing’s eyes reddened as well.

Sniffling as she hurriedly handed over the water flask, she couldn’t help cursing, “Damn those corrupt officials! How could they be so vicious?! If this were modern times, they’d definitely be convicted of intentional assault and coercive torture during interrogation!”

“What about Zhao Zhou?” Although Su He Wan was overwhelmed with worry and heartache, she hadn’t forgotten Zhao Zhou.

Lu Yan’s hands paused for a moment, and his expression darkened briefly, but his tone remained decisive.

“Zhao Zhou stayed behind and took his place. This is Shen Jue’s only chance to survive.”

“However, he’ll make his way through the underground waterway. We’ll meet up outside the city.” Lu Yan explained in a low voice, but even he could hear how little certainty there was behind his words.

Su He Wan took a deep breath and forcibly held back the tears in her eyes.

“I understand!”

She knew that now was not the time to cry!

She forced her tears back.

“Zhao Zhou risked his life to buy us time. Every extra minute we waste means another minute of danger for him. Lu Yan, go! Quickly!”

“Alright. Hold on tight!”

Lu Yan climbed out of the carriage and fiercely cracked the whip in his hand.

“Hyah!”

Amid the heavy night and pouring rain, he drove the carriage at full speed toward the towering city gates of the capital.

By now, it was already deep into the night.

The towering city gates were tightly shut. Only a few large red lanterns hanging from the city walls swayed in the wind and rain, casting an eerie, dim glow.

The carriage slowly came to a stop before the city gate.

A squad of city-defense soldiers wearing armor and gripping the hilts of their weapons immediately surrounded them.

The officer leading them wore a look of unmistakable vigilance and shouted loudly,

“Who goes there? Leaving the city in the middle of the night? Don’t you know the capital is currently under martial law?”