AUBTN -Chapter 396 Zhao Zhou Reunites with Them

Severed limbs and broken bodies fell onto the deck amid splashes of warm blood, and the river water was soon dyed a horrifying dark red.

Lu Yan wielded his Xiuchun saber in broad, powerful arcs, his technique fierce and forceful.

With one slash, he shattered the skull of a killer. He immediately followed with an elbow strike, sending another assassin who had attempted a sneak attack flying into the river.

“Protect Madam!”

Shen Jue gave the order sharply to the hidden guards. He himself drew the soft sword from his waist, knocking away every cold arrow shot toward Su He’wan.

Su He’wan was firmly protected behind Shen Jue.

【This is already the third wave. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is pursuing us relentlessly. If Zhao Zhou really managed to escape, and he encountered ambushes like these all along the way, could he withstand them all alone?】

Su He’wan’s worry lingered in her heart. And it wasn’t only her who was anxious. Shen Jue’s sword strikes were clearly more vicious and frantic than usual as well. Every sword thrust went straight for the enemy’s vital points. It was obvious that he was burning with impatience.

The brutal battle lasted a full half an hour.

When the last assassin from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was finally nailed to the mast by a single slash from Lu Yan, the entire ship was already battered beyond recognition, looking as though it had just been hauled out of a pool of blood.

Everyone had suffered injuries, and they all gasped heavily for breath.

“Those mad dogs…” Tang Lingyue wiped the blood and grime from her face and cursed under her breath.

Yu Qing poked half her head out of the cabin. Looking at the mutilated corpses scattered across the deck, her stomach churned violently, but she gritted her teeth and somehow managed not to vomit.

Lu Yan sheathed his saber. When he saw that Yu Qing was safe and sound, the murderous harshness in his brows and eyes miraculously softened a little.

Just as everyone was preparing to clean the deck and continue onward—

A strange rustling suddenly came from the reed bed along the riverbank.

“Stay alert!”

Lu Yan instantly drew his saber. The Dongchang hidden guards likewise turned their blades in unison, pointing them toward the riverbank.

Everyone’s nerves tightened to the breaking point once more.

The waist-high reeds suddenly parted from within, and a figure drenched in blood staggered out. He was so battered that it was almost impossible to recognize his original appearance.

The man was wearing the tattered prison uniform of the Ministry of Justice. His body was covered in whip and knife wounds so deep that the bones could be seen. His left arm hung limply at his side, clearly broken.

He clutched a saber tightly in his hand. With every step he took, he left a bloody footprint on the ground.

When he raised his face, caked with mud and clotted blood, and recognized Shen Jue standing on the deck, his eyes, which had been as lifeless as ashes, suddenly lit up.

The newcomer’s knees gave way, and he collapsed heavily into the mud by the riverbank. Facing the bow of the ship, he struggled to speak in a hoarse, broken voice.

“Your subordinate… Zhao Zhou.”

“I’m late…”

Su He’wan clearly felt the figure of Shen Jue standing in front of her sway slightly.

“Zhao Zhou…”

Shen Jue murmured his name. He had even forgotten to use his qinggong. He simply leaped straight from the bow into the waist-deep river water and staggered toward the shore.

“Commander! You can’t! You’re still injured!”

The hidden guards were horrified. They tried to stop him, but they were already too late.

Shen Jue grabbed Zhao Zhou and hauled him up from the muddy ground.

Shen Jue’s eyes suddenly reddened.

“Good… You’re back. That’s all that matters!”

Shen Jue’s voice was so hoarse that it was almost unrecognizable.

“As long as you’re alive!!”

Zhao Zhou split his cracked, bleeding lips into a foolish grin that looked even more miserable than crying. Then his eyes closed, and he completely passed out in Shen Jue’s arms.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Su He’wan watched the master and servant embracing tightly on the riverbank, a faint glimmer of tears rising in her eyes.

【Who says the Ninth Prince Regent, Shen Jue, is a cold-blooded monster without feelings? Clearly, he values loyalty and affection more deeply than most people in this world.】

The corners of her lips curved up slightly. The heart that had been hanging in suspense all night finally settled safely back into her chest.

“Wanwan, he’s back.” Yu Qing was delighted as well. After all, Zhao Zhou was a life saved.

Su Hewan smiled and nodded, saying softly, “Mm, he’s back. We’re a family. Let’s keep going together.”

In the end, Zhao Zhou’s life had been forcibly snatched back from the King of Hell by Shen Jue and Su Hewan working together.

After that, the group completely abandoned the battered black-canopied boat and disguised themselves as tea merchants traveling south, switching to a secluded route by land.

They began moving southward according to a carefully planned route.

At first, Lu Yan, Tang Lingyue, and the others remained on high alert every night. They practically slept with one eye open, afraid that the assassins of the Tianji Pavilion would once again emerge from the shadows like ghosts and strike without warning.

But then something strange happened.

The farther south they went, the more the relentless, seemingly inescapable chain of assassinations gradually disappeared, vanishing like melting snow.

Even the inspections at the checkpoints set up by the local authorities became extremely perfunctory.

“It’s too clean.”

Inside the carriage, Lu Yan lifted the curtain and swept his cold, sharp gaze over the peaceful villages lining both sides of the official road. His brows drew tightly together.

“The imperial court’s spies have practically disappeared from this region. It’s almost as if… an invisible giant hand has wiped out every pair of eyes and ears the imperial court had here, along with the assassins hunting us, leaving not a trace behind.”

Shen Jue leaned against the soft cushion. Upon hearing this, he didn’t even lift his eyelids. He merely let out a cold scoff that was difficult to interpret.

“If I’m not mistaken, this place is already the Tianji Pavilion’s territory.”

Five days later, the group arrived at a remote little town in Jiangnan—Wujiang Prefecture.

Located at the boundary between the north and south, the town was a chaotic crossroads where merchants from all over came and went. It was precisely the kind of place where they could investigate the Tianji Pavilion’s true strength and intentions.

But once they actually settled down in the town, they discovered that the situation was far more horrifying than they had imagined.

Inside Wujiang Prefecture’s most prosperous teahouse, the Zuixian Teahouse, the place was packed with people and buzzing with noise.

“Smack!”

The storyteller’s wooden clapper came crashing down onto the table. The previously noisy teahouse instantly fell completely silent.

If this had been the capital, storytellers would be talking about tales like Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong, or recounting the glorious achievements of the founding emperor of the current dynasty.

But here, the subject matter was completely different.

“The last time I told this tale, I spoke of the great drought that struck Jiangnan last year, leaving a thousand li of land barren! With the people of the entire city on the verge of starving to death in the streets, guess what happened?”

The storyteller was practically dancing with excitement, spittle flying as he spoke.

“Our Tianji Pavilion Master observed the stars at night and performed divine calculations! Right in the land ravaged by the drought demon, he managed to determine the course of the underground water veins! He even distributed miraculous drought-resistant seeds in advance! And that was how he saved the lives of tens of millions of people throughout Jiangnan!”

“The Pavilion Master is merciful! Long live the Tianji Pavilion!”

Someone in the crowd apparently started the chant.

Immediately afterward, every patron in the entire teahouse—whether wealthy merchants dressed in silk and brocade or porters wearing patched-up clothes—rose to their feet in unison.

They clasped their hands together and reverently knelt toward the south.

The fanaticism in their eyes did not resemble gratitude toward a benefactor.

It looked far more like worship of a true god.

On the second floor, in a private booth.

Yu Qing spat out an entire mouthful of tea and nearly choked to death.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the townspeople below, who looked as though they had been completely bewitched. Her hands and feet went cold.

“Oh my god! What is this, some massive cult indoctrination session?”

“Is this Tianji Pavilion Master some kind of pyramid-scheme salesman in disguise?”

Across from her, Lu Yan’s hand, which had been holding his teacup, paused slightly.

“Stop talking.” Lu Yan set down the teacup and deliberately lowered his voice.

“Be careful. You’ll attract attention.”