AUBTN -Chapter 60 Lord Lu, the Double Standard

Just playing chess, and now she’s analyzing him!

But… it seemed she really understood him.

Perhaps even better than he understood himself.

Shen Jue tossed aside the black piece in his hand, leaned back, and fixed his piercing gaze on Su Hewan.

“I lost.”

Jiang Ruyi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He… actually admitted defeat?

Seeing this, Su Hewan could only bow politely, neither humble nor overbearing: “Thank you, Overseer. I was merely lucky.”

“Lucky?” Shen Jue let out a low, magnetic laugh.

“Su Hewan, how many more surprises do you plan to give me?”

The night was deep and silent.

Only the sound of the river lapping against the boat broke the quiet.

Su Hewan got up to drink water and, passing the deck, noticed a furtive figure.

That was… Jiang Ruyi?

At this moment, Jiang Ruyi had completely lost the poise and charm she displayed in the daytime.

She wore a thin cloak, standing alone at the bow, letting the river wind toss her long hair.

The moonlight was pale, casting her face in a way that made it look almost grotesque and desolate.

She clutched something tightly in her hands, shoulders trembling violently, as if struggling to hold back her sobs.

Instinctively, Su Hewan held her breath and hid in the shadows.

Carried by the wind, broken sobs floated over intermittently.

“Sorry… Sister…”

“I can’t… I really can’t…”

“They’re forcing me… if I don’t do this… the Jiang family will truly be finished…”

“Sister… you’re down there… don’t blame Ruyi… Ruyi is also trying to avenge you…”

Su Hewan’s heart skipped a beat.

Sister?

Who was the “sister” Jiang Ruyi mentioned?

In the Jiang family massacre, the deceased were the patriarch and the male heirs, weren’t they? According to the records, the Jiang family had no adult daughters who died unnaturally, only a few concubine-born daughters whose whereabouts were unknown.

Could there be some hidden truth among them?

And… who were “they” that she mentioned?

Su Hewan quietly slipped away, but she etched the scene firmly in her memory.

She was determined to find Shen Jue and tell him!

Meanwhile, the river was shrouded in a thick, inescapable fog.

The once poetic, misty Jiangnan scenery instantly turned ominous, like the presence of spirits.

The waves splashing against the official boat sounded unusually harsh in the eerie silence.

All around was a white haze, with visibility barely stretching a few meters.

“This fog is strange.”

Lu Yan pressed a hand against the hilt of his embroidered spring knife, standing at the bow, brow furrowed into a tight line.

The hem of his Feiyu uniform flapped in the wet, cold wind as he stared intently into the depths of the mist.

“What’s the matter? Afraid, Lord Lu?”

Shen Jue appeared from somewhere, wearing a black cloak, casually twirling a string of rosewood Buddhist beads. His eyes showed no fear, only a lazy amusement, like he was watching a performance.

His gaze, though, subtly swept over Yu Qing and Su Hewan standing behind Lu Yan.

“Afraid? There’s no such word in the dictionary of the Jinyiwei.” Lu Yan snorted coldly.

Just as the two titans were about to resume their usual verbal sparring, a dull, heavy thud came from the misty depths.

“Boom—!”

Immediately after, a massive shadow, like a ghost, slowly emerged from the thick fog and barreled straight toward their official boat.

It was a transport ship.

Its hull was mottled, sitting deep in the water. The mast’s sail was tattered, yet eerily, a bright yellow flag representing the official salt bureau hung limply—a flag drooping like a shaman’s spirit banner for the dead.

“Stop the ship! Stand guard!”

Lu Yan barked sharply, his body unmoving, yet his presence cut through the air like a drawn blade.

The two boats slowly approached, but no sound came from the other side.

Yu Qing crouched behind Lu Yan, peeking out with her little head.

【Whoa! Is this the start of a horror movie? A ghost ship? Pirates of the Caribbean?】

Lu Yan spun around and scooped her up as she tried to sneak back to the cabin.

“Stay close to me. Don’t run off.”

“Jinyiwei, follow orders! Set up the ladder and check it out!”

At the command, several figures sprang into action.

Shen Jue glanced at Su Hewan, who appeared calm and composed beside him.

“Miss Su, if you’re afraid, you may return to the cabin.”

Su Hewan said lightly, “You jest, Overseer. Since we’re investigating a case, there’s no reason to retreat at the scene. Besides… something about this ship feels off.”

Shen Jue raised an eyebrow and said nothing further. Gathering his energy, he leapt forward and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Then come with me and see for yourself!”

In an instant, they landed on the cargo boat.

The moment they stepped aboard, a heavy, damp, moldy smell mixed with a strange sweet fragrance hit them.

On the deck, more than twenty corpses lay scattered in disarray.

Some crew still clutched ropes; others held their bowls, frozen in the posture of their last moments alive.

Most chilling of all were the grotesque smiles on their faces.

The mouths stretched unnaturally wide toward the ears, while their eyes were vacant, as if in their final moments they had glimpsed some paradise—or as if some malevolent spirit had ripped their faces open.

“Ah—!”

Yu Qing screamed, pressing herself against Lu Yan.

“How can there be so many dead people!”

When had a beautiful girl ever seen such a horrifying scene?

Lu Yan held her with one arm, his gaze sharp and cold. Even he, experienced and worldly, felt a shock.

“It’s fine. Don’t be afraid—it’s just dead people,” Lu Yan said calmly.

【Big brother, you make it sound so easy! Dead people! Of course I’m scared! Let me go back—I want to find Mom!】 Yu Qing was so terrified that she nearly blacked out.

Su Hewan and Shen Jue, who had followed, were also staggered by the scene.

“Afraid?” Shen Jue asked her seriously, unusually so.

Su Hewan nodded. At this moment, she didn’t pretend to be fearless.

Shen Jue smiled. “Don’t worry. Dead people are far less frightening than the living.”

Su Hewan twitched at the corner of her mouth. 【What kind of comfort is that?】

The corpses remained frozen in their grim tableau as Lu Yan began inspecting them.

Suddenly, another scream rang out: “Ah!”

Yu Qing and Su Hewan simultaneously dove into the arms of the two men.

Lu Yan and Shen Jue turned to see Song Zhaoyuan, who had sneaked up behind them.

Impatience flashed in Lu Yan’s eyes—clearly displeased with her earlier scream.

Shen Jue, however, teasingly remarked with a good mood: “It’s rare to see Miss Su throw herself into our arms!”

Su Hewan immediately pulled back. “Overseer, what are you saying!”

Shen Jue smiled, noncommittal.

Yu Qing, however, held onto Lu Yan tightly, refusing to look up.

“Miss Song, how did you get here?” Lu Yan asked coldly.

Song Zhaoyuan had intended to make an impression on Lu Yan, but upon landing, fear overtook her; she froze completely, collapsing onto the deck.

“A ghost… there’s a ghost!”

Lu Yan spoke softly to Yu Qing clinging to him: “If you’re scared, you can go back to the cabin and wait there.”

Su Hewan couldn’t help but smile at this display of double standards.

Yu Qing shook her head. “No, no, no! I’d be even more scared if I went back!”