AUBTN -Chapter 77 Witness Death

It was eerily quiet.

On both sides of the official road, the trees stood dense and shadowed. The usual chirping of birds was completely absent.

Only the dull thud of hooves against the muddy ground broke the silence.

“Ha—”

Lu Yan abruptly pulled on the reins, his embroidered spring knife sliding half an inch from its sheath.

“Be alert!”

Before the words had even left his mouth, dozens of black shadows surged out from the dense woods on both sides like phantoms!

“Protect the carriage!”

Lu Yan shouted sharply, leaping forward. With a single downward slash, his knife severed two swords swung at him simultaneously!

But these fanatical attackers didn’t defend themselves at all!

They were like puppets without feeling; even when their arms were cut off, their bodies continued forward with momentum, intent on ramming through the circle of Jinyiwei guards.

“This isn’t normal…”

Shen Jue’s body remained still, only a flick of his sleeve sending several silver needles whistling through the air, piercing the brows of several attackers with deadly precision.

These weren’t the private soldiers once raised by Prince Ning, nor were they underworld mercenaries.

Prince Ning’s men relied on formations; martial underworld fighters relied on self-preservation.

But this group— their moves were strange and vicious, radiating sheer resolve.

They were clearly here to die along with their targets!

It was as if they had appeared out of thin air!

Yet for a group of killers like this, neither the Eastern Depot nor the Jinyiwei had received any prior intelligence!

Lu Yan, clearly sensing something off, struck with lethal precision at every opportunity.

Someone was definitely scheming behind this!

And these attackers were clearly after Jiang Huai!

One attacker broke through the defenses and slammed violently into the carriage wall. The impact shook the carriage violently.

Inside, Jiang Huai shrank into a ball, trembling in fear.

Yu Qing and Su Hewan, though not skilled in martial arts, could still improvise survival tools thanks to their modern knowledge.

“I knew the road back to the capital wouldn’t be peaceful!” Yu Qing muttered fearfully, but her hands never stopped moving.

She flung open the carriage curtain, grabbed two wine jars, and smashed them at an attacker climbing onto the carriage.

“Try my fiery cocktail!”

Crack!

The jars shattered, releasing the strong aroma of alcohol instantly.

Su Hewan calmly struck a match and threw the flame onto the spilled liquor with precision.

In an instant, a blaze shot skyward!

The attacker, drenched in the flammable liquid, became a human torch, screaming as he tumbled off the carriage.

“Wanwan, you’re amazing!”

“Physics and chemistry weren’t wasted!” Su Hewan smiled at the results.

Lu Yan glanced back at the blazing edge of the carriage, his lips twitching in disbelief.

These two women… where on earth had they learned such sneaky tricks?

“Spare survivors!” Lu Yan shouted, knocking one attacker unconscious with the back of his blade.

The moment Shen Jue touched him, black blood trickled from the attacker’s mouth. His head tilted sharply, and he died instantly.

Poisoned himself!

A toxic pouch hidden in his gums!

“Useless.” Shen Jue’s voice was chilling amid the chaos.

“These people were already dead the moment they accepted the mission.”

He now wielded a flexible sword, weaving through the crowd.

Though he spoke coolly, he stayed constantly around the two girls’ carriage, protecting them.

Just as everyone thought the situation had stabilized and the attackers were about to be wiped out,

Suddenly, a cold glint appeared atop the treetops.

A jet-black crossbow bolt shot through the air!

“Watch out!”

Su Hewan’s eyes widened. From her knowledge of historical weapons, she instinctively sensed something wrong with the bolt’s flight.

Shen Jue and Lu Yan were entangled with other attackers and couldn’t reach the bolt aimed at Jiang Huai!

They could only watch helplessly as the short bolt pierced Jiang Huai’s throat.

Lu Yan slashed through the attackers in front of him, leapt into the carriage, and caught the slowly collapsing Jiang Huai.

Black blood surged instantly—the throat-sealing poison, triggered by blood!

“Ugh… ugh…”

Jiang Huai clutched his throat with both hands, his eyes bulging, his gaze unfocused, filled with helplessness and terror.

It turned out that person never intended to let him reach the capital alive!

“Who ordered this? What exactly is Changsheng?”

Shen Jue grabbed Jiang Huai’s pulse point, forcing his own qi into him frantically, trying to prolong his last breath.

Jiang Huai’s body convulsed violently as he looked at Shen Jue.

“Chang…sheng…”

The words barely audible.

“Third… day… of… the… third month…”

“Heaven… Temple…”

With the last word, Jiang Huai’s hands fell limply.

Dead.

The only witness had been silenced right under the eyes of two masters.

Yu Qing and Su Hewan’s faces turned pale with shock.

【So… he’s gone?】

【That was way too reckless.】

Though Yu Qing’s mind was cursing, her hands trembled slightly.

It was her first time confronting death so directly—so close, so bloody.

Su Hewan took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her eyes fixed on the crossbow bolt lodged in Jiang Huai’s neck.

“Third day of the third month… Heaven Temple…”

She muttered, quickly recalling the events from the book!

“The third day of the third month, the Shangsi Festival.”

Su Hewan suddenly looked up at Lu Yan and Shen Jue.

“According to the imperial rites, whenever there is a major disaster or a significant prayer ceremony, the emperor must personally go to the Heaven Temple on the third day of the third month to offer sacrifices and pray for the nation’s peace.”

Lu Yan’s face was ashen as he wiped the black blood from his hands.

“The Empress Dowager is gravely ill, the new emperor’s rule is unstable—going to offer sacrifices now is justified and also serves to reassure the people.”

“So…” Shen Jue sneered, releasing Jiang Huai’s already icy wrist. He pulled a silk handkerchief from his chest and methodically wiped his fingers.

“They weren’t afraid Jiang Huai would confess.”

“Jiang Huai was just a pawn.”

Shen Jue casually tossed the handkerchief over Jiang Huai’s corpse; the pure white silk covered his face, eyes still refusing to close in death.

“Their real plan must have already been set in the capital, waiting at the Heaven Temple on the third day of the third month!”

“But Prince Ning is dead, isn’t he? Could there still be someone behind this?” Yu Qing asked shakily.

Lu Yan sneered. “Prince Ning may be dead, but the person behind this is probably acting under his name!”

If the Changsheng Organization’s goal was to prolong the late emperor’s life, but the late emperor is already dead, what could their true objective be?

Lu Yan stood and stepped out of the carriage, looking over the scattered corpses and the still-burning wreckage.

“But from the looks of it, there must be an even bigger conspiracy behind this!”

Seven days later.

The capital, Desheng Gate.

Travel-worn and dust-covered, the group finally arrived.

The soldiers guarding the city had doubled in number, each fully armored, eyes alertly scrutinizing everyone entering or leaving.

Even more alarming, it wasn’t the local Shuntian Prefecture officers guarding the gate, but heavily armored Jinyiwei!

“Stop! Submit to inspection!”

A captain of the Jinyiwei blocked the carriage, hand on his sword, radiating menace.

Lu Yan reined in his horse and flipped his official badge from his waist with a cold flick.

“The Jinyiwei are returning to the capital with a case—who dares stop us?”

The captain’s expression changed slightly as he saw the badge, but he didn’t immediately yield. Instead, he hesitated and glanced behind him.

“Forgive me, Lord Lu.”

The captain forced himself to bow.

“There are orders. In these extraordinary times, anyone entering the city must be strictly inspected. Who is in your carriage? What are you carrying?”

“Presumptuous!”

Lu Yan’s eyes flashed cold. “You dare inspect me?”

“Oh, what a big display of official authority.”