Chapter 209 Shielding the Arrow

He took a deep breath and softened his voice.

“Qingqing, don’t be upset. I’ve been coaxing you all along…”

“From now on, I’ll always listen to you. I’ll never force you again.”

Looking at these two men—usually cold-blooded and merciless—who were now bending over backward to please them, both Su Hewan and Yu Qing couldn’t help but exchange a glance and finally relax.

Yu Qing was the first to laugh.

She stuck a jade hairpin into her bun and arrogantly tilted her chin.

“You said it yourself—if you dare do it again, I’ll cut your hair in the middle of the night!”

Su Hewan helplessly shook her head and opened her mouth to bite into the sweet pastry Shen Jue had fed her.

The rich scent of osmanthus spread across her lips and teeth, and the stubborn irritation in her heart vanished like smoke.

After this little ordeal, the atmosphere among the four of them became unusually harmonious.

However, this rare moment of warmth didn’t last long.

The convoy had been leaving Qingfeng Town for only half a day when a sudden clatter of hooves from behind shattered the calm along the official road.

A scout of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, dressed in a Flying Fish robe, leapt down from his horse and knelt on one knee before Lu Yan’s horse.

“Reporting, Commander!”

“Your subordinate has discovered that, besides the Empress Dowager’s spies, another group of unidentified Jianghu figures is secretly heading toward Dongzhou!”

“They are extremely elusive, each exceptionally skilled, and it seems they’re also after the case in the southern frontier!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding air turned icy.

Lu Yan’s face darkened, and a natural aura of killing intent radiated from him.

The smile on Shen Jue’s face vanished instantly, and a cold, predatory glint flashed in his narrow eyes.

“Jianghu figures?” Shen Jue sneered.

“The Empress Dowager can’t command true Jianghu masters. Looks like another force is maneuvering in the shadows!”

Su Hewan heard this clearly from inside the carriage, and her heart skipped a beat.

Could it be related to my background?!

Shen Jue glanced at the carriage without betraying any emotion.

Lu Yan decisively issued orders.

“Send people to follow, but don’t alert them!”

“We won’t take the official road. We’ll take a shortcut over Luoyan Mountain ahead!”

Luoyan Mountain—its paths were rugged and steep, rarely traveled, and infamous for harboring fierce bandits.

But to get ahead of the shadowy pursuers, they had no other choice.

The convoy entered the dark, sun-blocked forest.

Towering trees blocked the sunlight, and a year-round miasma hung in the air.

Not even a bird chirped; only the dull sound of wheels crushing dry branches could be heard.

Shen Jue quietly gripped the hilt of the soft sword at his waist.

Lu Yan’s embroidered spring knife was also ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.

Just as they reached a narrow gorge—

“Whoosh—”

An arrow sliced through the air, embedding itself violently into the soil in front of the carriage, its fletching buzzing.

Immediately, deafening shouts erupted from all sides of the surrounding bushes!

“Who dares come down this road? You’re unlucky to have run into us from Jinsha Village today!”

Dozens of ragged men wielding large knives charged down the hillside, surrounding the convoy.

At the forefront was a scar-faced man carrying a nine-ringed great blade, arrogantly spitting to the side.

“Brothers, look at this small group! Their carriage is fancy, though!”

“Today we caught ourselves a fat lamb—kill them all!”

The mountain bandits assumed, based on the thin guard, that these travelers were ordinary wealthy merchants.

Lu Yan and Shen Jue exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out a scoffing laugh.

“Looking for death.”

Before their words could even fade, the two figures flashed forward like arrows released from a bow.

The three bandits at the front hadn’t even reacted before they were kicked flying three zhang away!

The two masters, one on the left and one on the right, were like tigers entering a flock of sheep.

They didn’t need any words to communicate; their coordination was as seamless as if they were each other’s shadow.

Back to back, their teamwork was flawless.

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the previously arrogant bandits had already fallen.

Screams of agony echoed through the canyon.

Inside the carriage, Su Hewan and Yu Qing pulled back the curtains, their eyes wide in shock.

Just as the situation was settled and the remaining bandits were about to flee,

from a hidden crevice in the cliffside, a man with a vicious glare held a finely crafted crossbow coated with deadly poison.

At that moment, Lu Yan happened to turn around, and the man seized the fatal opportunity, pulling the trigger!

“Whoosh!”

The poisoned arrow shot silently, aimed straight at Lu Yan’s back!

The distance was too close, the speed too fast!

By the time Lu Yan sensed the murderous intent behind him, it was already too late to evade!

At this life-or-death moment,

a dark-red figure suddenly collided forward!

Shen Jue almost without hesitation leapt into the air, placing his own body behind Lu Yan to shield him!

The soft sword in his hand arced through the air, striking the arrowhead of the poisoned bolt!

“Clang!”

A piercing clash of metal rang out.

The poisoned arrow was deflected with immense force, embedding deep into a nearby tree trunk.

However, the sword energy attached to the arrowhead still scraped Shen Jue’s arm.

“Shhh!” The brocade robe tore.

A deep, bone-searing wound instantly appeared on Shen Jue’s fair arm.

The blood that flowed out was a shocking black!

This scene completely stunned the two women in the carriage.

After a brief silence, Su Hewan and Yu Qing’s hearts erupted like a volcano.

【Holy sh*t! He shielded him with his own body!】

【What kind of breathtaking brotherly bond is this?! What a divine rescue of a hero!】

【Shen Jue’s leap was insanely cool! This is true life-and-death friendship!】

【I declare it! This CP is real! They’re definitely true love!】

【Why bother with a wedding? Shen Jue and Lu Yan, just hold the ceremony right here!】

【I’ll pay the gift money! I’ll even move the plaques of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard as a congratulatory gift!】

These deafening, wildly shocking thoughts exploded simultaneously in the minds of Shen Jue and Lu Yan.

The two men, who had been teetering on the edge of life and death, froze instantly.

Lu Yan’s mouth twitched violently twice; that night, he had been lenient with her!

Shen Jue naturally had the same thought.

At this moment, Lu Yan could think of nothing else. He spun around and grabbed Shen Jue’s injured arm.

Looking at the wound from which black blood seeped, a complex expression flickered across Lu Yan’s usually stern face for the first time.

Frustrated, he tore open the sleeve of Shen Jue’s robe.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Lu Yan’s voice was uncharacteristically furious.

“I’m wearing soft armor. At most, that arrow would have just scratched me. What kind of death are you trying to invite?”

Shen Jue leaned against the carriage shaft, pale and sweating,

but he looked at the enraged Lu Yan completely unfazed, a weak yet extremely proud smile curving his lips.

“Master Lu, are you… worried about me?”

“I just feel that if you died in some godforsaken place like this, I’d have no one left to play with in the court.”