Xin’s personal guards had followed the carriage all the way, only to discover it was empty when they finally seized the opportunity to intercept it.
“Search back the way we came!”
Li Zhengwen inwardly cursed the situation.
When they retraced their steps and followed the wheel tracks to the spot where Xin had fallen into the water, all they saw was their usually dignified and noble master flailing in the water like a duck.
“Save His Highness!”
Li Zhengwen could only watch anxiously from the side, as he didn’t know how to swim.
“Seal off this area. Investigate everyone here tonight, and detain anyone suspicious.”
These were Xin’s first words after his guards fished him out of the water.
Xin’s current state could only be described as utterly disheveled.
His once-handsome face was now bruised and swollen, his hair crown lost, and his wet hair clung messily to his head. His brocade robes were caked with dirt, making him look even more like a beggar than Shang Yuanjian.
Most importantly, Xin felt pain everywhere, as if his entire skeleton were about to fall apart.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger,” Li Zhengwen hurriedly draped a dry robe over Xin. “Tonight’s incident has alerted the Supervisory Bureau. They have already dispatched people to search, and that lowlife will surely be caught.”
Xin shoved Li Zhengwen aside, his face darkening as he glared at him with venomous eyes.
“Where did you find that lowlife?”
Li Zhengwen broke into a cold sweat in an instant.
…
Shang Yuanjian’s situation wasn’t much better either.
After boarding the ship, she hastily hid in a corner of a room. The stabbing pain in her heart grew increasingly severe, and she felt she might faint at any moment.
It wasn’t until she took another medicinal pill that the symptoms finally eased.
It was truly miraculous. Within moments of swallowing the pill, the earlier heartache vanished without a trace, and her strength gradually returned—just like the first time.
Shang Yuanjian stared thoughtfully at the five remaining pills in the bottle.
Since her last episode had been about six hours ago, the pill’s effects likely lasted only around twelve hours.
With only five Elixirs left in her possession, at a rate of two per day, she could maintain a normal state for just three days.
With a grave expression, Shang Yuanjian stored the Elixirs away. Once these last few were gone, she’d likely be unable to even walk. She had to find a way to treat her condition before then.
After her physical condition improved, Shang Yuanjian slowly stood up. Only then did she have the energy to observe her surroundings.
Earlier, to evade pursuit after kicking Xin into the water, she had chosen the nearest ship to escape. But this ship didn’t seem very safe either.
Shang Yuanjian sniffed lightly and detected a faint scent of blood lingering in the air. The ship’s soundproofing was poor, and she could vaguely hear the sounds of fighting and heavy objects being thrown into the water not far away.
Could this be a pirate ship?
For the first time in her life, Shang Yuanjian began to question her luck.
However, her current identity wasn’t exactly honorable either. Frowning at her tattered clothes, she decisively picked out a set from the room and changed into them.
Her earlier beggar-like appearance had been too conspicuous, and many people had seen her along the way. To prevent Xin from tracking her down, Shang Yuanjian decided to change her outfit.
After changing, she tossed her old clothes out the window into the river, ensuring no one could trace her through them.
Having completed all this, Shang Yuanjian had originally intended to find an opportunity to go ashore, but then she heard the clamor outside suddenly grow louder, with chaotic footsteps gradually approaching. From the sound, she estimated there were two or three people.
Shang Yuanjian tensed up, turned around, and hid behind the screen.
Immediately afterward, the door was kicked open with great force.
The two men who entered were tall and imposing, with fierce expressions. They held curved blades in their hands, the edges sharp, blood dripping from the tips with a steady plip-plop sound.
From Shang Yuanjian's perspective, the leader was even holding a person in his hand.
"Second Young Master Zhao, don't waste your energy. Come with us quietly. I'm still waiting to collect ransom from your father."
The leader threw the person in his hand to the ground and then kicked him once more.
She had really encountered kidnappers!
Shang Yuanjian looked at the half-dead, frail youth on the ground, her expression tense. With a flick of her wrist, a dagger was already in her hand.
"You're dreaming!"
The frail youth glared angrily at the two men, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
"You're looking for death!" The leader was clearly provoked. He stepped forward, grabbed the frail youth by the neck, and lifted him entirely off the ground. "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. You saw what happened to the few who followed you—all killed and thrown out to feed the fish. If you weren't still useful, do you think you'd still be alive?"
Choked by the neck, the frail youth's face flushed crimson. He struggled to break free from the kidnapper's grip, but his meager strength was no match.
Seeing the leader's murderous intent, the second man hurriedly stopped him: "Big brother, hold back. If we really kill Zhao Zimo, we'll get nothing."
The leader snorted coldly but, mindful of the consequences, merely slammed the person in his hand heavily onto the ground.
Zhao Zimo coughed up a mouthful of blood. Struggling to get up, his arm brushed against the screen in the room as he groped around, accidentally toppling it over.
As the screen fell, Shang Yuanjian unexpectedly found herself face-to-face with the leader.
"Looks like we missed one."
The leader narrowed his eyes at Shang Yuanjian, assuming she was a straggler on the ship.
"Let me send you off!" The leader charged at Shang Yuanjian with his curved blade. She wasn't Zhao Zimo, so naturally, she had no value alive.
Shang Yuanjian had been on alert the moment the screen fell. She sidestepped, dodging the blade's edge, while the dagger in her hand flashed with a sharp gleam, slicing toward his neck.
The leader reacted swiftly. Sensing the imminent danger, he abruptly shifted the angle of his curved blade aimed at Shang Yuanjian, blocking the fatal strike.
Shang Yuanjian's expression remained unchanged. The hand holding the dagger suddenly released it, and her other hand caught the weapon, reversing its grip to plunge it into the leader's chest.
The sound of a sharp object piercing flesh echoed. The leader felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down in disbelief at the dagger embedded in his heart. Then, as if all his strength had been drained, he knelt on the ground and instantly lost all signs of life.
Seeing Shang Yuanjian suddenly appear on the ship and kill the leader so cleanly, the second man sensed danger and immediately thought of retreating.
Zhao Zimo, noticing the second man turning to pull open the door, urgently whispered, "Don't let him out! The outside is full of their people!"
Understanding the situation, Shang Yuanjian swiftly pulled the dagger from the corpse and, with a flick of her wrist, hurled it toward the second man's back, aiming for his heart.
After all, it wasn't her original body, and her control over strength was poor. Shang Yuanjian's aim was slightly off—the dagger that should have been a fatal strike only hit the second man's left shoulder.
The second man grunted, staggering slightly, yet still did not turn around.
Shang Yuanjian's expression hardened. Immediately, she pushed off the ground and charged forward, grabbing the second man's shoulders and neck with both hands, tackling him to the ground.
After all, he was also a bandit who lived by the blade. As soon as Shang Yuanjian closed in, the second man swung his curved blade toward her face without hesitation.
Shang Yuanjian reacted swiftly, drawing her dagger to block the attack. After parrying, she followed through, the sharp weapon instantly cutting deep into the second man's wrist.
The wound on his wrist was deep enough to reveal bone, and his arm momentarily lost strength.
The curved blade fell from his hand and was promptly kicked away by Shang Yuanjian.
"Over here—!!" Seeing the situation turn against him, the second man tried to call for his companions.
Shang Yuanjian quickly covered his mouth, her dagger slicing across his neck in time to silence him.
His carotid artery severed, blood instantly sprayed out, drenching Shang Yuanjian.
Blood blurred her vision, and she abruptly released the dagger.
The dagger clattered to the ground with a crisp sound.
Shang Yuanjian wiped the blood from her face, her expression grim.
This was her first time killing someone. Though it was for self-preservation, it was undeniably carried out under her own conscious will.
"Are—are you alright?"
Zhao Zimo watched as the person who had just decisively killed two bandits now stared blankly at the corpses on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up to ask.