novelzi Chapter 35.2
Chapter 35.2
The cool night breeze accompanied Chu Chengji’s words as he stepped onto the deck with the captured river bandit, then leaped onto a nearby wooden boat.
The bandit sat trembling on the boat as Chu Chengji stood at the bow, sword in hand, commanding, “Row.”
Gritting his teeth, the bandit realized that if they reached the river bandits’ lair, he might not be the one who ends up dead.
So, he reluctantly took up the oar and started rowing.
Seeing Chu Chengji approaching alone, the river bandits ahead hesitated, unsure whether to call him foolhardy or courageous.
It took them a moment before they ordered, “Shoot! Shoot quickly!”
Arrows flew towards Chu Chengji, but his sword wove a tight net, deflecting them all.
As he reached the shore, the bandits swarmed towards him like locusts. With each swing of his sword, blood splattered, and bodies fell like grass under a scythe.
As the pile of corpses grew, the remaining bandits dared not approach.
Trembling, they were nearly unable to hold their weapons.
“He... He’s not human...” one bandit said in fear and astonishment.
Never had they encountered someone who took lives so effortlessly, as if cutting grass.
Standing amidst the dead, Chu Chengji’s face was spattered with blood, yet he still exuded a sense of elegance.
He turned slightly and looked at the bandit who had led the way. “Where is the dungeon?”
If the bandit harbored any ill intentions towards Chu Chengji before, the sight of the corpses changed his mind.
Trembling, he pointed in a direction, “That... that way...”
Without hesitation, Chu Chengji walked towards the direction indicated by the bandit.
The bandits blocking the path didn’t dare to attack him, nor did they dare to let him go freely.
With each step Chu Chengji took forward, they retreated in fear.
Suppressing his rage, Chu Chengji unleashed a fierce sword technique, cutting down more than ten bandits surrounding him.
Then, he commanded, “Get lost!”
As one bandit’s throat was slit, his head hung backward, blood spurting from the severed neck.
Witnessing this gruesome scene, even the hardened river bandits couldn’t help but feel nauseous.
The remaining dozen or so lackeys didn’t dare to approach him any further.
But there were still some eager to die.
Upon hearing that Chu Chengji had come alone, Wu Xiao saw it as the perfect opportunity to capture him.
He immediately persuaded several leaders to lead Panlong Gorge’s elites and surround him.
Standing before the group of skilled fighters, Wu Xiao grinned wickedly, “Cheng, seems like you’re tired of living!”
The lackeys held torches high, casting a fiery glow on Chu Chengji’s half face while the other half was bathed in the cool light of the moon.
A few droplets of blood adorned his cheek, adding to his eerie allure.
He looked at Wu Xiao as though he were gazing at a lifeless object, “I should have killed you long ago.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have encountered all this trouble.
“Those who talk tough at death’s door, I’ve heard plenty,” Wu Xiao replied, feeling confident of his impending victory.
He gestured to the water bandits behind him, “Attack!”
A dozen highly skilled water bandits surged forward.
Chu Chengji repelled two water bandits who attacked him head-on with his sword, then swiftly slashed the throats of two others.
He stepped on the chest of one water bandit, causing him to collapse and cough up blood.
With a swift motion of his sword, he created another flash of blood.
After a fierce battle, Chu Chengji sustained only a few minor wounds, but the dozen or so water bandits lying on the ground were dead to the bone.
Wu Xiao hadn’t expected Chu Chengji to be so formidable.
Panic surged in his heart, and he lost his previous composure.
He pushed his lackeys forward, his tone harsh, “Attack! Whoever kills him will be richly rewarded!”
Lin Zhao, weakened by blood loss, leaned against Qin Zheng’s shoulder and asked softly, “Sister Zheng, when do you think we’ll be rescued?”
Qin Zheng reassured her, “Very soon. When we were abducted, the people from the village had already returned. They might be close to Panlong Gou by now.”
Lin Zhao nodded slightly and said, “When we go back, I want to eat the lotus root dumplings you make, Sister Zheng.”
Qin Zheng’s heart felt heavy, but she gently touched Lin Zhao’s hair and said, “Okay, when we go back, we’ll make dumplings.”
A loud noise from outside startled Lin Zhao, momentarily bringing her back to full consciousness.
The two exchanged a glance, unsure of what was happening outside.
Not long after, an old woman arrived with two sets of dresses for Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao to change into.
With Lin Zhao’s hands and feet shackled, she couldn’t change clothes herself.
The water bandits guarding them temporarily loosened Lin Zhao’s shackles, but the cell door remained closed, and the clothes were passed through the wooden gaps.
These two water bandits hadn’t witnessed Lin Zhao’s prowess in killing.
Seeing her, a frail-looking woman with a sickly appearance and pale lips, they didn’t perceive her as much of a threat and relaxed their guard.
After Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao changed into the new clothes and the old woman took their original ones away, only one water bandit remained to guard them.
As he was putting shackles on Lin Zhao through the cell door, Lin Zhao didn’t miss this opportunity to escape.
She used the iron chain to choke the water bandit’s neck, while Qin Zheng seized the opportunity to grab the key from the water bandit’s waist and unlock the cell door.
With Lin Zhao injured and unable to exert much force with her right arm, and weakened from blood loss, she managed to render the water bandit unconscious.
Qin Zheng was about to help Lin Zhao out of the cell when suddenly footsteps were heard outside.
Another water bandit was returning.
Both Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao were startled.
Lin Zhao was injured and weak, and they couldn’t guarantee that they could subdue the water bandit immediately.
If he shouted and attracted more water bandits, all their efforts would be in vain.
Qin Zheng steadied herself and gestured for Lin Zhao to keep quiet, then quickly picked up a stool from the cell and hid behind the door.
The returning water bandit, having gone out for a moment, didn’t expect to find his companion lying on the ground upon his return, with only the woman in red standing at the cell door, while the other woman was nowhere to be seen.
He was shocked and turned to scan the room.
Before he could react, Qin Zheng raised the stool and struck him on the head.
The blow knocked the water bandit unconscious.
Qin Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, her experience paid off, and she didn’t miss.
After dragging the water bandit into the cell, Qin Zheng took off their outer robes and helped herself and Lin Zhao change into them.
She then draped their outer robes over the two water bandits before locking the cell door.
Lin Zhao, impressed by Qin Zheng’s resourcefulness, exclaimed, “Sister Zheng, you’re so clever.”
Qin Zheng wiped some ash on her hands and face.
Lin Zhao’s complexion was naturally dark, so she didn’t need to disguise herself.
Hearing Lin Zhao’s praise, Qin Zheng sighed and said, “It’s not about being clever, it’s about being familiar with the situation.”
From escaping the Eastern Palace all the way to now, she had experienced too many such situations.
Qin Zheng helped Lin Zhao towards the exit of the dungeon.
As she opened the door, she saw several bodies outside, but there were still a dozen or so water bandits standing.
She instinctively stood in front of Lin Zhao.
One of the water bandits, dressed in coarse clothes, looked at her with a complex expression.
He appeared to be around twenty years old, slender to the point of frailty, with delicate features that didn’t seem feminine.
His pale face was as white as snow, and his narrow, deep-set phoenix eyes were tinged with red at the corners, inexplicably piercing.
Qin Zheng subconsciously avoided his gaze, filled with intense emotions.
Just as she was wondering if he recognized her, he suddenly smiled faintly, his lips pale, and called her name in a strained voice, “Zheng.”