The black-clad man wearing the ghostly mask was a typical ruthless and taciturn man. He didn't introduce himself or threaten anyone; he simply drew his sword and started fighting with the vendor.

There were at least seventeen or eighteen people on the other side, a dark mass, looking fierce and menacing, and it was clear that their martial arts skills were not low.

The vendor cursed his bad luck under his breath and, in order to fully concentrate on the fight, simply threw Shen Jiao to the ground.

Shen Jiao: "..."

Brother, I can tolerate you throwing me away like trash.

But could you give it a little more effort? Throw it farther, throw it a little off course!

You've left me in this dangerous situation because you're worried I won't get stabbed to death anytime soon, right?

The curses in Shen Jiao's heart were comparable to thunderclaps.

The men in black fought with the vendors, and with a "sizzle," a sharp sword blade grazed her cheek.

Shen Jiao gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

Brother, brother! Stay calm.

Better safe than sorry. If your hand slips, I curse you to end up as siblings with your lovers and never be able to get an erection again!

Whether the woman in black was cursed or not, fortunately the blade only lightly grazed her skin.

The rain washed over the wound, and it hurt a little, but I could bear it.

Logically speaking, a wound of this severity shouldn't be disfiguring, but without immediate disinfection and being subjected to heavy rain, it's hard to say what might happen if it becomes infected.

Shen Jiao could only pray that her face would look better.

She took advantage of the chaos to cover her head and shrink into a corner.

Shen Jiao discovered that as long as she didn't use her internal energy, after a while her head would stop feeling dizzy, her legs would stop feeling sore, and her hands would become stronger!

The two groups were fighting fiercely, but the vendors were no pushovers; they managed to hold out for so long despite being ganged up on.

Shen Jiao decided that she would take this opportunity to escape!

She used to be able to run 800 meters in one go.

She believed that her potential was limitless, and that even in a life-threatening situation, she could run at least eight thousand meters in one go... well, eight meters.

Although she wasn't too dizzy, Shen Jiao was still very weak. She thought she was the dark horse in the 100-meter sprint.

In reality, to onlookers, her speed just looked like that of a healthy old lady hurrying to cross the road.

Shen Jiao had only run a few steps when she was spotted by the man in black. A sharp sword aura sliced ​​through the rain and struck. She dodged quickly, but her calf was still cut.

Fresh blood gushed out, mixing with the rainwater, instantly forming a crimson pool at her feet.

Shen Jiao was in excruciating pain, and was sweating profusely.

She assumed that the man in black, like the vendor, wanted to capture her alive, or at least not kill her. From this perspective, it seemed that the goddess didn't care about her life or death.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have run away.

It hurts so much!

The black-clad man, wounded and pale, slowly approached. He raised his long sword, his ghostly mask backlit, making him appear even more terrifying. He intended to sever her legs!

No way?

What kind of behavior is this? He's not a pig's trotter vendor, how could he have such a fetish!

Shen Jiao was inwardly panicking, but outwardly remained calm and composed.

The man in black moved with lightning speed, his longsword slashing straight down!

Shen Jiao's breath hitched.

Poisoned and injured, she couldn't completely evade the attack.

Shen Jiao instinctively wanted to cry out for help from the Bodhisattva, but for some reason, what came out of her mouth was—

“Ji Yan…”

Where are you……

...

The rain came on strong and showed no signs of letting up. Thunder rumbled and streaks of lightning flashed, enveloping every corner of the Gu residence.

"Your Majesty, a thorough search of the south of the city has been conducted, but Miss Shen has not been found."

"Your Majesty, a thorough search of the north of the city has been conducted, but Miss Shen has not been found."

"Your Majesty, a thorough search of the eastern part of the city has been conducted, but Miss Shen has not been found."

Ji Yan sat at the head of the table, his eyes cold and his face as gloomy as a snowy winter night, somber yet like a beast poised to pounce.

Listening to the report from the Dragon Shadow Guard, he gripped the white jade teacup beside him in a fit of rage.

The teacup shattered into powder in an instant, and the scalding tea wet his palm, burning it red, but he was completely unaware.

The last Dragon Shadow Guard to report was standing in front of him: "Your Majesty, we have thoroughly searched every corner of the western part of the city, but we have not found any trace of Miss Shen. We only found a male corpse with severe sword wounds in a small alley in the nearby suburbs, and this."

After saying the last three words, the guard presented a bloodstained hairpin with both hands, which was the very hairpin that belonged to the founding empress of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The air suddenly cooled down, and the guards shivered involuntarily, burying their heads even lower.

Finding a bloodstained object is information, but it's hardly a good thing.

I don't know whose blood is on the hairpin, but I can't help but think of Miss Chen. Is she injured?

Since Miss Shen disappeared yesterday, His Majesty has reverted to his previous ruthless and deranged state, even more terrifying than before.

If the tyrant had some sense of reason when he killed people before, now he is killing indiscriminately to vent his anger, and everyone in the Gu family is terrified.

The guard was terrified, fearing that His Majesty would be enraged by the sight of blood and might snap his neck.

Fortunately, Ji Yan simply took the hairpin, her expression restrained, and carefully wiped away the bloodstains.

This is the hairpin that the frizzy hamster likes the most.

She especially loves sparkly, glittering objects, and she would definitely treasure this hairpin if she had no other choice.

Thinking of the frizzy hamster that had somehow dropped its hairpin, Ji Yan's breathing quickened, and she asked coldly, "What did those two in the cell say?"

The guard replied, "After being subjected to torture, the Fourth Princess and Princess Rouqing quickly confessed. They first bribed two maids in the Gu household to learn about Miss Shen's whereabouts."

"The third young lady of the Han family specifically told Princess Rouqing that Miss Shen knew martial arts. Princess Rouqing then asked the second young lady of the Vice Minister's Mansion to buy a black medicine on the black market that could prevent people from using their internal energy for a short period of time."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!