Chapter 297: Extra: Joy Record Nine (Supplementary Update)

Extra: Joy Record Nine (Supplementary Update)

It was Shui Yun!

Involuntarily, Pei Yaoguang, whose heart had just tightened, instantly breathed a sigh of relief in secret. Then, before he could speak, he only felt Shui Yun leap over in the darkness and lie down beside him!

Pei Yaoguang knew something had happened outside, but in the instant Shui Yun lay down, he still couldn't help his heart skip a beat. But then he only heard Shui Yun's voice again by his ear:

"No matter what happens in a moment, don't move."

Shui Yun's voice was very soft, and she was very close. At this moment, though Shui Yun had released the small hand covering his mouth, in the darkness, Pei Yaoguang could still keenly feel the contact between their bodies and the warm breath by his ear carried by that whispered murmur.

In an instant, Pei Yaoguang's entire body went stiff. But a moment later, Pei Yaoguang recovered his usual composure, his wide-open eyes involuntarily glancing at the pitch-black room, then he asked in a low voice to Shui Yun beside him:

"Who is it?"

"Not sure."

"Then..."

"Shh, close your eyes, don't speak!"

Shui Yun interrupted Pei Yaoguang's words in a low voice. At once, Pei Yaoguang immediately understood that the people outside had arrived, and he hurriedly closed his eyes to feign sleep. But at the same time he closed his eyes, Shui Yun beside him grabbed the quilt and pulled it over both of them, then even leaned her body against Pei Yaoguang's.

In an instant, Pei Yaoguang felt a soft body press against him, his whole body suddenly tensing, his heart involuntarily speeding up.

At this time, the room was completely quiet, and the patter of rain outside grew louder. In the darkness, two people lay on the bed, the quilt covering them, even their heads leaning together...

The silence of the night carried a sense of tranquility, but just a moment later, two black shadows suddenly drifted past outside the room, then the window was silently pushed open, and two black-clad figures instantly slipped inside with a flash...

The two black-clad figures moved with practiced efficiency—one could tell at a glance they were martial arts experts. After breaking into the room, the two did not act immediately, but glanced around, then fixed their gazes on the two people on the bed.

The black-clad figures exchanged a silent glance, then walked over without a sound...

The black-clad figures were very cautious, their movements extremely careful. After getting a clear look at the two people on the bed, one of the black-clad figures looked up at his partner, simultaneously and silently drawing the long sword in his hand, then raised his arm and thrust toward Pei Yaoguang lying on the inside of the bed!

The black-clad figure's movements were extremely swift and clean. But right at that moment, Shui Yun suddenly flung the quilt covering her up and outward, leaped up, simultaneously drew the soft sword hidden at her waist, and then pounced toward the two black-clad figures!

Shui Yun was a death warrior—she didn't care about fairness. Her strikes were fast, accurate, and ruthless, aimed straight for the opponent's life. And those two black-clad figures were no pushovers either; blocked by the quilt, they only froze for a brief moment, then leapt backward while raising the long swords in their hands to meet the attack.

For a moment, the pitch-black room was suddenly filled with flashing sword shadows, and the already small room immediately echoed with continuous clashing sounds.

The rain outside was still falling, and after a few exchanges, the two black-clad figures were surprised to find that their opponent's skills were formidable. They couldn't help but feel a jolt of alarm, and then in the instant they crossed paths, the two black-clad figures immediately exchanged a secret signal, after which one of them suddenly launched a flurry of rapid attacks at Shui Yun, while the other flashed aside and went straight for Pei Yaoguang, who had already sat up!

Clearly, the opponent's goal was Pei Yaoguang's life. Seeing this, Shui Yun's pupils shrank in an instant, and a burst of killing intent erupted from her entire being. The soft sword in her hand twisted sharply, then hooked, and taking advantage of the opponent's inability to dodge in time, she slit his throat with a single stroke!

In the blink of an eye, Shui Yun had dealt with one. By this time, the other had already rushed to the bedside, but before the sword in his hand could fall, Shui Yun had already leapt over, simultaneously striking with her sword toward the back of the man's neck!

A death warrior was different from a martial arts expert of the jianghu. The martial arts they practiced were all fatal techniques designed to kill with a single strike, never concerning themselves with any notion of martial attainment. And just as Shui Yun was about to succeed, at this moment, a voice called out:

"Leave him alive!"

The one who said this was Pei Yaoguang. Hearing this, Shui Yun's eyes suddenly shifted, then she flicked her wrist while swiftly raising her leg to kick the black-clad figure away!

Shui Yun put her full strength into this kick. Instantly, the black-clad figure was sent flying, and then with a 'Bang,' he crashed into the wardrobe in the corner, then collapsed face-down on the ground!

Ultimately, it wasn't that the two black-clad figures' martial arts were too poor, but that Shui Yun's martial arts were too high—otherwise, how could she be one of the four most capable death warriors under Yin Fengzhan?!

After this exchange of sword shadows and blade flashes, Pei Yaoguang, though a scholar, was not frightened in the least. He even waited for Shui Yun to kick away the black-clad figure who had lunged at them, then Pei Yaoguang got out of bed and directly lit the candle in the room.

The candle flame ignited, dispelling the darkness, and the room brightened, but looking up, he found the room was already in a state of disarray. But at this moment, Shui Yun and Pei Yaoguang completely ignored it, turning to glance at the dead black-clad figure, then fixing their gazes on the black-clad figure lying prone in the corner.

At the critical moment earlier, Pei Yaoguang had called out to leave him alive, and Shui Yun had indeed not disappointed him. At this moment, seeing Pei Yaoguang's gaze fall on the black-clad figure who still had a breath left in him, Shui Yun immediately strode over, then grabbed him and hauled him up.

Having taken one kick from Shui Yun, the black-clad figure's internal organs were already injured, but to be safe, Shui Yun still swiftly tapped several points on his body, directly crippling his martial arts. At this time, Pei Yaoguang also walked over, then looked directly at the black-clad figure and asked:

"Who are you?"

At this moment, Pei Yaoguang had less of his usual arrogance and more of a rare sharpness. But hearing this, the black-clad figure weakly raised his head to look at Pei Yaoguang, then revealed an eerie, sinister grin.

Under the dim candlelight, the black-clad figure's smile was somewhat chilling. Seeing this, Pei Yaoguang couldn't help but frown, but Shui Yun beside him suddenly flashed a sharp look in her eyes, then raised her hand and grabbed the black-clad figure's chin!

But it was still a step too late. Then, in the blink of an eye, the black-clad figure's face suddenly contorted violently, his whole body twitching uncontrollably, and a moment later, he had already collapsed on the ground with his eyes rolled back and white foam coming from his mouth.

The black-clad figure was dead!

Dead by suicide.

Seeing this, a look of gravity couldn't help but appear on Pei Yaoguang's face. At this time, the other people staying at the inn had also gotten up because of the earlier clattering sounds, and then the group led by Madam Xu all rushed over.

"Oh my, young master, what happened? In the middle of the night like this, what's going on?"

Along with Madam Xu's shrill shouting, knocking sounds also rang out. Shui Yun looked up at Pei Yaoguang, then reached out to grab a piece of clothing and put it on, simultaneously putting away her soft sword, and then opened the door.

Shui Yun still didn't say a word. At this moment, seeing the door open, Madam Xu was just about to ask a thing or two, but the instant she saw the room in disarray, she couldn't help but freeze, and when she then saw the two black-clad figures lying on the ground, she was immediately scared out of her wits.

"This... this... this is..."

Though experienced and knowledgeable, the innkeeper Madam Xu had never been through such a scene! At the same time, it wasn't just Madam Xu—the crowd behind her was scarcely any better off than she was, and a few were trembling all over, nearly collapsing onto the ground.

At this moment, Pei Yaoguang, already irritated by the black-clad figure's suicide, immediately glared at Madam Xu and the crowd, but then still strode over, then habitually lifted his chin, and said with incomparable arrogance:

"Go, fetch that surnamed He from the county yamen for this young master!"

No longer needing to suppress himself, Pei Yaoguang's imposing presence fully unfolded. But hearing this, Madam Xu and the others present were stunned.

Surnamed He at the county yamen? How many surnamed He were at the county yamen? It seemed like there was no one else but the county magistrate!

The crowd thought to themselves, then couldn't help but feel a wave of alarm, wondering who this young master was? To be so overbearing... And seeing them staring at him with stunned expressions, Pei Yaoguang immediately glared.

"What are you looking at? Why don't you hurry up and go?!"

"Uh... yes, yes..."

Not daring to waste any more words, Madam Xu paid no mind to the fact that it was still the dead of night, and hurriedly sent someone to deliver a message to the county yamen!

With this kind of incident, there was no way anyone would sleep that night. And that County Magistrate He was foolish and incompetent to begin with, originally quite tyrannical in Liucheng County, idling away his days every day—called a parent official, but more fearsome than a local tyrant.

So the inn attendant sent out by Madam Xu to deliver the message hadn't held much hope to begin with, but what he hadn't expected was that County Magistrate He, usually arrogant, insolent, and hot-tempered, upon hearing the message, immediately tumbled out, not even properly dressed, his hat still crooked on his head, and came running and stumbling all the way to Fulai Inn.

This was the so-called 'a higher rank of official crushes a person to death.' And between Pei Yaoguang and County Magistrate He, it was more than just one rank! Furthermore, Pei Yaoguang was a madman known throughout all of Dongling, and was said to be on very good personal terms with the Empress, so even given County Magistrate He ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare act presumptuously in front of Pei Yaoguang.

When County Magistrate He arrived at Fulai Inn, he was also given a fright, but upon seeing the two black-clad figures and recalling that Pei Yaoguang had gone to the dungeon during the day to interrogate Madam Pan, County Magistrate He more or less had an idea in his heart. At this time, Pei Yaoguang didn't waste words with him either, directly ordering him to dispose of the corpses and strictly blockade the news.

County Magistrate He knew that Pei Yaoguang's departure from the capital this time was naturally to handle a major case. Hearing these words, he repeatedly nodded. Then Pei Yaoguang didn't speak with him further, and after briefly tidying up with Shui Yun, they boarded the carriage that very night and left Liucheng County.

When Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun left Willow Completed County, the rain outside had already stopped; it was already past the fourth watch, and because it had just rained and it was night, the air grew even cooler.

At this moment, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun sitting in the carriage neither spoke nor rested; only after a while did Shui Yun first purse her lips, breaking the silence to say.

"It seems the other side has already noticed."

"Hmph! Their moves are still quite fast!"

"I guess we startled the snake by beating the grass. But judging from those two black-clad men today, the true mastermind behind them shouldn't be underestimated!"

Perhaps Pei Yaoguang couldn't tell, but as a death warrior, Shui Yun saw clearly. Those two black-clad men, though not top-tier experts, were obviously excellent assassins. Besides their martial skill, their movements were efficient yet cautious; they would confirm before striking, and upon capture would immediately commit suicide—clearly they had been meticulously trained.

And being able to meticulously cultivate assassins like this, the behind-the-scenes person's purpose is already obvious.

"In any case, the road ahead surely won't be easy. And from here to Kind Prefecture, we still need at least half a month, so we'd better be cautious."

Shui Yun voiced her judgment from a professional standpoint. At this moment, because they were rushing overnight, the sky was still dark, the carriage remained pitch black, Shui Yun couldn't see Pei Yaoguang's face, but she then gave a low-voiced instruction. Upon hearing it, Pei Yaoguang remained silent for a long while, then suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"This won't do; we need to think of a way."

"What way?"

"Golden Cicada Slough!"

Pei Yaoguang's voice was unusually composed; hearing this, Shui Yun froze for a moment, though she didn't quite understand, she still nodded.

"Okay."

These past days, although Shui Yun and Pei Yaoguang hadn't said much, having been together day and night, Shui Yun still came to understand him somewhat.

Pei Yaoguang, though on the surface he looks nostrils upturned, arrogant and overbearing, making people want to kick him twice, is actually someone with a very careful mind and genuine ability.

When he's arrogant, he's truly arrogant; when he's serious, he's truly serious—a genuine rich brat, yet he acts without any affectation, and lacks the pedantry of a scholar.

So, upon hearing Pei Yaoguang say Golden Cicada Slough, Shui Yun knew he had a plan, and therefore she didn't ask further.

Thus, the two continued southward until they reached the next village town, where they found an inn to rest. Only then did Shui Yun learn what Pei Yaoguang's so-called Golden Cicada Slough actually meant.

Pei Yaoguang had Shui Yun secretly find a man and a woman, then had them disguise themselves as him and Shui Yun, and instructed them to take the carriage they had used earlier, the next morning, and continue south on a side road.

That man and woman were found by Shui Yun, so naturally she wouldn't pick ordinary people, since the purpose was to lure away those pursuing assassins, making the risk considerable. And as one of the four death warriors under Yin Fengzhan, Shui Yun naturally knew of Yin Fengzhan's hidden forces in various places, so finding a man and a woman was no difficulty.

Meanwhile, after arranging all this, Shui Yun sent another secret report to the Capital City, fully informing Yin Fengzhan of the current situation and requesting reinforcements.

After everything was arranged, Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun then rode horseback directly toward Kind Prefecture via another side road.

……

Switching from carriage to horseback, the speed naturally increased considerably.

However, Pei Yaoguang, after all, is not a martial expert like Shui Yun, and he doesn't often ride horses, so after a full day of riding, though he didn't complain, once he dismounted he was nearly collapsing, yet he forced a tough, unbothered act, really leaving Shui Yun unsure what to say.

Along the way, it's unclear whether Pei Yaoguang's plan worked, or the behind-the-scenes mastermind was resting and gathering strength, or something else, but things have gone fairly smoothly so far. Yet Shui Yun knows the opponent is no ordinary foe; the smoother it goes, the more dangerous what comes next will be.

So, seeing that they would reach Kind Prefecture in about a day, that night, after the two arrived at a nearby town and found an inn to rest, Shui Yun took out a bottle from her pack, then turned and walked to the *bed, facing Pei Yaoguang lying flat on the *bed like a dead fish, and said.

"Take off your clothes."

Shui Yun's voice was very calm, her delicate face showing no expression. But upon hearing this, Pei Yaoguang, lying flat on the *bed, was so exhausted he couldn't even lift his eyelids, so he only closed his eyes and weakly asked in return.

"What for?"

"Cut the nonsense, hurry up!"

"Don't toss me around, this old master needs to rest now."

After riding horseback for several days straight, Pei Yaoguang had previously been able to put on an act, but now he didn't even have the energy to pretend; as soon as he got off the horse, he would just collapse, not wanting to move at all.

At this moment, seeing Pei Yaoguang lazily refusing to move, and occasionally revealing a childlike demeanor, Shui Yun's face darkened; without further words, she casually set the bottle aside, then grabbed him and hauled him up from the *bed, in a few quick motions stripping off his clothes.

Shui Yun knew no gentleness, she was a true tough woman. Being tossed about by her, Pei Yaoguang, his whole body seeming to fall apart, first couldn't help but cry out, then widened his eyes.

"Ah! Dead woman, what are you doing? You……"