On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2076: Not Unjustly Died

The boat planks were slippery from the moisture. Five men surrounded Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe. The one in the lead had his shirt open, revealing a shallow scar on his chest, and his eyes were full of disdain.

"Are you two blind or heartless?" The man with the shallow scar spat on the deck. "You dare to block our boat in this waterway? Don't you even know whose territory this is?"

Yan Ruyu stood beside Huo Changhe, stepping over the water stains on the deck, her voice as cold as ice: "I ask you, besides releasing and capturing divine beasts, what else do you do?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the five men were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The short man clutched his stomach, unable to straighten up: "Guys, did you hear that? This kid actually asked us if we wanted to do anything else—so they think we're smugglers?"

"That's not all!" Another tall, thin man leaned over, his eyes sweeping over Yan Ruyu. "I think these two are desperate for money and want to rob us! They dare to challenge us with just the two of them?"

Yan Ruyu's lips curled up slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes; it was more like she found it absurd.

She glanced at Huo Changhe but didn't say anything.

Huo Changhe kept his eyes down, his right hand resting on the dagger at his waist. The scabbard was dark, almost blending into his dark robes.

The man with the shallow scar finished laughing, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to step forward: "Since you're here to rob us, then stop talking nonsense—if you know what's good for you, hand over all your valuables, and maybe we'll let you live."

Just as his hand was halfway out in the air, Huo Changhe suddenly moved.

Without any unnecessary movements, he moved like a swallow skimming the water, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the man with the shallow scar.

The dagger slid out of its sheath, flashing cold light, and grazed the side of the man with the shallow scar's neck.

All that was heard was a very soft "sizzle" sound, and then a line of blood spread along the blade. Immediately afterwards, warm blood gushed out and splashed onto the deck, spreading a small patch of dark red.

The man with the shallow scar froze on his face, his eyes widened, and he made a "hoarse" sound in his throat. He clutched his neck, but couldn't stop the blood from flowing down.

A moment later, his body went limp and he collapsed onto the deck, motionless.

The remaining four men froze completely, their eyes fixed on the corpse on the ground, then on Huo Changhe.

A drop of blood rolled along the tip of the dagger in Huo Changhe's hand. He lowered his eyes and said in a flat tone, "Can you talk now?"

The short man's throat bobbed twice, he took a step back, and his voice trembled: "You... what exactly do you do? This isn't a cargo ship, we really don't have any money."

Yan Ruyu took a step forward, her voice still cold, "I haven't gotten an answer to my question yet. Besides releasing and capturing the divine beasts, what else are you going to do?"

The four men looked at each other, and the tall, thin one gritted his teeth: "No way! We'll only take care of the divine beast. We'll bring it out of the water and send it back to Dragon's Roar Island. We won't care about anything else!"

"How many times have you done this?" Yan Ruyu pressed.

The tall, thin man's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "I can't remember... Anyway, I always did it according to orders. Nobody has ever counted how many times."

Yan Ruyu suddenly laughed. The laughter was very soft, but it sent chills down the spines of the four men.

She looked at them and asked, word by word, "So that means the number of girls pushed off the boat is countless?"

Upon hearing this, the four men fell silent instantly.

Silence is the best form of consent.

"Then he died a just death." Yan Ruyu's voice was devoid of laughter, only chilling coldness remained.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Huo Changhe moved again.

This time he didn't give them a chance to react; the dagger seemed to come alive in his hand.

The short man was about to run to the stern when a dagger was already pressed against his back; the tall, thin man tried to fight back with his knife, but as soon as he raised his wrist, Huo Changhe grabbed it and slashed the dagger across his throat.

The remaining two men were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they knelt down on the deck with a thud, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Heroes, spare our lives!"

Huo Changhe didn't even lift his eyelids. The dagger fell again, and the two men who had begged for mercy were lifeless.

Huo Changhe wiped the blood from the dagger onto the corpses' clothes, then bent down, picked up the four corpses one by one, and threw them into the water.

The sound of the body falling into the water was very soft, and it was quickly submerged by the waves, leaving only a few streaks of blood floating on the surface.

Before long, two splashes suddenly appeared on the water's surface, and two figures floated to the surface.

It was those two girls who had been pushed down; water was dripping from their bodies, and their hair was plastered to their cheeks, yet they showed no signs of distress.

Clutching short knives, they leaped onto the boat, knelt on one knee, and bowed to Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe.

"Your Majesty, Princess."

Yan Ruyu nodded, then turned her gaze to the direction of the sacrificial ceremony in the distance.

"Continue sailing so that the people can see what's underwater."

The boat slowly turned around and headed towards the sacrificial ceremony.

Liu Jiulang and Prefect Ding, along with a group of officials, were still kneeling on the ground.

Incense smoke curled up on the altar behind him, drifting into the air and dispersing into a pale white haze.

Governor Ding secretly looked up at the sun in the sky, then leaned close to Liu Jiulang's ear and whispered, "Jiulang, it's almost time, why is there still no movement? Could something have gone wrong with that thing?"

Liu Jiulang frowned and glared at him out of the corner of his eye: "What's the rush? The sacrificial ceremony is all about timing; even a second off is unacceptable. Just wait a bit longer, they'll definitely come."

Despite saying that, Liu Jiulang also began to have doubts.

At this time of day, there should be some activity underwater, so why is it so quiet today?

Just then, a sound came from the water—the sound of oars cutting through the water.

Liu Jiulang's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously raised his head to look towards the water.

On the water, a boat is sailing towards the sacrificial platform.

Liu Jiulang's heart felt like it was being squeezed by a hand. He cursed inwardly: Damn it! How did this ship get here? Who sent them?!

Governor Ding also saw the ship, his face changed instantly, and his voice trembled: "Ninth Master... how did they get here?"

Liu Jiulang gritted his teeth, suppressing his panic, and said in a low voice, "Stay calm! Send sailors over to check, but whatever you do, don't let anyone notice anything amiss. If the people find out..."

He didn't say anything more, but the meaning was clear.

Governor Ding nodded, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and secretly winked at one of the yamen runners next to him.

The constable understood, slowly retreated to the back of the crowd, walked towards the shore, and quietly entered the water.

The yamen runners are good swimmers, and those who guard the water's edge are all good swimmers, but those who came with Governor Ding today are especially good.

But this time, he was destined to fail.