A flash of ferocity flickered in Xin San’s eyes. “Let’s fight them to the death! Better to die than be slaves. We’ll escape as many as we can. Kill—”
Before he could finish, a series of swift whooshing sounds rang out.
Then, one by one, the Quzhao guards who had been strutting arrogantly in front of them moments ago crumpled to the ground with heavy thuds.
Xin San and the others stood dumbfounded. Wait—he had only shouted a rallying cry to boost their own morale. How had the guards suddenly dropped dead?
Just as he started to wonder if he had awakened some special power, a thunderous crash erupted.
The gate had shattered.
The gate. Shattered.
Truly shattered—broken into several chunks that went flying through the air.
Yun Chengxuan lowered his leg and looked from a distance at the still-stunned Xin San and the others.
“What are you standing around for? Hurry up! We still need to get back to sleep.”
Wang Liang stepped out from behind Yun Chengxuan. “Quick! To the dock!”
He was still in a daze himself, truth be told—completely bewildered the entire way.
As someone familiar with the waters, the terrain, and the captives, he naturally had to join tonight’s operation. He had heard the Jinyang Army was formidable, but he never imagined they were this lethal—striking down enemies without a trace.
And this young man before him, whom he had always considered a gluttonous, sleepyhead, had just kicked down a heavy wooden door with a single strike.
It was too dark for Xin San and the others to see clearly, but the familiar voices reassured them. Without a second word, they followed Wang Liang running toward the dock.
Yun Chengxuan and his men guarded their flanks.
At the dock.
The guards saw flames rising from the camp, lighting up nearly half of it.
“A fire? Captain, should we go back and put it out?” one soldier asked anxiously.
The captain squinted and shook his head. “Something’s wrong. Very wrong. Everyone stay alert!”
Splash… splash…
Faint sounds of water came from the sea.
The captain’s heart gave a violent lurch. He raised his bow and aimed toward the dark ocean. “Who’s there?”
Splash… splash…
The sea was pitch-black. Nothing was visible—only the sound of water growing closer.
The rhythm was steady, and the distance was closing fast.
“Wh-what is that noise? Sounds like paddling…” a soldier stammered.
In the black of night, seeing nothing but hearing water approach—like a monster slowly crawling toward them—was deeply unnerving.
The captain barked, “I don’t care what demon it is! Shoot toward the sound!”
He loosed the first arrow in the direction of the noise.
Xie Nanxiao stood firm with his “Divine Gaze,” the name he had given his telescope.
Watching the enemy’s arrows fall harmlessly into the sea, his expression remained cold.
They were still too far off. Ordinary arrows couldn’t reach them, especially not shots fired blindly.
But soon—they would be within range. He gazed at the dark shapes drawing nearer and smiled.
“Prepare to fire,” he ordered in a low voice.
The Dragon Shadow Guards stood on the deck, bows raised, all aimed at the distant guards.
A lantern hung faintly at the dock, casting dim light—enough to make out the silhouettes of the defenders.
The captain heard the splash of arrows hitting water. None had struck their targets. But the paddling grew louder, so he dared not stop.
He pulled another arrow, nocked it, and was about to draw the bowstring when a soft, sharp swoosh cut through the air.
His pupils contracted sharply. Before he could react, a chilling cold touched his neck—an arrow had pierced clean through it, leaving only the tail feathers trembling before his eyes.
"Captain!" the guards shouted in alarm, while warily scanning the sea.
Suddenly, arrows seemed to rain from every direction, burying themselves in the necks of Qu Zhao's defenders.
Jiang Jin moved with lightning speed, loosing arrow after arrow.
With the combined assault from her, Xie Nanxiao, and the others, the dozens of guards near the dock were swiftly taken down.
Jiang Jin quickly fired a few more arrows, extinguishing the nearby lanterns.
The lanterns had illuminated the dock, turning the enemy guards into easy targets. But now that they had reached the dock themselves, they would become targets—so the lights had to be put out.
As she shot down the last lantern, she heard the noise of commotion behind her.
A smile lit up her face. Turning around, she saw that Yun Chengxuan and his men had indeed arrived.
"Quick, our boats are over there! Swim for it!" Jiang Jin shouted.
By then, Xie Nanxiao had someone light lanterns on the ship, signaling the direction to the others.
A flash of reluctance flickered in Xin San’s eyes. "Two ships at the dock have been repaired. Let's take them and leave nothing for Qu Zhao's men!"
If time allowed, he would have dismantled the remaining ships as well.
A hint of amusement gleamed in Jiang Jin’s eyes. "Do it. Quickly. Send some to steer those boats, and have everyone else board the large vessel!"
Screams rang out from behind from time to time, as Yun Chengxuan led the Dragon Shadow Guards in holding off the pursuing Qu Zhao troops.
Everyone moved fast. Wang Liang, Xin San, and the others had spent their whole lives working with boats—they were seasoned hands.
Untying the mooring lines and raising the anchor was done in one smooth motion.
Before long, the ships were underway.
With a single stride, Jiang Jin leaped aboard. Yun Chengxuan and the Dragon Shadow Guards retreated while shooting arrows, then boarded the ship right behind her.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one. By the time the garrison commander, Wu Ku, reached the dock, the ships were already far away.
Enraged, Wu Ku slammed his sword into the ground. "Who in the hell was it? Daring to raid our dock and steal our ships!"
His lieutenant stared at the large cargo vessel that still had its lantern burning. "That's... a cargo ship!"
The boat was now far in the distance, but the lantern glow was still visible, tracing a hazy outline.
The difference between a military ship and a cargo vessel was obvious, and he spotted it immediately.
Wu Ku was taken aback. "A cargo ship?"
He drew in a sharp breath. "The nearest dock to us is at Ze'a Commandery, and they happened to have cargo ships. Are you saying... Ze'a Commandery did this?"
The lieutenant was uncertain. "I don't know, but it's highly possible it was them."
"What do we do now? How do we explain this to the general?" Wu Ku was full of worry.
His face dark and grim, Wu Ku said nothing, only staring with vicious intensity at the slowly fading light in the distance.
The lantern remained lit, guiding the newly joined small military vessels to follow behind.
Not until they had sailed far away did Xin San and the others dare to believe it. "Have we... have we really escaped?"
Wang Liang smiled. "More like the Lord delivered you, not that you just escaped on your own."
His expression turned solemn, and he bowed deeply to Jiang Jin. "I thank you, Lord."
Jiang Jin raised her hand in a gesture of stopping him. "No need for formality."
Xin San and the others also bowed to Jiang Jin in gratitude, though they were still a bit unclear about the situation.
From Wang Liang’s words, they understood that he had already sworn allegiance to this woman, and it was she who had rescued them tonight.
Jiang Jin nodded to everyone. "We're safe for now. Get some rest. We'll discuss everything tomorrow."
As the sky began to lighten, the garrison camp in Donghu Commandery erupted with the furious roar of General Tang Tishou.
"You're saying the prisoner at the dock last night has been rescued?"
