Execute the task

Execute the task

On a cold winter night, the wind howled, carrying with it the fishy smell wafting from the fishing grounds and docks. Jiang Chaoyu was sitting on the second floor of the inn next door, having asked the waiter to prepare a private room for her to rest. Although she said she was resting, her eyes were fixed on every movement at the docks through the cracks in the wooden window.

There was a knock at the door, three short and two long. Jiang Chaoyu opened the door and saw that it was Xu Ninghui. After confirming that no one was around, she closed the door.

Xu Ninghui arrived in a hurry and found himself parched. Seeing tea on the table, he picked up the teapot and drank it all in one gulp to quench his thirst.

"Well, any new information?" Xu Ninghui's mission was to send someone to inquire about the fugitive, and Jiang Chaoyu, seeing Xu Ninghui return, was particularly eager to know if there was any important news.

After quenching his thirst, Xu Ninghui told the news word by word: "We sent someone to find out that after escaping from prison, this person actually went back to contact an acquaintance at the dock and will probably take a boat from the dock to escape around 1-3 AM."

"Do you have a map of the boat?" As soon as Jiang Chaoyu heard that the fugitive wanted to escape, he had a plan. Since he wanted to take a boat, then he would move to the boat and kill him!

Upon hearing Jiang Chaoyu's words, Xu Ninghui immediately realized Jiang Chaoyu's plan. His expression showed a moment of astonishment, and he repeatedly denied it, saying, "Senior Sister, no! How can you face this alone!"

Jiang Chaoyu guessed that Xu Ninghui objected, and her expression became serious as she looked directly at Xu Ninghui, "If I don't have to face this alone, do you have any good ideas?"

Xu Ninghui thought that since the fugitive had escaped at midnight, why not deal with him on the shore, or hide him on the boat? Before he could voice his thoughts, Jiang Chaoyu had already seen through them.

Jiang Chaoyu saw through his thoughts and said, "Don't even think about it. You've already found out that he's very skilled. If we were on land, the two of us might not be a match for him. Besides, if we're hiding on the boat, the boatman wouldn't know the size of the boat and could see any ripples on the water. It's better to deal with him at sea!"

Seeing that Xu Ninghui remained silent, Jiang Chaoyu simply spread her hands, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said with a calm and confident expression, "Junior brother, the Crescent Moon Sect always has a way to achieve both goals. I'm sure you have a map in your hand. Give it to your senior sister."

"But, Senior Sister, your safety..." Xu Ninghui still wanted to decline, very worried about Jiang Chaoyu's safety.

“Illustration! This is an order, Junior Brother.” Jiang Chaoyu directly issued the order. Crescent Moon Sect has a rule that subordinates must obey the orders of their superiors when outside.

"Yes." Xu Ninghui slowly took out the ship's structural diagram from his clothes. Upon seeing this, Jiang Chaoyu snatched the diagram away.

Jiang Chaoyu slowly opened the blueprints, already having a clear understanding of them, and was just waiting for the right time to begin.

"Just wait for me on the shore. If the opponent's martial arts are too strong, I will retreat as soon as possible. You don't need to worry too much." Although Jiang Chaoyu said this, she couldn't help but raise her hand to wipe away Xu Ninghui's frown as he still had a furrowed brow. "Alright, although your senior sister doesn't take on many missions, my martial arts are among the best in the Crescent Moon Sect. Otherwise, why would you ask me to come with you?"

Jiang Chaoyu patted Xu Ninghui on the shoulder, "Cheer up, I'm not going to my death, why are you so worried?"

Despite this reassurance, Xu Ninghui was still somewhat worried. However, seeing Jiang Chaoyu's encouraging gaze, Xu Ninghui could only hide his worry and force a smile in response.

Looking at Xu Ninghui's forced smile, Jiang Chaoyu said helplessly, "Your smile is too ugly. You'd be better off not smiling at all." Upon hearing this, Xu Ninghui's face immediately fell.

This little incident passed quickly amidst their laughter and conversation.

Jiang Chaoyu's deerskin boots stepped over the mottled fish scales on the wooden planks. Hiding behind the boats moored on the shore, she pulled her cloak hood down and glanced at the boat that was about to appear.

At 3:45 AM, before the fishermen had even woken up, some people were already rushing to the dock to "fish".

Jiang Chaoyu was dressed in black night clothes, the soft sword at her waist jingling slightly. Her eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, staring intently at the two figures that were vaguely moving in front of her.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Chaoyu, a pair of eyes were also watching her from a short distance away.

The target had just appeared and was preparing to board the ship. Jiang Chaoyu planned to teleport to the ship after they set sail, but due to the limitations of her skill, it seemed she would have to hide behind the stern first.

Just as the fugitive was about to board the boat, Xu Ninghui appeared unexpectedly behind him. This man was seven and a half feet tall and had a burly build. No wonder he had killed so many people; ordinary people were no match for him.

Xu Ninghui shouted, "Where are you going?" He held a long knife in his hand. The patterns on the hilt were somewhat mottled due to the wear and tear of time, but the blade still gleamed coldly.

The fugitive was shocked, not expecting his whereabouts to be exposed. He had planned to escape and find a peaceful place to live out the rest of his life, but he didn't expect that the imperial bounty was so high that he couldn't escape the people chasing him.

Xu Ninghui gripped his longsword and slashed at the fugitive. Unexpectedly, the fugitive keenly sensed it and drew his own knife to block, but he could still feel the force transmitted by the blade, which made his hand tighten and he almost lost his grip on the sword.

Jiang Chaoyu had originally planned to have Xu Ninghui wait at the inn, but she hadn't expected the boy to be so impatient and choose to create an opportunity for her. Since he had created an opportunity for her, Jiang Chaoyu would take advantage of it, hiding in the stern of the boat beforehand, closing her eyes, and visualizing the general space in her mind. "Spatial displacement lock, enter!"

Perhaps the boatman was too focused on the fight between the two to notice the slight rocking of the boat. After entering, Jiang Chaoyu endured the unpleasant fishy smell and allowed herself a moment to recover her strength.

"It seems that even after escaping here, we still can't avoid being hunted down." As soon as the fugitive said this, he immediately retaliated, dodging Xu Ninghui's knife. He swung his broadsword suddenly, fast and hateful, as if he wanted to kill Xu Ninghui.

Xu Ninghui caught the knife and kicked the fugitive in the chest. He thought the fugitive would fall to the ground, but he didn't move at all. Xu Ninghui was shocked and quickly withdrew his foot, but the fugitive hit him in the chest with his hand, causing him to vomit blood. Seeing that Xu Ninghui was no match for him, the fugitive turned around, boarded the boat, and told the boatman to row away quickly.

Xu Ninghui's purpose in sparring with the fugitive was merely to get Jiang Chaoyu onto the ship without her noticing. However, after this exchange, she realized she was no match for him. Now deeply worried about Jiang Chaoyu, she clutched her chest injury, looked in the direction the ship had gone, and murmured, "Senior Sister, you must beat him!"

At this moment, a fierce wind rose on the sea, whipping up waves that began to churn. The ship bobbed up and down with the waves, extremely unstable, accompanied by the sound of lightning and a deafening roar.

Jiang Chaoyu hid at the stern of the boat. She held her breath and used all her senses to capture every movement around her. However, she hated the smell of fish, and now that she was in such a crowded place, she couldn't help but cough.

The mere sound alerted the sensitive fugitive, who, following the sound, stealthily moved towards Jiang Chaoyu's location. At first, Jiang Chaoyu didn't realize she had been exposed, but the more she listened, the more something seemed off; her breathing was becoming heavier.

"Not good!" A sense of unease crept in; he feared his cough had been heard. Holding his breath, he listened intently. The opponent seemed to be to his northeast. He reached for his soft sword, and upon hearing the opponent approaching, he seized the opportunity to draw it and attack in the targeted direction.

"ah!"

The opponent screamed, and Jiang Chaoyu jumped out, her cloak being ripped off to reveal her face. She thought to herself, "Sure enough, my intuition was right!"

Seeing the fugitive's right hand pierced by the sword, leaving a gaping hole, and his left hand clutching the wound, his face contorted in pain, Jiang Chaoyu appeared before him, her soft sword still stained with the fugitive's blood.

Seeing the fugitive's pained expression, Jiang Chaoyu coldly said, "Today, I'll take your life!"

He had thought that the one who had injured him was a more skilled fighter than the man from before, but he never expected that the person in front of him was a petite young woman.

Feeling much more at ease, he said disdainfully, "Young lady, if you don't stay home and practice needlework, no one will want you. Why don't you come with me? I guarantee you'll live a life of pleasure."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu rolled her eyes and said coldly, "You beast, let's see if you can leave your descendants behind!"

After uttering this harsh threat, Jiang Chaoyu swung her soft sword at the fugitive. The fugitive didn't even have time to react before his arm was bleeding.

Upon seeing this, the fugitive realized that he had underestimated the petite woman in front of him, and teased, "I didn't expect you to be so fierce, little lady."

Although his right hand, which he used to wield the knife, was injured, the fugitive chose to use his left hand to wield the knife, taking another blow from Jiang Chaoyu. He then caught her soft sword with his hand. Seeing that her sword had been caught, Jiang Chaoyu chose to sweep her leg horizontally, knocking the fugitive to the ground.

The fugitive, whose hands were injured, was lying on the ground. Just as Jiang Chaoyu was about to deliver the fatal blow, he noticed someone approaching from behind and dodged the attack by turning to the side.

Looking back, he saw the boatman holding a wooden box, standing on a high place, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to his head, but he missed. Seeing this, Jiang Chaoyu directly stabbed the boatman in the heart. The man looked down at his heart, his breath caught in his throat, and he died on the spot. Jiang Chaoyu pulled out the sword, and the boatman fell to the side.

"Big brother!" The fugitive cried out in anguish as he watched his older brother being killed.

Then he stood up unsteadily, panting heavily, his eyes flashing with ferocity. "If you want my life, you can have it, but if you killed my elder brother, then you will surely die today!"

Jiang Chaoyu hadn't expected this person to be her elder brother, but she had previously learned that he and her elder brother were harming the people, so she was doing this to avenge the people.

The fugitive, enduring his injuries, slashed at Jiang Chaoyu. Jiang Chaoyu blocked with his sword, but the man was incredibly strong, and Jiang Chaoyu was no match for him. He retreated, then leaped into the air, flipping behind the fugitive. The fugitive missed Jiang Chaoyu, striking the stern of the boat instead, causing water to leak in. Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu had dodged so quickly, the fugitive drew his knife and swung it behind him.

Jiang Chaoyu bent down to avoid the knife. Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu was dodging, the fugitive had no way to make a move. He quickly kicked her in the waist and abdomen. Jiang Chaoyu could not avoid the move and was kicked to the bow of the boat, fell to the ground, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The difference in strength between men and women was too great. The fugitive's attack caused great harm to Jiang Chaoyu, so much so that she couldn't get up after falling to the ground. She supported herself with her arms on the ground and watched the fugitive approach.

Seeing this, the fugitive felt he had the situation under control and let out a piercing laugh, "Hahahaha, I told you, you will die today!"