The messenger was following alongside a general who was preparing to put on his helmet, walking toward Liu Shucheng and his men while chattering about something. When he spotted Liu Shucheng and his companions in their tight-fitting uniforms, and then saw their own soldiers pursuing the four men led by Liu Shuhong, both the messenger and the general stopped in their tracks with expressions of surprise.

In just an instant, Liu Shucheng recognized that person—it was Gao Liujun, the new commander of the Dongyi naval forces.

Liu Shucheng’s eyes darkened as he shouted, “Kill!”

The four men locked onto their target.

Dongyi naval commander Gao Liujun saw four murderous men looking in his direction. For some unknown reason, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end, instinctively taking a step backward.

“General, let us block them!” Two Great Zhou elite soldiers drew the flexible swords from their waists, turning to face the Dongyi naval soldiers who were charging at them with drawn blades. They were determined to block those ferocious Dongyi naval soldiers in this narrow passageway, buying time for Liu Shucheng and his men to assassinate Dongyi naval commander Gao Liujun.

The moment the lamp shadows flickered on the cabin’s wooden walls, the sound of clashing blades suddenly rang out.

Liu Shucheng and the Great Zhou naval soldier with exceptional martial skills also drew the thin swords from their waists. Cold light flashed unpredictably, murderous aura pressing forward as they charged straight toward Gao Liujun.

Seeing this, Gao Liujun retreated in panic. The messenger, who carried no weapons, used his own body to shield Gao Liujun, crying out loudly, “Someone come! Someone is trying to assassinate the general!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the messenger was pierced through the throat by Liu Shucheng’s sword. The other Great Zhou naval elite soldier, following behind Liu Shucheng, possessing exceptional martial skills, stepped onto the wooden wall. At the moment when Liu Shucheng withdrew his sword after killing the Dongyi messenger and blood mist sprayed forth, his form moved like a swimming dragon, leaping out from behind Liu Shucheng. His flexible sword broke through the air with a humming sound, the blade rippling like water waves before straightening to strike at Gao Liujun.

The poison-coated sharp blade reflected a heart-chilling dark gleam in the flickering firelight. Before it even arrived, the killing intent was already upon them.

Gao Liujun, who hadn’t had time to put on his helmet, steadied his mind. While retreating, he drew the saber from his waist. Two hidden guards who had been protecting him from behind also leaped out from behind Gao Liujun. One used the heavy black sword in his hand to block the Great Zhou naval soldier’s attack, while the other thrust his long sword toward the soaking wet Great Zhou naval soldier’s chest.

Seeing this, Liu Shucheng’s eyes widened. He stepped on the corpse of the Dongyi naval messenger and rushed forward swiftly. Avoiding the hidden guard’s blade, he pushed aside his soldier with one hand and turned sideways—his entire body nearly passed between the two sword edges. His flexible sword made an extremely light sound as it cut through the air. The hidden guard who had originally been attacking the naval soldier’s chest had his head fall from his still-upright body, and the blood that hit the ground was black.

The Great Zhou naval soldier was pushed back three steps by Liu Shucheng. Looking up, he saw that Liu Shucheng was already entangled with Gao Liujun’s other hidden guard. The two Great Zhou naval soldiers behind him were no match for the numerous Dongyi naval forces. Their bodies had been stabbed countless times, and the ground was covered with what might have been their blood or the seawater they had brought aboard when they climbed onto the ship.

This Great Zhou naval soldier with the best martial skills knew that they didn’t have much time left. Since they had risked their lives this time, they had to take the enemy commander’s head.

For some reason, at this moment, all that filled the naval soldier’s mind was the image from before their departure—his mother sitting on the doorstep, taking advantage of the remaining sunset before it completely set, sewing shoe soles for him.

He roared and charged toward Gao Liujun, who was turning to flee. His flexible long sword, like his supple body, brushed past Liu Shucheng and the hidden guard, piercing through Gao Liujun’s throat with one thrust. But at the same time, his body was also pierced by Gao Liujun’s hidden guard’s black sword. Blood flowed rapidly down the grooves on both sides of the black blade, so fast that the area under his feet immediately became a scalding, wet red.

Liu Shucheng struck with extreme speed, and that hidden guard also couldn’t escape the fate of being killed.

The two men still roaring at the front, blocking the Dongyi naval soldiers trying to rush in, were nearly at their limit. Despite being wounded by numerous blades, they hadn’t retreated because their mission wasn’t complete. Now, seeing that Gao Liujun was surely going to die, both men seemed about to have their strength drained immediately.

“Go!” The two men desperately blocked the Dongyi naval soldiers, shouting.

Liu Shucheng’s throat rolled as he rushed over, grabbed his comrade who had been pierced through the chest by the hidden guard’s sword, and ran toward the other end of the ship.

The two men blocking the Dongyi naval soldiers finally fell, their vision becoming unfocused. The Dongyi naval soldiers shouted for people to intercept Liu Hong and the severely wounded Great Zhou naval soldier, who kept spitting blood.

“General Liu, I… can’t hold on anymore!” The Great Zhou naval soldier suddenly stumbled, pushed Liu Shucheng away, and said in an extremely heavy local accent, “You go quickly! Tell my mother for me that her son was unfilial… and will serve her in the next life!”

Better for one to survive than none! General Liu Shucheng, being uninjured, had a greater chance of escaping alive.

After saying this, he turned around. Whether due to excessive blood loss or not, the scenery before his eyes seemed to spin wildly. He used all his remaining strength to roar and raise his sword to kill enemies, wanting to use his dying body to buy time for Liu Shucheng.

Liu Shucheng clenched his teeth, knowing that the naval soldier was certain to die. He could only quicken his pace. Just as he rushed to the cabin exit, he was blocked by two Dongyi soldiers guarding the exit. He held his breath, raised his sword, and cleanly dispatched both men, though his shoulder was also wounded. Sweat was already dripping from the tip of his nose. He leaned against the door frame, gasping for breath. After catching his breath, he rushed outside, only to see several more warships in the distance with flames reaching toward the sky.

“There he is! Catch him!”

“That assassin killed General Gao Liujun, catch him!”

Hearing the shouts of pursuing Dongyi naval soldiers, Liu Shucheng was about to run to the right when he saw that there were also pursuers coming from the right side.

With Dongyi naval soldiers blocking him from front and back, his only chance to save his life now was to jump down, and only then could he lead the warship toward the small boat.

Liu Shucheng rushed to the railing and glanced at the distance. Taking a running start, just as the Dongyi naval soldier’s blade scraped past Liu Shucheng’s spine, Liu Shucheng leaped into the seawater.

“General Liu!” Before Liu Shucheng fell into the ocean, he heard someone calling his name.

Jumping from such a height, the moment he hit the water and was struck by the icy seawater, Liu Shucheng seemed to lose consciousness. He dreamed of Prince Han… he even dreamed of that naval battle in which Prince Han heroically sacrificed himself—a battle he hadn’t participated in. He seemed to see with his own eyes Prince Han ramming into Dongyi’s main warship, then falling into the sea severely wounded. He wanted to shout for someone to save Prince Han, but the salty, bitter seawater surged from all directions, rushing into his mouth, nose, and ears.

Liu Shucheng shuddered and opened his eyes in the seawater, suddenly surfacing and gasping violently…

“Archers! Don’t let him escape! Where are the archers!”

Liu Shucheng understood this Dongyi phrase. Without a word, he took a deep breath and swam into the distance.