The freezing black water of the underground sewer river spit Yuchen and Seraphina out miles away from the commercial district. They dragged their tired bodies onto a muddy riverbank deep inside the dark woods outside the city walls. The heavy rain continued to pour down, washing the dirt and blood from their faces.Yuchen sat down on a large, wet rock. His silk coat was completely torn to shreds. He had deep bruises on his ribs, and his left arm was badly hurt from the heavy steel axe. He did not complain. He calmly grabbed his dislocated shoulder with his good hand and pulled it hard. A loud, sharp pop echoed in the quiet woods as the bone snapped back into place. Yuchen did not scream. He only breathed heavily.Seraphina fell onto the wet grass next to him. She was shivering from the freezing water. "We survived," she whispered, looking back toward the glowing lights of the city. "The warehouse is gone, but we are alive.""Survival is not a victory," Yuchen said coldly. He wiped the

‘If you surrender now, I will only break your legs before I drag you to Malakor." Seraphina stood with her back against the high brick wall. She held her silver-mithril sword tightly in both hands. Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily. She looked at the fourteen huge men, and then she looked at Yuchen. "Yuchen," Seraphina whispered, her voice shaking slightly. "There are too many of them. We cannot win this." Yuchen did not look at her. He kept his glowing golden eyes fixed on the mercenaries. He slowly raised his simple steel sword. His face was a flat, cold mask. "The mathematical probability of survival is currently sitting at zero," Yuchen said calmly. His voice did not shake at all. "However, a good businessman does not surrender his assets just because the market turns bad. We will fight. Protect my blind spot, client. Do not let them surround us." Seraphina took a deep breath. Her fear slowly melted away, replaced by the proud, fierce training of a noble k

"Keep moving!" Yuchen commanded. He was breathing heavily, holding his bleeding left leg, but he pushed forward with absolute determination. "We have a sixty-second head start before the outer courtyard guards realize what is happening."They sprinted across the white gravel paths. A small group of palace servants saw them coming and screamed, dropping their silver trays and running away in total panic. Yuchen and Seraphina reached the high stone wall that separated the palace from the main city. Without hesitating, Seraphina jumped up, grabbed the top edge of the rough stone, and pulled herself over. She reached down, grabbed Yuchen’s arm, and hauled him up right behind her.They dropped into a narrow, muddy street in the upper merchant district just as a massive, terrifying sound shook the entire city.*BWOOOOOOM.*It was the great war horn of the High Capital. The deep, heavy sound vibrated in their chests. It blew once, twice, and then a third time.Suddenly, the magically amplifi

Escaping Vanguard City took everything they had. Yuchen and Seraphina crawled through a forgotten, rusted drainage pipe under the high stone walls. They walked for hours in the freezing darkness of the wild forest. The heavy rain finally stopped, leaving a thick, cold fog over the trees.Seraphina was struggling. During the massive fight in the narrow alleyway, she had taken a heavy blow to her side. At the time, she ignored the pain. But now, the adrenaline was gone. Her beautiful silver-mithril armor was dented, and the thick leather padding underneath was soaked with dark red blood. She limped badly, leaning heavily against the rough bark of the trees."I have to stop," Seraphina gasped. She slid down the trunk of a large oak tree and sat in the wet dirt. She held her side tightly. Her face was totally pale, and her breathing was very fast and shallow.Yuchen stopped walking. He turned around and looked at her. His own clothes were torn, and his body was covered in deep bruises, b

Yuchen dropped the heavy leather bag onto the small wooden table in the corner of the room. He took off his torn, muddy cloak and threw it onto the floor. He did not waste a single second. He pulled out the fresh, clean white linen and the heavy leather skin filled with cold water.Seraphina was sitting on the edge of the hard bed. She was holding her side, breathing heavily. Her face was very pale, and sweat covered her forehead."Lie down flat," Yuchen commanded quietly. He walked over to the bed. "I need to inspect the damage and replace the bandages. The old cloth is completely soaked with blood. It is a big risk for infection."Seraphina slowly lay back against the flat wooden pillow. She winced in pain.Yuchen did not wear his dark sunglasses in the dim room. His golden eyes were totally focused. He carefully untied the dirty, bloody linen wrapped around her waist. He moved his hands with slow, extreme caution. For a man who spoke so coldly about money and assets, his hands were