The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 545: Chapter 545: You Know Me?

Shen Yanchuan immediately drew his sword and blocked the attack from behind!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sharp sound of impact rang out, scraping against the eardrums and sending a chill down one’s spine!

Shen Yanchuan spun around with the momentum, and several throwing daggers fell to the ground before him.

He glanced down, noting the daggers were as thin as a cicada’s wing yet incredibly sharp. A faint blue glint on their tips revealed they were coated in poison.

’They’re here to kill me.’

Shen Yanchuan lifted his gaze, his voice ice-cold. ”You must have been waiting for quite some time. Why not show yourselves?”

After a moment of dead silence, a figure emerged noiselessly from the darkness.

Then a second, a third...

A quick glance revealed as many as nine people!

Some wore tight-fitting black clothes, others were dressed as prison guards, and two were even in prisoners’ uniforms, their hair disheveled and their bodies covered in blood.

’They’ve really committed to the act.’

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze swept over them one by one, and he let out a soft chuckle.

”To go to such lengths just to kill me... you’ve certainly put in the effort.”

The Ministry of Justice Prison isn’t so easy to get into.

To plant all these people here separately must have required early planning and every trick in the book.

Some even went so far as to be imprisoned here, enduring endless torture.

All for a single chance to kill him!

CRACK.

The tall, gaunt man in the prisoner’s uniform standing in the very center raised his hands and effortlessly broke his shackles.

His body was wounded, his uniform stained with blood. His hair hung loose, and his face was so grimy his features were unrecognizable.

Only his sinister eyes, filled with a bone-chilling cold, stared grimly at Shen Yanchuan, like a viper ready to strike.

He spoke in a raspy voice, which sounded as if it had been damaged, making it strangely grating.

”Rumor has it the Heir of Duke Dingbei is a master of martial arts, with countless capable men under his command. You’ve escaped death several times. But today, you have no Black Cavalry Guard. You are alone. Shen Yanchuan—what will you do this time?”

His words dripped with contempt and mockery, as if he had already determined Shen Yanchuan’s death was certain!

Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’I’ve never seen this man before, but he clearly knows a great deal about me.’

Before he could speak, a heavy, muffled sound came from behind him.

THUD!

The door that had been opened had slammed shut again!

Shen Yanchuan looked back. The stone wall was seamless once more, with only a lingering scent in the air to remind everyone of what was inside!

”What, disappointed you couldn’t get inside for a look?”

The man snorted.

”Don’t you worry. Once you’re dead, you’ll meet them in hell! ’The Heir of Duke Dingbei forced his way into the Ministry of Justice Prison, but failed to escape and perished in a sea of flames’—how does that sound?”

Shen Yanchuan turned his gaze back to the men before him.

At this point, everything was perfectly clear—this was a setup!

A death trap laid specifically for him!

A faint smile suddenly played on Shen Yanchuan’s lips.

He said,

”What a coincidence. I happen to be in a good mood today. So, when this is over, I’m willing to leave your corpses intact.”

His words instantly enraged the men opposite him.

The leader’s face turned cold, and he swung his hand down sharply.

”Enough wasting time on him. Kill him!”

...

「The Ministry of Justice.」

Lian Zhou went straight to Su Wei and informed him of the Southern Hu Blade Man’s sudden, violent death.

Su Wei understood the gravity of the situation. He immediately sent for the relevant case files on those men and personally reviewed each one. Only after confirming there were no mistakes did he breathe a small sigh of relief.

”Please inform the Princely Heir that the case files are all secure. Just in case, I will still—”

Before he could finish, a commotion erupted outside.

”My lord! There’s a fire at the Ministry of Justice Prison!”

”What!?”

Su Wei’s expression turned grim. He rushed outside and saw fierce flames blazing in the direction of the Ministry of Justice.

Lian Zhou’s heart suddenly clenched—’This is bad!’

’His Highness is still over there!’

He said at once, ”Lord Su, I must ask you to guard these case files with your life tonight. I have urgent business and must take my leave!”

With that, Lian Zhou turned and hurried out.

”Hey—”

Su Wei opened his mouth to stop him but held back.

Lian Zhou had just said that Shen Yanchuan went to the Ministry of Justice first. Given the current situation—

Lian Zhou raced toward the Ministry of Justice at top speed.

At the same time, he pulled a bamboo tube from his sleeve and yanked it sharply!

FWOOSH—BANG!

A firework suddenly exploded in the night sky!

...

Ye Chutang continued deeper inside. After rounding two corners, she finally heard a faint sound.

She focused her gaze and saw that the sound was coming from a cell to her right.

A man was locked inside, leaning against the wall with his head slightly bowed, as if he were asleep.

But Ye Chutang knew he wasn’t sleeping, because he was the one who had made the sound just now.

This was the first death row inmate she had seen here.

The prison guards responsible for this area had already received orders to retreat, leaving these prisoners to their fate.

But perhaps they were accustomed to such silence and stillness, or maybe they were too far from the outside to know anything was wrong. They were all as stiff and motionless as wooden statues.

Ye Chutang took a step forward.

The death row inmate finally turned his head and gave her an expressionless look.

Only then did Ye Chutang notice his legs. They had been severed clean at the knees. His trouser legs hung empty, stained with long-dried blood.

Likely due to the horrid conditions, his wounds emitted a foul smell, suggesting they had already begun to fester.

Yet he seemed to feel no pain, his expression remaining frigid.

Their eyes met.

The inmate’s face twisted into a strange smile. Having not spoken for a long time, his voice was somewhat hoarse.

”...It’s certainly lively today.”

Ye Chutang was certain: ’Shen Yanchuan was definitely here!’

She tightened her grip on her sword and turned to continue deeper into the prison.

But just as she took a step, the man spoke again.

”If you’re looking for the man who came in earlier, I advise you not to go. Turn back now, and you might save your own life.”

Ye Chutang froze.

She turned slightly, sizing up the man once more.

He looked to be in his forties, emaciated to an extreme degree. Two scars on his face brutally tore across what might have once been rugged features, giving him a terrifying appearance.

On the visible parts of his body, she could also faintly make out all sorts of scars.

They looked to be a mix of old and new, a testament to the countless tortures he must have endured.

’To be in this state and still be alive...’

Ye Chutang grew suspicious of his identity. A man on death row, after spending some time here, should have died one way or another—either at the execution grounds or in this very prison.

This man had suffered endless torment yet still clung to life.

Either he was incredibly resilient, or... someone was deliberately keeping him alive to inflict the utmost humiliation and torture!

Ye Chutang asked, ”Do you know me?”