Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

When Ye Chen said this, he felt like he was reciting lines.

But for the current situation, there really isn't any other word that's more appropriate.

Three covered boats lay across the middle of the river, and mist rose from the water, as if someone had covered the entire river with a white cloth.

Tu Er stood in the center of the boat, holding his ghost-head knife, like a black tower half-emerging from the riverbed, exuding a murderous aura honed over decades of licking blood from the edge of a knife.

"This is my grave? Kid, you're being way too arrogant. In this world, strength is what matters." Tu Er grinned, a smile colder than the night behind him.

After finishing his sentence, Tu Er stopped talking nonsense, pushed off with his foot, and the entire boat sank suddenly, with water splashing from both sides of the boat.

The ghost-headed saber came whistling through the air with tremendous force, its wind cleaving Jiang Wu open with a gash.

Ye Chen sidestepped and dodged, his Ghost Shadow Step leaving several afterimages on the slippery ship deck. He then used the scabbard to tap the blade and retreated.

But the boat planks were too narrow; as soon as one foot was steady, the toes were already touching the edge of the boat.

The river water surged beneath his feet, as if it were gaping open, waiting for him to fall in. Ye Chen's body swayed with the movement of the boat.

Tu Er's knife technique wasn't exactly sophisticated, but every strike was heavy, fierce, and ruthless. It was a wild style he had developed on the battlefield, specifically targeting a person's center of gravity and joints.

Ye Chen retreated six or seven steps, and seizing the opportunity when Ye Chen sheathed his sword and changed his move, the Ku Zhao sword was drawn with a clang.

The sword's edge was obscured, yet it was all the more unpredictable in the night. Ye Chen's speed was now swift, accurate, and ruthless, and his attacks were fierce.

Tu Er felt the sword energy pressing down on him and instinctively raised his sword to block it.

The sword's edge grazed the back of the blade, sending sparks flying and numbing his hand.

Tu Er was startled: This kid looks young, but the strength in his sword is incredibly mature.

A muffled thud suddenly came from the stern, followed by the entire boat tilting violently.

Aygul leaped onto the boat from the river like a black fish, each hand holding a short knife she had snatched from the enemy. Her knife skills were as fast as splashing water, and the two men who wanted to ambush Ye Chen from behind were forced to jump into the river before they could even make a move.

Han Song and the ghost servant had also cleaned up the boat on the left and were now closing in on the one in the middle.

Tu Er's men were dwindling in number, and black-clad figures floated on the river like fish upside down.

Tu Er's expression changed; he hadn't expected Ye Chen and his group to be able to inflict such damage on his vanguard fleet on the water.

He suddenly swept his sword horizontally, forcing Ye Chen back two steps, then turned and ran towards the bow of the boat, clearly intending to jump into the water.

Ye Chen wouldn't give him that chance. With a flick of his sword, a piece of oar stuck in the deck flew up and smashed into the back of Tu Er's head.

Tu Er turned around upon hearing the wind and cleaved the oar in two with a single stroke, but Ye Chen had already caught up behind him. The withered sword, like a venomous snake without light, twisted around the wrist of the man holding the sword.

Tu Er felt a chill on his wrist, and his five fingers could no longer exert any force. The ghost-head knife clattered into the river.

Ye Chen sheathed his sword and took a step back, looking at the towering man kneeling on the deck, his face ashen.

Han Song caught up and delivered another blow, quickly pinning Tu Er down and using a black gold rope to tie him behind his back to the mast.

Tu Er cursed loudly, his voice rough and harsh, but it couldn't change the fact that he had been arrested.

Ye Chen didn't bother to listen and waved to Ayiguli, who then took out a wad of cloth from her bosom and stuffed it tightly into Tu Er's mouth.

"Guli, we need to keep this man. He knows more than Qin Wuyi. We can question him slowly when we get back to Jiangcheng." After Ye Chen finished speaking, he ignored Tu Er and left him to struggle alone.

Ye Chen sat down at the bow of the boat, wiped the water off his face, and felt the river wind making his clothes stick to his body. He was terribly cold, feeling like he was about to catch a cold.

But his eyes were still bright, as if they were burning with fire, a raging inferno.

After the ghost servants confirmed that none of the three boats had escaped, the group towed the boats to the ferry dock.

Han Song led his men to count the prisoners, and Ye Chen walked to Jiang Ruoxi's side.

Jiang Ruoxi had been helped back to shore by Ayiguli. She was wrapped in the coat that Han Song had brought her. Her face was pale, but she was in relatively good spirits.

Jiang Ruoxi was relieved to see Ye Chen return safely.

Ye Chen held her hand and found that her fingers were icy cold and trembling, but she still managed a smile at him: "Wife, I'm fine, I'm just a little cold. I accidentally got my clothes wet during the fight."

"Wife, let's go back right away." Ye Chen took off his coat and wrapped it around her, then told the ghost servant to drive the car over.

Ye Chen knew that what they had taken down tonight was only Tu Er's vanguard. Of the nineteen men from Jiangbei, less than half had arrived tonight. Where were the other half?

For Ye Chen, even bigger trouble was yet to come.

But at this moment, all he wanted was to send Jiang Ruoxi back to Jiangcheng first, and then go back and deal with these people thoroughly.

By the time the car left Wuyi Ferry, the fog on the river had dissipated somewhat.

Ye Chen leaned back in the back seat, and Jiang Ruoxi rested her head on his shoulder. She fell asleep in no time.

Jiang Ruoxi has been exhausted lately, living in constant fear and anxiety, without a single day of peace.

Ye Chen turned his head and looked at her wet hair sticking to her forehead. The tension that had been building up in his heart finally eased a little.

Ye Chen gently held her icy hand, as if he were holding a piece of jade that had been lost and found again.

As dawn approached, Ye Chen and the others returned to the Jiang family villa. Ye Chen went straight to the bedroom to change his clothes and put on an extra jacket.

He Jianping had been waiting all night. When he saw the person return, he busied himself preparing hot water and ginger soup.

Tu Er was locked in the basement, and Han Song personally led a group of people to guard him, beginning preparations for the interrogation.

The ghost servant took a heart-protecting pill, sat in the courtyard to regulate his breathing, and observed the situation outside the courtyard.

Aygul wiped the knife clean, leaned against the window, and half-opened her eyes.

Jiang Ruoxi took a hot shower, dried her hair, and sat on the sofa wrapped in a blanket.

Ye Chen brought over a bowl of ginger soup, squatted down in front of her, and fed her spoonful by spoonful.

Jiang Ruoxi took a couple of sips, then looked up at him: "Ye Chen, aren't you planning to go to sleep again?"

Ye Chen put the spoon back in the bowl and laughed, "Wife, I'm an owl. Wife, you go to sleep, I'll stay here with you."

Jiang Ruoxi looked at him, then suddenly reached out and touched the wound on his cheek, saying softly, "I dreamt of my mother. She was calling me from under the magnolia tree, saying it was time to go home."

Ye Chen pressed her hand against his face and whispered, "After we clean up the black water, I'll go back to Meixi with you and stay for a few days. Listen to your mother and go home."

Jiang Ruoxi agreed to Ye Chen's request, and her eyelids slowly drooped.

Ye Chen waited until she was sound asleep before getting up and going to the courtyard.

A new dawn has broken on the horizon, and a new day is about to begin.

Ye Chen looked up at the sky, then looked down at his hands.

Ku Zhaojian leaned against the door, quiet and still, as if he were keeping them company while they waited.

Waiting for the darkest night, and also waiting for dawn.