Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 107 Another Perilous Encounter
Zhou Zhao followed Li Youdao's gaze toward the riverbank, where Liu Huang, wearing a bamboo hat, was sticking silver needles into the water with a series of quick, precise movements.

His other hand wasn't idle either; without hesitation, he punched the person who had been rescued.

The needle pricked him, and he suddenly opened his eyes and screamed. The water he vomited after being pounded on the ground was tinged with blood, and he coughed violently.

Zhou Zhao was silent for a moment, then explained protectively, "After all, he had never encountered a living person lying down before. Isn't this an excellent job? The person is alive."

Although there were quite a few old doctors on the shore who rushed to rescue people, if it came down to speed, ruthlessness, and accuracy, Liu Huang was second to none.

Li Youdao was speechless. He felt his already dizzy mind was even more confused now, and he couldn't find any words to refute it for the time being.

Zhou Zhao ignored him and swam the two people in her arms to the shore. Before she could lift them ashore, she saw a pair of fair and tender hands reach down. The hands were as tender as the white stems of green onions, clearly indicating that the person had been pampered.

Seeing Zhou Zhao look up, the owner of the hand stammered, "Zhao... Sister Zhao... I'll do it!"

Zhou Zhao nodded to Han Ze and pushed the unconscious person forward first. Liu Huang watched as the silver needles were already inserted.

"Master Li!"

Zhou Zhao was about to lift Li Youdao up when he discovered that the old man had already climbed up slowly and awkwardly like a thousand-year-old tortoise. When he reached the edge, he used all his strength to flip over and fall backward, panting heavily.

"Your Highness, I don't need a hammer."

Li Youdao's emphasis did nothing to change Liu Huang's behavior. Without hesitation, he picked Li Youdao up and punched him. Li Youdao vomited a lot of water. After vomiting the water, the old man immediately regained his energy and started babbling on and on.

Zhou Zhao shook his head, then turned and was about to plunge back into the water.

This time, the water hit Su Changying's face directly. He rushed out of the water, shook the water off his face, and then pulled out a long rope with five people tied to it. Without saying a word, he threw the rope toward the shore, where a soldier dressed in Northern Army uniform immediately lay down on the bank to catch it and pulled the people ashore to rescue them.

At the same time, a long rope was thrown down.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking, and continued to rush to save the person time and time again.

Zhou Zhao's arm, which had been hit by the table, felt increasingly heavy. Her hand was swollen from being soaked in water, and it was covered in white flesh.

The two people rescued this time had pale faces and looked to be in very bad shape.

Zhou Zhao lifted the person up with all his might, and just as he was about to sink them again, he heard Su Changying's voice behind him, "Zhou Zhao, that's enough. After so much time, even if we manage to bring them up again, unless a great immortal appears, they can't be saved."

"And we've already searched the area, there's basically no one left."

Zhou Zhao gave him a deep look. "Aren't you still saving people too?"

Su Changying looked at Zhou Zhao. The reason he was still saving people was entirely for Zhou Zhao's sake. The more people he saved, the fewer times Zhou Zhao would have to go down into the water; the longer he persisted, the sooner Zhou Zhao could rest. If it were him, back in Tianying City, he would have simply sacrificed all those sinners to the heavens. Why bother scheming for them?
But he didn't say it.

Zhou Zhao is the one who upholds the law, while he is a lawless outlaw.

"This is the last time! Your right hand is injured, and your body can't take it anymore. There are other people here; the body retrievers are coming."

Seeing the determination in Su Changying's eyes, Zhou Zhao nodded.

She knew Su Changying was right; by this point, people who had sunk to the bottom of the water were basically lifeless.

Zhou Zhao took a deep breath and plunged into the water once again. The water was much clearer than before, so he no longer needed to rely on touching to find people.

The midday sun shone through the lake, casting varying shades of light on the once magnificent Star-Picking Tower beneath the water, making it look like a defeated dragon palace. Zhou Zhao held his breath and crawled into the ruins, looking through each elegant room with Su Changying. The rooms were empty; they didn't see any unconscious people.

In the water, besides her and Su Changying, there are two shirtless corpse retrievers.

They were all around twenty years old, and when they saw Zhou Zhao clasp his hands in a fist salute, their eyes were filled with admiration.

Most people can only struggle on the surface of the river. The only person they have ever seen who can dive underwater for so long, especially a young woman, is Zhou Zhao. In particular, they have also heard that this young girl is an official of the imperial court.

Zhou Zhao was swimming when he suddenly stopped.

Under the screen of one of the elegant rooms, a pair of black boots were visible. She quickly swam over, pushed the screen aside, and saw a man who looked to be in his early thirties. Zhou Zhao glanced at him, spat out two bubbles, and almost couldn't hold her breath.

Something's not right! Something's not right with this person!

As Zhou Zhao was thinking, she bent down and pulled the man on the ground up. Just as she bent down, a loud cracking sound rang out above her.

Zhou Zhao was startled, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

No, her ordeal isn't over yet...

Thinking this, she suddenly grabbed the person on the ground and floated towards the window. Just then, the small building that had been stabilized collapsed again. Zhou Zhao knew something was wrong; it was too late to get out. She squatted down and covered her head with her hands. With a loud crash, the previously clear water became murky again.

You weren't hit?
Zhou Zhao turned her head and saw that Su Changying had somehow gotten onto her back. His body arched up like a stone bridge, shielding her from the falling heavy object.

"Pfft..." Su Changying spat out a mouthful of water, the breath he had been holding was released, and the water poured into his nose and mouth.

Zhou Zhao stared in horror, the memory of what happened at the bottom of the pool in Tianying City flashing through his mind. Without hesitation, he kissed Su Changying on the lips, giving him a breath of fresh air.

Su Changying felt his breath catch instantly, and felt the warmth on his lips. He quickly pushed Zhou Zhao away and shook his head at her.

He was a better swimmer than Zhou Zhao. If Zhou Zhao were to transfer her breath to him, how long could he last?
In that instant, the small building stabilized again. Su Changying gave Zhou Zhao a look, and the two of them simultaneously used their internal energy to ram the heavy object on Su Changying's back. Because they were underwater, most of their strength was dissipated. After ramming it three times, they finally broke it open.

Su Changying grabbed Zhou Zhao's waist and pulled him up. Zhou Zhao grabbed the feet of the person lying on the ground and dragged him up.

The moment the two of them surfaced, Liu Huang on the shore waved anxiously, clearly having noticed the commotion underwater.

Zhou Zhao looked around and saw the two corpse retrievers he had just met, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

She took a deep breath, reached out, and wiped the blood from Su Changying's mouth. The two looked at each other and both breathed a long sigh of relief.

"You almost died, do you know that, Lord Zhou! Don't mess around like this again!"

Zhou Zhao nodded. "How are you any better than me?"

How could she not know that she would die today? In fact, in her letter to her deceased wife, she confirmed that she was indeed dead today.

But some things, even if it means death, must be done.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then pulled the person he was dragging up and said to Su Changying, "This person is strange. If I'm not mistaken, he was already dead before the Star-Picking Tower collapsed. The murderer..."

Zhou Zhao looked towards the riverbank.