Eve Autumn hadn’t expected that even after hiding out in a small city like Peacehold County, she would still be found by the Thousand-Mechanism Guard.
The wounds she’d suffered earlier still hadn’t healed, and she could only exert at most half her strength. So after killing one member of the Thousand-Mechanism Guard, she had no choice but to run.
"I wonder how my younger brother is doing. Has he managed to escape the court’s hounds?"
As these thoughts flickered through her mind, she drifted lightly onto the city wall. Before the guards atop the wall even noticed her, she floated back down. A century ago, during a time of chaos, the Autumn Clan rose to power and quickly seized territory in eight provinces.
Just as the Autumn Clan was preparing to found a new dynasty, Ji Jichang appeared out of nowhere and, in just three months, conquered three provinces.
The Autumn Clan was furious and repeatedly sent armies to attack Ji Jichang, but suffered defeat after defeat, while Ji Jichang’s forces only grew stronger with each battle.
In the end, Ji Jichang personally led a group of top experts to carry out a decapitation strike. That night, blood flowed through the Autumn Clan’s halls; all the main family members perished except for a single infant son who managed to escape.
With the Autumn Clan’s main bloodline wiped out, the Ji family absorbed their soldiers and territory, establishing the Grand Zhou Empire.
After escaping, the Autumn Clan’s infant son never forgot his great vendetta.
Twenty years later, he mastered peerless martial arts and entered the imperial palace to assassinate Ji Jichang, only to be defeated by a single palm and die there.
After that, Autumn Clan descendants made repeated attempts to assassinate the Grand Zhou emperors, but never once succeeded. The Autumn Clan became the sworn enemy that the Ji imperial family was determined to eradicate.
After many failed attempts, the Autumn Clan reconsidered and changed their strategy for revenge, planning to infiltrate the court instead.
So her father, Aaron Autumn, changed his name and entered imperial service as an official through the martial examinations.
After more than twenty years of scheming, he finally became a provincial governor.
But unexpectedly, the foster brother whom her father had raised from childhood and treated as a trusted aide fell in love with her. After she rejected his advances, he turned resentful and exposed her father’s true identity.
Emperor Ji Qian of the Grand Zhou personally dispatched the Thousand-Mechanism Guard to arrest them.
Her father fought back fiercely, but in the end, history repeated itself: the governor’s residence ran with blood, and once again only her young brother escaped.
At age seven, she had already been sent by her father to study at the Great Snow Mountain Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, only returning home for a month each year. By chance, she escaped the disaster. But afterward, the court issued an edict demanding that Great Snow Mountain hand her over.
Her master, Master Serena Snow, cherished her deeply. Before the imperial envoys arrived, she secretly smuggled Eve out of Great Snow Mountain overnight. Because of this, she was implicated, arrested by the Thousand-Mechanism Guard, and imprisoned in the Central Province Heavenly Prison.
Even though Eve managed to escape Great Snow Mountain, she still couldn’t shake off the Thousand-Mechanism Guard’s pursuit.
For months now, she’d fled from Origin Province to Yuet Province, trekking thousands of li, but the Thousand-Mechanism Guard stuck to her like leeches. Sure, she’d killed dozens of them, but she was seriously wounded herself.
Glancing at the four Thousand-Mechanism Guard chasing her, Eve’s eyes flashed with killing intent. She wanted nothing more than to take them down with her, but her little brother’s face popped into her mind. If she was the last Autumn left, then fine—she’d die. But with her brother still out there, she couldn’t give up yet.
She sighed and pushed her movement technique faster, but suddenly her face went pale—her old wounds were flaring up again.
She’d barely escaped another five li before her path was blocked.
She recognized the man standing in her way—it was Finn Yu, codename Mystic Fish, a Thousand-Household commander in the Thousand-Mechanism Guard, already at Innate Seventh Layer.
The moment she saw Finn Yu, despair rose in her heart. If she weren’t hurt, she might have a shot fighting him. Now, with only half her strength left, what could she do against Finn Yu?
Four more figures arrived right behind him.
“Commander!”
The four Thousand-Mechanism Guard saluted Finn Yu.
Finn Yu nodded, his eyes landing on Eve Autumn. “Miss Autumn, you’re not getting away today. Why not just surrender?”
Ssshing!
Her long sword flashed out, Eve’s face icy. “The Autumn Clan only dies in battle. We don’t surrender.”
Finn Yu shook his head, sounding almost sorry. “Why make things so hard? Seeing a beauty like you die is honestly a shame.”
“Commander, no need to waste words on someone who doesn’t know what’s good for her. Let us four take her down!” one of the Thousand-Mechanism Guard said coldly.
“Fine. You four, capture her—but don’t kill her!” Finn Yu nodded.
“Yes, sir!”
The four Thousand-Mechanism Guard sprang into action, their figures flickering as they attacked together.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Out on the wild plain, the clash of blades and swords echoed again and again.
At first, Eve could barely hold her own against the four attacking together, but after a few dozen moves, her injuries flared up and her strength dropped sharply. If nothing unexpected happened, she’d be captured alive in less than ten more moves.