Jiang Rushuai turned his head and finally saw the person approaching.
A burly man nearly two meters tall strode forward; standing there, his physique was like a small mountain.
Jiang Rushuai narrowed his eyes, quickly sizing up the newcomer's appearance. While tucking the letter away with his left hand, he pulled out another small booklet of his: "Hey, isn't this the fugitive wanted in Qingzhou last time? I haven't had time to look for you yet, but here you are, delivering yourself right to my door!"
"That's right, it's your grandpa!"
Rolling up his sleeves, the burly man charged straight at Jiang Rushuai: "Jiang Rushuai, you claimed the bounty with my brother's head. Today, I will use your head as an offering to my brother's soul in heaven!"
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, the messenger covered his head and vanished in a flash, while Jiang Rushuai showed no fear. With a slap of his palm, his sharp sword unsheathed, the clean flash of the blade heading straight for the burly man's neck!
In an instant, the two sides were locked in combat!
-
Although "the thief catcher 2" is the second installment in "the thief catcher" series, using the same characters and worldview, the plot is generally independent and doesn't require much prior knowledge to watch.
This scene of Jiang Rushuai capturing the criminal is intended to showcase his character setting and the concept of "the thief catcher" to new viewers, facilitating the subsequent plot development.
Generally speaking, starting a new movie with a "recap of previous events" is quite off-putting. After all, old viewers already know the setting, while new viewers might find themselves confused and overwhelmed by so many plot points at once, thus losing out on the viewing experience...
This wasn't a problem at all for "the thief catcher 2."
Because Jiang Rushuai's fight scene while capturing the man was truly cool!
With authentic, large-scale wuxia action and clean character movements, the audience found it extremely satisfying to watch.
Thus, after the initial setup, most people were already immersed in the story, seamlessly transitioning into the official plot of "the thief catcher 2."
From this point on, the plot began to keep everyone on edge, their hearts filled with worry.
A friend calls for help, but alas, it's too late—
By the time Jiang Rushuai reached Penglai Inn, the place had already turned into a sea of fire.
Jiang Rushuai also discovered a large number of Frontier Army corpses at the scene.
These soldiers shouldn't have been there, and they certainly shouldn't have been hunting down the proprietress of Penglai Inn and Shen Jue.
Recalling the rumors of Imperial Court coups he had heard along the way and looking at the piles of corpses, Jiang Rushuai's expression turned solemn. He looked toward the Northwest, his eyes full of concern.
"Winter is approaching, and there might be a mutiny at the border... Shen Jue, did you head over there?"
-
Watching this, He Miao's wide grin gradually faded.
She suddenly remembered the most widespread rumor circulating on the internet lately—it was said that Shen Jue would be killed off in this installment!
No!
Please, no!
She didn't want Brother Xiao to be written out!
Everything was going so well, how did it suddenly turn bad!
He Miao was silent for a moment, then leaned into her father's ear and whispered like a "demon" in a display of "filial piety": "I heard people online saying that Shen Jue dies in the end."
Father He, who had been happily watching Jiang Rushuai on his journey with a Hehe smile:???
His matching smile lost its color.
Father He immediately gave He Miao a faint, resentful glare.
You really are my wonderful child!
He Miao pretended not to see her father's resentful gaze, nonchalantly turning her head to continue watching the screen.
This was just a small interlude during the movie.
-
Not only did "the thief catcher 2" maintain the original flavor of its action scenes, but its storyline still involved small characters caught up in major events, with key items driving the entire national struggle.
Winter was coming, and there was unrest beyond the border. However, there were no provisions or military funds within, and the soldiers were in a state of panic, yet no one above cared about the lives of the border troops.
A plea for help, delivered at the cost of a border messenger's life, laid bare the ugly faces of the various powerful figures and cruelly tore away the hypocritical masks of those in the Imperial Court.
But when problems arose, their first thought was not to solve them, but to silence those in the know.
The proprietress of Penglai Inn, who was caught up in it all, became the most critical character in the whole affair because she helped an old acquaintance deliver a letter. Consequently, she naturally became a target for assassination by various factions.
When this storm of blood and gore drifted toward Penglai Inn, she had actually already calmly accepted her fate.
But how could Shen Jue, who had long since considered the proprietress as family, abandon her and flee alone?
Thus, the Bone-Cleaving Knife returned to the martial world as Shen Jue fought desperately to protect her, leading them to break through the siege!
-
When the blood-stained Bone-Cleaving Knife finally slowed down, the young man's cold, wolf-like eyes still stared fixedly at the people around him.
Already broken into a cold sweat by the sight of gleaming flesh and bone, even the Frontier Army, who had fought abroad and seen the mangled limbs of their comrades, finally paled.
Yet, no one moved their feet; they didn't yield an inch.
The proprietress, Feng Juan, finally showed a hint of pity: "Shen Jue—"
Shen Jue said nothing. He simply re-wrapped the hilt of the Bone-Cleaving Knife in his left hand with a clean cloth, then held it in his mouth. Finally, he used his left arm to carry Feng Juan on his back, raising the blade again with his only free hand, his right.
Under the gleaming white light of the blade, the sea of blood beneath his feet and the terrified gazes of the crowd were reflected.
He couldn't speak, only managing to curl the corners of his mouth.
At this moment, the Frontier Army soldiers knew they could not get past this young man to take that woman's life.
Someone whispered, their voice still trembling: "It's... it's him—"
Two Bone-Cleaving Knives, every strike revealing blood and bone.
A light breeze passes, and souls weep at the foot of the secluded mountain.
—Even if some people fade from the martial world, their legends still remain.
Even while carrying a person and fighting with one hand, he was still the Bone-Cleaving Knife, Shen Jue, whose name shook the martial world.
It was just that the knife that used to kill and carve bone had now become a weapon to protect those by his side.
And the man of that year had lost none of his murderous aura.
Living in seclusion at Penglai Inn—wasn't that just another form of cultivation?
But what could be done?
The other side was at a dead end, and so were they.
Hands that had been on the battlefield trembled slightly. The Frontier Army soldiers, who shouldn't have died here, looked at each other. Finally, they raised their blades again, gave a sharp cry, and charged toward Shen Jue!
With the determination of a life-and-death struggle!
Shen Jue steadied the person on his back. Before the cold glint of the blade could flash from his right hand, he had already moved through the enemy's blades at extreme speed—
In the blink of an eye, a Frontier Army soldier who was about to follow suddenly clutched his throat.
Before the blood could even spurt out, the man's body went limp and he collapsed.
Seeing this out of the corners of their eyes, they didn't hesitate and continued to turn back and slash!
Thus, a bloody wind rose once more amidst everyone's despair—
Another brutal pursuit began!
-
By the time Jiang Rushuai officially entered the scene, this pursuit and revenge had already reached a white-hot, critical stage.
Shen Jue was at the end of his rope, and it was precisely at this time that Jiang Rushuai successfully took over the burden and assumed the heavy responsibility.
When they saw the two parties finally reunite smoothly, the audience was extremely excited and overjoyed.
But seeing Shen Jue collapse, everyone's hearts tightened again.
Fortunately, the proprietress soon confirmed that Shen Jue's injuries hadn't hit any vital spots; Shen Jue wouldn't die.
Jiang Rushuai had been chasing from behind for so long, and this time he finally made it.
Jiang Rushuai breathed a sigh of relief, and the guilt in his heart for not seeing the plea for help in time finally dissipated a little.
As long as they reached the border, everything—
However, what Jiang Rushuai didn't expect was that the situation at the border was even worse than they had anticipated.
This massive conspiracy was destined to drag the people in this chaotic world down with it.
Unless they fought desperately for a slim chance of survival...
