Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 754: Thief Catcher 2 (1)

Jiang Rushu turned his head and finally saw who was coming.

A burly man nearly two meters tall strode forward, his figure standing there like a small mountain.

Jiang Rushu squinted, quickly scrutinizing the newcomer's appearance. While tucking away the letter, he pulled out another small booklet. "Hey, isn't this the fugitive wanted from Qingzhou last time? I hadn't even gotten around to looking for you, yet you've come right to my door!"

"That's your grandpa here!"

The burly man rolled up his sleeves and charged straight at Jiang Rushu. "Jiang Rushu, you took my brother's head for a bounty. Today, I'll use your head to honor my brother's spirit in heaven!"

Seeing the trouble, the messenger ducked away and vanished in an instant. But Jiang Rushu showed no fear at all. With a firm slap of his palm, his sword leaped from its sheath, a sharp flash of light arcing straight for the burly man's throat!

In that split second, the two clashed violently!

-

Although Thief Catcher 2 was the second installment in the Thief Catcher series, using the same characters and world, its plot was still fairly self-contained, with a low barrier to entry for new viewers.

This opening sequence of Jiang Rushu capturing the criminal was designed to showcase his character setup and introduce the concept of "thief catchers" to the audience, paving the way for the plot to unfold.

Generally speaking, dumping a "previously on" segment at the start of a new movie is a huge turnoff. Old viewers already know the setup, while new ones get bombarded with exposition, leaving them utterly confused and killing the viewing experience...

But Thief Catcher 2 had none of these worries.

Because Jiang Rushu's fight scene was just that awesome!

Pure, authentic martial arts grand spectacle—crisp and clean action that left the audience thoroughly thrilled.

So after the initial buildup, most people were already immersed in the story, smoothly transitioning into Thief Catcher 2's main narrative.

And from here, the plot began to grip everyone's hearts, pulling them into anxiety.

A friend's plea for help arrived too late—

By the time Jiang Rushu reached the Penglai Inn, the place had already been reduced to a sea of flames.

At the scene, he also discovered a large number of border garrison corpses.

These soldiers shouldn't have been here, let alone hunting down the landlady of the Penglai Inn and Shen Jue.

Recalling the rumors of a court coup he'd heard along the way, Jiang Rushu gazed at the pile of bodies with a heavy expression. He looked up toward the northwest, his eyes filled with worry.

"Winter's coming soon; there might be an uprising at the frontier... Shen Jue, did you all head that way?"

-

Watching this, Hemiao's wide grin slowly faded.

She suddenly remembered the most widespread rumor circulating online recently—that Shen Jue would die in this movie!

No!

Please, no!

There's no way she wanted Brother Xiao to die!

Everything was going so well—how did it suddenly turn so bad?

Hemiao was silent for a moment before leaning in to whisper in her old father's ear with a devilishly dutiful daughter's tone: "I heard online that Shen Jue dies in the end."

Father He, who had been happily watching Jiang Rushu travel, was stunned: ???

His smile vanished in an instant.

Father He shot Hemiao a dark glare.

You really are my good daughter!

Hemiao pretended not to notice her old father's gloomy look, casually turning away to focus on the screen again.

And that was just a small hiccup during the viewing.

-

Thief Catcher 2 not only retained the same feel in its fight scenes, but its storyline also followed the classic pattern of small-time characters caught up in big events, with a crucial token driving the entire struggle for the nation.

Winter was approaching, and the frontier was restless. But without supplies or pay, the soldiers were in turmoil, and no one in power cared about their lives.

A desperate plea for help, delivered at the cost of a frontier messenger's life, brutally exposed the ugly faces of the big shots, mercilessly tearing off the hypocritical masks of those in the court.

Yet when trouble arose, their first instinct wasn't to solve the problem but to silence those in the know.

Caught up in this mess, the landlady of the Penglai Inn became the key link because she'd passed on a letter for an old friend. Naturally, that made her the prime target for assassination by various forces.

When the bloody storm finally swept toward the Penglai Inn, she had already accepted her fate.

But how could Shen Jue, who saw the landlady as family, abandon her and flee alone?

So the Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique returned to the jianghu. Shen Jue fought desperately to protect her, cutting through the encirclement!

-

When the blood-soaked Bone-Cleaving Knife finally slowed, the young man's cold, wolf-like eyes still stared straight at those around him.

The onlookers were already drenched in cold sweat from the sight of gleaming flesh and bone. Even the border soldiers, hardened by war and accustomed to their comrades' mangled remains, changed color.

But not a single one of them moved. They held their ground without budging.

Landlady Feng Juan finally showed a trace of reluctance. "Shen Jue—"

Shen Jue didn't say a word. He simply wrapped the handle of his left-hand knife with a clean cloth, bit down on it, then hoisted Feng Juan onto his back with his left hand. With his free right hand, he raised the blade once more.

The gleaming knife light reflected the sea of blood beneath his feet and the terrified gazes of the crowd.

He couldn't speak, so he just barely lifted the corner of his mouth.

In that moment, the border soldiers knew they couldn't get past this young man to take the woman's life.

One man muttered under his breath, his voice still trembling: "It's... it's him—"

Two Bone-Cleaving Knives, every strike drawing blood and bone.

A light breeze swept by; lost souls wept in the dark ravine.

—Some people may fade from the jianghu, but their legend lives on.

Even burdened with someone on his back, fighting one-handed, he was still Shen Jue, the Bone-Cleaving Knife who shook the jianghu.

Only now, the knife that once killed and carved bones had become a weapon to protect those dear to him.

And the man from back then had lost none of his murderous edge.

Wasn't his seclusion at the Penglai Inn another form of cultivation?

But what could he do?

They had no way out, and neither did the soldiers.

Hands that had seen battle trembled slightly. These border soldiers, who shouldn't have died here, exchanged glances before raising their blades once more. With a fierce shout, they charged at Shen Jue!

Driven by a do-or-die resolve!

Shen Jue steadied the woman on his back. Before his right hand could flash its cold knife light, he was already moving, weaving through the blades at blinding speed—

In the next instant, a border soldier who was about to follow up suddenly clutched his throat.

Before the blood could even spurt out, his body went limp, and he collapsed.

Catching this from the corner of their eyes, the others didn't hesitate. They spun around and swung again!

And so, the bloody wind rose once more amid everyone's despair—

Another brutal chase began anew!

-

By the time Jiang Rushu finally entered the fray, the chase and retaliation had already reached its white-hot climax.

Shen Jue was at the end of his rope, but just at that moment, Jiang Rushu smoothly took over, shouldering the burden.

When the two sides finally managed to reunite, the audience erupted in excitement, overjoyed.

And when Shen Jue collapsed, everyone's hearts tightened.

But thankfully, the landlady quickly confirmed that his injuries weren't fatal. Shen Jue wouldn't die.

Jiang Rushu had been chasing them all this way, and this time, he'd finally caught up.

He let out a sigh of relief, the guilt over failing to read the plea for help in time easing just a little.

As long as they reached the frontier, everything—

But Jiang Rushu hadn't expected the situation at the frontier to be even worse than they'd anticipated.

This massive conspiracy was destined to drag everyone in this chaotic world down into the abyss.

Unless they fought desperately for a sliver of hope...