Chapter 168

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Due to Liu Qi's sudden appearance and intervention, the situation became even more chaotic.

Cang Shan, who had just killed an enemy, could no longer make heads or tails of this scene; at first, seeing Hua Li suddenly face a killing blow, he even suspected it was Liu Qi's doing — this boy was deranged and capable of anything, and might well have intercepted and killed Hua Li to steal the credit.

And regardless of these assassins' origins, the Imperial Guards accompanying Hua Li were the Master's people, and Hua Li was also the Master's person; he absolutely had to act to clean up this sudden situation before he could continue with the ambush plan against Liu Qi.

However, the situation soon exceeded Cang Shan's expectations.

He had led fifty dead warriors on this trip; outstanding dead warriors could each match ten, and were extremely difficult to train — this was by no means a small number.

Once Liu Qi fell into the trap and entered the mountains, under this ad hoc decision it would have been impossible for him to mobilize too many followers; the search for Dark Water had uncertain results, and he himself ought not to make a grand show of force — sending fifty dead warriors to kill this boy, there was no reason they should fail.

At the same time, the Master had cautiously instructed him that during the plan's execution, he should first kill with hidden arrows; if that failed, then reveal himself and fight head-on — in short, he must not rashly expose their full strength.

Forced to reveal himself to rescue Hua Li, Cang Shan initially brought out only half his subordinates to deal with those ten-odd black shadows, but who would have thought that the moment he appeared with his men, dozens more black shadows would surge continuously from the opposite mountain forest… even for self-preservation he could only call out all his men, yet the enemy seemed to grow stronger the stronger the opposition, a colossal monster intent on crushing everyone in its path; by now, a rough glance told Cang Shan the enemy likely numbered nearly a hundred!

These nearly hundred men's skills were absolutely not inferior to theirs, equally well-trained, ruthless and decisive in their strikes — they were undoubtedly dead warriors as well!

Who on earth had the ability to maintain such a vast dead warrior force? And why would they deploy such a massive operation just to kill a single Hua Li who didn't even follow martial arts conventions?!

And now the enemy clearly didn't just want to kill Hua Li, but to wipe them all out as witnesses!

Cang Shan could not imagine who the master behind these people was; he felt a pang of regret — had he known this force was so unfathomably deep, he would rather have abandoned Hua Li and those seven Imperial Guards and stayed hidden; at least then he wouldn't be stretched too thin when Liu Qi appeared, unable to carry out this most important mission!

But this regret was merely useless hindsight; even if he refused to reveal himself, that Hua Li would have crawled right to their hiding place and begged for help, exposing them.

Liu Qi's arrival speed also exceeded Cang Shan's estimates; facing this lunatic who didn't distinguish right from wrong, Cang Shan was both anxious and vexed — they did intend to ambush and kill him, true, but they hadn't even acted yet and were already saddled with this crime!

And this boy attacked without the slightest courtesy, murderous aura billowing around him; in a short time he had already drawn his bow and shot five or six dead; this indiscriminate attack quickly drew counterattacks from those dead warriors, making it truly look like he was the one assassinating them.

Of the ten Imperial Guards who followed Liu Qi here, several had already fled; the killing intent ahead was surging, yet the Sixth Prince insisted on facing the enemy head-on — they couldn't beat him, couldn't persuade him, couldn't drag him away, so they had no choice but to leave the mountain to report and seek reinforcements.

Cang Shan watched that green-robed youth drawing the long-tasseled great bow, driven into a rage and madness, and hated only that he couldn't break free immediately to kill him.

And besides that, that worrisome Hua Li seemed to have gone mad too; she darted everywhere evading those bat-like dead warriors; the Rui family's hidden guards died or were wounded seven or eight protecting her; her luck wasn't bad — she narrowly dodged killing blows several times — but she was inevitably frightened out of her wits — at this moment she was actually climbing up the right-side heights stepping on rocks, blatantly turning herself into a conspicuous arrow target!

Sure enough, arrows immediately flew toward her back, yet she didn't even have the ability to sense danger, still only focused on climbing!

Cang Shan had no time to act and save her; he was tangled up with three "bats" and momentarily couldn't spare a hand for himself.

And in just that blink of an eye, an arrow flew horizontally through the air, cleanly severing in mid-flight the arrow aimed at Hua Li.

The arrow-shooting youth turned his upper body slightly, nocked another arrow, this time aiming at the source of that killing intent; this arrow whistled, piercing the neck of the black-clad dead warrior holding a bow and crossbow.

Cang Shan looked toward Hua Li again, only to see she had successfully climbed to the high ground, while the two black-clad men who had pounced after her fell one after another under sharp arrows; these two arrows actually came from that Sixth Prince, and the next moment, that Sixth Prince's arrow killed another Rui family hidden guard — still looking like indiscriminate attack.

At this moment, that Hua Li who had been frightened stupid lost her footing and plunged down from that steep slope, tumbling to the other side of the heights, disappearing from sight in an instant.

Liu Qi then took over a dozen arrows, and under his personal guards' protection, he strode up the heights, drew his bow again, brows and eyes pitch-black and cold, his arms and sleeves spreading like eagle feathers, the bowstring's sound like an eagle's cry.

The opportunity has come…

Cang Shan carved a path through, letting two subordinates shield him; he raised his left arm, triggered his sleeve crossbow, the sharp bolt shooting straight toward that youth.

The youth was likewise eagle-vigilant, but as he dodged, he also tumbled down the other side of that slope.

Cang Shan abandoned everything and immediately gave chase; today he had paid too high a price — if he wanted to redeem his failure, he had to kill Liu Qi! Otherwise the Master would not spare him!

The other side of the heights was not a sheer cliff; there was still a buffer of a mountain stone platform; when Cang Shan chased there, he had his men delay Liu Qi's personal guards; by the time he flew in pursuit, he saw Liu Qi just propping himself up on the still-sheathed three-foot sword, risen halfway, left leg still kneeling.

Cang Shan drew his blade, but Liu Qi neither hurried to draw his sword nor to stand; he merely raised his eyes and smiled silently.

This smile growing from those gloomy brows carried a dazzling strangeness; Cang Shan's instincts screamed something was wrong; instinctively he turned his head slightly, raised his eyes — and only then saw, amidst the dense large tree branches behind and to the side, a girl's figure leaning diagonally.

Still that same Hua Li, yet for some reason her aura had completely changed; half-hidden among the dark green leaves, she resembled a mountain beast with its true form fully revealed, stretching every inch of fur, tendon, and bone.

She leaned diagonally against the branch, her slightly blunt chin lifted, her perverse eyes lowered, raising the crossbow in her hand; the crossbow bolt aimed precisely and unerringly at the enemy.

That enemy, however, was not Liu Qi, but him, Cang Shan.

Today was indeed a lure-the-enemy scheme, but the one who fell into her trap was him and his Master… no, no, he absolutely had to inform the Master — a Hua Li not firmly controlled is only a monster that avoids shadows and hides its form!

This monster and that lunatic are one and the same; the two seem utterly incompatible, yet their tacit understanding reaches the point of needing no eye contact — he would automatically draw his bow to cover her, help her leap to a deserted place, help her revert to this true form!

Myriad shocked thoughts flashed in but an instant, but Cang Shan was destined not to leave; having seen her true form, he naturally had to die.

He moved his feet, but the crossbow bolt anticipated his movement; forged by some master craftsman, the bronze crossbow tip was peerlessly sharp, piercing a bloody hole through his forehead — he barely felt any pain.

As he fell, Cang Shan's dispersing pupils reflected many black shadows and long blades swooping in.

In a split second, a dozen-odd black shadows that existed only to kill Hua Li leapt onto the heights; Deng Hu and the others blocked half, but six still surrounded the Hua Li in the tree; three occupied high ground drawing bows, some tried to climb the tree, and one with outstanding lightness skill had already stepped on the mountain rocks to launch into the canopy, long blade in hand chopping directly at that target girl.

Shaowei did not dodge; she straightened and rose, stepping on the tree trunk retreating; when she had retreated to the treetop, she quickly seized the high position, then suddenly counterattacked from the side toward the incoming man, short blade slashing his throat, then grappling his struggling body in front of her to block the dense rain of arrows.

Discarding that sieve-like corpse, Shaowei with blood beads on her face leapt down from the tree; the two who had tried to climb the tree — one fell at the tree base shot by an arrow, the other half-nailed to the tree like a cicada shell.

Shaowei glanced and saw Liu Qi was just stowing his long bow, drawing the three-foot sword, advancing toward her with sword raised.

Shaowei instantly also held her bloodied short blade horizontally before her, charging toward the black shadows surging forth again.

These black shadows were highly skilled, and once they rushed at a target, they would swiftly encircle it; archers blocked from several directions, blade-wielders killed from several directions, their positions varied, like a battle formation.

Shaowei couldn't help recalling the two arrows she encountered at the May 5th Night Banquet; back then it was also one arrow first predicting her dodging steps, the other arrow the true killing move — there was its own method and strategy, exactly like these black-clad men now.

Only that time was in the palace, the enemy couldn't act too brazenly; today, outside the city, there were no more scruples.

This operation targeting her was not a simple hunt, but a masterful encirclement hunt; without Rui Ze's dead warriors to resist in her stead, even if she sacrificed all her own people, she would find it hard to leave alive today.

Besides those Rui family hidden guards who didn't know the truth, right now at Shaowei's side there was also an accomplice who knew everything.

That man drew his sword to carve a path, reaching her side at the first moment, his back pressing against her back shoulder, entrusting each other, killing enemies together.

Fresh blood sprayed, they killed back several men; in a moment's breathing space, Shaowei said urgently: "They actually deployed nearly a hundred men, even more troublesome than anticipated!"

Liu Qi turned his head slightly: "Not afraid."

Shaowei leaned and swung her blade, slashing open a black-clad man's chest, raised her leg and violently kicked him out, not forgetting to loudly correct: "It's not fear!"

Liu Qi withdrew the long sword that had pierced through a black-clothed man's chest, then retreated to her shoulder side before answering her: "I misspoke — no rush, we can finish killing them."

And after killing off this batch of black-clothed men who had closed in, a new batch of black-clothed men wielding bows and crossbows had already occupied the high ground; this time the arrow rain came even denser, with nowhere to dodge. Shaowei acted according to the original plan, grabbed Liu Qi — who was likewise within the arrow rain's range — and left this buffer platform, rolling toward the steep slope behind them.

Rui Ze's forces were mostly dead or wounded, and with Cang Shan's command gone, they already showed signs of rout.

But every time they fled not far, unknown dark arrows would shoot forth, cutting off their steps to leave.

The First Swordsman under heaven, most skilled at concealing his tracks, crouched in a large tree, holding the crossbow made by Mo Li, observing the fight from above, and said: "Almost time."

His family's child was thrifty and managed the household well, knowing that accumulating a family foundation was no easy matter, so he repeatedly instructed: wait until Rui Ze's people were used up enough, then let him bring his own people to act.

This was precisely the child's third consideration when taking medicine at the Rui residence back then — both to use her, and to make her useful to him.

She had always been preoccupied with the dark arrows at the Five-Five Night Banquet; as Chi Yang fell into disadvantage, she was certain those people would surely seize the opportunity to act again.

The opponent's strength could not be estimated; facing them head-on carried too great a risk, so she also learned to borrow force against force.

Coveting her ability means bearing her calamity. Wanting to control her requires even more seeing whether the other has the fortune to enjoy it.

Household slaves led the accumulated family foundation into action, stepping into the battlefield already dyed red.

In the plan, once hunters appeared, first borrow Rui Ze's forces to consume the enemy, while secretly observing the situation; when consumption was nearly done, household slaves would then bring people to act, or secretly join with Liu Qi and the others who arrived to clean up.

If the hunter faction was too vast, Shaowei as prey would flee this place — one, to prevent the Rui family's survivors from seeing her true face, better to avoid far before acting personally; two, to divide the hunter numbers — the denser these people, the greater their killing power; divide and dissolve, peel away layer by layer, easier to kill, able to complete the greatest revenge at the smallest cost.

But someone did not fully abide by the agreed plan; he arrived early, and from the start followed Shaowei climbing the high slope, falling away from the crowd, becoming a fleeing prey alongside her.

In the emergency, to bring him away from the arrow rain, Shaowei had no choice but to drag him rolling down the steep slope together — this was protection born of life-and-death stakes.

And in the process of rolling down the steep slope together, Liu Qi shielded Shaowei's head with his right arm, blocking chaotic branches and gravel — this was unconscious protection.

When they rolled to the slope bottom, Liu Qi's left leg struck a rock.

Seeing this leg of his could be called adding insult to injury, Shaowei pulled him up, hid behind a large tree, only then got around to questioning him: "What did you follow for?"

"Don't know." The youth with grass leaves hanging on his head smiled silently: "Wait till we survive, then speak."

Pursuers were about to arrive again; Shaowei could only clasp his wrist and pull him running.

While fleeing, Shaowei seemed to have a sudden whim, asking as she ran: "... With us sharing life and death like this, wouldn't the pursuers then know our relationship?"

Tree shadows flew backward rapidly; from her intrusion, the sunlight in the mountain forest shattered again and again. Liu Qi lowered his head looking at the wrist she clasped; light and shadow flickered, like butterflies fanning their wings. Butterfly shapes shifted with the light and shadow, new ones appearing, old ones vanishing — yet not truly vanishing, as if hiding mottled along his wrist into his body.

"If the people behind are not smart, they'll only think you and I were forced by peril to cooperate for survival. And if they are smart enough, they don't need to see us sharing life and death; afterward they can also guess it was us jointly setting a trap." Liu Qi said: "No need to worry; their existence is more unseeable than yours and my relationship."

Cang Shan was already dead; the enemies pursuing now could only be Shaowei's enemies. This enemy was unknown, roughly related to Chi Yang, but stronger than Chi Yang, like monsters hiding in darkness.

Shaowei did not speak; she believed Liu Qi had not told the whole truth. He most likely deliberately exposed his relationship with her before this unknown enemy, to make the other party have one more layer of scruple when acting later — but for him this would only add trouble.

She pulled him; she was breaking the path; she excelled at evading and running through mountain forests.

In the place he excelled, in his way, he was also breaking the path for her.

Pursuers still blocked the way from time to time; the mountain forest terrain was complex; those people would first use bows and arrows to block the prey's steps, then surround and close in — they were very skilled at encirclement hunting.

No matter how high the prey's martial skill, they could not withstand this kind of endless encirclement hunting and attrition. To break their formation, at first it might still be doable, but by the end, under one encirclement killing after another, the prey's strength drained away, until finally they could only choose to abandon at least one side's defense, breaking a path to life through self-injury.

But this time was different; the prey were two people.

Liu Qi was responsible for protection; once Shaowei, who had always excelled at hunting, no longer needed to consider defense, she instantly turned from prey into hunter; the killing formation shattered in a blink, and this mountain forest became her hunting ground.

Killing and fleeing all the way, the pursuing enemies grew fewer and fewer; they were scattered during the pursuit, successively killed off one by one by the forces led by Zhao Qie'an and Deng Hu.

Shaowei was still grabbing Liu Qi and running forward.

Besides the ten Imperial Guards and ten Imperial Guards brought openly, Liu Qi had also secretly prepared several dozen men; this way fleeing with her, his people were also secretly intercepting and killing pursuers.

And she was too skilled at hiding and moving through mountain forests; by now, she had almost shaken off all pursuers, even successively shaking off his men.

So Liu Qi suddenly thought: she was probably the person in this world most capable of abducting him; if she had the mind to take him to the ends of the earth, no one could find him — but she obviously would not do that; how could she stoop to such a thing; this was simply like his absurd fantasy before death.

This inexplicable near-death feeling was probably due to his Qi being nearly exhausted.

Confirming no one was following anymore, with only Zhan Zhan left behind, the safety-obsessed Shaowei finally agreed to stop her steps.

Summer flight, killing all the way, extremely draining physical strength; both were covered in blood, covered in sweat, sitting in the mountain forest.

The mountain grew dark extremely fast; just now the twilight was still a stretch of golden light, the next instant like a black curtain covering the mountain forest inch by inch, in a blink it had become night.

Danger had already departed; the flight ended here; but Zhan Zhan suddenly rapidly flapped wings, emitting urgent cries: "Wolves coming! Wolves coming!"

Shaowei instantly went on guard, changing from cross-legged to single-knee kneeling, lowering her upper body, gripping the blood-dripping short knife, gaze alertly scanning; her whole body brimmed with killing intent.

But the next instant, Liu Qi suddenly pulled her up, ran to a large tree, he crouched down: "Up the tree!"

Unavoidable danger at hand, one should fight bravely. Before avoidable fighting, one ought to preserve the already unsustainable physical strength.

Being in this mountain forest, killing all the way, the animal nature in the body was magnified; from weakness came even greater vigilance; Shaowei, who heard wolves coming and wanted to fight to the death, seemed to have her humanity awakened by him, and did not hesitate either, directly stepping onto his shoulder.

Liu Qi slowly stood, lifting Shaowei high until she could jump up and grasp the tree trunk with both hands, using her only remaining strength to pull herself up the tree.

Several pairs of eyes glowing with eerie green light emerged from the grass bushes behind Liu Qi; Shaowei hurriedly bent down and lowered her right hand, urging him: "Quick!"

Liu Qi leaped up, grabbed that hand which had lost strength but spared no effort; in the instant the wolf pack charged from the grass bushes, he managed to climb up the large tree.

The two sat side by side on the tree; the wolf pack below bared teeth and howled; the tree trunk was scratched with claw marks; another wolf attempted to climb the tree, climbed halfway then fell down, crashing spread-eagled, letting out wailing howls, earning a ruthless hum-laugh from Shaowei.

The wolf pack long refused to leave; Liu Qi timed it, threw the sword in his hand, piercing through a wolf's throat from the side — that was the strongest wolf in the pack.

The wolf pack finally fled in fear, until Zhan Zhan came to report: "Wolves gone! Wolves gone!"

Shaowei, whose strength recovered quickly, jumped down from the tree.

Close behind, Liu Qi also slowly came down, but leaned against the large tree and sat down.

Shaowei looked back, saw this scene, suddenly froze.

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