Chapter 51: Encountering a Sunny Day Chapter 30: A Monster and Another Monster

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Shaowei

Liu Qi

It was a pale face; though its exact expression was indiscernible, it still gave one a chill.

Faced with the persuasion of two officials and the bald man in blue, he seemed somewhat impatient and simply closed his eyes.

Shaowei felt inexplicably confused.

This was Liu Qi, wasn't it?

He was heading to Cangwu Commandery, so he should indeed pass through here, and she shouldn't have mistaken him.

But this Liu Qi was very different from the Liu Qi she had pressed into the snow and punched that night.

After suffering a great blow, one should indeed undergo change.

But this Liu Qi also seemed not quite the same as the Liu Qi who had asked her to draw her sword and end his life.

Shaowei lacked experience in judging the layers of human nature, but her innate perception was incomparably keen.

The change in Liu Qi's temperament made Shaowei subconsciously wonder whether this difference was because the Liu Qi of her previous life had only regained that composure on the brink of death, or whether the Liu Qi of this life had undergone greater changes—yet wasn't it Marquis who had diminished the turmoil and cost with his own person?

Shaowei failed to immediately sort out the reason, and at that moment, a blue-gray shadow suddenly flashed past the corner of her eye, light and soundless as a leaf.

But Shaowei instantly determined that it was not a leaf, but a person.

Her whole body immediately rose in vigilance, and her gaze quickly searched along the path the shadow had flashed.

That shadow nimbly climbed a large tree on the mountain peak, its figure instantly hidden among the dense branches and leaves, and by the time Shaowei located this person's hiding place, they had already nocked an arrow and drawn the bow; the arrow left the string and suddenly pierced into the cool wind!

Before Great Qian established its dynasty, the realm was divided and turbulent; apart from open warfare, assassinating enemies was also a favored means of victory among the great factions, so the fashion of assassins once became very popular. Any monarch who did not have a hundred or eighty assassins at his command could be considered quite backward.

After Great Qian established its dynasty, this fashion of assassins did not disappear. Open and covert struggles between the various vassal kings' fiefdoms and the court were frequent, and the figures of assassins appeared in many events.

Now that the vassal kings of different surnames had disappeared and the world had just begun to know peace, those assassins would not all die off like fallen leaves in winter overnight. Some secretly formed their own factions, some served new masters, and some became wandering knights-errant.

This person at this moment, with such conduct and methods, was obviously an assassin.

This was the first time Shaowei had encountered an assassin and watched an assassination process at close range.

The assassin moved extremely fast and the matter happened very suddenly, but Shaowei was not someone who would disregard her own safety to actively save others. She often risked everything, but only for herself and Mother, plus a Zhan Zhan.

Risking everything was for self-preservation and protecting those she cared about. When danger came, she often did not even need to think, but could make an immediate response and counterattack purely by instinct.

Although Shaowei and Liu Qi had some intersection, it was not deep, and the latter naturally could not be unconditionally included in the former's instinctive protection range for no reason.

The arrow that left the string from the assassin's hand was precisely aimed at the canopy treasure carriage.

The official who was standing before the carriage, bowing and persuading Liu Qi to get down and stretch his tendons and bones, only felt a chill on top of his head, as if something had quickly swept past—

Someone had already cried out in alarm, including the blue-clad monk.

Everything happened in an instant.

The arrow pierced through the light gauze fluttering in the wind, and the cold light pressed straight toward the youth sitting upright with eyes closed inside the carriage.

Before the cry of alarm rang out, Liu Qi had already opened his eyes. In the instant before the arrow approached, he suddenly leaned backward to evade, narrowly dodging this fatal arrow.

"Assassin!"

"Protect His Highness the Sixth Prince!"

Amidst the sudden panic, countless guards surrounded Liu Qi's carriage.

The person who had just dodged that arrow should have shrunk inside the carriage, waiting for his retinue to block the danger and clear the disturbance for him. But that figure between child and youth stood up straight on the high carriage and shouted loudly: "Deng Hu!"

The canopy carriage, the light gauze curtain—he stood up straight on the carriage, undoubtedly giving the assassin another chance to aim and shoot.

The assassin would not let such a fleeting excellent opportunity pass. The arrow whistled in again. Deng Hu leaped onto the carriage shaft, and while wielding his blade to knock down this arrow, Liu Qi, who stood tall on the carriage becoming a conspicuous arrow target and occupying a visual advantage, had already determined the assassin's hiding place. He narrowed his eyes, raised his left hand, revealing the gold-and-silver-inlaid copper crossbow mechanism bound on his upper forearm beneath his wide robe sleeve. His right hand bent his fingers to trigger the mechanism. Accompanied by a rapid click-clack sound, the pre-installed crossbow bolt shot out instantly!

The assassin never expected his target to counterattack so swiftly amidst the panic, even striking back precisely while using himself as bait. The dense branches and leaves could hide the assassin's figure but could not block the crossbow bolt. With the sound of shattering leaves, the assassin's pupils contracted. He turned to flee, but the crossbow bolt still pierced his left arm. He let out a muffled groan and half-leaped, half-fell from the tree.

"Deng Hu, bring a live one to see me!"

"As you command!"

Deng Hu, by Liu Qi's order, quickly led people up the mountain.

Shaowei did not want to get involved. Taking advantage of the chaotic footsteps as cover, she turned and left, intending to depart from the other side of the mountain, which was also the direction she originally planned to return.

But the fleeing assassin discovered her, or perhaps worried she would expose his trail. In this chaos, killing intent arose toward her. As he ran, a sharp arrow shot straight toward the back of Shaowei's heart!

The assassin did not take this ordinarily dressed girl seriously, merely thinking her a mischievous child from some nearby farmer's household.

But the instant the arrow was released, an accident occurred.

The girl, carrying two wine pots tied with hemp rope in her hand, did not stop her steps. Behind her, it was as if she had grown eyes. She leaned her body to the left, performed an extremely light somersault in midair. As her legs landed, she extended her left hand and precisely grasped the flying arrow.

She did not know where the arm strength came from. When she gripped the arrow shaft, not only did her figure not sway, but even her wrist did not tremble in the slightest. It was unbelievably steady. She was still holding that wine pot in her hand. The hemp rope tying the wine was wrapped around her palm and back of her hand. That hand was still very small.

The assassin involuntarily widened his eyes. Such reflexes were already strange, and such strength was absolutely impossible to appear on a little girl of just over ten years old!

In the assassin's eyes, the girl who was like a monster had clear, dark eyes now filled with offended ferocity at this moment. A desire for revenge ignited within.

Everything happened in an instant. Her gaze was cold. She held her left arm across her front, suddenly lowered her upper body, and threw that sharp arrow. At the same time, she spat out a cold, disgusted sentence: "Damned thing."

The instant the arrow was thrown, she rose up, extended her right leg, and kicked toward the arrow's fletching. The arrow, returned to its original owner, suddenly increased in speed and was imbued with lethal force. It broke through the obstructing green leaves and flew diagonally, stabbing toward the assassin's neck!

At the same time, Shaowei turned and left, not looking back once. Whatever happened to him, anyway he would not live today.

Although the assassin was startled, he did not stand motionless in place. But unfortunately, the arrow came diagonally at close range, making it hard to completely dodge. Even though he reacted and avoided his fatal neck, he was still pierced through one shoulder and back, falling into a thicket of brambles.

The assassin, his face scraped bloody by the brambles, gritted his teeth and climbed up, but due to his injury his movement was inconvenient. During his difficult escape, he repeatedly regretted having actively provoked that little monster... Originally thinking to clear the path ahead, he unexpectedly had his own retreat cut off!

Shaowei was very skilled at traveling through the mountain forest. She ran all the way hidden to the foot of the mountain, but did not hurry to leave—she still needed to cross the river to return to Taoxi Township. This stretch of road could not hide her figure, and the people on the mountain would see her tracks.

Shaowei crouched in a hiding place at the foot of the mountain, her back against the cliff wall, paying attention to the movements on the mountain.

"Shaowei King, Shaowei..."

"Shut up!"

Shaowei reached out and grabbed the chaotically flying and crying Zhan Zhan in one handful, stuffing her into her lapel.

Zhan Zhan poked her head out in bewilderment, shook her head to tidy the disheveled goose-yellow feather crown, and also imitated Shaowei's vigilant manner to pay attention to the noise, although she did not understand what exactly she needed to pay attention to, but imitation was her forte.

On the mountain, that assassin had already been tracked down by Deng Hu and the others.

Pitch-black blood continuously welled up from the assassin's mouth; obviously he was poisoned, and his consciousness had also largely collapsed.

Deng Hu noticed the extra arrow on the assassin's shoulder-back, and this arrow was the same as the one the assassin used; the arrow must have poison, and most likely it was an unsolvable deadly poison... It couldn't possibly be that this person, while fleeing, accidentally fell, and his own arrow stabbed himself, poisoning himself?

This speculation was too niche and even absurd; Deng Hu quickly dismissed it. He swept his gaze in all directions, ordering people to continue searching the mountain for any other traces of assassins.

When that assassin was brought before Liu Qi, he only barely had one breath left; streams of black blood surged from his mouth, and he could no longer speak.

The blue-robed monk, seeing this state, turned pale: "Amitabha, Amitabha..."

Liu Qi bent one knee and crouched down; after listening to Deng Hu's low whisper in his ear, he reached out and pulled out the arrow on the assassin's shoulder.

The assassin still had perception; the pain of pulling the arrow made him convulse and emit a pained muffled sound, and the black blood in his mouth surged even faster.

The next moment, that arrow held in a hand pierced into his chest again, then pulled out, then pierced through again.

Looking at the youth's face without much expression, the assassin, before completely losing consciousness, had only one thought... This is another monster!

A few drops of splattered fresh blood landed on the blue-robed monk; he trembled and cried out in alarm, retreating in panic, wanting to go find his wooden fish, while trembling and persuading: "Sixth Prince... why must you commit such cruel slaughter! It only adds to sins! Quickly, quickly please stop!"

Liu Qi turned a deaf ear to his words.

The Nei Shi Guan Wu on the side were also each like cold cicadas.

A long-bearded official wearing a hanging crown sighed in his heart; the Sixth Prince who had followed the Marquis left and right since childhood had courage far beyond ordinary princes raised deep in the palace; just as moments ago on the tall carriage he faced the enemy head-on and counterattacked, his decisive spirit was truly astonishing.

But now being so full of violent qi would only make people fear and stay away, and make it hard to inspire awe... how could one achieve anything like this?

The long-bearded official thought to here, and again laughed mockingly in his heart; how could he expect a child who had suffered a huge blow to "achieve things"? And that matter was so difficult, it was destined that no one could achieve it.

The long-bearded official watched as that child seemed to have finally vented the pent-up resentment of revenge in his heart; his blood-soaked hand gripped that dripping arrow, and supported by his confidant guards he boarded the carriage, casually tossing the arrow onto the small table.

A Nei Shi trembled and followed, kneeling at the side to wipe the fresh blood from his hands; the towel quickly stained red.

On the carriage behind, the blue-robed monk's wooden fish was nearly beaten to pieces.

Liu Qi looked at the people still searching on the mountain, seeming somewhat impatient, and ordered: "No need to search further, set out and leave this place."

Deng Hu understood and agreed, immediately summoning people to return.

That long-bearded official stepped forward to salute and advised: "Sixth Prince, the remaining journey is still four hundred li; mountains overlap, roads are twisting and hard to travel, sight is often obstructed... to prevent assassins from appearing again, Tang Jiadou boldly requests Sixth Prince to change to the rear carriage."

The south was stiflingly hot; Liu Qi had already changed to this gauze-canopied carriage halfway a half month ago; this carriage was light and cool, but had no carriage walls for shielding, yet it was a hidden danger, very easily becoming an assassin's target.

"Lord Tang, mere carriage walls cannot block heavy bow crossbow arrows either." Liu Qi looked at that bloody arrow and said evenly: "I insist on riding this carriage, and let them come kill; at least I can still see clearly, and need not be an ignorant, unaware, incapable unjust death ghost."

Seeing the youth stubborn and refusing advice, the official named Tang Jia no longer spoke further, only saluted and retreated away.

The troupe finished organizing and soon set off again; carriages and horses galloped, kicking up dust and smoke, startling the flying birds in the mountains.

Shaowei heard the noise recede and immediately flashed out from her hiding place, carrying two pots of wine and running across the green grass, stepping on the single-log bridge and leaping over the babbling river; her steps were light and swift as flight, Zhan Zhan followed behind, like a divine bird following another divine bird.

"... Little child!"

When Shaowei jumped off the single-log bridge, a shout entered her ears.

She turned her head to look, and saw about twenty paces away a slender youth in a gray shirt, hands cupped at his mouth, shouting loudly at her.

Shaowei stopped, looking at that person who seemed not much older than her yet called her little child, baffled.

She saw he freed one hand, pointed at the mountain on the opposite shore, and said loudly: "Little child! You must not go alone into the mountain to walk the mountain path; this is too dangerous! The adults in your home would be anxious if they knew!"

Shaowei felt it was inexplicable, did not take it to heart, and also because she felt some discomfort, she ignored him, lifted her foot and ran home.

"How come you're only back now?"

That "home adult who would be anxious" in that youth's mouth, Jiang Fu, had indeed waited somewhat anxiously; she sat without much ceremony on the hall house door threshold, opening her mouth to complain: "The wine worm in my belly has been crying for a good long while."

Shaowei did not speak, only stuffed the two pots of wine into her arms, and herself walked straight toward the house.

Shaowei did not reveal much abnormality, yet was still caught by Jiang Fu's sharp eyes and quick hands grabbing one arm: "Eh, divine wait!"

Jiang Fu's fingers quickly rested on Shaowei's pulse, and knew she was about to have an attack; she immediately enthusiastically dragged her toward the kitchen direction: "... Come with me, I prepared a good thing for you!"