Chapter 1464

Li Honghan led twenty light-armored cavalry at full speed in pursuit; he had already set an ambush of ten men at Lianyun Mountain Pass, where the escort of Princess Yingyue would surely be blocked; Li Honghan seemed to have already smelled the scent of blood, and this time he would certainly slaughter them all to make Hu Xiaotian taste pain—even he himself could not explain why he hated Hu Xiaotian so much, perhaps because his pride had repeatedly suffered setbacks before Hu Xiaotian, or perhaps seeing Hu Xiaotian grow from a clueless youth into a regional hegemon, surpassing his own achievements, which was exactly what he could not tolerate.

Whoosh! A feathered arrow, like cold lightning, tore through the rain curtain, letting out a sharp whistle, and shot at Li Honghan's mount with astonishing speed—shoot the horse first, capture the leader first. Although Li Honghan was galloping wildly, he could still maintain all‑around awareness; the pouring rain, though it troubled him somewhat, did not impair his instinctive reaction to danger.

Li Honghan's slender long sword at his waist sprang from its sheath like a startled swan; as his right hand waved, the blade traced a beautiful, graceful arc; rain splashed onto the blade, making the cold light hazy and alluring; the sword rang through the air with a sharp tone, striking the arrow shaft precisely; sword and arrow collided with a crisp "pa!" like a whip lash, and Li Honghan felt a slight numbness in his wrist, amazed that the enemy's arrow could carry such force. The arrow, struck by the sword, changed direction and flew awry into the mire.

This single arrow was merely the opening of the assault; the twenty warriors hidden in the forest launched their attack simultaneously, arrows raining down like locusts toward Li Honghan's troop, their primary target being the enemy's mounts; after a volley of dense arrows, more than half the horses were shot down, causing men and steeds to tumble in chaos. The wounded warriors' cries and the terrified neighs of the horses intertwined.

Li Honghan had not expected the enemy to dare block them midway; his carelessness turned what had been an advantageous situation into a passive one. He roared, jerked the reins hard, and charged toward the right‑side woods.

Seeing Li Honghan intend to force his way into the forest, Zhan Peng sprang to his feet, nocked an arrow, aimed at Li Honghan, and—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh! whoosh…—loosed seven arrows in rapid succession like a volley gun; the seven feathered arrows traced different paths—some straight, some spinning, some arcing around—coming from various directions toward Li Honghan.

Li Honghan's long sword flashed up and down, knocking every one of the seven arrows aimed at him aside; at that moment his mount had already galloped to the ambush site of Zhan Peng and company, he leapt from the horse's back into the air. Spotting Zhan Peng hidden in the thick woods, he raised his sword like an eagle and swooped down, thrusting the blade at Zhan Peng's chest.

Zhan Peng planted his feet and sprang backward, retreating while loosing another arrow. Li Honghan deflected the feathered arrow and, following through, slashed upward from below toward Zhan Peng's abdomen; the closing distance left Zhan Peng unable to keep shooting, so he could only interpose his bow to block Li Honghan's sword.

With a clang, the sword struck the bow stave, throwing out a spray of sparks; Zhan Peng used that upward thrust to launch himself skyward, his feet pushing off the trunks of two adjacent trees, his body rising; as soon as the distance between them widened, Zhan Peng nocked an arrow and shot from above at Li Honghan's forehead.

Li Honghan shifted his footwork, dodging that shot, moved close to a warrior, and with a backhand thrust stabbed the warrior's chest and abdomen, killing him with a single blow.

Seeing his subordinate slain, Zhan Peng was filled with grief and indignation, and loosed three arrows in succession.

Li Honghan used the woods for cover, hiding behind tree trunks—clang! clang! clang! —three arrows missed their mark and buried deep in the trunks. At this point, more than ten of Li Honghan's men had also stormed into the forest, and the two sides engaged in close‑quarters combat.

While Zhan Peng and Li Honghan were locked in a life‑and‑death struggle in the rain, Zhang Ziqian and Zhu Jingyao entered the Arhat Hall, and Zhu Jingyao said, "Should I search all these Buddha statues thoroughly?"

Zhang Ziqian replied, "Being cautious isn't bad, but there's no need to destroy every Buddha statue." Although he was not a Buddhist, he also felt Zhu Jingyao's idea of smashing the statues was improper.

Zhu Jingyao chuckled, "That's not difficult." He gave a glance to the warrior under his command; the warrior gripped his spear and walked toward the Arhat statues, evidently intending to pierce each statue's body with the spear to check if anyone was hidden inside.

Zhang Ziqian sighed inwardly, hoping the Buddha would not blame them.

Liang Yinghao heard every sound outside clearly, his heart leapt to his throat; if they really used spears to prod the statues one by one, he and Long Xi Yue would surely be exposed; judging from the commotion outside, the opposition seemed to have only three people, and if he revealed himself and fought, he might still have a chance.

At that moment the warrior with the spear arrived before the Long‑eyebrow Arhat, ready to thrust, when suddenly a statue beside him toppled onto his head with a crash; the warrior startled, hastily jumped back.

Zhu Jingyao immediately sensed the change, shielded Zhang Ziqian and retreated, handing him over to his subordinate for care; at that moment he saw a figure fly out from behind the Subduing‑Tiger Arhat.

Zhu Jingyao raised his sword to meet the newcomer, but unexpectedly the person lifted a hand and released a puff of white mist.

Liang Yinghao was skilled at digging tunnels; his martial arts were at best second‑rate, and in a straight fight he would surely lose to Zhu Jingyao, especially with three opponents, so he resorted to unconventional tactics from the start. Being a bandit by origin, he cared nothing for fairness in combat; his only goal was to win and survive, so he had no qualms about methods—throwing white powder, though despised by the righteous, was a common trick for outlaws like him.

Zhu Jingyao reacted with astonishing speed; he slashed his right hand through the air, stirring up a gust of internal wind that blew the drifting white powder back toward Liang Yinghao.

Liang Yinghao was mid‑air, unable to dodge; he could only shield his eyes with his left hand to avoid the powder, yet his whole body was still engulfed in it. Zhu Jingyao's sword surged like a tide; his second strike chopped toward Liang Yinghao's waist. Although Liang Yinghao had braced himself for possible danger, he never expected Zhu Jingyao to be so fierce; trapped in the air, he could not evade the move and silently cried, "My life is over!"

But unexpectedly, at that moment a flying knife about an inch long shot from outside, flying straight for Zhu Jingyao's throat.

Faced with the huge threat of the flying knife, Zhu Jingyao had to abandon his attempt to slay Liang Yinghao; he backhanded the knife away, but the impact numbed his arm. His heart shuddered—judging from the force transmitted through the knife, the attacker's inner strength must surpass his own; could the enemy have brought reinforcements?

Liang Yinghao escaped death, fell to the ground covered head‑to‑toe in white powder, a sorry sight. Zhu Jingyao's attention had meanwhile shifted elsewhere; he heard a calm voice from outside say, "I never thought the illustrious Xichuan Junior General would resort to taking advantage of a perilous situation."

Zhu Jingyao and Zhang Ziqian exchanged a glance, both thinking inwardly, "Oh no." It seemed today's secret plot to ambush Long Xi Yue would be exposed. According to Zhang Ziqian's thinking, they must kill the newcomer outright to eliminate future trouble, but Zhu Jingyao knew he lacked the ability to do so.

The rain had ceased; a white‑clad, graceful young man stood silently outside the Arhat Hall, hands clasped behind his back, his expression noble and aloof, his spotless white robes unstained by dust—none other than Hu Xiaotian's cousin, Xu Mubai.

Seeing Xu Mubai appear, Zhang Ziqian sucked in a cold breath; of course he knew the relation between Xu Mubai and Hu Xiaotian, and he chuckled, "I wondered who it was—turns out it's Master Xu."

Xu Mubai smiled and said, "You know who I am, and I know who you are, Master Zhang—are you trying to silence me by killing me?" As he spoke, he flicked his right hand, and a bright blade of light shot straight for Zhang Ziqian's heart.

Zhang Ziqian's face changed abruptly; Zhu Jingyao hurriedly took a big step forward and chopped at the flying knife. But Xu Mubai's true intent was a feint—he struck the throat of another warrior instead. That warrior never imagined the gentle, jade‑like white‑robed youth would strike so decisively and lethally; even if he had been on guard, he could not evade Xu Mubai's killing shot. The flying knife pierced his throat to the hilt, and he emitted a faint, ragged "heh‑heh" before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Xu Mubai had killed a man with a mere gesture, yet he grew ever more delighted, saying, "Two against two—that's fair!" Killing without blinking need not be accompanied by a ferocious mien; one can remain graceful and carefree.

Liang Yinghao returned the smile, his heart easing a little; Xu Mubai is Hu Xiaotian's cousin, thus effectively family, and regardless of why he appeared here, he had at least relieved Liang Yinghao's urgent crisis, hoping he bore no ill will toward their side.

Zhu Jingyao's nerves were taut all over; he did not consider the situation fair. Although Zhang Ziqian was wily and experienced, he knew nothing of martial arts, while Xu Mubai's skill surpassed his own, and with Liang Yinghao eyeing them hungrily from the side, Zhu Jingyao felt he was already as helpless as a mud Buddha crossing a river—let alone protecting Zhang Ziqian.

Xu Mubai said, "Heaven cherishes life; we have no past grudges nor recent enmity, and I do not wish to create more killing karma. How about this: you two just leave, and we keep to our own waters—no interference?"

Zhang Ziqian was half‑believing, half‑doubting; he never expected Xu Mubai, who already held the upper hand, to voluntarily let them go. Though he lacked martial skill, he was well‑read and possessed extraordinary composure, showing no panic even in a weak position. He smiled, "Master Xu's proposal suits me perfectly; then let us part here—we'll meet again!" He gave Zhu Jingyao a look, knowing that the wise adapt to circumstances; Zhu Jingyao certainly understood, and he withdrew first, intending to settle the score after rejoining Li Honghan.

In the early morning I send this first update, offering a little benefit to those night‑owl readers; friendly reminder: stay up less, rest more, your body is the capital of revolution—after casting your monthly ticket, hurry off to sleep! (To be continued…~^~)