Chapter 834: 【Arrogant】 (Lower)

Huo Shengnan drew her bow and nocked an arrow, glaring angrily at Tang Jingyu. This person is truly arrogant, not even knowing who the other side is, yet daring to strike and hurt someone!

The surrounding white-clad women all aimed their bows at Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan; in an instant the tension was palpable, the atmosphere stretched to its limit. Hu Xiaotian said: "You seem to have mistaken the target—we keep saying we have nothing to do with him, so why press us so aggressively?"

Tang Jingyu's narrow eyes swept coldly over Hu Xiaotian's face, then he stared intriguingly at Huo Shengnan and said: "You can use a bow too? How about shooting me an arrow to test?"

Huo Shengnan suppressed her anger; the enemy outnumbered them, and not only was his own martial prowess formidable, but the twenty women beside him also appeared to be masters of archery. Although she had considerable confidence in Hu Xiaotian's martial skill, in this situation they had no chance of victory—Hu Xiaotian's outward sword qi release was unreliable, flickering on and off; before his sword qi could even be unleashed, the enemy's arrows would fall like rain. Even if they managed to escape by luck, they could not guarantee the safety of their two mounts; a head‑on clash was certainly not the best solution.

Huo Shengnan said: "We are merely ordinary passing merchants; let each go his own way on the broad road, and let well water not interfere with river water—why fight to the death and suffer mutual loss?" Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, reminding Tang Jingyu that if he yielded, they could still part peacefully; but if they kept pressing each other, a fight would benefit no one.

Tang Jingyu said: "Go on, shoot me an arrow and see!" He stared at Huo Shengnan's eyes, then flashed a faint smile: "Don't dare? Rest assured, my subordinates will not intervene!"

Huo Shengnan's arm twitched slightly, and the feathered arrow on her bowstring shot toward Tang Jingyu like a chase of wind and lightning.

Seeing her release, Tang Jingyu's eyes showed appreciation; he waited until the arrow was about three feet before him, then reached out. He steadily caught the arrow Huo Shengnan had shot; after the arrow landed in his hand, the shaft continued to tremble, showing the great force of that shot.

Tang Jingyu smiled: "Not bad, not bad! Your archery is already first‑rate; if you could receive guidance from a master, you might break through to arrow‑guided qi. Why not join my Falling Cherry Palace? I will spare your life today."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What's wrong with you! Do you think you're some genius? Seeing people and wanting to take them as disciples?"

Tang Jingyu laughed: "Not only am I taking disciples; those who join my sect also have a chance to become my favored concubine!" The twenty white‑clad women behind him all flashed seductive, alluring looks. It seemed they were not only his disciples but also had an ambiguous relationship with him.

Upon hearing this, Huo Shengnan exploded in rage; this man was the utmost in shameless arrogance. She drew her long bow again: "Madman, take another arrow from me!"

Tang Jingyu said: "Hard to come by game, but you've won my heart! Fine—I'll let you shoot three arrows!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why not let me try three swords instead?" Hearing Tang Jingyu insult Huo Shengnan, Hu Xiaotian's anger flared. He saw that Tang Jingyu thought highly of himself, arrogant and overconfident—perfect for seizing this opportunity. If Tang Jingyu dared to agree, I will unleash three sword strikes; even a one‑third chance of success would suffice, and the outward sword qi could cleave you in two.

Tang Jingyu narrowed his eyes in disdain at Hu Xiaotian. Although Hu Xiaotian had just slapped away one of his arrows with a palm, showing some skill, it was not enough to earn his respect. Tang Jingyu said: "Three swords! Fine. Come on!"

Hu Xiaotian drew the great sword on his back and raised it high with both hands. He sent a mental message to Huo Shengnan: "Whether this sword strike succeeds or not, we must retreat at once."

Huo Shengnan pressed her lips, her heart growing unusually heavy. Tang Jingyu's archery was astonishing; its long‑range lethal power was immense, leaving them no other choice.

Hu Xiaotian roared: "Behold the sword!" and swung it forth.

Tang Jingyu never imagined the boy before him had already reached the stage of projecting sword qi. Seeing Hu Xiaotian swing his sword, the invisible sword qi split the loess ground, a crack rapidly advancing toward him. Only then did he feel the formidable pressure transmitted through the air. Startled, he leapt from his mount; the invisible sword qi struck the horse's head, cleaving Tang Jingyu's steed—famed as the Night‑Shining Jade Lion—in two. Though the sword qi waned, it continued forward, striking two white‑clad women who could not dodge; they fell, blood staining the loess.

Tang Jingyu's overconfidence gave Hu Xiaotian an opening; the loss of two subordinates was secondary, but this Night‑Shining Jade Lion steed—acquired at great cost—was now cleaved in two before his eyes. Filled with grief and indignation to the extreme, he spun in midair, drew his white jade bow tight, and let out three swift swishes—three arrows shot toward Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian had never seen such archery; the moment the opponent began the shooting motion, the arrowheads were already flying at his face.

Although Hu Xiaotian could not see where the arrowheads came from, his training in the Formless Divine Skill had given him superhuman danger sense. He twisted his wrist, using the broad blade of his great sword as a shield, blocking the three successive arrows. The arrowheads struck the blade, sending a powerful force up the shaft to the hilt; he blocked all three arrows, but his arms were numbed by the shock.

Tang Jingyu's body in midair had already assumed a diving stance; with his left hand gripping the white jade bow, he nocked three feathered arrows simultaneously, determined to shoot Hu Xiaotian dead on the spot to quell his hatred.

At this moment Huo Shengnan also acted; her bowstring whispered as she loosed an arrow toward the airborne Tang Jingyu. She had no confidence in killing him, but the shot aimed to ease Hu Xiaotian's pressure and help him break free.

Tang Jingyu released his three arrows together; the central one met Huo Shengnan's incoming arrowhead, the tips colliding and knocking her arrow to dust. The other two arrows veered left and right, tracing lovely arcs, each aimed straight at Hu Xiaotian's vital points from opposite directions.

Huo Shengnan's face turned ashen; the opponent's archery had reached a god‑like, unfathomable level. Though her own shooting was precise, she could not neutralize every one of his lethal techniques.

In moments of life and death, Hu Xiaotian displayed a calm beyond ordinary men. Though the enemy's three consecutive arrows had already numbed his arms, even under normal conditions he could not swing his heavy sword to knock down the two arrows coming from different directions. The arrows flew with astonishing speed, their trajectories shifting unpredictably, yet their target remained locked on Hu Xiaotian. He surged forward like a leopard; his mind could clearly sense the arrows' flight paths, his whole body's muscles engaged, his right foot pushing off the ground as he strained ahead, his tremendous bodily explosiveness giving his forward speed no less than that of the shot arrows.

The arcing feathered arrow swept past the back of his head, the gust it generated actually snapping off several strands of hair from Hu Xiaotian's occiput, which fluttered down to his feet.

Seeing his second attack miss, Tang Jingyu crossed his legs, leapt upward again, and along the loess pillar he rose, climbing more than ten zhang, soaring to the top of the pillar. From that height he looked down; everything within a one‑li radius lay plain before him, and any creature therein could not escape his deadly aim.

Huo Shengnan shot an arrow at Tang Jingyu; unless they could subdue him, even if they fled they would not escape his range.

As Tang Jingyu again drew his bow, a sudden earth‑shaking boom rang out; his body shuddered violently—the base of the loess pillar he stood on exploded, sending clouds of loess and dust everywhere. Though his vision was keen, he could not see what lay below.

Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan were also jolted by the blast, their hearts pounding. Suddenly a familiar voice rang out: "Sir! Follow me!" Through the swirling dust a figure appeared before them; Hu Xiaotian recognized the voice as Liang Yinghao's, having thought he had departed by sea with Zhou Mo and the others, yet here he was, surprising and delighting him. He shouted loudly: "Feihong!"

Hu Xiaotian, overjoyed, forgot that Tang Jingyu was still nearby. Tang Jingyu leapt from the loess pillar he had just stood on to another, and though the dust obscured details, he heard Hu Xiaotian's shout and followed the sound, shooting an arrow in that direction.

Hu Xiaotian felt the sneak arrow arrive; there was no time to dodge, he barely shifted his body an inch to avoid a vital spot—the arrow struck his right arm, making him grit his teeth in pain. Liang Yinghao and Huo Shengnan rushed over, shielding Hu Xiaotian as they ducked into the front loess cave.

Hu Xiaotian still thought of Little Grey, reminding Liang Yinghao: "Little Grey, my mount!"

Liang Yinghao said: "Sir, there's no need to worry; within Peak Forest Gorge, it's not yet anyone else's turn to be in charge."

Tang Jingyu stood on the loess pillar, hearing only the distant neighing of fine horses and occasional women's screams from below; his heart grew restless, evidently someone was taking advantage of the loess haze to attack his subordinates.

Unable to see the situation below, Tang Jingyu dared not shoot blindly. When the loess cleared, he was shocked to find that aside from a few corpses, not a single figure remained—not only had Hu Xiaotian and his companions vanished, but even the ten‑plus survivors of his retinue, men and horses alike, had disappeared without a trace.

Tang Jingyu's fury boiled over; he roared: "Blind‑eyed wretch, how dare you dig up the ground above my Falling Cherry Palace! I will dig three feet deep if I must, drag you out, and tear your bodies into myriad pieces to sate my hatred!"

Liang Yinghao was not exaggerating; in Peak Forest Gorge it truly was not yet anyone else's turn to lead. Taking advantage of the loess cover, they launched an ambush amid the chaos, not only rescuing Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan from their predicament but also dragging Tang Jingyu's dozen‑odd subordinates, men and horses, into the underground cavern. Even Lin Jinyu, riddled with arrow wounds and seemingly beyond saving, was hauled underground by this band of brigands in a confused daze.

Thanks to M-sqaure for flying the red flag into the alliance—hence this extra chapter! (To be continued~^~)