After launching the fire arrows into the sky, Fu Yixiao sat cross-legged beside the trap, softly comforting, “Hold on a bit longer. He’ll surely come quickly once he sees it.” Guyu painfully shifted his body, untying the bag containing the deer ears from his waist and tossing it up. “Ears first. Guyu will follow.” Yixiao caught the bag, hesitating for a moment. Just as she was about to say something, a faint sound shattered the suffocating silence—it was the familiar slight creak of a bow drawn to its limit.
With a whizzing sound, Yixiao ducked low, darting to the side. As her feet touched the ground, several dense twangs followed. Suddenly, arrows rained down on the previously quiet forest clearing. Yixiao rolled clumsily a few times but ultimately fell into the pit with nowhere left to hide, landing heavily beside Guyu.
Guyu stared at the fallen Yixiao in disbelief, stammering, “You… came down?” Yixiao sat up, wincing in pain, and looked up angrily at the trap’s opening, gritting her teeth, “So it wasn’t an accident. How despicable!” A few cold laughs echoed as two gleaming arrowheads aimed at Fu Yixiao and Guyu at the bottom of the pit.
Ye Duanfang cut off a pair of deer ears, placing them in the hemp sack on his horse’s back. He sighed and prepared to mount his horse to continue. In this world, the two strongest forces, apart from emotions, are killing. For men, especially men like him, the thrill of killing often surpasses that of emotion. However, war is one thing, and indiscriminate slaughter for a purpose is another.
A foraging squirrel emerged from the forest, nimble and docile, searching for scattered fruits under a pine tree. Suddenly, the squirrel froze, as if listening intently, then darted away without a trace. In the silence, two fire arrows whistled up from the dense forest on the other side, shooting straight into the sky—these were arrows only to be fired when a commander was in danger on the battlefield!
Who could it be? Besides the prince’s junior consort and that dimwitted giant, there shouldn’t be anyone else in the forest. Ye Duanfang’s face grew serious as he nocked an arrow and spurred his horse towards the source.
In the forest clearing, over a dozen men in dark grey clothes were busily carrying heavy sacks. Two others with bows stood by the pit where Fu Yixiao and Guyu had fallen, helping to pour soil from the bags into the trap. Suddenly, a grey-clad sentry came running from afar, shouting in panic, “Someone’s coming! Quick, run!” Before anyone could react, the sound of an arrow cutting through the air was heard, followed by an agonized cry as the running man fell, shot in the leg.
The crowd outside the pit grew restless with fear, dropping the sacks they were carrying. A man who seemed to be the leader rushed forward, grabbing the fallen man and attempting to retreat into the forest. The sound of approaching hoofbeats was as clear as if it were stamping on their hearts. A rider burst from the forest like an arrow. In a flash, a second arrow followed, striking down the grey-clad leader who was dragging his comrade. Ye Duanfang, galloping towards them, shouted, “Who goes there? Everyone stand still!”
Almost simultaneously, a healthy steed leaped out from the bushes on the other side, carrying Feng Suige with a grim expression. Seeing Ye Duanfang with his bow drawn, he roared, “Where’s Yixiao? Where is Yixiao?!” Ye Duanfang was momentarily stunned—he had only glimpsed the strange grey-clad men busy around a large pit in the ground. Hearing Feng Suige’s question, he instinctively looked towards the trap.
In that instant, the grey-clad group had completely withdrawn, leaving only chaotic footprints mixed with bloodstains, and more than ten scattered bags of soil. Feng Suige followed his gaze, his heart immediately leaping to his throat. He dismounted and rushed to the edge of the pit. One look, and he nearly went blind…
Ye Duanfang, unable to pursue the fleeing grey-clad men, put away his arrow and hurried over to support the swaying Feng Suige. “Your Highness,” he called softly, looking into the pit. Arrows were embedded in the pit wall and in the broad back of Guyu, who lay face-down on the left side, not yet fully buried by soil. And on the right side… there was only a pointed mound of earth.
Ye Duanfang was also shocked. He had heard of the complicated entanglement between this commoner-born junior consort and the prince. Before this competition, King Feng Qishan had summoned him personally, instructing him to win at all costs. Although he strongly disliked this junior consort who had once slaughtered Sushe soldiers on the battlefield, Ye Duanfang sighed—perhaps this wasn’t the worst ending. For any matter, death is a cruel conclusion, but it is precisely death that provides the most thorough ending.
Intense heartache made Feng Suige’s body tremble violently, as if his heart had been pierced, blood dripping drop by drop. He gasped, each inhalation halting briefly, each exhalation carrying unbearable pain from his heart. He stared fixedly at the scattered arrows, his throat emitting strange hissing sounds like sighs. Ye Duanfang listened for a while before finally understanding the words Feng Suige repeated: “He killed Yixiao, he killed Yixiao…” Suddenly, Feng Suige violently pushed away Ye Duanfang who was supporting him. “You’re an accomplice!!!”
With a clang, the long sword at his waist was unsheathed. Feng Suige’s bloodshot eyes were devoid of tears, glaring at Ye Duanfang like a ferocious beast selecting its prey. His voice was terrifyingly gloomy, “She’s dead, and you won’t live either—” Ye Duanfang stepped back, knowing Feng Suige wouldn’t listen to his explanation now, but he had to try. “Your Highness, please calm down. I—”
A low groan from the bottom of the pit, though weak, was clear enough for both men to hear. Feng Suige’s fierce expression suddenly froze, quickly turning to disbelief. He spun around and stumbled towards the pit. “Yixiao!” Ye Duanfang’s brow relaxed as he let out a soft sigh of relief and quickly followed.
Fu Yixiao crawled out, emerging from beneath Guyu’s body, covered in blood from head to toe. “Guyu? Guyu?!” Ignoring the two men who had jumped into the pit, she stared blankly for a moment before tentatively pushing and shaking the silent, arrow-riddled, and soil-covered Guyu. He had already been pushed onto his side by her, showing no signs of life.
“Guyu, Guyu, Guyu, Guyu…!!!” She increased her force, tears welling up in her eyes but unable to fall. When the first arrow came down, Guyu, who had been leaning against the pit wall, had thrown himself over her, pressing down tightly. “Guyu, protect…” His speech was always unclear, but these few words rang in Yixiao’s ears like thunderclaps as arrow after arrow pierced his back.
“Must win…” His voice grew fainter, yet seemed to carry a smile. “Junior Consort smells nice… like mother…” Finally, silence fell, leaving only the dull thuds of arrows entering flesh and the clang of metal colliding. Each impact was accompanied by Guyu’s reflexive spasms, gradually becoming fainter until they ceased altogether. Throughout the arrow rain, Guyu’s body completely shielded Fu Yixiao. She remained unharmed.