The gun Lou Xiaowu made could only hold ten bullets in its magazine and couldn’t fire continuously. With limited ammunition, no one except An Jiu could guarantee to hit the target with every shot. As more “large birds” appeared in the sky, it became clear that one person alone wasn’t enough.

The others gripped their sword hilts, ready to join the fight as soon as anyone landed.

Strangely, the later-arriving “birds” circled overhead after seeing their comrades shot down.

Moments later, a white powder mixed with fine raindrops fell from the sky, quickly enveloping the entire island.

An Jiu took an all-purpose antidote pill and pulled up her mask.

The island had plenty of antidotes, but while they could counter most poisons, they had little effect against this sedative. Sheng Changying was the first to collapse.

An Jiu frowned, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him onto Da Jiu’s back. “Take him to a safe place!”

Da Jiu, sharing a mental connection with An Jiu, understood her intention and carried Sheng Changying into the forest.

It ran to where the grass seeds were buried, dug a hole nearby in the dead leaves and soil, dragged Sheng Changying in, and carefully covered him up.

Sheng Changying struggled fiercely but was immobilized by a single swipe of Da Jiu’s paw.

After Da Jiu left, Sheng Changying desperately raised his head, barely managing to shake off the loose soil to expose his nose and mouth, allowing him to breathe.

As night fell, the mist thickened. The drizzle formed a curtain-like veil, glittering gold in the lantern light, creating a scene resembling golden brocade.

An Jiu drew her Dragon-Subduing Bow, nocking an arrow. Her spiritual power spread like a tide, locking onto the positions of the Crane Control Army members above.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Arrows pierced the mist, but it wasn’t An Jiu firing. The Crane Control Army above had taken the initiative, releasing a rain of arrows first.

An Jiu’s fingers released, and her arrow flew like a gale, like rolling thunder. With unstoppable force, it split the mist, collided with an enemy arrow mid-air, cleaving it in two without losing momentum, and buried itself in the body of a Crane Control Army member controlling a “large bird.”

After firing, An Jiu immediately dodged the incoming arrow rain.

Inside the house, watching the crossbow bolts thudding into the ground outside, Li Qingzhi said, “It looks like they’ll be able to land soon.”

In the misty arrow rain, Da Jiu huddled in a fake mountain cave, its ears twitching. An arrow landed in front of it, startling it to shrink back further.

“This type of arrow can usually only be fired ten times in succession. Even if they carry spare arrows, there will be time needed to reload,” An Jiu explained, having spent time with the Crane Control Army and knowing their weapons intimately. Just by looking at the arrows, she could tell which type of crossbow they were using. “We should take advantage of this to occupy a more defensible position.”

The Crane Control Army rarely engaged in such large-scale operations. This time, they were determined to obtain the Heart Blood. At this rate, a large number of Crane Control Army members would land on the island within the hour. If they didn’t surrender, the only option was to secure an advantageous position first.

“The master has a secret medicine storehouse. Let’s go there first!” An Jiu suggested.

Others might not know about Mo Sigui’s medicine storehouse, but An Jiu did. It wasn’t in some hidden chamber, but in a small building halfway up the mountain, next to a waterfall.

“That’s the place!” Sui Yunzhu agreed.

Just then, as expected, the arrow rain outside slowed slightly.

In the mist, only An Jiu could accurately determine their route. The group rushed out together, following An Jiu’s lead towards the medicine storehouse.

As they ran, An Jiu used her spiritual power to scan for nearby enemies. Avoiding foes along the way, they soon heard the sound of flowing water.

It was a small waterfall, no more than three feet wide. The water flowed gently, clear streams falling into the pond below, splashing white foam.

Li Qingzhi’s tall frame swayed unsteadily. An Jiu quickly supported him, pulling him onto her back.

Being carried by such a petite woman was hard for Li Qingzhi to accept, and he struggled slightly.

“Don’t move!” An Jiu commanded coldly. “Save your strength!”

Sui Yunzhu, her face also pale, said, “Qingzhi, this is a matter of life and death. Don’t worry about trivial matters!”

Li Qingzhi resigned himself, pressing his lips together and allowing An Jiu to carry him up the mountainside.

Walking ahead, Ling Ziyue kicked open the door. The medicine apprentice hiding inside paled, only relaxing when he realized it was his people.

“What’s going on with that drug?” Here, only the apprentice had any medical knowledge; the others were completely ignorant about medicine.

If it were just an ordinary sedative, the all-purpose antidote should have been effective. But if it wasn’t a sedative, why didn’t she feel any effects? Her body could resist sedatives but wasn’t immune to all poisons.

“I… I don’t know,” the apprentice admitted. He had noticed the changes outside and had crawled out from his hiding place to look for medicine.

Having often been forced by Mo Sigui to test drugs personally, he had developed some resistance and hadn’t yet experienced any symptoms. “However, I smell Dream Flower mixed in. This drug might be destroying the Dream Flowers, preventing the mist from lingering!”

“Won’t that make it equally difficult for the Crane Control Army to move?” Lou Xiaowu asked, lying on a couch, drowsy.

The apprentice was about to speak when a thunderous boom came from outside, followed by several more. Even this building halfway up the mountain was affected, with dust falling from the beams.

Lou Xiaowu suddenly laughed, then coughed from the dust. “Our… cough cough… our firecrackers sound great.”

An Jiu had guessed that once the Crane Control Army landed, they would immediately search for Mo Sigui’s pharmacy and residence. So during preparations, she had Lou Xiaowu bury many specially modified Thunder Clap bombs around Mo Sigui’s pharmacy, functioning like landmines.

The apprentice, stunned by the explosions, took a moment to regain his senses. “Once the Dream Flowers are damaged, the poisonous gas will dissipate quickly.”

He dragged a box from the corner, taking out various bottles and jars. Frowning, he studied them for a while. “The master must have medicine here to counteract the poison in your bodies, but… I can’t identify it.”

Mo Sigui never had the habit of labeling his medicines, relying on his sense of smell to easily distinguish formulas.

“I’m not poisoned. Could it be the effect of Gu Jinghou’s Heart Blood?” An Jiu took out a medicine bottle. “In any case, taking this is more beneficial than harmful. It’s better than waiting to die.”

She distributed a pill to each person.

Lou Xiaowu held the pill between her teeth before swallowing.

Ling Ziyue held the tiny pill, smiling helplessly before putting it in his mouth. Just two hours ago, he had refused to accept this medicine. He never expected to use it so soon. With only a few of them left to fight on the island, every additional person increased their chances of survival.

After taking the medicine, they sat cross-legged to circulate their energy. About half an hour later, everyone’s complexion improved slightly, easing An Jiu’s concern a bit.

Outside, the rain grew heavier, drumming dully on the wooden house.

When An Jiu fully extended her spiritual power, she could almost cover the entire island. She knew clearly that dozens of Crane Control Army experts were already on the island.

Once, they had defeated the Misty Mountain Villa with fewer than ten people, but she had to admit that without Chu Dingjiang, the outcome would have been entirely different.

An Jiu leaned against the doorframe, silent, her fingers constantly rubbing the Tang sword at her side.

If they could detoxify quickly, they might be able to fight their way to the northern ferry and escape by boat. Though whether they could leave was still uncertain…

The heavy rain outside seemed to be cheering on the Crane Control Army, quickly dispersing the mist, leaving only a hazy vapor. An Jiu suddenly remembered that Da Jiu had taken Sheng Changying into hiding and hadn’t returned. Realizing she was once again in a situation of being hunted, she grew irritated. Her hand, which had been rubbing the sword hilt, stopped and suddenly tightened.

She put on a cloak. “Stay here and recover. I’ll be back soon.”

This place was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it had various potent poisons developed by Mo Sigui. Sui Yunzhu and the others were all quite experienced in combat, so An Jiu wasn’t worried.

“Where are you going?” the apprentice asked, noticing he was the only one awake while the others were recovering. He worried that if someone attacked now, they would all be wiped out!

“Don’t worry, the Crane Control Army is resting temporarily. No one will come for a while,” An Jiu said, closing the door and opening the special umbrella made by Lou Xiaowu as she slowly descended the mountain.

Raindrops fell on the umbrella with muffled thuds.

An Jiu’s calm gaze concealed a murderous intent. She was originally a hunter; how could she become prey fleeing in panic? If they continued to be passive like this, how would it be any different from her previous life?

Her advantage lay in her powerful spiritual energy, which allowed her to easily conceal her whereabouts. This was suitable not only for escaping but also for assassination!

Since they were cornered, why not stop running and fight back?

Five hundred paces ahead, three Crane Control Army members were walking in this direction: two at the fifth level and one at the seventh.

An Jiu’s lips tightened slightly under her face cover. She stood still, waiting for the three to approach.

After the recent explosion, the Crane Control Army suffered heavy losses. The main force was regrouping, so they sent out several small teams to search the surroundings. This three-person team was one of them.

They knew there were about six or seven people on the island, all with relatively low martial arts levels, so most of their attention was focused on watching out for landmines and poisons.

An Jiu stood on a horizontal branch, holding her umbrella and looking down at the three who had already walked under the tree.

The three moved extremely quietly, their steps on the rotting leaves barely making a sound.

The water droplets gathering and falling from An Jiu’s umbrella seemed more rapid than elsewhere. The three were very alert and, noticing the unusual sound of raindrops on dead leaves immediately looked up. However, they were still slower than An Jiu.

As a string of water droplets fell from the umbrella’s edge, An Jiu suddenly closed it and leaped down. With one hand, she drew her Tang sword from the side, while the other pressed a button on the umbrella handle to launch hidden weapons.

Two clusters of needles, as fine as ox hair, instantly buried themselves in the thigh of the seventh-level expert. He struggled for a moment before falling to his knees.

Everything seemed to slow down. Before the string of raindrops from the umbrella could reach the ground, An Jiu’s sword tip was already at the neck of one of the fifth-level martial artists. A thin line of blood appeared on that pale neck, but her blade didn’t stop. She spun to block the sword of the other martial artist, suddenly releasing her grip on her sword. It fell as she moved like the wind, flashing past the opponent’s armpit. Her hand, covered in a thick black glove, grabbed the enemy’s neck and suddenly exerted force, crushing the internal cartilage to powder.

Plop.

The string of water droplets from the umbrella earlier finally fell onto the dead leaves, mixing with the blood.

Killing three people took only an instant.

The sweet, metallic scent of blood mixed with the damp air. As An Jiu inhaled this smell, she suddenly became excited.