Although An Jiu’s arrow didn’t contain inner energy, the powerful spiritual force emanating from it made Feng Shi uneasy. The Crown Prince was only at the second level, and even with the protection of the surrounding Crane Soldiers, it wasn’t certain they could avoid this arrow!
Chu Dingjiang noticed the changes around him. He had his back to the battlefield and hadn’t witnessed the events firsthand, but when An Jiu’s arrow, imbued with spiritual force, flew towards the Crown Prince amidst a rain of arrows, he immediately understood what had happened.
Too far from An Jiu to intervene, Chu Dingjiang felt helpless. Unless he could teleport, there was nothing he could do. He knew An Jiu’s abilities well and doubted the arrow rain would harm her, yet his breath caught inexplicably. For the first time, he felt weak, afraid to turn and see the outcome.
In the brief moment Feng Shi was distracted, Chu Dingjiang’s sword flared with brilliance. He unleashed a lethal attack, driven by an unyielding will to fight to the death!
Meanwhile, An Jiu found herself in a perilous situation.
Faced with hundreds of arrows from various directions, she had no way to escape. However, the inability to flee didn’t mean she couldn’t dodge.
An Jiu’s spiritual force spread out in fine threads. Her keen six senses could lock onto the position of most arrows. As long as she avoided critical hits, there was hope for survival.
An Jiu stared motionlessly as the arrows inched closer to her face.
In the world of spiritual force, everything before her seemed to move in slow motion. She could even determine safe positions by judging the airflow affected by the arrows.
Just as she dodged one arrow, the rain of arrows before her suddenly stopped!
An Jiu was momentarily stunned, immediately enveloped by a familiar aura.
The suspended arrows seemed to be swept by an immense force, repelled with terrifying power.
She turned to look and saw, in the misty morning light, a figure in a gray-green robe fluttering in the wind. His fair face was unveiled—it was Wei Yuzhi, the second master of Piaomiao Manor.
His face was pale as if he might vanish with the wind at any moment.
“Why are you here?” An Jiu’s mind raced with thoughts. It was clear that Wei Yuzhi had just saved her. She wasn’t ungrateful, but the sudden appearance of a Liao strategist in the imperial palace of Bianjing was undoubtedly cause for concern.
Wei Yuzhi’s lips parted slightly, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
An Jiu frowned, perplexed. “We’re enemies. Why did you save me? Although with my skills, I didn’t need saving.”
Hearing this, Wei Yuzhi suddenly smiled but said nothing as he turned to leave.
“Stop right there!” An Jiu rushed forward, blocking his path.
Wei Yuzhi looked at her, taking out a handkerchief and calmly wiping the blood from his mouth.
“If you don’t explain why you’re here, I can’t let you go!” An Jiu declared.
Behind them, the sounds of battle raged, yet where Wei Yuzhi stood remained eerily calm. After a pause, he replied, “It seems I’ve saved a venomous snake.”
An Jiu remained silent, but her stance blocking his path didn’t waver.
After a moment of standoff, Wei Yuzhi smiled faintly and said, “If you are to die, it can only be by my hand.”
An Jiu stared into his eyes for a while, then nodded. “I accept that explanation.”
The explanation was absurd, yet honest. If Wei Yuzhi had intended to lie, an ordinary person wouldn’t have detected any flaws.
“Mr. Chu seems to be in a difficult situation now,” Wei Yuzhi reminded her.
Wei Yuzhi appeared to be in no condition to fight. Now would be the perfect opportunity to kill him!
An Jiu had no concept of moral obligation; she simply didn’t want to be indebted. Besides, killing him would take time she didn’t have at the moment.
She hesitated, then pulled out a small bottle from her robes and handed it to him. “There are only three pills inside. They’re made by Mo Sigui and can heal your injuries. Now we’re even.”
Wei Yuzhi knew that ordinary medicine had little effect on injuries caused by spiritual force. He realized these pills were made with the blood of drug people. Without pretense, he reached out and took the bottle.
An Jiu leapt away.
Wei Yuzhi stood motionless, his face growing increasingly pale. After a few breaths, he suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of dark red blood.
He opened the bottle, hesitated briefly, then placed one pill in his mouth.
A faint taste of blood spread across his lips and teeth. It was nauseating, but he didn’t swallow immediately, allowing the medicine to linger in his mouth.
Thinking about the Yelü royal blood in the pill, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
Wei Yuzhi was a Song native and felt no strong sense of belonging to the Liao nation. Perhaps this was why Yelü Quancang favored Yelü Huangwu over him. Sending him to find the medicine was almost like placing his life in Wei Yuzhi’s hands. Yelü Quancang indeed had courage and trusted him greatly, but this wasn’t what Wei Yuzhi wanted.
Wei Yuzhi prided himself on his strategic brilliance. He had hoped that one day, when Yelü Quancang ascended the throne, he could put his ambitions into practice. This was why he spared no effort in helping Yelü Quancang secure the throne.
However, reality was never as perfect as imagination. Despite his talents and strategies, he couldn’t foresee that all his efforts, even if they earned Yelü Quancang’s trust, wouldn’t be enough to secure his position in the Liao court.
If this mission to obtain the medicine succeeded, would he be able to enter the Liao court? Even if not, would Yelü Quancang allow him to participate in state affairs? Wei Yuzhi couldn’t be sure.
He walked slowly, moving through the battle and flames as if strolling through a garden. Xiao Shi was at the entrance of Baohua Palace.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Although Chu Dingjiang knew An Jiu’s spiritual power was more than capable of handling this scale of arrow rain, she had never experienced it before. Who knew if something unexpected might happen?
With this thought, Chu Dingjiang’s killing intent became even more unstoppable.
Feng Shi had been distracted by An Jiu’s arrow and was now being fiercely attacked by Chu Dingjiang, finding himself at a disadvantage.
When An Jiu’s arrow flew towards them earlier, the guards around the Crown Prince had all moved. The hidden assassins took this opportunity to approach the Crown Prince, pretending to rescue him.
He Cai looked at a female archer, signaling with her eyes to prepare for action.
This female archer was closest to the Crown Prince but was only at the fourth level. Surrounded by many seventh and eighth-level martial masters, she couldn’t possibly cause effective harm to the Crown Prince. However, He Cai needed to disrupt the Crown Prince’s defense to take action.
The female archer’s eyes showed determination as she aimed her bow at the Second Prince amidst the chaos.
Those around didn’t find it too strange; in these turbulent times, anyone with the ability wanted to show off in front of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince turned to look at the female archer.
Though fond of women, the Crown Prince could discern the appropriate time. He didn’t pay much attention to the archer’s curvaceous figure but felt she had an extremely attractive quality about her.
However, in an instant, he realized what kind of quality it was!
The female archer’s bow shifted slightly. As she released her fingers, her left hand suddenly pointed at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince met her gaze, clearly seeing the ruthless determination in her eyes.
Three small crossbow bolts gleamed in the morning light, aimed at the Crown Prince’s brow, throat, and chest.
Being so close, the arrows were within a foot of the Crown Prince before he could react.
To ensure absolute safety, one of the Crown Prince’s death guards stepped forward, using his body to block the arrows.
There was a traitor among the close guards! The Eastern Palace secret guards’ killing intent surged, with two of them swinging their swords to kill the female archer.
At this moment, two more people suddenly sprang up from the crowd to attack the Crown Prince.
If there had been an external attack at this time, the secret guards wouldn’t have panicked at all. But this unexpected internal rebellion instantly disrupted the Crown Prince’s defense.
All opportunities lay in this moment!
The remaining hidden assassins immediately rushed forward, with only He Cai staying still.
She stood on the other side of the Crown Prince, the only one there who followed Chu Dingjiang. If she made any suspicious moves, she would be immediately exposed. She needed to wait for the right moment.
As expected, with too many traitors, the Eastern Palace guards on this side had to join the battle, protecting the Crown Prince behind them.
He Cai successfully moved closer to the Crown Prince as the formation changed, but she remained composed. She didn’t immediately attempt to assassinate him, appearing no different from the other secret guards, all tense and vigilant in protecting the Crown Prince.
Seven Zhang away, Elder Zhi noticed that An Jiu showed no intention of engaging in battle, her arrow still not released.
Seeing An Jiu rushing over, Elder Zhi instantly realized that An Jiu was far more important to Chu Dingjiang than the Second Prince. He swiftly turned his arrow towards Chu Dingjiang.
Chu Dingjiang was locked in fierce combat with Feng Shi, his movements unpredictable. How could he be an easy target?
An Jiu’s steps faltered. She realized that going over now would only endanger Chu Dingjiang. If she joined the battle with Feng Shi, Elder Zhi, that old cunning fox, might put them in mortal danger at any moment.
Realizing this, An Jiu immediately sought a position favorable for shooting.
“Take out your bow,” Elder Zhi said, recognizing that the one who had shot the startling arrow earlier was none other than Mei Shisi.
Elder Zhi recalled the scene of Mei Shisi shooting arrows in the plum blossoms. Her aura could completely blend into the night without causing the slightest ripple, yet he felt an immense threat.
So even though he knew that after leaving Chu Dingjiang’s side, An Jiu could no longer shoot such powerful arrows, he still chose to confront her. He wanted to know the power of An Jiu’s arrows alone.
Elder Zhi was half a disciple of An Jiu. In this world, she had learned archery from him, and even the spiritual force arrow technique was taught by him.
Facing such a formidable opponent, An Jiu wasn’t confident she could win.
However, confidence was one thing, fighting with all her might was another. Staring at that faint blue light, she showed no sign of cowardice or retreat.
With the Subduing Dragon Bow in her hands, An Jiu seemed to feel its subtle vibrations. The bow’s heart connected with its wielder; she knew it wasn’t fear, but excitement, just like An Jiu’s current state.
“You’re using inner force. That’s not fair,” An Jiu called out.
Although discussing fairness on a battlefield seemed foolish, An Jiu carefully remembered Chu Dingjiang’s words. Elder Zhi didn’t care much about this battle, crucial as it was for the Great Song. He was supremely wise, but in archery, he was quite selfish.
“Inner force once released cannot be retracted. If you can withstand this arrow of mine, I will retire from worldly affairs henceforth,” Elder Zhi’s weathered voice seemed to sound right next to her ear.