“That direction!” One of them determined Chen Guang’s hiding position based on the direction the throwing knife had come from.

These people were not ordinary opponents. Apart from the unlucky one at the beginning who died too suddenly under the throwing knife, the remaining people all began moving forward with left-right swaying motions as they rushed toward Chen Guang’s location.

Chen Guang, hiding in the shadows, tightened his gaze.

These people had extraordinary backgrounds!

On the battlefield during attacks, the General had taught them never to run straight forward—that would be like being a target. Instead, they should advance with irregular swaying movements so that enemy arrows and spears would find it difficult to aim at them.

These people understood this too, proving they were not some mountain bandits or wandering rogues.

Chen Guang gripped his throwing knife tightly, his knuckles faintly white.

He didn’t know how skilled these people were, but he was alone while the opponent still had six people. He didn’t dare engage in confrontation easily.

Shao Mingyuan’s words echoed in Chen Guang’s mind: When outnumbered, don’t first become fearful due to the opponent’s advantage, and don’t let the already unfavorable situation interfere with your judgment. Concentrate your strength against one person—with each person the opponent loses, our side’s strength grows by one point. With this give and take, there might not be no possibility of turning the tables.

“Six people…” Chen Guang murmured, hiding in place without moving.

He knew those people would soon reach his location, yet he couldn’t move.

His gaze was fixed, deadly on one of the six, and as that person advanced, he gradually figured out the pattern of that person’s swaying movements.

Left two, right three, interval timing…

Chen Guang went through it once in his mind, then decisively threw the knife he’d been gripping.

A miserable scream rang out as the throwing knife struck right in that person’s chest.

The man’s body pitched forward, nearly falling at Chen Guang’s feet.

Five people left!

This thought flashed through Chen Guang’s mind as his body suddenly dodged backward.

“Over here!” The remaining five immediately surrounded him.

The forest was quiet, and Qiao Zhao hiding in the tree could clearly hear the sound of weapons clashing as well as her own heartbeat.

A familiar, miserable scream rang out, and Qiao Zhao’s hand gripping the branch tightened fiercely.

Chen Guang was injured!

Soon, there were chaotic footsteps. Chen Guang was running ahead with stumbling steps, with three people chasing behind him.

Qiao Zhao had already adapted to the dark lighting. Parting the branches to look down from above, she could vaguely see Chen Guang’s blood-stained shoulder. The three people chasing him were expressionless, getting closer and closer.

Just then, an accident occurred—Chen Guang’s foot tripped over a vine, and he fell straight forward.

A long blade from behind slashed down.

Chen Guang, fallen on the ground, rolled to dodge the attack.

The three men held gleaming long blades and approached step by step.

Chen Guang struggled to prop up his body and retreated bit by bit.

“You little bastard, you killed four of our brothers. Today we’ll cut you into pieces!” One man raised his long blade, revealing a fierce, cold smile.

Another man raised his hand to stop him and asked coldly: “Where did your companions go?”

Chen Guang knew there was no escape route left, so he simply sat on the ground to silently recover his strength. Facing the aggressive three men, he remained silent.

“Not talking?” The questioner raised his long blade and stabbed it directly into Chen Guang’s shoulder.

Chen Guang bit his lips tightly and made no sound.

“Heh heh, quite the tough bone!”

Chen Guang sneered: “If you have the guts, just kill me. Cut the fucking nonsense. Those four companions of yours are waiting for me underground anyway, so my death would be worth it!”

“You think we don’t dare strike?”

Chen Guang directly tore open his clothes, exposing his tight chest, and laughed loudly: “Come on, stab right here! What’s the point of only stabbing the shoulder?”

He laughed loudly, tears at the corners of his eyes.

Generally, this subordinate probably can’t accompany you any further. It’s just that I’m somewhat unwilling—not dying on the battlefield at the hands of those barbarians, but perishing at the hands of these despicable bastards!

“You little bastard, do you think that once you’re dead, we won’t be able to find your companions? One old and one weak—where could they run to?”

Chen Guang’s laughter stopped abruptly.

The speaker raised his blade and sneered: “You want to die, right? I’ll fulfill your wish right now and send you underground to keep my brother’s company!”

Chen Guang looked at that person with contempt and spat: “Come on then, you dog bastard!”

He closed his eyes. Suddenly hearing a sound cutting through the air, accompanied by a miserable scream, his eyes snapped open to see the man holding the blade with a face full of terror and bewilderment. His body swayed and fell.

Chen Guang’s expression changed drastically.

Third Miss!

The remaining two people who had survived to the end were originally stronger than the others. With that person’s fall, they immediately determined where the hidden arrow had come from.

“In the tree!”

One of them said, “You watch this kid, I’ll go up the tree to look.”

He lifted his foot to head toward the large tree where Qiao Zhao was located, but his leg was tightly hugged by Chen Guang.

“Let go!”

Chen Guang used all his strength to hold even tighter.

The man shook his foot fiercely, and Chen Guang’s body swayed along with it, but his hands didn’t loosen at all.

The man finally became annoyed and struck Chen Guang with his blade.

Chen Guang screamed miserably and lay on the ground without moving.

Qiao Zhao, hiding in the tree, saw all of this, and tears fell silently.

The man kicked Chen Guang and said coldly, “This kid won’t live. Don’t worry about him. I’ll go up that tree to look. You go find where the other person is hiding—I estimate they’re also in some tree.”

“Alright!”

The two split up to act.

Chen Guang lay prone on the ground, silent as if fast asleep.

Qiao Zhao watched coldly as that man hugged the tree trunk and climbed up, just like a poisonous snake slowly approaching her.

She simply hung her bow and arrows far back on the branches behind her, smoothed her hair, and waited quietly for that person to climb up.

That man also had a wound on his shoulder, injured by Chen Guang during the earlier siege, so his climbing movements were somewhat slow.

He finally climbed up above and carefully parted the dense branches and leaves.

Under the starlight appeared a young woman’s face, white as jade, with a pair of bright, large eyes staring straight at him, calm as a deep pool.

Meeting those large, clear eyes, the man couldn’t help but be stunned.

“Big brother, you finally came to save me.” The young woman’s eyes didn’t blink as she gazed at the man close at hand, speaking softly.

The man’s gaze was momentarily confused, and he couldn’t help but ask: “Save you?”

“Yes, has big brother forgotten me?” In the night, the young woman’s voice was low, gentle, and lingering like a sleep-inducing Jiangnan melody, full of tender feelings.

“Who are you?” Gazing at the young woman’s flower-like face, the man was somewhat entranced and asked in a murmur.

“I’m your little sister. When you left, you told me to obediently stay here and wait for you. Don’t you remember at all?”

As the young woman’s gentle, slow, soft tone continued, the man couldn’t help but fall into memories following her words.

His little sister?

When had he asked his little sister to wait for him here? Why couldn’t he remember?

How strange, he seemed to have said such words—

The man’s thoughts were interrupted. He looked down at the dagger inserted into his chest, then looked up at the young woman’s snow-and-ice-like face in the moonlight, finally coming to his senses.