Chapter 69: The Hundred Flowers Wither After My Bloom!
Unless Shen Yungan completely abandoned Worldly Son Bu, then Shen Yungan could withdraw immediately. But Xiao Changyan firmly believed that Shen Yungan would not give up on Worldly Son Bu!
Today, he would first test Shen Yungan's capabilities.
Faintly, Xiao Changyan felt somewhat eager for this confrontation with Shen Yungan!
Just then, a strategist who had been looking down noticed a string of bubbles rising along the river-facing side of the boat. As he was about to focus his gaze, a sharp, piercing sound—unidentifiable in origin—cut through the air, instantly causing those who heard it to stiffen with tension.
Before they could look around for the source of the sound, a section of the pitch-black night sky seemed to collapse abruptly. An ominous premonition instantly enveloped them, leaving them no time to react.
The collapsing darkness quickly dispersed, and as it passed through areas with light, they could see it was actually a flock of giant birds soaring with outstretched wings.
"G-giant birds—"
Someone let out a short, sharp scream, followed immediately by a series of splashes as people fell into the water.
The enormous black eagles, when not in the light, blended perfectly with the night. With their massive wings spread wide, they moved so swiftly that no one had any time to react.
Swooping past, their wings swept across like iron rods striking bone, causing excruciating pain.
This unforeseen turn of events caught Xiao Changyan completely off guard. He himself had no time to dodge, and even though guards immediately rushed to protect him, the relentless onslaught of black eagles swept through. The guards positioned in front of him were sent flying into the river before they could even raise their swords to strike.
The area was near the dock, and the water was not deep. However, several guards who fell in were instantly seized by lurking figures below and had their necks snapped.
Shen Yungan's men stripped the guards of their uniforms, quickly put them on, and pushed the corpses toward the center of the river.
The black eagles on the boat seemed drawn to something on the vessel, circling it repeatedly. They swept across the deck from one side, then flew to the other, only to swoop back again in a relentless cycle.
Xiao Changyan was forced to retreat into the cabin. His successful retreat came at the cost of many casualties.
Those hiding inside the boat had to emerge one by one, swiftly drawing their bows to shoot arrows. However, the black eagles were too fast and flew too high. The arrows shot into the air failed to bring down even a single feather.
Meanwhile, the guards who had submerged in the water barely surfaced before another wave of black eagles forced them back under. Those who managed to climb onto the boat were immediately thrown back into the water as soon as they stood up.
A disheveled Xiao Changyan retreated into the cabin and peered out through the window, his face tense and grim. This was not a warship, and many of its features were far less convenient than those of a warship.
As the arrows all fell uselessly into the river, Xiao Changyan raised his hand and coldly commanded, "Bring me my bow and arrows!"
Immediately, his personal attendants rushed to his room. Two of them struggled to carry his exceptionally heavy bow, while another brought the matching arrows. Xiao Changyan examined them for a moment.
He then positioned himself at a window, nocked an arrow, and waited for about half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Taking aim at one of the black eagles, he calculated its flight path and speed. Drawing the bow to its fullest, he released the string. A sharp arrow whistled through the air, striking one of the black eagles squarely.Perhaps it was the deterrence of Xiao Changyan's arrow that shocked the black eagles into retreating, only flapping their wings high in the sky and no longer attacking the people on the ship as wildly as before.
The distance was too great for Xiao Changyan to shoot again, so the eagles and humans faced off from afar in the pitch-dark night.
After an unknown length of time, another piercing, sharp sound rang out, just like before the black eagles had appeared without warning. As soon as the sound faded, the black eagles swiftly flew back into the night, vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
If not for the chaotic mess on the ground and the drenched guards climbing out of the river, the sudden arrival and swift departure of the black eagles would have felt like a dream—a heart-pounding nightmare!
Xiao Changyan, his face grim, tossed his bow to an attendant and strode toward one of the cabins. Earlier, when the first sound had echoed outside, Xiao Changyan, like everyone else, had no time to pinpoint its source.
Then, with the black eagles attacking, he had no mind to dwell on it. But just now, inside the cabin, he had clearly identified the origin of the second sound that commanded the eagles to retreat.
With a dark expression, he marched to the room where Shen Ershi was imprisoned. Seeing Xiao Changyan’s hostile approach, Zha Pu hurriedly stepped forward to block his path: "Prince Jing…"
But Zha Pu had barely spoken when Xiao Changyan shoved him aside. Not daring to defy his superior, and since Xiao Changyan showed no intent to harm him, Zha Pu offered no resistance. He staggered back a few steps, forced to watch as Xiao Changyan slammed the door open with a single palm and stormed inside!
Inside the room, Shen Ershi sat lazily on the windowsill, a golden, finger-thick whistle twirling between his fingertips. Spotting Xiao Changyan, he drawled, "Your Highness charges in with such fury—what brings you here?"
Xiao Changyan’s gaze fixed on the whistle in Shen Ershi’s hand. After a long pause, he said coldly, "Worldly Son Bu, you have quite the tricks up your sleeve. Pity these beasts can’t save you!"
This was an open admission that he was now trapped and in dire straits, revealing just how enraged Xiao Changyan was.
The angrier, the better. In truth, this had all been planned during his earlier meeting with the heir. The golden whistle was given to him by the heir, instructing him to act upon receiving the covert signal.
Actually, the first whistle blast hadn’t come from him—the second one had. The black eagles only responded to one command. Their assault on the ship was triggered by Shen Yungan incorporating Shen Xihe’s scent into their training.
Shen Ershi had merely lit incense carrying that fragrance. Once the black eagles received the command, they would relentlessly swarm the area until they retrieved the source of the scent.
Witnessing Xiao Changyan shoot down one of the eagles and catching the signal from the covert Shen operatives at his window, Shen Ershi issued the retreat order—a deliberate move to mislead Xiao Changyan.
By making Xiao Changyan believe he was the mastermind from start to finish, Shen Ershi prevented him from immediately suspecting others. With no time to screen the guards emerging from the water, Xiao Changyan’s first instinct would be to rush over and demand answers.Everything unfolded exactly as the Crown Prince had anticipated. Realizing their people had already infiltrated and were likely being organized to change clothes at this moment, Shen Ershi couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips upward as he thought: "With nothing better to do, I do enjoy these unorthodox methods. Since there were no ships available, I simply summoned some black eagles to make do."
"These eagles originally came for me," he continued. "It's only because His Highness's men were overly alarmed and first showed intent to harm them that the birds lost control..."
Dear reader, this chapter ends here. Wishing you a pleasant reading experience! ^0^
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