The horrific death of this man sent waves of shock through the crowd, but who could guarantee that similar dangers didn't lurk elsewhere? Most of these men were desperadoes, and with gritted teeth, they intensified their ferocious assault on Ling Ziyue, determined to sever his head as swiftly as possible.
With enemies closing in, Ling Ziyue raised his sword to meet them.
His mental strength erupted abruptly, the murderous aura honed over years on the battlefield radiating with palpable aggression.
For a time, even three or four Ninth-Order Martial Masters could do nothing against him.
With these men paving the way, more and more martial masters broke through the rain of arrows, until over twenty had surged forward.
Gao Dazhuang arrived with reinforcements, and with the help of a few lieutenants, they barely managed to hold the line.
An Jiu's mental strength was highly offensive, but its effectiveness diminished drastically when she wasn’t facing enemies directly.
She lowered her gaze to the battlefield below, occasionally firing a cold arrow. However, the chaotic melee of friend and foe, with positions shifting rapidly, made sniping nearly impossible.
After brief consideration, An Jiu decided to maintain her current position rather than descend into the fray. With unpredictable developments still possible, staying hidden allowed her to wait for the right moment to strike.
Before long, a dazzling blue light flared in the distance, bright as daylight.
An Jiu’s heart lurched as she took in the pale, grim battlefield. A searing blue streak, like lightning, shot straight toward Ling Ziyue.
Her usually calm and clear mind spiraled into chaos, leaving only one thought: Ling Ziyue must not die!
As for why he couldn’t die, An Jiu couldn’t articulate it—perhaps some damned sense of belonging had taken root, or perhaps she simply admired the man’s character…
In that split second, there was no time to analyze.
After the briefest hesitation, An Jiu leaped down, her mental strength locking onto two Liao martial masters as her twin swords lashed out like a storm. The arrows from that Raging Crossbow were beyond what her own arrows could counter. The only solution was to divert Ling Ziyue’s attackers, giving him a chance to evade.
"Mei Shisi!" Lou Mingyue cried out in shock, momentarily distracted before a blade sliced into her shoulder.
The pain only fueled her killing intent. Casting aside all distractions, her swordplay grew sharper and more ruthless.
"Go!" An Jiu shouted urgently.
With her intervention, Ling Ziyue’s pressure eased immediately. Recognizing the extraordinary power of that distant blue-lit arrow, he swiftly retreated ten zhang away. He anticipated that his withdrawal would draw a swarm of martial masters after him, leaving the female shadow unit members a chance to dodge the blue projectile.
Sure enough, once Ling Ziyue moved, the martial masters engaging An Jiu lost their will to fight. Though they had never seen the Explosive Crossbow before, their instincts screamed danger, prompting them to retreat hastily.
The Explosive Crossbow had been fired from hundreds of zhang away—a considerable distance, yet traversed in mere blinks of an eye. An Jiu had barely managed to stall two martial masters. By the time Ling Ziyue escaped, the blinding blue light had already dyed everything around them.
An Jiu twisted aside to evade, her vision overwhelmed by the piercing blue.
In that moment, she was transported back to another instant.
Back when a bullet had pierced her skull, and as she fell, she saw the azure sky through a ventilation window… A daze settled over her, as if everything in the Great Song had been nothing but a dream conjured in her dying moments. A dream that, upon waking, would leave her staring at that same patch of blue sky, at a life slipping irrevocably away…Just as An Jiu had given up struggling, she faintly saw a black dot within the blue light. That dot approached at an astonishing speed, growing larger and larger until it finally blotted out the radiance.
Darkness enveloped her vision, yet warmth seeped through her clothes, and the sharp howl of wind filled her ears.
Behind her, an explosion roared like thunder from the heavens. Amidst the blinding white light, debris and shattered flesh scattered in all directions like rain.
A deep voice resonated above her, "Going to your death alone—is that fun?"
Chu Dingjiang?!
An Jiu snapped back to reality and looked up, catching a glimpse of his chin faintly outlined beneath the cloth mask. Before her mind could fully process it, she realized this man had descended from the sky and snatched her from the grasp of the Death God.
As they landed softly, the sounds and aura around them faded significantly, clearly indicating they were now some distance from the battlefield.
An Jiu paid no attention to this, instead gazing at his chin as she murmured slowly, "When I was little... my mother told me that when I grew up, one day a handsome and elegant man would descend from the sky. He would let my heart dwell in a warm home. We would love each other, marry, have children, raise them until they grew up... and when we grew old, we would support each other on walks. When I died, he would hold my hand and accompany me into the next world..."
His appearance at this moment stirred the long-sealed warmth deep within her heart.
Listening to these somewhat childish words, Chu Dingjiang cupped the back of her head and pressed her face against his chest.
After a moment, he scolded in a low voice, "It hasn’t been that long since we last met, and you’ve already learned to sacrifice yourself for others!"
Chu Dingjiang had been furious, but somehow that anger dissipated in an instant. Recalling her earlier words, he couldn’t help but mutter, "Spouting nonsense."
Who would ramble like that right after narrowly escaping death? Who would bring up childhood memories the moment they reunited after a long separation?
They remained in that position for a long while before An Jiu finally struggled free and pushed him away. "Since you’re here, go help with the battle."
"Ling Jiangjun can handle it." Chu Dingjiang was unhurried, exuding an air of absolute confidence. "Ling Jiangjun owes his safety this time to you, but don’t underestimate him. This might just be the end for ten thousand of the Liao’s light cavalry."
That Ling Ziyue could achieve this in such a critical moment proved he wasn’t just a brute who only knew how to fight. Chu Dingjiang’s tone even carried a hint of admiration for him.
An Jiu felt that in the entire Great Song, perhaps only he could display such unwavering confidence amidst such helplessness. For a moment, Chu Dingjiang’s image seemed even more towering than Ling Ziyue’s.
Out of respect and concern, there was one thing she simply had to remind him of. "It hasn’t been that long since we last met, but your mind isn’t as sharp as before. If I underestimated him, why would I bother saving him?"
Chu Dingjiang raised his hand and patted her head. "Just an offhand remark—no need to take it seriously."
An Jiu brushed his hand away and earnestly admonished him, "From what I’ve observed, people like you—who schemed relentlessly in their past lives—usually end up as fools in their next life, according to the normal cycle of reincarnation. Even if you’ve transcended that cycle and retained your memories in this rebirth, I still suspect someone your age might develop dementia. I suggest you take any symptoms seriously and not let your guard down."For someone like Chu Dingjiang, who remained unshaken even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, once he got used to her words, he would selectively listen to what mattered to him. "It's good that you think of me," he said.
An Jiu fell silent.
Chu Dingjiang reached out and gently touched the small scar beneath her eye, saying nothing more. (To be continued...)
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