An Jiu's arrow, though devoid of Inner Force, carried such intense fluctuations of Mental strength that it unsettled Feng Shi. The Crown Prince was only at the second level of cultivation—even with the Crane Control Army surrounding him, there was no guarantee he could evade this shot!
Chu Dingjiang also sensed the shift in the air. Though his back was turned to the battlefield and he hadn’t witnessed the events firsthand, the moment that arrow imbued with An Jiu’s Mental strength shot toward the Crown Prince, followed by a Rain of Arrows, he understood exactly what had happened without needing to think deeply.
Too far from An Jiu to intervene, Chu Dingjiang was powerless unless he could teleport instantly. He knew An Jiu’s capabilities well—this Rain of Arrows likely wouldn’t harm her—yet his breath still hitched inexplicably. For the first time, he felt a cowardly reluctance to turn and see the outcome.
In the brief moment Feng Shi was distracted, Chu Dingjiang’s sword flared with brilliance as he unleashed a lethal strike, driven by an unyielding resolve to fight to the death!
Meanwhile, An Jiu found herself in dire straits.
Faced with hundreds of arrows raining from all directions, escape was impossible—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t evade.
Her Mental strength unfurled like fine threads, her heightened senses locking onto the trajectories of most arrows. As long as no vital spots were hit, there was still hope of survival.
An Jiu stood motionless, watching as the arrows inched closer.
In the realm of her Mental strength, everything seemed to slow to a crawl. She could even discern safe positions by reading the disturbances in the air currents caused by the arrows.
Just as she sidestepped one arrow, the entire Rain of Arrows froze midair!
An Jiu blinked in surprise before being enveloped by a familiar presence.
The suspended arrows shuddered as if swept by an immense force, then hurtled back with terrifying momentum.
She turned and saw, in the hazy light of dawn, a figure in grayish-blue robes fluttering gently in the wind. His pale, unshielded face belonged to none other than Wei Yuzhi, the Second Master of Misty Villa.
His complexion was deathly pale, as though he might vanish with the next breeze.
“Why are you here?” An Jiu’s mind raced. It was clear Wei Yuzhi had just saved her. She wasn’t ungrateful, but the sudden appearance of a Liao strategist in the heart of Bianjing’s imperial palace was undeniably alarming.
Wei Yuzhi’s lips parted slightly, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.
An Jiu frowned but remained silent, puzzled. “We’re enemies. Why save me? Not that I needed your help to begin with.”
Wei Yuzhi smiled faintly at her words but offered no reply before turning to leave.
“Stop!” An Jiu stepped forward, blocking his path.
Wei Yuzhi regarded her calmly, retrieving a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his lips.
“Tell me why you’re here, or I won’t let you leave,” An Jiu demanded.
Behind them, the clamor of battle raged, yet Wei Yuzhi’s presence remained eerily tranquil. After a pause, he replied, “It seems I’ve rescued a viper.”
An Jiu said nothing, but her stance didn’t waver.
After a tense silence, Wei Yuzhi smiled faintly. “If you die, it must be by my hand.”
An Jiu studied his eyes for a long moment before nodding. “I’ll accept that explanation.”
It was absurd, yet honest. Had Wei Yuzhi spun some elaborate lie, most people wouldn’t have detected the deception.
“Master Chu seems to be in trouble,” Wei Yuzhi remarked lightly.Now, Wei Yuzhi seemed incapable of fighting—this was the perfect opportunity to kill him!
She had no concept of morality, but she disliked owing debts. Moreover, killing him would take some time, and An Jiu didn’t have that time to spare.
Pausing briefly, An Jiu took out a small vial from her robes and handed it to him. “There are only three medicinal pills inside, prepared by Mo Sigui. They can heal your injuries. Now we’re even.”
Ordinary medicine had little effect on damage caused by mental strength. Wei Yuzhi knew this vial contained medicine made from the blood of a medicine man. Without pretense, he reached out and took it.
An Jiu leaped away.
Wei Yuzhi stood motionless, his face growing increasingly pale. After a few breaths, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark red blood.
He opened the vial and hesitated for a moment before picking up a pill and placing it in his mouth.
A faint metallic taste spread across his tongue—a disgusting sensation. Yet he didn’t rush to swallow, letting the medicinal liquid linger in his mouth.
The thought that this contained the blood of the Yelü imperial clan filled him with a twisted satisfaction.
Wei Yuzhi was a Song native and held no strong sense of belonging to the Liao Kingdom. Perhaps this was why Yelü Quancang favored Yelü Huangwu over him. Sending him to retrieve the medicine was practically entrusting his life to Wei Yuzhi’s hands—Yelü Quancang indeed had courage and placed great trust in him. But these were not the things Wei Yuzhi desired.
Confident in his own strategic brilliance, Wei Yuzhi had hoped that once Yelü Quancang ascended the throne, he could finally realize his ambitions. That was why he had spared no effort in securing the throne for him.
Yet reality was never as perfect as imagination. No matter how resourceful he was, he could never have predicted that even earning Yelü Quancang’s trust wouldn’t be enough to secure his footing in the Liao court.
If he succeeded in seizing the medicine this time, would he finally gain a place in the Liao court? Even if not, would Yelü Quancang allow him to participate in political affairs? Wei Yuzhi couldn’t be sure.
He walked slowly, strolling through the chaos of battle as if taking a leisurely stroll. The Xiao clan was at the entrance of Baohua Palace.
Meanwhile.
Though Chu Dingjiang knew An Jiu’s mental strength was more than enough to handle a rain of arrows of this scale, she had never experienced it before—who could guarantee there wouldn’t be an accident?
At this thought, Chu Dingjiang’s killing intent surged uncontrollably.
Feng Shi had been distracted while blocking An Jiu’s arrow and was now being relentlessly pursued by Chu Dingjiang, momentarily falling into a disadvantage.
When An Jiu’s arrow had shot toward the Crown Prince earlier, the guards around him had all reacted, allowing the hidden assassins to move closer under the guise of rescue.
He Cai glanced at a female archer, signaling her with his eyes to prepare for action.
This archer was the closest to the Crown Prince, but she was only at the fourth rank. Surrounded by martial arts masters of the seventh and eighth ranks, she posed no real threat to the Crown Prince. However, He Cai needed to disrupt the defensive formation around him to seize an opportunity.
The female archer’s eyes flashed with determination as she drew her bow, aiming at the Second Prince amidst the chaos.
Those around her weren’t particularly surprised—times of crisis bred heroes, and anyone with skill would want to stand out in front of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince turned his head to look at the female archer.
Though he had a weakness for women, he knew when to restrain himself. He didn’t pay much attention to her alluring figure but sensed an unusually captivating aura about her.
Yet, in the next instant, he realized exactly what kind of aura it was!The female archer slightly adjusted her bow, released her fingers, and suddenly pointed her left hand toward the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince met her gaze, clearly seeing the ruthless determination in her eyes.
Three short crossbow bolts gleamed in the morning light, aimed directly at his forehead, throat, and chest.
The distance was so close that before the Crown Prince could react, the arrows were already within a foot of him.
To ensure absolute safety, one of the Crown Prince’s loyal guards lunged forward, using his body as a shield to block the arrows.
There was actually a traitor among the close guards! The East Palace Shadow Guards erupted with killing intent, and two of them swung their swords to cut down the female archer.
At that moment, two more figures suddenly surged from the crowd, launching an attack on the Crown Prince.
If the assault had come from the outside, the Shadow Guards would not have been the least bit flustered, but this unexpected betrayal from within instantly disrupted the Crown Prince’s defenses.
All opportunities lay in this fleeting moment!
The remaining hidden assassins immediately rushed forward—only He Cai remained motionless.
She stood on the other side of the Crown Prince, the only one there who followed Chu Dingjiang. Any suspicious movement would expose her immediately, so she had to bide her time.
As expected, the sheer number of traitors forced the East Palace guards to join the fray, shielding the Crown Prince behind them.
He Cai took advantage of the shifting formation to move closer to the Crown Prince, but she remained composed, not immediately attempting an assassination. On the surface, she appeared no different from the other Shadow Guards—alert and protective.
Seven zhang away, Elder Zhi noticed that An Jiu showed no intention of engaging in battle—her arrow remained undrawn.
Seeing An Jiu approaching, Elder Zhi instantly realized that Chu Dingjiang held far greater importance to her than the Second Prince. So, he shifted his aim toward Chu Dingjiang.
Chu Dingjiang and Feng Shi were locked in a fierce, unpredictable duel—how could he be an easy target?
An Jiu’s steps faltered. She realized that approaching now would only endanger Chu Dingjiang. If she joined the fight against Feng Shi, Elder Zhi—the lurking predator—could strike them down at any moment.
With this in mind, An Jiu swiftly positioned herself in a spot ideal for shooting.
"Draw your bow." By now, Elder Zhi had recognized that the one who had fired the Startling String earlier was none other than Mei Shisi.
The memory of Mei Shisi’s archery in Plum Blossom Village flashed through Elder Zhi’s mind—her aura had melded seamlessly into the night, undetectable, yet it had filled him with immense threat.
Though he knew that without Chu Dingjiang, An Jiu could no longer unleash such a powerful Startling String, he still chose to confront her. He wanted to see just how formidable her archery could be on its own.
Elder Zhi was, in a way, An Jiu’s mentor—her introduction to the world of Archery had been under his guidance, and even her Mental Strength Startling String had been taught by him.
Facing such a formidable opponent, An Jiu had no confidence in victory.
But confidence was one thing; fighting with everything she had was another. Staring at the eerie blue glow, she felt not a shred of fear or hesitation.
The Dragon Subduing Bow trembled faintly in her grip, its core resonating with its wielder. She knew it wasn’t fear—it was excitement, mirroring her own state.
"You’re using Inner Force—that’s unfair," An Jiu shouted.Though discussing fairness on the battlefield might seem foolish, An Jiu firmly remembered Chu Dingjiang's words—Elder Zhi didn't truly care about this battle that was so crucial to the Great Song Dynasty. Despite his extraordinary wisdom, he was an utterly selfish man when it came to Archery.
"Once Inner Force is unleashed, how can it be taken back? If you can withstand this arrow of mine, I shall retire from the world and never interfere in worldly affairs again."
Elder Zhi's weathered voice seemed to whisper right beside her ears. (To be continued...)
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