Chapter 99: Poison Arrow
The White-feathered Sparrow fluttered its wings and alighted on a tree branch, several tail feathers drifting down leisurely.
A wind swept from the depths of the forest, lifting the hem of Xiao Li's robe. He leaned sideways against a tree with his arms crossed, not looking at the group of people hurrying over from the road, and said, "Are you looking for me?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone already held certainty.
The White-feathered Sparrow was the Azure Guard's unique method of communication. For several days now, he had noticed that wherever he went, a White-feathered Sparrow would appear not long after.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence, but after repeated occurrences, it was clearly more than that.
Zhao Bai hadn't expected Xiao Li to show himself voluntarily. After the road restrictions in Xin and Yi provinces were lifted, the Azure Guard's covert agents had been deployed all the way from Ping Province to Luodu.
Once the search for Xiao Li was announced within the Azure Guard, any agents stationed as lookouts who spotted him would use the White-feathered Sparrow to send word to her.
But every time she arrived with her team, Xiao Li had already moved on to another location.
This time, Xiao Li had directly followed the White-feathered Sparrow and sought them out himself, which truly surprised Zhao Bai. A brief look of astonishment crossed her typically expressionless face before she nodded and said, "Please come back with us, General Xiao."
Xiao Li remained silent, not immediately responding.
Only after Zhao Bai frowned and called him "General Xiao" again did he ask, "Is this your princess's order?"
He had left Ping Province before Wen Yu was enfeoffed as a princess and hadn't grown accustomed to using her new title. The words "your princess" in his question subtly drew a line between them.
Zhao Bai also sensed the subtle shift in Xiao Li's attitude. She didn't know what had transpired between him and Wen Yu that night when he braved the rain to see her, but his lack of former respect toward Wen Yu clearly displeased her. Frowning, she replied, "Yes."
Xiao Li, however, curled the corner of his mouth in a half-sneer. His features were handsomely striking with an immediate air of heroism, his facial contours sharply defined. Yet, traces of Xiao Huiniang's softer traits in his features lent him a certain gentleness, like a wolf raised from cubhood—docile and harmless as a large dog when tame.
But when ferocity surfaced in his eyes, it sent chills down one's spine, a reminder that a wolf was still a wolf. When it bared its fangs, one had to guard against having their throat torn out at any moment.
Xiao Li hadn't yet spoken a word, but the atmosphere had already thickened like an invisible tide, inexplicably agitating Zhao Bai, who tightened her grip on her sword hilt.
Behind her, members of the Azure Cloud Cavalry, unable to bear the oppressive tension, uniformly drew their blades three inches from their scabbards.
Xiao Li paid them no mind, his lips still curved in that half-mocking smile. His deep-set eyes were shadowed by the overhead branches, obscuring any emotion within: "This isn't something your princess would do. Speak, who sent you?"
Zhao Bai's expression turned colder. Though he no longer pledged allegiance to Wen Yu, his words suggested an unusual familiarity with her. Such insolence and disrespect gradually turned her displeasure into concealed anger.
Xiao Li's remark clearly provoked the other Azure Guards as well. One of them shouted immediately, "Commander Zhao Bai, why waste words on this traitor who bites the hand that feeds him? Let's just take action!"
Zhao Bai's expression hardened at the guard's outburst, but before she could reprimand him, Xiao Li spoke again: "Traitor?"The sarcastic curve at the corner of his lips grew more pronounced, as if he had already realized they had come seeking him for other reasons. He lifted his eyelids to look at Zhao Bai. "What do you mean?"
It was a mocking question.
The Azure Guard who had spoken earlier shouted, "Stop pretending! You fled back to Jinzhou precisely to seek Pei Song's protection, didn't you? After all the favor the Princess has shown you—even a dog would have shown more loyalty by now! You—"
"Dai Yan!" Zhao Bai's voice cut in sharply, carrying a warning tone. The Azure Guard shot Xiao Li a hateful glare but finally fell silent.
Only then did Zhao Bai turn to Xiao Li, her tone cold and rigid. "General Xiao, the Princess has always valued talent and holds you in high regard. However, evidence now points to you being a spy for Pei Song. Out of consideration for your past contributions, the Princess wishes for you to return to Pingzhou first. Once everything is investigated, your innocence will be restored."
Self-mockery and sarcasm gradually crept into Xiao Li's eyes. He nodded lightly and asked with a faint laugh, "So, your mistress suspects I'm a traitor, is that it?"
Zhao Bai understood that Xiao Li had misunderstood Wen Yu. Frowning, she explained, "There is evidence indicating that you studied under Qin Yi, Pei Song's father. Moreover, your mother is not dead—she has been meticulously cared for by Pei Song in a Secluded Courtyard..."
"What did you say?" The mocking smile froze on Xiao Li's lips.
His reaction took Zhao Bai by surprise, as if he truly had known nothing about it until now.
Her frown deepened. "The one who taught you military strategy and martial arts was Qin Yi, Pei Song's father. Your mother is also in Pei Song's hands. The Princess has already sent people to verify the truth. If this is a scheme by Pei Song to sow discord, returning to Pingzhou would allow you to discuss rescue plans with Lord Li and the others. The Princess has given orders: if it is confirmed to be a plot, we must spare no effort to rescue Lady Xiao."
She believed she had made the stakes and Wen Yu's intentions clear enough. Yet, after a long silence, as if digesting the information, Xiao Li lifted his head and coldly replied, "Go back and tell your mistress that I have a clear conscience toward her. I will rescue my mother myself. There's no need for your interference."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Zhao Bai watched his retreating figure with a stern expression.
The two Azure Guards glanced at her, then drew their long blades. Like arrows released from a bow, they charged through the heated air.
As the blades swept down toward Xiao Li's head, he—with his back to them—seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He sidestepped the vertical slash, then drove an elbow into the forearm of the second guard who was raising his blade to strike. The guard felt a sudden numbness in his arm, and before he could react, he was dragged forward, nearly colliding with his companion's second descending strike.
The other guard, seeing this, had to quickly retract his force and redirect his blade to avoid bloodshed.
Xiao Li then twisted the guard's wrist with a forceful snap—a faint cracking sound echoed, as if bones had fractured. The guard stifled a pained grunt, though a muffled groan escaped his throat.
Seizing the blade from the guard's hand, Xiao Li swung it backward in a fierce arc, blocking the strikes of several other approaching Azure Guards. With a kick, two of them were sent flying backward.
The entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye. After forcing back the remaining guards who continued to engage him, Xiao Li stood holding the blade, his expression icy cold.Zhao Bai made a gesture, and the injured Azure Guard retreated behind her, while those who had been observing drew their blades. Like hunters cornering prey, they encircled Xiao Li at a distance.
The sun blazed fiercely, cicadas chirped incessantly, and the blades reflected dazzling white sunlight. The air seemed taut with invisible, gleaming threads stretched thin by the cicadas' drone.
Sweat from the Azure Guards' palms soaked their sword hilts, trickling down from their tightened sleeves to the backs of their hands. The moment one raised a hand to flick away the sweat, those strained, nearly snapping threads in the air seemed severed.
Forged steel horizontal blades clashed with unstoppable force, sparks flying as they emitted a series of grating, teeth-setting screeches.
The Azure Guard's siege tactics closely resembled those once used by Pei Song's Hawk Hounds—both aimed to exhaust their opponent through attrition.
Zhao Bai had been watching the fight with her arms crossed, her sword held close. She knew Xiao Li often employed unorthodox strategies in warfare, winning through risky maneuvers, but she had little concrete understanding of his martial skills.
After this probing by the Azure Guard, her expression grew increasingly grave.
—He was indeed a formidable opponent.
Fierce as a wolf, relentless as a mastiff.
Having previously faced Pei Song's Hawk Hounds, Xiao Li quickly identified weaknesses in the Azure Guard's encirclement, throwing them into disarray.
When he once again swept a fierce arc with his blade, forcing several Azure Guards back, Zhao Bai drew her sword and met his strike head-on.
A sharp "clang" reverberated, piercing both their eardrums, but neither relented. Their violent blade and sword strokes, swift and fierce, even left afterimages in their wake.
Zhao Bai and her twin sister had been selected as Shadow Guards primarily due to their extraordinary strength.
In such an intense battle, with its wide, powerful slashes, anyone else would have been exhausted long ago. Yet Zhao Bai fought with growing ferocity, even managing to coldly demand between strikes, "If you claim a clear conscience regarding the princess, why not drop your weapon and surrender, coming with us to Pingzhou?"
Xiao Li remained silent, merely raising his blade to meet her descending sword. The thinner, more fragile sword wasn't suited for such heavy clashes, and after this impact, it emitted a strained, metallic whine.
Zhao Bai's hands went numb and painful, but she had no time to check if her skin had split or bled, for Xiao Li's assault showed no sign of easing as he struck again.
She raised her sword to block, only to realize with alarm that his attacks had grown even more forceful. The impact transmitted through his steel blade repeatedly jarred her sword, nearly wrenching it from her grasp.
The tide of battle turned abruptly. Zhao Bai was forced to retreat while fighting, her defense growing increasingly desperate. Two Azure Guards seized an opening to intervene, briefly halting Xiao Li's advance and allowing her a moment's respite.
As she leaned on her sword for support, it suddenly shattered into fragments—clearly damaged by the earlier brutal impacts. Zhao Bai's face darkened with frustration.
The two Azure Guards couldn't hold Xiao Li off for long. When he gripped his blade with both hands and swung down fiercely, one fallen guard gritted his teeth and raised his sword to block. The steel blade was cleaved straight through, and as Xiao Li's strike continued unabated, the guard shut his eyes, resigned to his fate.
But the agonizing pain of a split skull never came. Trembling, the guard opened his eyes to find the gleaming blade mere inches from his face.
The terror of having brushed with death instantly drenched his back in cold sweat.Xiao Li coldly sheathed his blade and turned his gaze to Zhao Bai. In those deep, dark eyes, there was no reverence for imperial authority, no regard for hierarchy—only the untamed, unyielding wind howling across scorching plains and vast wilderness.
He said, "I must save my mother. I have not done the things you accuse me of, nor do I need to prove my innocence to anyone."
As he turned to leave, the faint click of crossbows echoed behind him.
Xiao Li raised his sword to block almost the instant his ears caught the sound, but the bolts descended like a swarm of locusts. While evading, a stray arrow still grazed his cheek, leaving a thin cut.
The moment blood welled from the wound, Xiao Li sensed something was wrong.
The arrow barrage ceased, and the Azure Guard surged forward again. The slashing blades seemed to multiply into dozens of overlapping shadows. Xiao Li shook his head fiercely to barely parry them, but dizziness soon overwhelmed him.
That arrow had been tainted.
Zhao Bai stood beyond the crowd, her voice icy. "You know better than anyone how Her Highness has treated you. Bringing you back to Pingzhou is to clear your name. Your ingratitude wastes all her careful consideration."
The arrows had been tipped with sleeping draught.
Originally a contingency plan, they'd resorted to it now to avoid mutual destruction in direct combat.
After being struck, as Xiao Li fought the Azure Guard, the drug had spread through his bloodstream. Now his eyelids grew heavy, the sun above darkening into a blurred shadow, while distant slopes seemed to shimmer with rising dust—figures possibly moving within the heat haze.
Hallucinations?
When his legs finally gave way, he clearly felt the fine sand beneath him trembling. Xiao Li knew then: a cavalry unit was approaching.
Confronted with this sudden development, Zhao Bai's expression shifted. Their mission was secret—they couldn't afford entanglement with Jinzhou troops. She immediately ordered, "Withdraw!"
Two Azure Guard moved to lift the drugged Xiao Li onto a horse, but the seemingly unconscious man suddenly leveraged their grip on his arms to slam them together. The impact left both guards dazed and nearly unconscious.
Caught off guard, the others hesitated just long enough for Xiao Li to haul himself onto a horse and gallop away.
Furious, Zhao Bai ordered pursuit when an Azure Guard raised his crossbow and fired multiple bolts at Xiao Li.
Unlike the earlier volley, these arrows aimed for vital points. One struck Xiao Li's back shoulder. Perhaps the pain sharpened his senses—instead of falling, he whipped the horse onward, widening the gap.
Zhao Bai's face darkened as she shouted, "Aim for the horse! Her Highness forbids harming Xiao Li!"
She had repeatedly emphasized this prohibition when planning his retrieval. Assuming the guard had forgotten in the heat of the moment, she yelled the reminder.
But hoofbeats and rushing wind swallowed her words—only her Azure Guard heard the command, not the approaching soldiers.The arrows of the Azure Guard hissed through the air, but since Xiao Li was already beyond the crossbow's range, the short bolts merely embedded themselves in the yellow mud of the official road.
Instead, the pursuing soldiers behind them grew increasingly close, seemingly mistaking them for local bandits and eager to claim merit by killing them. Even from a distance, they loosed arrows in their direction.
A large group moving along the official road made them too conspicuous. Zhao Bai had no choice but to order her men to scatter and evade the soldiers' pursuit, while she herself, with two others, continued chasing Xiao Li.
Once the men and horses dispersed into the dense forest, the soldiers instantly lost their targets. Unwilling to split up and pursue like the Azure Guard, they advanced through the woods in a net-like formation, searching inch by inch.
Zhao Bai followed the trail of blood to the river at the forest's edge. The horse Xiao Li had ridden was indeed standing by the riverbank, but Xiao Li himself had vanished.
The blood trail ended at the water's edge among the aquatic plants. Zhao Bai surmised that Xiao Li must have abandoned the horse and waded through the river to another location, using the water to conceal his blood trail.
Just as she was about to order the Azure Guard to search along the river, she suddenly noticed that the blood on the plants appeared unusually dark.
The forest had been too dim earlier, and as she followed the blood trail, she hadn't detected anything amiss. But now, under the sunlight, the blood's color struck her as wrong.
She dipped a finger into the blood and brought it to her nose for a light sniff—it was undoubtedly human blood.
But why this hue?
Realization dawned, and Zhao Bai's face instantly turned murderous.
Half an hour later, the Azure Guard regrouped downstream along the river.
Zhao Bai dismounted, her entire body radiating unrestrained fury. She strode directly toward the Azure Guard who had shot the arrow at Xiao Li and lashed him across the face with her whip.
The guard turned his face aside from the blow, a bleeding whip mark instantly swelling on his cheek, but he remained silent.
Zhao Bai grabbed him fiercely by the collar and demanded in a harsh voice, "Dai Yan, who gave you the nerve?"
The guard named Dai Yan was evidently made of stern stuff. Even under such treatment, he replied with neither humility nor arrogance, "This subordinate does not understand what Commander Zhao Bai means."
Zhao Bai struck him with another whip and glared at him as if she wanted to devour him. "Kneel!"
Everyone was stunned by this sudden action, unsure what offense Dai Yan had committed to provoke Zhao Bai's towering rage.
Without a word of protest, Dai Yan knelt before Zhao Bai.
Zhao Bai coldly asked, "Whom do you serve?"
Dai Yan answered, "The Princess."
Another whip cracked across his back, tearing through his clothing and splitting his skin. Yet the fury in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest. "Do you truly serve the Princess?"
Accompanied by yet another lash was Zhao Bai's icy question: "If you serve the Princess, why did you wound Xiao Li with a poison arrow when Her Highness ordered us to bring him back alive? With the Princess soon to depart for King Chen's royal court, granting Lord Li the authority to handle critical matters within Daliang in advance, are you so eager to switch your allegiance?"
Dai Yan endured these two lashes, the pain causing his back muscles to spasm, yet he remained kneeling straight and calmly stated, "This subordinate did not."
Zhao Bai was nearly driven mad with anger and ordered the other Azure Guards, "Search his quiver."
Two Azure Guards restrained Dai Yan, removed the quiver from his waist, and extracted the short arrows inside. After sniffing each arrowhead, their expressions turned peculiar. They shook their heads at Zhao Bai and reported, "The arrowheads are coated with sleeping draught, not poison."The anger on Zhao Bai's face froze momentarily before her expression grew increasingly grim. Staring at Dai Yan kneeling on the ground, she said, "So you had already disposed of the Poison Arrow in advance. Truly a flawless plan—no wonder you dare kneel before me without batting an eye. But Dai Yan, have you truly considered the consequences of the path you've chosen?"
Dai Yan remained silently kneeling before Zhao Bai, repeating only: "This subordinate is wronged."
In that instant, the look Zhao Bai gave him was no different from how one would regard a corpse. She turned away, sweeping the disheveled strands of hair from her forehead back behind her ears, and commanded her attendants: "Bind him. Continue searching downstream along the riverbank for Xiao Li. With the sleeping draught and Poison Arrow in his system, he couldn't have gone far."
She dearly wished to draw her blade and behead this treacherous snake immediately, but compared to a dead man, Wen Yu could extract far more information from a living one.
Previously, she hadn't fully understood the subtle tension between Wen Yu and Li Yao as mentor and student. Now she comprehended.
Li Yao always attempted to make decisions on Wen Yu's behalf under the guise of grand ambitions or her best interests.
Three days later, Zhao Bai returned to Pingzhou to see Wen Yu, kneeling at the base of the steps and refusing to rise.
Author's Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2024-05-31 21:21:26~2024-06-04 04:03:23~
Special thanks to: Nan Ye's Cat, Lu Tang for throwing landmines (1 each);
Gratitude for nutrient solutions: Xiao Zhao (33 bottles), Fish Tofu Hand-Slapped Noodles (25 bottles); Xiao Xiao, Miss Friday, Qi Dao Ming, Yi Yi Bu She (10 bottles each); Zhi Zhi Bu Zhi Zhi (8 bottles); Lazyworm, Big Tree Pineapple Sea (5 bottles); Road Manman, Warm Sunny Sun (3 bottles); Ani, Faery, Plain Congee with Salted Duck Egg, Whale Not Eating Cilantro (2 bottles each); Heart Only for Studying, Ming Yun, Mo Zhi Han, Please Eat Lettuce, Olive Leaves, shinecherry, Career-Driven Third Miss, kfpy_L, ll, Change Name, Chen, Shede, Mu Zi Storytelling (1 bottle each);
My deepest appreciation for everyone's support—I will continue striving!
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