Hidden Shadow – CH 061

Chapter Sixty-One: Life and Death in a Flash

Lou Mingyue casually grabbed Lou Xiaowu and rushed towards the door.

An Jiu quickly glanced at the source of the light; behind the giant beam of light, she could vaguely see a black-clad figure clinging to the ceiling rock.

Everyone rushed towards the exit, but An Jiu scaled the wall and nimbly moved towards the archer.

The two lone travelers were caught in the light; no one saw what happened, only a spray of blood mist, a hazy red, and an even stronger stench.

This power was comparable to gunfire. An Jiu stared at the crossbow in the black-clad figure’s hand, her killing intent suddenly erupting! The black-clad figure on the ceiling suddenly felt immense pressure, frozen in place.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the stone wall collapsed, and those who had not dodged the light instantly turned into blood.

Mei Tingyuan was caught in the blast and fell into a pool of blood. She struggled a few times, then felt something warm land on her head. She instinctively reached down and touched it.

What met her eyes was a piece of mangled flesh.

She froze for a moment, then dropped it in terror. “Ah—”

“Brother, brother!” Mei Tingyuan cried out in panic.

A group of black-clad men stormed in from the entrance, blocking the group. Lou Mingyue, with her high martial arts skills, could hold them off for a while, but these black-clad men were clearly no pushovers either; three of them were evenly matched with her, an eighth-level martial artist.

The passageway was too narrow for many to fight together. Lou Mingyue realized this would not work, so she fought her way back.

The black-clad men seemed only interested in trapping them inside, refusing to follow her in.

Lou Mingyue thought of the power of that arrow—clearly from a Transcendent Realm expert! She absolutely could not stay here, or she would end up like the Cui family member, a pile of flesh and blood.

“Xiaowu, follow behind me!” Lou Mingyue gritted her teeth, drew her sword, and charged out again.

Lou Xiaowu, having already suppressed her grief, followed closely behind Lou Mingyue, occasionally throwing hidden weapons to help her fend off ambushes.

Bringing up the rear, Qiu Yuntong noticed An Jiu closing in on the ceiling. Within three feet of the black-clad man, a swift, icy dagger severed the man’s arm, the one operating the crossbow, completely severing it. Needing to hold onto the rock face, she quickly caught the dagger in her mouth, flicked the trigger, and with a whoosh, the bolt pierced the man’s throat, embedding itself in the rock face behind him.

The body fell. An Jiu pushed off with her feet, lunging forward to use the corpse as a cushion.

With a deafening crash, a body and a person fell to the ground in a pool of blood, splattering blood everywhere.

Without hesitation, she rose, picked up the enemy’s crossbow, and fired an arrow towards a corner of the ceiling. A blinding flash, and blood and rocks rained down together.

These actions were swift and decisive, happening in the blink of an eye. Qiu Yuntong did not even have time to react before being splattered with blood.

He watched as An Jiu stood in the pool of blood, a blood-dripping dagger still in her mouth, head bowed, fiddling with her crossbow. A chill ran down his spine.

An Jiu finished examining the crossbow, removed the dagger, bent down to wipe the bloody dagger clean from the corpse at her feet, and then sheathed it.

Seeing her approaching, Qiu Yuntong quickly turned and rushed forward to help Lou Mingyue kill the enemies.

As soon as the poisoned sword was drawn, any black-clad men blocking the doorway who were touched began to emit black smoke.

After the remaining two black-clad men escaped, Lou Mingyue glared at him fiercely.

“Brother! Brother!” Mei Tingyuan rushed to the collapsed wall, crying as she frantically moved the rubble.

Mei Tingzhu’s eyes were bloodshot, and she asked in a hoarse voice, “He… he’s buried here?”

Mei Tingyuan did not answer, only frantically digging at the stones.

Mei Tingzhu remained silent. Seeing that it was temporarily safe, she sheathed her longsword and then squatted down to move the rubble.

The two sisters moved stones for a while. Mei Tingyuan cried, “He was behind me. When the arrow was getting closer, he pushed me with all his might.”

Mei Tingzhu did not answer, only silently moving stones.

Mei Tingyuan’s eyes were blurry with tears, but her hands did not stop. Mei Tingchun also stepped forward to help move stones.

An Jiu stood not far away. The bloodlust that had almost burned within her from the shock of this bloody scene slowly calmed down, and a faint, almost imperceptible sorrow welled up deep within her heart.

Lou Mingyue realized in the blink of an eye that one person was missing from her own group. The lone group led by Qiu Yuntong, having been at the forefront, suffered the heaviest losses; of the original ten, only five remained.

It all happened in an instant! Seven lives lost, like a dream.

Lou Mingyue wanted to say something, but thinking of her sister who had fallen from the plank road, she felt that anything she said would be superfluous and unable to alleviate her grief.

After all, she possessed eighth-level spiritual power, making her more resolute than usual. She adjusted herself slightly and said softly, “There is too much rubble… we cannot stay here any longer.”

Mei Tingzhu stopped moving. Reason told her to stand up, to leave, but looking at Mei Tingyuan, whose face was streaked with tears and covered in blood, her legs seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Mei Tingjun was their brother, born of the same mother, whom they had grown up with. Mei Tingzhu sometimes loathed his hypocrisy, but as a brother, he was very responsible.

“If he were not injured, if it were not for me…” Mei Tingyuan sobbed.

Mei Tingzhu clenched her teeth tightly, holding back her tears.

Mei Tingjun was the next head of the Mei family. If he passed the trial, the Mei family could petition the Emperor to allow him to return and take over. He should not have died here.

Qiu Yuntong and his group began to believe even more strongly what Mei Tingzhu had said before—that the Konghe Army was hunting down lone travelers who had formed their own groups.

Therefore, they all hesitated, wondering whether to proceed alone and, if so, whether to continue or retreat to save their lives.

“It’s not easy for everyone to survive,” Qiu Yuntong said, wading through the blood. “Your brother sacrificed his life to protect you; you should cherish your own.”

Mei Tingyuan stopped, looked up at Qiu Yuntong, and nodded absently, “Yes, I should cherish my life.”

“Ladies, let’s go,” Qiu Yuntong said.

Mei Tingzhu helped Mei Tingyuan up, coldly saying, “What did you do to her?”

Qiu Yuntong said, “Do not be nervous; it was just some medicine; the effects will dissipate in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

“Thank you.” Mei Tingzhu glanced back at the pile of stones, then helped Mei Tingyuan follow them away.

Lou Mingyue said, “It seems these people prepared an ambush. If we go any further, we will likely be attacked again. The space inside the tower is cramped; if we are attacked again, our chances of escape will be even smaller.”

Lou Xiaowu stopped asking about Cui Yichen’s fate. Caught completely off guard by such an attack, how could they possibly survive?

It would be better if he died. He and his sister could not be together in life, but in death they could keep each other company.

“Which way do we go?” Qiu Yuntong looked at An Jiu. Having witnessed that scene, he had unconsciously come to trust her.

He wondered what kind of person this slender girl shrouded in black robes was.

Lou Mingyue gave him a questioning look.

“She just instantly killed a Transcendent Realm expert,” Qiu Yuntong said, still somewhat incredulous.

An Jiu raised the crossbow in her hand. “This person was not a Transcendent Realm expert; he just used this kind of crossbow.”

Lou Xiaowu moved slightly and said softly, “May I take a look?”

An Jiu hesitated slightly, then, remembering that this thing was similar to the crossbow that Lou Xiaowu used to fire flare arrows, she handed it over.

She examined it carefully for a few moments and then returned it to An Jiu. “This thing is still useful. I cannot open it for now. If we are both still alive, you can keep it.”

An Jiu took back the crossbow and glanced at Lou Xiaowu again. Before this, An Jiu had seen Lou Xiaowu’s lively and innocent demeanor. She had assumed she was similar to Mei Jiu, never expecting this girl to be able to handle such a brutal battle so calmly.

Lou Mingyue noticed someone’s suspicion and explained, “Xiaowu has endured many hardships. Her mental strength is no weaker than mine.”

An Jiu was somewhat unhappy. Why was it that, despite both having experienced hardship, Xiaowu could maintain her innocence and naivety, while she had become a mental patient?

She had not considered this. Anyone who suffered an excessive mental blow, even if they could heal themselves, would ultimately never be the same as an ordinary person. Lou Xiaowu’s innocence might just be a form of self-suggestion. It was fundamentally different from Mei Jiu.

Although An Jiu explained that she had not instantly killed a master of the Transcendent Realm, Lou Mingyue felt that someone who could react quickly and correctly must be extremely calm. She thought it best to hear her opinion. “Fourteenth Young Lady, do you think we should continue forward or turn back?”

An Jiu had not considered this question. After receiving the mission, she could quickly analyze the advantages and disadvantages, but no matter how she analyzed it, moving forward was the only option, unless a retreat order was issued. And even if a retreat order was issued, she could quickly choose the best retreat route.

In other words, whether she went forward or retreated, it was the same for her—both had risks and opportunities.

“Here, every place holds both risk and opportunity,” An Jiu said truthfully.

“Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise,” Qiu Yuntong murmured. “Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, alas!”

Choosing to go out seemed safe, but in reality, no one could say for sure.

“Tell us; we will listen to you!” Qiu Yuntong said.

Mei Tingzhu felt her mind was not calm enough, and her decision might not be right, so she also turned her gaze to An Jiu.

An Jiu was not afraid of being watched, but being looked at with such expectant eyes made her uncomfortable.

Did the word “hope” truly appear in her?

Half an hour earlier, she would have definitely gone without hesitation, but now, just thinking about Mei Tingyuan moving the stones earlier, she could not speak.

But thinking about it, she was someone who made a living by killing, who had never valued any human life, yet now someone wanted to entrust their life to her hands—was that not ridiculous?

“Do as you please. I cannot guarantee any of you will survive,” An Jiu said, turning and walking towards the stone steps leading to the second level.

Qiu Yuntong quickly calculated in his mind and was the first to follow her.

The lone travelers followed one after another. Lou Mingyue and Mei Tingzhu exchanged a glance, then led their families behind.

An Jiu sensed the growing unease among those following behind.

Lou Mingyue, bringing up the rear, noticed Lou Xiaowu’s low spirits and said softly, “Life and death are predestined. Do not think too much about it. Perhaps we will meet them in the afterlife in a few hours. If you truly want to fulfill their wishes, then try your best to live.”