Hidden Shadow – CH 158

Chapter One-Hundred-Fifty-Eight: Dust and Smoke

“I believe you! I believe you! I trust you the most!” the Madman said hastily.

Seeing that Yelu Huangwu remained silent, the Madman cautiously tugged at her sleeve. “I will be good; do not be angry.”

“He lied to me,” Yelu Huangwu said.

The Madman hurriedly said, “I will go kill him!”

“Good.” Yelu Huangwu suddenly smiled, like the moon breaking through the clouds. “If you kill him, I will not be angry.”

“Alright!” The Madman nodded emphatically, got up, and ran towards the cabin.

The cabin was pitch black. An Jiu suddenly opened her eyes and whispered, “The Madman went to the lower deck; the target is still on the deck.” Chu Dingjiang did not speak, but picked up An Jiu and leaped onto the deck.

The two landed silently on the mast, their figures blending into the dark brown mast. Unless one looked closely, they would not notice anyone there.

Yelu Huangwu had the water poured out and stood up, seemingly preparing to return to her room.

Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu exchanged glances. Seeing her nod, he placed his hand on her back and channeled his inner energy into her.

The last time the madman injected his inner energy, An Jiu felt as if her body was being slowly sliced ​​apart by a thousand sharp blades. The tearing pain was comparable to rebuilding her body. However, receiving Chu Dingjiang’s inner energy was a pleasure. The fiery energy filled her, and her meridians seemed to spring back to life.

An Jiu stared at Yelu Huangwu, quickly calculating the environmental factors affecting her shooting. After her inner energy circulated throughout her body, she raised her hand, drew the Dragon-Subduing Bow, and concentrated her energy at her fingertips.

The arrow seemed to blaze with flames. An Jiu suddenly felt the Dragon-Subduing Bow hum with pleasure. Whether it was due to the firelight or something else, the bow’s dark body brightened slightly.

The one suffering the most was Chu Dingjiang. His inner energy was rapidly drained, his dantian could not supply it in time, and his limbs instantly turned ice-cold.

There were multiple sources of light on the ship, and the brightness emitted by Startling the String was not too dazzling. But if anyone looked up at this moment, they would certainly see it.

The helmsman had to check the sails every quarter of an hour. Chu Dingjiang calculated in his mind that it was about time, but he did not urge her.

To achieve a perfect strike was not as simple as just firing an arrow randomly.

Yelu Huangwu seemed to sense subtle fluctuations in internal energy around her and turned to look around.

At this moment, a figure staggered onto the deck, rushed to the railing, and prepared to jump off. However, just as he climbed halfway, a shadow flashed behind him, pulled him back, and raised a hand to strike his head.

“Xiao Chenzi!” the man shouted in despair.

The hand suddenly stopped. The madman looked at him, his eyes filled with confusion.

“Xiao Chenzi, it was that woman who ruined you, ruined the Cui family!” Lu Danzhi got up and grabbed him emotionally. “How could you risk your life for the enemy?”

“No…” The madman’s eyes reflected Lu Danzhi’s pained expression. His mind was buzzing.

Yelu Huangwu watched all this, took a few steps forward, and slowly said, “Madman. Kill him, he’s a liar.” The people on the boat were startled by Lu Danzhi’s roar and craned their necks to look, but in this situation, no one dared to get too close.

Just as the madman was unsure what to do, Yelu Huangwu’s voice entered his ears, influencing him like a demonic chant.

Cui Yichen was young, but for some reason, his temples were graying, and wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, making him look like a middle-aged man. His expression was bewildered and foolish, like a child’s. Lu Danzhi watched all this, his heart aching, a hundred emotions churning within him.

On the mast, An Jiu’s firing followed Yelu Huangwu’s movements. Seeing her stop, she pulled the bowstring back a few more notches.

She sensed a powerful figure approaching.

Seizing the moment when reinforcements had not arrived, and the scene was still, she released her grip.

The long-absent cry of a crane echoed across the river.

Suddenly, the madman’s eyes cleared. He saw the arrow aimed directly at Yelu Huangwu’s chest. His eyes widened in fury, his inner energy erupting. In a flash, he pushed her with a single hand.

The arrow silently pierced the madman’s shoulder. His inner energy, which he had just used to slow the arrow’s movement, was now useless against it. The energy exploded within his body, and blood gushed from his seven orifices.

Yelu Huangwu’s guards arrived.

An Jiu froze for a moment, then felt a tightening around her waist as Chu Dingjiang pulled her into the river.

A moment of silence fell, followed by a scream, and chaos erupted on the deck.

As An Jiu plummeted from mid-air, she saw the madman’s blood spray like rain. Yelu Huangwu stood there silently, her ivory-white robes stained with crimson blossoms, her cold, sharp gaze piercing through the blood and gore, fixed on her.

Even after facing death, she had not lost her composure; she remained calm and serene.

Lu Danzhi, recovering from his shock, burst into tears, gritted his teeth, and jumped off the boat.

Yelu Huangwu knelt, helped the madman up, and gently wiped the blood from his face with her pale hand. “Kill them all; leave no one alive.”

“Yes!” the group of black-clad men responded, scattering like ghosts.

A night of slaughter.

In the dim light of dawn, a black-clad man reported to the bow, “Master, besides us, there were a hundred and nine people on board. Two murderers and Lu Danzhi escaped; the rest of the bodies are all here.” Yelu Huangwu lowered her gaze, staring at the madman’s handsome, pale face, her red lips pressed tightly together.

She had made preparations before entering Song, but his death was too sudden. She had thought that a master like him would not have such a fragile life…

After a brief pause, the black-clad man softly reminded her, “Master, this place is too close to Bianjing; we should not stay long.”

Yelu Huangwu stood up. “Take him away. Burn the boat.”

“Yes!” A burly man stepped forward, carrying the madman’s corpse, and they all leaped ashore.

In no time, the boat was engulfed in flames, leaving a long red trail in its wake, the stench of blood filling the air.

No other small boats were on the wide river. Other nearby vessels, seeing this, dared not approach and quickly went ashore to report to the authorities.

…

After An Jiu and Chu Dingjiang reached the shore, they used their lightness skill to travel several li on foot, bought two strong horses, and headed towards Yingtian Prefecture.

This ambush had failed, but killing a master of the Transcendent Realm was equivalent to cutting off Yelu Huangwu’s arm; she would find it difficult to find another arm like that in the entire world.

“Chu Dingjiang, given Yelu Huangwu’s style, she will probably kill everyone on the ship, will she not?” An Jiu asked.

Chu Dingjiang remained silent for a long time before saying, “You’ve softened your heart.”

An Jiu’s once unyielding heart had already cracked. For a cold-blooded killer, such a situation meant certain death. Your hesitation would give the opponent a chance to retaliate, and life or death would be decided in an instant.

“Where there is plunder, there is resistance. If you choose to resist, do not hesitate; otherwise, in the end, even with many sacrifices, it will still be a failure,” Chu Dingjiang said.