Hidden Shadow – CH 238

Chapter Two-Hundred-Thirty-Eight: A Shared Smile

Chu Dingjiang raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

An Jiu said, “I think you are restless. You want to retire now because you want a place to settle down. Once you are settled, you will be restless.”

Chu Dingjiang was slightly taken aback. “Ah Jiu, you…”

“Nothing to be surprised about.” An Jiu’s face was blurred in the darkness, but her voice sounded clearer. “I crave a peaceful life, but even in peace, I become irritable, bored, and even want to kill.”

An Jiu once had a three-month-long vacation, but living the life she longed for was not as enjoyable as she had imagined. Perhaps from the very beginning, the organization had deliberately instilled some flawed methods of dealing with things in her, making the restlessness in her blood increasingly uncontrollable.

The primary issue in retiring was that she had to become a normal person, so this was not something to rush. And Chu Dingjiang’s ambition to dominate the world was no easier to cure than a mental illness.

Under the starlit sky, two figures moved swiftly through the night, a troop of cavalry carrying torches galloping past not far behind.

“Halt!” a cavalryman shouted sharply in Chinese.

An Jiu glanced back; with her sharp eyesight, she could clearly see the cavalry chasing two women on horseback, not shouting at them.

“Is this the woman you rescued today?” Chu Dingjiang did not need to turn around to guess the situation.

“Yes,” An Jiu replied.

Chu Dingjiang slowed his pace. “Yelu Jinglie is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. If the assassination attempt succeeds, all will be well; if it fails, the consequences will be dire. Remarkably, these two managed to escape the city. Let’s lend a hand.” An Jiu looked at him suspiciously.

“These two are Dangerous Moon,” Chu Dingjiang explained. “I recognized them at the tavern.”

“When will we make our move?” An Jiu frowned, glancing at the number of Liao cavalry. “They have two hundred riders, plus four ninth-level experts.”

This Yelu Jinglie had mobilized so many men just to hunt down two women. It was clear he would not rest until the assassins were dead.

“Wait a moment. I will ambush from the rear and take two horses. You attack from the front with crossbows. Stop as soon as I’ve succeeded. We cannot do anything else; we can only draw away some of the pursuers,” Chu Dingjiang said, disappearing into the night.

If they used light-footed skills to escape, they would certainly be faster than horses at first, but if they ran continuously for an hour, their inner energy would easily deplete. Facing four experts with abundant inner strength, Chu Dingjiang’s advantage as a Transcendent Realm cultivator would not be significant. Even if he won, he would pay a price. Therefore, seizing two horses first was the best strategy.

Seeing two men at the back of the column silently fall from their horses, An Jiu, taking advantage of the Liao cavalry’s momentary lapse in attention, fired her powerful crossbow.

The leading Liao cavalryman fell with a loud thud, and the cavalry began to scatter.

“An ambush!” someone shouted.

The Liao cavalry immediately stopped.

The two agents of Dangerous Moon suddenly saw a glimmer of hope and whipped their horses even harder.

The horses, in pain, increased their speed.

Chu Dingjiang, hanging by the horse’s side, avoided the Liao army’s line of sight; from their perspective, it looked as if two unmanned horses were running amok in the wilderness.

The Liao army was thrown into chaos. They had no time to consider why two horses had suddenly appeared.

As the two horses approached An Jiu’s ambush, she leaped into a tree, quickly calculating the approaching horses’ speed in her mind, and landed steadily on one’s back as she led them through the undergrowth.

Chu Dingjiang saw that she had successfully mounted. He also leaped onto his horse.

The entire movement was swift and fluid, taking only a few breaths before the Liao army reacted. They immediately spurred their horses and gave chase.

Since the two men were heading in the opposite direction from the two agents of Dangerous Moon, the Liao cavalry had to split into two groups.

Drawing away half of the pursuers was the only thing Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu could do; the rest was up to the two agents of Dangerous Moon themselves.

The horses were incredibly fast, and the Liao soldiers’ skill levels varied greatly. They managed to shake off the main force, but two men still managed to catch up.

One of them was already level with An Jiu, about ten zhang apart, and the distance was slowly closing.

An Jiu leaned forward, trying to steady herself, and raised her hand to aim her crossbow at the pursuers.

The Khitans were skilled in mounted archery, but at this frenzied speed, no one could hit their target, so the Liao cavalry were completely unconcerned.

In this situation, many factors needed to be considered. An Jiu had to take into account the wind speed, the enemy’s advancing speed, and arrow speed, aiming to fire the arrow precisely in front of the enemy’s arrival at that exact moment. If the enemy did not dodge, it would save her a lot of trouble.

The distance was closing, and through her swaying vision, An Jiu smiled.

Three arrows were fired simultaneously, slightly different in direction and position.

“Hmph.” The Liao cavalryman sneered, closing in even faster. However, in the blink of an eye, he was horrified to see three gleaming arrows not far to his left, seemingly certain of hitting their mark.

Unfortunately, it was too late to rein in his horse.

The horse carried him galloping wildly. Just as he leaned back to dodge the arrows, one grazed his Adam’s apple, while another struck the horse in the eye!

Blood splattered, the horse neighed in pain and began to run wildly as if disoriented, throwing the Liao soldier heavily from his horse.

“Giddy up!” An Jiu cracked her whip and shouted, joining Chu Dingjiang, who had just dealt with another pursuer.

In the howling wind, the two exchanged a glance and spurred their horses south.

About three hours later, they entered Song Dynasty territory.

The east was beginning to lighten, with only the morning star shining brightly in the twilight.

The two slowed their pace. The morning wind was a bit chilly, and Chu Dingjiang took off his outer garment and tossed it to An Jiu.

An Jiu caught the garment, still warm from Chu Dingjiang’s body, and hesitated for a moment, but then put it on. For An Jiu, this chilly wind was nothing new; she had even worn only a single layer of clothing in freezing weather. But the feeling of being cared for was wonderful.

No one spoke. Remembering how disheveled they had been during the chase, Chu Dingjiang chuckled silently.

An Jiu laughed too.

“Ha, it feels good to do this once in a while,” Chu Dingjiang said with a smile.

An Jiu wore his clothes loosely, as if wrapped in a blanket, almost unrecognizable as clothing. “Do not pretend to be cool; I saw your face turn pale.”

“You brat, I was worried for you.” Chu Dingjiang flicked her forehead with his finger, then mocked himself, “But it is impressive you could still tell my face had paled.”

Chu Dingjiang wore a human skin mask; his wheat-colored skin was inconspicuous in the darkness, and coupled with his messy beard, it was indeed difficult to discern his complexion. However, at one moment, An Jiu saw him sigh with lingering fear, which was why she teased him.

Back at the Hebei camp, the two first went to see Ling Ziyue.

After learning that the Liao army had gathered at Xijin Prefecture, he received detailed information from his scouts and immediately began preparing for battle. It was now largely complete. He should have rested well, but with matters weighing on his mind, he tossed and turned, sleeping less than a quarter of an hour that night.

If the Liao army possessed a large number of crossbows, then the Song army would have to use their own flesh and blood to block them. Whether they could defend the border was another matter, but mountains of bones would certainly be formed!