Hidden Shadow – CH 341

Chapter Three-Hundred-Forty-One: You Can Only Die by My Hand

Although An Jiu’s arrow did not contain internal force, the powerful fluctuations of her mental energy made Feng Shi uneasy. The Crown Prince’s level was only second-tier; even with the Konghe Army surrounding him, they might not be able to avoid the arrow!

Chu Dingjiang also noticed the changes around him. He had his back to the battlefield and had not witnessed the events firsthand, but when the arrow, imbued with An Jiu’s mental energy, struck the Crown Prince, and a rain of arrows filled the sky, he understood what had happened without much thought.

Too far from An Jiu, Chu Dingjiang could not reach her unless he could teleport. Chu Dingjiang knew An Jiu’s abilities well; this rain of arrows would most likely not harm her, but his breath still inexplicably caught in his throat. For the first time, he felt so timid, afraid to turn around and see the outcome.

In the brief moment Feng Shi was distracted, Chu Dingjiang’s sword blazed brightly, unleashing a deadly attack, carrying an unyielding will to fight to the death!

Over there, An Jiu was in grave danger.

Faced with hundreds of arrows raining down from different directions, she had no way to escape, but being unable to escape did not mean she could not dodge.

An Jiu’s mental energy manifested in wisps, her clear senses able to pinpoint the location of most of the arrows. As long as she was not hit in a vital spot, there was still hope for survival.

An Jiu stared motionlessly as the arrows approached bit by bit.

In the world of mental energy, everything before her seemed incredibly slow; she could even judge a safe position based on the air currents created by the arrows.

Just as she dodged an arrow, the barrage of arrows suddenly stopped!

An Jiu was slightly startled, instantly enveloped by a familiar aura.

The arrows, frozen in mid-air, seemed to be propelled by a tremendous force, rebounding with terrifying power.

She turned to look, and in the hazy morning light, a greyish-blue robe fluttered in the wind, his fair face undisguised—it was Wei Yuzhi, the second master of Piaomiao Mountain Mansion.

His face was pale, as if he might be swept away by the wind at any moment.

“How did you get here?” An Jiu’s mind raced with thoughts. It was clearly Wei Yuzhi who had saved her. She was not ungrateful, but the sudden appearance of a Liao strategist disrupting the Bianjing palace coup was a cause for serious concern.

Wei Yuzhi’s lips parted slightly, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

An Jiu frowned, speechless, somewhat confused. “We are enemies; why did you save me? Although with my strength, I do not need your help at all.”

Wei Yuzhi smiled suddenly, said nothing, and turned to leave.

“Stop!” An Jiu stepped forward, blocking his path.

Wei Yuzhi looked at her. He took out a handkerchief and calmly wiped the blood from his mouth.

“Unless you tell me why you came here, I cannot let you go!” An Jiu said.

The sounds of battle roared behind them, yet Wei Yuzhi remained eternally serene. He paused before replying, “It seems I’ve saved a poisonous snake.”

An Jiu remained silent, but her footsteps, blocking his path, did not budge.

After a moment of stalemate, Wei Yuzhi smiled faintly. “If you die, it can only be by my hand.”

An Jiu stared into his eyes for a long time, then nodded. “I accept this explanation.”

The explanation was absurd but honest. If Wei Yuzhi intended to fabricate a lie, an ordinary person would find no flaws.

“Master Chu seems to be in a bad situation right now,” Wei Yuzhi reminded her.

Wei Yuzhi seemed to be powerless to fight now; this was the perfect opportunity to kill him!

She had no concept of morality; she simply did not want to owe him anything. Besides, killing him would take time, and An Jiu did not have that time right now.

An Jiu paused, then took a small bottle from her bosom and handed it to him. “There are only three pills inside, a medicine concocted by Mo Sigui. It can heal your injuries, and we will be even.” Ordinary medicines had a negligible effect on damage to mental strength. Wei Yuzhi knew this contained a medicine made with heart’s blood, so he did not pretend and took it.

An Jiu leaped away.

Wei Yuzhi froze, his face growing paler and paler. After a few breaths, he suddenly vomited a mouthful of dark red blood.

He opened the bottle, hesitated slightly, and then put one pill in his mouth.

A faint metallic taste of blood lingered between his lips and teeth, a nauseating sensation, but he did not swallow it hastily, letting the medicine linger in his mouth.

Thinking that it contained the blood of the Yelu royal family, he felt a surge of pleasure.

Wei Yuzhi was a Song person and did not have a strong sense of belonging to the Liao Kingdom. Perhaps this was why Yelu Quancang valued Yelu Huangwu more than him. Sending him to find the medicine was practically entrusting his life to him. Yelu Quancang was indeed decisive and trusted him implicitly, but that was not what he wanted.

Wei Yuzhi, confident in his strategic acumen, hoped that one day Yelu Quancang would ascend the throne so he could realize his ambitions. That was why he spared no effort to secure the throne for him.

However, reality was never as perfect as imagined. Even with his exceptional talent and strategy, he could not have foreseen that even if he gained Yelu Quancang’s trust, it would not be enough to secure his position in the Liao Kingdom.

If he succeeded in seizing the medicine this time, could he enter the Liao court? Even if not, would Yelu Quancang allow him to participate in politics? Wei Yuzhi was not sure.

He walked slowly, leisurely strolling amidst the fighting and flames of war. Xiao Shi stood at the entrance of Baohua Palace.

On the other side.

Although Chu Dingjiang knew that An Jiu’s mental strength was more than enough to handle this scale of arrow rain, she had never experienced it before. Who knew if something unexpected might happen?

Thinking of this, Chu Dingjiang’s killing intent grew even more unstoppable.

Feng Shi, distracted by blocking An Jiu’s arrow, was now being relentlessly pursued by Chu Dingjiang and was temporarily at a disadvantage.

When An Jiu’s arrow came, the guards surrounding the Crown Prince moved, and the assassins hidden among them took the opportunity to approach the Crown Prince, feigning a rescue.

He Cai looked at a female archer, signaling her to prepare to act.

The female archer was closest to the Crown Prince, but was only at the fourth level. Surrounded by numerous seventh- and eighth-level martial artists, she could not inflict any effective damage on the Crown Prince. However, He Cai needed to disrupt the Crown Prince’s defenses to seize the opportunity to act.

The female archer’s eyes flashed with determination as she drew her bow and aimed at the Second Prince amidst the chaos.

Those around her were not too surprised. Circumstances created heroes; now, anyone with the ability wanted to show themselves before the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince turned his head to look at the female archer.

The Crown Prince was fond of women, but he knew when to stop. He had not paid much attention to the female archer’s curvaceous figure, only noticing an extremely alluring aura about her.

However, in an instant, he knew what that aura was!

The female archer slightly deflected her arrow, released her grip with two fingers, and her left hand suddenly pointed at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince met her gaze, clearly seeing the ruthless determination in her eyes.

Three short crossbow bolts, illuminated by the morning light, shot towards the Crown Prince’s brow, throat, and chest, respectively.

Because of the close proximity, before the Crown Prince could react, the arrows were already a chi away.

To ensure his safety, one of the Crown Prince’s bodyguards rushed forward, using his body to block the arrows.

There was a traitor among his close guards! The Eastern Palace’s secret guards’ killing intent surged, and two of them drew their swords to kill the female archer.

At that moment, two more people suddenly attacked the Crown Prince from the crowd.

If an attack had occurred from the outside, the guards would have remained completely calm. However, the sudden rebellion from within disrupted the defenses around the Crown Prince.

All opportunities were fleeting!

The other hidden assassins immediately rushed forward, but He Cai remained still.

She stood on the other side of the Crown Prince, the only one there who followed Chu Dingjiang. Any movement from her would immediately expose her; she needed to wait for her chance.

Sure enough, the number of traitors was too large, forcing the Eastern Palace guards to join the fray, protecting the Crown Prince behind them.

He Cai, following the shift in formation, successfully approached the Crown Prince. She remained calm, not immediately launching an assassination attempt. On the surface, she appeared no different from the other guards, all on high alert, protecting the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, seven zhang away, Elder Zhi noticed that An Jiu showed no intention of engaging, and his arrow remained unreleased.

Seeing An Jiu approaching, Elder Zhi instantly realized that Chu Dingjiang was far more important to An Jiu than the Second Prince. He then changed his aim, pointing the arrow at Chu Dingjiang. Chu Dingjiang and Feng Shi were locked in a fierce and unpredictable battle, their movements swift and elusive, making them incredibly difficult to aim at!

An Jiu hesitated, realizing that going over there would only endanger Chu Dingjiang. If she joined the fight with Feng Shi, Elder Zhi, that old fox, might kill them at any moment.

Thinking of this, An Jiu immediately found a good position to shoot.

“Take out your bow and arrows.” Elder Zhi had now recognized that the one who had just fired the powerful arrow was none other than the Fourteenth Young Lady.

The scene of Fourteenth Young Lady shooting an arrow in Mei Mansion flashed through Elder Zhi’s mind. Her aura could completely blend into the darkness, without the slightest ripple, yet it made him feel a tremendous threat.

Therefore, even though he knew that An Jiu would no longer be able to fire such a powerful arrow after Chu Dingjiang left, he still chose to confront her. He wanted to know the power of An Jiu’s unarmed arrow.

Elder Zhi was practically An Jiu’s master; she had learned archery from him in this world, and even her mental power attack, the “Startling the String,” was taught to her by him.

Faced with such a formidable opponent, An Jiu lacked confidence in her ability to win.

However, confidence was one thing; fighting with all her might was another. Staring at the eerie blue light, she showed no fear or hesitation.

The Dragon-Subduing Bow was in An Jiu’s hands; she seemed to feel its subtle tremor, the bowstring connected to the wielder. She knew it was not fear, but excitement, just like An Jiu’s current state.

“You are using internal force; that’s not fair,” An Jiu shouted.

Although discussing fairness on the battlefield seemed foolish, An Jiu remembered Chu Dingjiang’s words: Elder Zhi did not really care about this battle, so crucial to the Song Dynasty. He was exceptionally intelligent, but in archery, he was extremely selfish.

“Once the inner force has been released, how can it be withdrawn? If you can withstand this arrow from me, I will retire from the world and never concern myself with worldly affairs again.” Elder Zhi’s voice, full of vicissitudes, seemed to echo in her ears.