On the other side.

Shen Jiao deliberately feigned weakness, letting the swordsman under the moon take her back to lower his guard.

Then, taking advantage of the swordsman's unpreparedness, he launched a sneak attack with all his might.

Unexpectedly, the Moonlit Swordsman, who had previously suffered a humiliating defeat at Shen Jiao's hands, was keeping a close eye on her movements. Upon noticing something amiss, he immediately drew his sword, and the two quickly became entangled in combat.

Shen Jiao was indeed a skilled fighter, but she couldn't withstand the pain. The Moonlit Swordsman was ruthless; upon noticing her injuries, he kicked her in the shin.

The wound was immediately torn open, and bright red blood gushed out, soaking her shoes and socks.

The sword he snatched from the caterpillar was nowhere near as good as the two broadswords of the Moonlit Swordsman; it was sliced ​​into three pieces in just a few moves.

Shen Jiao exploded.

Even if it's a substandard product, can't you at least not let us down at crucial moments?

The swordsman under the moon was secretly delighted. His two broadswords were treasures passed down from his ancestors. He would see how Shen Jiao could fight him with her bare hands!

He looked around and cursed under his breath, "Why haven't they caught up yet? What a bunch of useless trash."

The swordsman under the moon was cursing the waves of guards, but they hadn't failed to find him; instead, they had run into Shen Qingcheng and Gu An.

"These people are skilled in martial arts; they're probably not ordinary guards. We can't keep dawdling like this."

Shen Qingcheng unleashed a fierce sword strike, causing two guards to cough up blood and fall to the ground. He and Gu An stood back to back.

“Young Master Gu, I will clear a path for you in a moment. You must do your best to break through and go find Jiaojiao immediately. I will cover your retreat.”

Every fifteen minutes, a new batch of guards would catch up with them; if there weren't so many of them, the two wouldn't have felt overwhelmed.

Because the enemy forces are relentless, those covering the rear face even greater difficulties and dangers.

With time running out, Gu An didn't get sentimental or argue with Shen Qingcheng about who should stay behind.

He only said one sentence: "Take care."

Shen Qingcheng glanced at the masked boy under the moonlight, whose bright hair ribbon was stained with blood. He said, "Take care."

Calculating the time, he knew a new batch of guards would catch up again, so he used his ruthless swordsmanship to speed up his harvest.

As several guards fell one after another, the sound of hurried footsteps rapidly approached.

Shen Qingcheng shouted, "Now, let's go!"

Corpses littered the ground. Gu An caught a glimpse of the elegant young man lying in a pool of blood. Without delay, he immediately used his lightness skill to leave.

"Whoosh—"

At the same time, an arrow shot out swiftly from the shadows. Gu An was preoccupied with saving people and did not pay attention to his surroundings.

A figure pounced like lightning.

Holding the person in his arms, Gu An felt a sudden dizziness as he crashed into a broad and solid chest.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Several more arrows flew in quick succession, like a sharp net, forcing Gu An and Shen Qingcheng to hide behind a tree trunk for the time being.

Damn it, this time it wasn't an ordinary guard.

How cunning Ji Xiao is.

"Shen, Shen Qingcheng! How are you?" Gu An gripped the long whip tightly.

"I'm fine. Go that way and get out of here first." Shen Qingcheng said calmly, and when Gu An wasn't paying attention, he broke the fletching off the arrow at his waist.

As long as the arrow isn't pulled out, there won't be severe bleeding.

Gu An was skeptical. "Really? I think I just heard the sound of being shot."

"really."

Shen Qingcheng said calmly, "You misheard. The arrows hit the guards. We need to leave quickly, or we'll be in trouble if they catch up."

...

"Why be so persistent? If you just surrender, you can avoid this physical suffering."

Although the swordsman under the moon is dressed as a monk, his eyes are like those of an eagle, full of ruthlessness.

“Miss Chen, it’s all a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to hurt you, nor do I want your life. As long as you come back with me, in exchange for that tyrant’s dog’s life, your life will surely rise to great heights and become rich and powerful.”

Shen Jiao looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a pyramid scheme scammer; she wouldn't believe it even if she were given two taels of silver for such a pie.

“The tyrant is indifferent to women. I am but an ordinary dancer. How could I possibly win the tyrant’s favor? Instead of wasting your time on me, the Moonlit Swordsman would be better off going to fight ahead.”

On the nearby hilltop, firelight illuminated half the sky, and the sounds of swords clashing and shouts mingled together, all indicating the dire situation ahead.

Noticing Shen Jiao's gaze, the swordsman under the moon looked in that direction.

He sneered, "You're still waiting for the tyrant to come and save you? Stop daydreaming. With war raging, my lord and I have been planning for years with meticulous arrangements. The tyrant can't spare the time to come here."

She was caught stalling for time so quickly… Shen Jiao was panicking inside, but her face remained calm.

She had nowhere to retreat; behind her was a precipice, and below it flowed a rushing river, the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks deafening.

Damn it, if she hadn't known the way and hadn't ended up in this dead end by some twist of fate, she wouldn't have bothered talking so much nonsense with this bald monk in human skin.

"You've survived so long by the tyrant's side, you must be a smart man. In your current situation, you have no choice but to accept your fate, whether you live or die. Don't keep me waiting too long." The swordsman under the moon approached step by step.

He remained calm and composed, like an old dog.

It wasn't that she didn't want to retreat, but that there was nowhere to retreat. She could swim, but she was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle such a fast-flowing river.

Why isn't that bastard Ji Yan here yet?

Shen Jiao's forehead was damp with sweat, and she was a little scared, but the sweat was caused by excessive exercise. The moonlight was like water, making her small face look slightly pale.

"Okay, I promise you."

"How can I trust you?" asked the swordsman under the moon, suspicious.

Tonight alone, he was fooled three times by this cunning little girl. If Shen Jiao hadn't been so useful, he would have chopped her into mincemeat.

Shen Jiao glanced behind her.

"There are vicious dogs in front of me and no way to retreat. I am injured and have no blade to protect me. You can rest assured to tie me up."

Ignoring the scolding, the swordsman under the moon remained cautious: "Come here."

"Alright then." Shen Jiao took a step forward, then suddenly jumped back, disappearing in an instant.

The gentleman under the moon turned ashen-faced with anger, only then realizing why Shen Jiao had resigned herself to her fate.

With his speed, even if Shen Jiao wanted to jump off a cliff, he could grab her immediately.

Presumably, Shen Jiao had this in mind as well, so she pretended to compromise, but then turned around and jumped off the cliff.

The swordsman under the moon said ruthlessly, "Fine, fine, you slut, you dare to tease me again. You better be dead, or I'll make you wish you were dead."

"You won't have that chance anymore. Before that, I would have made you wish you were dead."

In the turbulent night, a voice as cold as ice rang out, clearly the sound of a cool autumn day, yet in that instant, it plunged the swordsman under the moon into the icy depths of winter.

"You, how did you get here?" The swordsman under the moon was shocked.

Ji Yan ignored him, walked straight to the edge of the cliff, and jumped off without hesitation.

"Your Majesty!" the accompanying Dragon Shadow Guard exclaimed in alarm.

"Hahaha..." Upon seeing this, the swordsman under the moon was pleasantly surprised. "Madman, you really are a madman. To die on a woman is a light death for you... uh."

The head of the secret guards grabbed the swordsman under the moon by the neck, tied him up, and ordered in a stern voice: "Quickly send a message to the two generals to search for His Majesty and Miss Shen."