Chapter 62 I Can't Stand It

Pei Ji was just about to turn around to check on the frightened horse, but Chao Yinzhen had already come over with Xinyi Zhaoyang.

"Lord Pei, are you okay?" Thinking of the dangerous scene just now, Chao Yinzhen was also scared and asked quickly.

Pei Ji immediately took a step back and respectfully bowed to the two princesses. Luo Jince, Ye Yiheng and others beside him also quickly followed suit.

"No need to be polite." Xinyi Zhaoyang waved his hand casually, but stepped forward and carefully looked Pei Ji up and down. An admiring smile appeared on his face: "Master Pei, you are very calm. Most people who have just escaped from the gates of hell can't be as calm and composed as you."

Chao Yinzhen had already walked to Luo Zhaohan's side at this time. Hearing Xinyi Zhaoyang praising Pei Ji like this, he couldn't help but secretly pinched Luo Zhaohan's hand.

Luo Zhaohan turned her head to look at her, only to see Chao Yinzhen quickly raised his eyebrows at her, his eyes clearly saying:

"Zhao Han, look! Zhao Yang must be Pei Ji in the truth!"

Luo Zhaohan understood what she meant, and his heart skipped a beat. It was as if a small stone had suddenly been thrown into the lake of his heart, which had just calmed down, and ripples spread out quietly again.

"Of course—" Xinyi Zhaoyang's voice rang out again. She suddenly reached out to the side, and Wei Yu immediately handed over the big red hydrangea that Pei Ji had dropped at the critical moment.

Xinyi Zhaoyang took the embroidered bouquet and personally handed it to Luo Zhaohan, smiling so much that her eyes curved into crescents. "However, the most amazing one has to be our eldest daughter of the Luo family! Weiyu just said herself that she is completely convinced by your archery skills!"

"This princess keeps her word! From now on, I will call you Sister Zhaohan!" Xinyi Zhaoyang's tone was full of sincerity and joy.

Luo Zhaohan raised his head and first saw the genuine and brilliant smile on Xinyi Zhaoyang's face, and then saw Wei Yu standing behind her. The Dongling female warrior also showed gentleness and recognition between her brows, and nodded affirmatively to Luo Zhaohan.

Luo Zhaohan couldn't help but smile. She nodded to Xinyi Zhaoyang and Wei Yu, and generously reached out to take the hydrangea that was of great significance.

For a moment, the atmosphere on the field became particularly harmonious.

At this moment, Pei Ji suddenly turned around and walked towards the horse that had calmed down.

Seeing this, Chao Yinzhen couldn't help but add a sentence, expressing everyone's confusion: "Hey, this horse was fine, why did it suddenly get scared?"

"After all, the horses provided by the Imperial Garden today are all carefully selected and well-trained horses. Accidents like this shouldn't happen..."

When Luo Zhaohan heard the word "frightened", her mind was struck by lightning, and she suddenly remembered something! She immediately raised her eyes, her gaze as sharp as an arrow, shooting straight at Xie Wuqi not far away!

What she didn't expect was that Xie Wuqi was actually staring at her at this moment! Their eyes collided directly with each other without any defense!

Xie Wuqi stood at the edge of the noisy playing field, his gaze like a poisoned hook, fixed on the figure surrounded by the crowd in the middle of the field.

Luo Zhaohan.

He almost didn't recognize her.

The memory of the past life stubbornly lingered in his mind. Back then, she was his wife, and he condescended to take her to banquets, but she always seemed like an alien who didn't fit in, cowering in a corner, ignored.

She once complained to him, saying that no one liked her and she didn't want to go anymore. What did he say?

"If you didn't spend all day brandishing swords and guns and behaving rudely, how could others dislike you?"

"Why don't you just change your unpleasant temper and learn how to please others, and that's it?"

Every time, his heart was filled with contempt. Compared to the gentle, graceful, and graceful Liu Yueli, Luo Zhaohan was simply unbearable to look at. This contempt permeated all his memories of her in his previous life.

But the scene before him slapped him hard in the face.

Luo Zhaohan stood in the center of the crowd, chatting and laughing, her face radiant. The noble ladies and gentlemen who had once disdained her were now vying to chat with her. She seemed to be surrounded by an invisible halo, dazzling and blinding.

That calmness, that pride of being the center of attention, should have belonged to Xie Wuqi! Or at least, it should have been the glory of Xie Wuqi's wife!

Why? Why did she leave him and live so recklessly?

A thought suddenly pierced his mind like a venomous snake—it was Pei Ji! It had to be that sanctimonious Dali Temple Junior Official Pei Ji! He suddenly remembered the name Luo Zhaohan had blurted out in a desperate attempt to get rid of him outside the Changning Earl's Mansion.

That's right! It must have been that time that made this bitch think she had climbed up Pei Ji's high branch, so she dared to ignore him like that!

Despicable, selfish, shameless? Xie Wuqi sneered in his heart, Luo Zhaohan, how good are you? You just found a new backer! A kind of rage and possessiveness of being completely betrayed and having your property coveted instantly consumed him.

He would never allow it! He would never allow the woman who once belonged to him to throw herself into the arms of another man with such a condescending attitude! Especially when that man was Pei Ji, who had always opposed him!

New and old grudges, coupled with Luo Zhaohan's dazzling "pride" today, and the urgency of having to demonstrate his value and ability in front of the "noble person" who was observing in secret, instantly ignited the darkest thoughts in Xie Wuqi's heart.

He needed an opportunity, an opportunity that could both intimidate Luo Zhaohan, warn Pei Ji, and prove to the "noble man" that he was ruthless and resolute!

On the court, horses vying for the ball galloped and neighed.

In the chaos, Xie Wuqi suddenly squeezed the horse's belly, and the horse under him rushed straight towards Pei Ji like an arrow from a bow, with a reckless ruthlessness! His target was extremely precise - Pei Ji's left arm!

"Be careful!" someone exclaimed.

Pei Ji reacted extremely quickly, and at the critical moment, he turned sideways to control the reins, avoiding being knocked away. However, Xie Wuqi's horse still carried a huge momentum and rubbed against Pei Ji's left arm!

"Hmm!" A suppressed groan escaped from Pei Ji's throat. His body shook violently, his face turned pale instantly, and his left arm hung limply, obviously having suffered a severe blow.

The copper bell tied to the hydrangea flew off in the violent collision, fell to the ground with a jingle, and was twisted and deformed by the horse's hooves.

Xie Wuqi reined in his horse and looked down at Pei Ji, who was enduring the pain, with a provocative and cold arc on his lips. He succeeded.

Not only did he show his ruthless means in the eyes of the "noble man", he also gave Pei Ji a warning, and severely hit Luo Zhaohan's arrogance - see, the person you are clinging to is so vulnerable!

Luo Zhaohan witnessed the entire process! The instantaneous collision and Pei Ji's instant pain burned her heart like a scalding iron. The resentment from her past life, the vigilance in this life, Xie Wuqi's smug face, and the undeserved disaster that Pei Ji suffered because of her...

All the emotions exploded, turning into raging rage that rushed straight to the top of the head!

She barely hesitated, her eyes as cold as ice, her footsteps heavy and swift as she parted the crowd, striding straight towards Xie Wuqi. She was going to tear apart his hypocritical and despicable mask! She was going to make him pay!

However, just as she was about to pass by Pei Ji with a murderous aura——

"Miss Luo."

Pei Ji's cold voice sounded, not loud, but with a strange penetrating power, instantly stopping her in her tracks.

Luo Zhaohan turned his head abruptly and met Pei Ji's deep eyes. There was no anger or grievance in them, only a calmness that was almost soothing.

He slowly spread out his palm, on which lay quietly a copper bell that had been trampled to the point of being almost unrecognizable. It was the "murder weapon" that had just fallen off the hydrangea.

"No need to come forward." Pei Ji's voice remained steady, but his eyes were fixed on her, with a subtle earnestness. His meaning was clear: there was no evidence. It was common for bells to fall off, and the horse was unharmed. No one had witnessed Xie Wuqi intentionally bumping into him. To approach and question him now would only bring humiliation upon himself.

Xie Wuqi took in the entire scene, and the mocking smile on his face deepened. He slowly adjusted the reins, his eyes like a venomous snake, darting between Luo Zhaohan and Pei Ji, silently conveying the ultimate contempt: Look, even if you know it, what can you do to me?

How can you criticize my actions? Today, I want to tell everyone, including you, Luo Zhaohan - the support you found is nothing in front of me!

Pei Ji slowly closed his fingers, gripping the deformed bell tightly in his palm. His knuckles turned slightly white, his grip so strong that he didn't even glance at Xie Wuqi. His gaze was focused entirely on Luo Zhaohan, a heavy one, a silent admonition: Be patient, it's not worth getting angry at this person. Besides...

Before today, in order to vent Miss Luo's anger, he had already prepared a "generous gift" for Xie Wuqi, but the time had not yet come.

Luo Zhaohan stared at Pei Ji's clenched fist, then suddenly raised her eyes to look at the smug figure on horseback. The rage boiling in her chest threatened to consume her.

She forced herself to close her eyes and took a deep, long breath. The cold air filled her lungs, trying to extinguish the flames that were gnawing at her heart.

The next moment, amidst Xie Wuqi's sneer that was almost about to burst out of his lips and Pei Ji's worried gaze, Luo Zhaohan suddenly turned around!

Xie Wuqi's lips curled up in triumph. Everything was under control. Luo Zhaohan's concession, Pei Ji's forbearance, all became footnotes to his victory. His goal for the day had been more than achieved—he had demonstrated his strength and ruthlessness before his "noble man," successfully humiliated Pei Ji, and severely dampened Luo Zhaohan's spirit.

Presumably, at this moment, the "noble person" in the stands has already memorized Xie Wuqi's name.

Satisfied, Xie Wuqi turned his horse around, ready to leave with his head held high amidst the frightened or complicated gazes of the crowd, leaving behind an arrogant back.

Just as he lifted his horse's hoof and was about to leave—

"Ah——!" Suddenly, screams full of horror broke out one after another from the stands!

The sound was so sharp that it almost pierced the eardrums, and it carried the extreme fear of witnessing something incredible.

Xie Wuqi's heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of foreboding gripped him. He instinctively and stiffly reined in his horse and turned his head sharply!

The pupils suddenly contracted!

As far as the eye could see, Luo Zhaohan's figure hadn't gone far. Unbeknownst to her, she had already darted like lightning to the side of the unusually tall Dongling female warrior, Wei Yu!

Under everyone's astonished gaze, she pulled away the heavy iron bow that Wei Yu was carrying on his back with astonishing speed and strength!

Nock the arrow!

Draw the bow!

The movements were done in one go, so fast that only an afterimage was left on the retina!

The huge iron bow that symbolized absolute power was pulled into a full moon by her slender arms that contained explosive power!

The cold arrowhead, under the dazzling midday sun, reflected a chilling light that was enough to freeze the blood.

And where that cold light was pointing was exactly Xie Wuqi's heart!

"Luo Zhaohan! Are you crazy--!" Xie Wuqi was scared out of his wits, and a terrified roar broke out of his throat with an unbelievable distortion!

However, before he could even finish his words—

“Boom——!!!”

A dull, heart-stopping sound of a bowstring, like a thunderbolt exploding out of nowhere!

Immediately afterwards, there was an extremely sharp whistling sound as the arrow tore through the air!

"call out--!!!"

Time seems to be infinitely stretched and stagnant at this moment.

The color on Xie Wuqi's face instantly faded completely, leaving only a deathly paleness and extreme fear. He saw it!

Not only did he see the cold light of the arrowhead that was flying through the air like a death warrant, he also saw more clearly Luo Zhaohan's eyes behind the arrow - cold and resolute, surging with deep-rooted hatred and undisguised murderous intent!

That's not a threat, that's a real desire to kill him!

Hide? No! Her mind screamed. She would never dare to actually kill an imperial official in front of everyone! But if she instinctively dodged out of fear, the trajectory of an arrow shot by Luo Zhaohan's terrifying arm strength was completely unpredictable. What if she was hit in a vital spot...

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Xie Wuqi's mind. Ultimately, his lucky guess that Luo Zhaohan "dared not kill" outweighed the potentially fatal risk of avoiding him!

He clenched his teeth, his body tensed as iron, and he was nailed to the spot, watching the shadow of death rushing towards him with a shrill scream!

“Puff!”

An extremely slight sound of a sharp object tearing cloth was heard.

Immediately afterwards, there was the dull sound of the arrow nailing into the grass on the ground!

The entire arena was in dead silence.

Even the sound of the wind seemed frozen.

Everyone's eyes, as if drawn by a magnet, were fixed on Xie Wuqi, then moved in fear to the arrow feather that was deeply embedded in the ground not far away, and finally, all of them turned to the woman who was standing with a bow, like a killing god.

Xie Wuqi stood frozen on his horse, his entire body icy cold, his inner garment instantly soaked with sweat. A brief, sharp, stabbing pain pierced the outside of his left arm. He stiffly and extremely slowly lowered his head.

He was wearing a dark suit today. A tear, roughly an inch long, had been ripped across the outside of his left sleeve. A thin line of blood oozed rapidly beneath the fabric, leaving a small, barely noticeable dark stain on the dark fabric. The wound was superficial, barely breaking the skin.