A bet is a bet.

In just one glance, that person made a strong impression on A Qiu.

It wasn't because he entered A Qiu's guarded distance that she instinctively became wary; on the contrary, he evoked feelings of familiarity and warmth in A Qiu.

But she didn't have much time to figure out where this feeling came from.

Pei Yu's spear and Yin Shang's scimitar, both flashing with cold light, came at her from the left and right respectively.

A Qiu first deftly deflected Yin Shang's crescent-shaped dagger, then parried Pei Yu's attack with her own sword.

This head-on collision caused her to stagger back half a step, while Pei Yu was also badly injured, nearly losing his spear and bleeding from the tiger's mouth of both hands.

Taking advantage of this moment, A Qiu was about to draw her sword and launch another attack when she suddenly heard a loud whistling sound behind her head. Something powerful was hurtling towards her through the air.

At this moment, A Qiu had no time to deal with what was in front of him. He dodged to the side, relying entirely on his ability to sense the wind and recognize the weapon, and barely managed to avoid a "Sun-Eating Arrow".

Before she could regain her footing, another arrow arrived, this time aimed at her vest.

A Qiu was greatly alarmed. This person could fire arrows in rapid succession, making him virtually impossible to defend against. If Pei Yu and Yin Shang were to seize another opportunity to attack, she would surely perish today.

She had barely steadied herself and had no time to change position. Without hesitation, she turned around and drew her "Crescent Moon" sword with all her might. Just as the flying arrow reached half a foot in front of her, she accurately struck it down to the ground.

Her two catching of arrows in public showcased her incredible speed and agility. Even though the surrounding Divine Hound Camp soldiers were all enemies, they couldn't help but marvel at her skill, and for a moment, the entire area fell silent.

A Qiu stared intently, only to see Pei Ao, who had just escaped, standing far away on the high platform, a smile on his face, his left hand retracting the bow to his shoulder.

Pei Ao appeared calm and composed, but A Qiu immediately realized that something was amiss.

The two arrows she had just fired were incredibly powerful, and she either dodged or caught them. But with her martial arts intuition, she felt that the danger was not truly over.

However, Pei Yu and Yin Shang behind her did not take this opportunity to launch a sneak attack. On the contrary, Pei Yu shouted, "Watch out!"

Just then, a black bronze arrow appeared silently in front of her, aiming for her right breast.

This arrow was far less menacing than the previous two, but A Qiu could tell from his intuition that this was the real killing blow, while the previous two were just bluffs to deceive people.

The fact that this arrow could arrive silently through the air shows that the archer had concentrated all the power of the bow and arrow into the arrow shaft, without any flaws or dissipation.

Moreover, the timing of this arrow was right after she had hurriedly caught two other arrows. Normal people would not have time to pay attention to this arrow, making it virtually impossible to defend against.

She had no time to dodge and could only raise her sword to parry. But she knew perfectly well that her opponent was unleashing a full-force attack, and she had only hastily changed her move to meet it; she probably couldn't block this arrow.

Not only did she notice this, but Pei Yu and Yin Shang behind her also noticed it.

The two men parted behind her, rushing forward from the left and right, hoping to at least slow her down. Both shared the same thought: if A-Qiu were to perish here today, chaos would ensue. But even A-Qiu herself was too busy to defend herself, let alone them who were closing in from behind.

At that very moment, in the diagonal direction, the tall soldier who had silently approached A Qiu suddenly moved.

It's unclear how he made a move, but he flashed past A Qiu.

A Qiu felt as if the Moon-Shaped Sword in her hand was pulled by him, and his hand had already grasped the hand that held her sword.

Her shock was even greater than when she saw Pei Ao's third arrow. This ordinary soldier from the Divine Hound Camp had so easily gotten close enough to touch her hand. His skill was likely even superior to Pei Yu and Shangguan Yuqi's. When had the Divine Hound Camp hidden such a master?

But the other party was clearly not hostile. Right there in the area, the sound of metal clashing rang out. Pei Ao's third "Sun-Devouring Arrow," which was originally meant to kill, was easily deflected by "Moon-Carving" and fell straight to the ground.

Moreover, the soldier's position was extremely subtle. Apart from Pei Yu and Yin Shang behind A Qiu, who could see the movements of his hands, the rest of the Divine Hound Camp around him thought that he was trying to take the opportunity to ambush A Qiu, but was pulled away by "Lou Yue". Lou Yue took advantage of the momentum and deflected the Sun-Devouring Arrow down.

After deflecting the "Sun-Devouring Arrow" with Ah Qiu's hand, the man immediately released her and gracefully retreated, disappearing into the crowd. All his movements were completed in the blink of an eye, as fast as lightning.

There was a moment of silence in the room. Pei Yu was taken aback, then exchanged a glance with Yin Shang, and the two of them made a decision at the same time.

Pei Yu withdrew his Dragon-Returning Spear and shouted, "The Grand Musician has withstood three arrows from the Pei family unscathed. The Divine Hound Camp is utterly defeated and admits defeat!"

Pei Yu was known as a master of both archery and spear, while Pei Ao's archery skills, though not as superior, were superior in that he could fire a barrage of arrows, the last of which was silent and deadly. Since he independently figured out this archery technique, countless people had fallen to his arrows. This is why he became the second most skilled archer in Jianzhang after Pei Yu, and no one questioned it.

Yin Shang immediately sheathed his sword, bowed, and said, "I am willing to accept defeat in this bet. I am willing to follow Lord Si Yue into the palace to learn the 'Shao' and 'Wu'!"

The dozen or so men behind him exchanged glances and stepped forward one after another, saying, "Your Excellency's divine skills are truly admirable. We are willing to follow you into the palace to learn the dance and help you prepare for the national ceremony."

After Pei Yu conceded defeat, and with the encouragement of these people, the remaining officers of the Divine Hound Camp, even those who had initially hesitated, had no choice but to step forward and bow to A Qiu, expressing their willingness to follow her.

At that moment, a deep, cold, and sharp voice rang out: "The outcome is still uncertain. Why is the Commander-in-Chief so eager to admit defeat to outsiders?"

Strangely, everyone looked towards the source of the sound, only to see Pei Ao still standing proudly on the arrow platform, looking at everyone in the arena with a half-smile.

Looking at his hand again, he had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming directly at the people in the arena.

A sudden sense of foreboding arose in A Qiu's heart.

Pei Yu also realized something was wrong and shouted angrily, "Pei Ao, what are you trying to do?"

Pei Ao smiled and said, "Now the Grand Commander has two choices. First, he can leave the arena, and I will shoot Lord Si Yue dead on the spot to appease the spirit of Marquis Dongguang in heaven."

After the initial shock, Pei Yu calmed down and said in a deep voice, "What is the second option?"

Pei Ao calmly replied, "Then we shall stay here and die here with Lord Si Le."

He continued, "If that's the case, I will report to His Majesty that the Grand Commander sought revenge for his father and challenged Lord Siyue to a duel at the Divine Hound Camp, but unfortunately, they both perished."

Pei Yu coldly said, "If that's the case, you can smoothly take over the Jianzhang Division and the Divine Hound Battalion. My father has been supporting and nurturing you in the army to be my assistant, but this is what you're after."

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The dozens of officers of the Divine Hound Camp in the arena changed color, at a loss, and could only stare blankly at Pei Yu.

Pei Ao smiled easily and said, "It is precisely because of our sibling relationship and the kindness of my uncle in teaching and nurturing me that I still hope that you, Commander-in-Chief, will stand on my side, which is why I gave you the first choice. If I had intended for you to die, Commander-in-Chief, I would have fired the arrows just now."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens more men surged out from behind him, all of them his trusted guards, each holding a crossbow and locking onto the arena. It was clear at a glance that these were not bows and arrows used for duels, but rather heavy crossbows specially made for the Divine Hound Camp, capable of firing ten arrows at once.

Pei Yu looked at A Qiu, a feeling of utter absurdity rising in his heart.

A-Qiu was also staring intently at her.

In truth, A Qiu and Pei Yu had always been more like enemies. But Pei Yu never intended to kill her.

She did suspect that her father Pei Yuanli's assassination was related to A Qiu, but she had no real evidence. A Qiu's swordsmanship was exactly what Gu Yi had taught her, and it came from the "Carved Moon" Thirteen Forms of the Xuanmen Sect. If Pei Yu had previously suspected that A Qiu had participated in the assassination of Pei Yuanli, she had now completely dispelled her suspicions.

So if A-Qiu must die at this moment, there is only one reason: the death of Pei Yuanli must give Jianzhang Master an explanation. And that explanation is the head of Gu Yi's disciple, A-Qiu.

Although Pei Yuanli's death had its own causes and consequences, it was ultimately with the tacit approval of Grand Tutor Gu Yi and the indulgence of the current court that Li Chongyu was able to deliver the final blow and escape unscathed.

If Gu Yihe and the imperial court do not provide this explanation, Jianzhang Shi will come and collect it personally.

At this time of Gu Yi's retirement and the advance of the Northern Qiang, Jianzhang Shi's actions seem to indicate that he wants to overshadow Gu Yi and become the most influential person in the court.

Pei Ao's actions were not only due to his own will, but also influenced by other Jianzhang Masters.

But Pei Yu did not intend for A Qiu to perish here. She believed that, given the current situation, internal and external unity was of utmost importance.

A Qiu has Gu Yi behind her, as well as Crown Prince Xie Tiao. Even if Gu Yi is not in court at the moment, angering him would have unpredictable consequences.

Furthermore, such a blatant extermination of the sole successor of this lineage not only puts Jianzhang Master himself in a precarious position, but will only embolden him further, which is not what Pei Yu wants to see.

An army's honor should be built on the battlefield against the enemy, not on the blood of its own people.

Pei Ao remained calm and composed, his eyes fixed straight ahead as if he were drawing his bow and shooting an arrow, but everyone knew that he was waiting for Pei Yu to make a decision.

He still has that much patience.

Because at this moment, the Divine Mastiff Camp was completely surrounded by its own people, making it impregnable. Even if an imperial edict were to be delivered, it would not be able to get through.

Pei Yu finally sighed and said, "You mean if I disagree, you will shoot me as well? But have you considered the revenge of my mother and the Grand Tutor? You have offended almost the entire palace."

Pei Ao smiled and said, "Historically, if the military is truly strong enough and ambitious enough, it doesn't really need to care what those people in the palace say. Changing dynasties is just a matter of a single thought for us."

He added, “In the past, my uncle held military power. In fact, whether Jianzhang wanted peace or war was entirely up to him. But he was too unambitious and too accommodating to your mother, so he kept backing down until he lost his own life.”

By the time he finished speaking, his expression was one of sighing and gritted teeth.

Pei Yu suddenly understood, his expression changed, and he said, "So, the Pei clan didn't agree to him marrying my mother, did they?"

Pei Ao's gaze towards Pei Yu softened, and he said gently, "Of course we disagree! However, he has always contributed greatly to the clan and is the pillar of the Pei family in this generation. Even I, his nephew, was able to join the army and achieve my current position thanks to his kindness. We don't blame him. In the end, he has his own considerations; it was all out of good intentions for the greater good! But Yu-mei, you've seen what the outcome of this good intention has been, haven't you?"