Chapter 326 Hidden Arrow
Qi Yuxuan and Xuan Yuanze stood facing each other, each holding a piece of red silk, and slowly bowed down.
Just then, the hidden mechanism of the sleeve dart beneath the red silk was gently activated, and a short arrow flew out, deflected by the red silk—
"Hmm—" Xuan Yuanze let out a muffled groan.
Duan Wei, who was closest, had already raised his hand, his voice powerful and resonant, echoing through the valley: "Fall!!!"
At the entrance where Xuanyuanze led his men in, the mountain walls on both sides of the valley shook violently.
In the next instant, countless boulders poured down from the top of the valley, blocking the already narrow entrance and trapping the eight hundred people of Yue Kingdom inside the valley.
Now that things have come to this, what is there left to be unclear about?
Qi feigned a marriage alliance, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. However, during the three bows ceremony, they arranged for the seemingly powerless county magistrate to attack, making it impossible to defend against. It was utterly despicable!
Maybe that princess is also an imposter, and it's all a treacherous scheme by the people of Qi!
Eight hundred cavalrymen immediately mounted their horses, picked up their weapons, and charged forward to protect the carefree king.
The Qi army was not to be outdone, and three thousand elite soldiers rushed forward to fight the Yue army.
"Duan Wei, you old scoundrel!" the boy shouted angrily, and was about to rush towards Duan Wei and Xiahou Zhong.
However, he caught a glimpse of the weak Prince Xiaoyao on the other side, who could barely hold his sword, and immediately turned around and headed straight for the Princess of Qi in front of him.
The change happened in an instant.
Even though the people around Qi Yuxuan had already stepped in front of her to protect her, Ren Shun didn't take them seriously at all. He kicked several people away and, with his long sword in hand, aimed it straight at her vulnerable neck.
Qi Yuxuan fell to the ground and closed her eyes tightly.
With a "snap," the longsword was knocked away by Xuan Yuanze, but it was too late. The sword wind had already swept a thin line of blood across the girl's fair neck, and the blood breaking through her skin was a shocking sight.
"Your Highness?!" Ren Shun was puzzled. Why wouldn't he be allowed to kill the woman who had plotted against him?!
"Cough cough..." Xuan Yuanze's mask had fallen off at some point, revealing a face covered in burn scars. "...Let her go."
Qi Yuxuan saw this and froze on the spot.
Xuan Yuanze's face... it still looks like the burn he suffered after saving her that time, even with more scars. Just looking at it, you can imagine how much pain he must have been in.
What's going on?
“You…” she stared wide-eyed, speechless.
"Don't look." Xuan Yuanze didn't blame her for hurting herself. He even picked up the mask from the ground and put it back on his face.
"You little Jiaozhi brat, prepare to die!" Duan Wei swung his broadsword, leaving only afterimages in his wake. Xuan Yuanze and Ren Shun turned to defend themselves, and no one paid any attention to Qi Yuxuan.
Just then, Xiao Jue quietly approached Qi Yuxuan, grabbed her hand urgently, and tried to lead her to a safe place behind him.
He had sensed something was wrong as soon as he heard Duan Wei shout "Stop!" He thought to himself that the two generals were indeed strategizing and had other plans, and were not going to let the Prince of Xiaoyao go.
The operation was too risky. The entire marriage alliance from the capital was kept in the dark and nearly got hacked to death by the Vietnamese soldiers who had gone mad after realizing they had been deceived!
Xiao Jue had been keeping an eye on his sister. When he saw that things were not going well, he immediately tried to pull her away to run. However, the young man next to the Prince of Xiaoyao was as fierce as a little wolf cub. He rushed up and kicked him away.
After struggling to his feet and dodging the knives of two Vietnamese soldiers, he scrambled to his sister's side, only to find her still sitting there blankly, looking terrified.
Tianque Valley has now become the new battlefield, and she's not even trying to hide?!
"Yu Xuan, let's go, let's go!" he shouted as he half-pulled and half-carried the little girl.
The valley was in complete chaos. The wedding party was fleeing in panic, not caring about the expensive dowry they were carrying. They all turned around and ran back to the entrance they had come from, fearing that if they were too slow, they would become victims of the Vietnamese army.
With 3,000 Qi soldiers and 800 Yue soldiers, a difference of nearly four times, the Qi army should have been able to secure victory.
But when they actually fought, Duan Wei and Xiahou Zhong realized something was wrong.
These eight hundred Yue soldiers were all like monsters, fearless of pain and death, and fought more and more fiercely. Even with broken arms and legs, they were still full of energy, shouting and killing the enemy.
They had never seen such a terrifying scene, even after years of marching.
What method did the Yue Kingdom use to train this army of eight hundred men, each one a warrior capable of dying for their country?!
Not to mention, even though Xuan Yuanze had already been hit by Princess Chang Le's hidden arrow, which was coated with a deadly poison, he only trembled and continued to kill the enemy the next second, as if the poison that could kill on sight had no effect on him at all!
During a lull in the fighting, the two generals exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and uncertainty in each other's eyes.
This is really not right.
Are they going to lose again today?
This defeat could be utterly devastating!
There was no time to think it through. The two men carried not only the glory of the State of Qi and their own honor, but also the lives and fortunes of the Duan and Xiahou clans. They had no choice but to take a gamble!
"You little brat, let Grandpa have a go at you!"
Duan Wei blocked Ren Shun's path with a ring-pommel iron sword, the blade whistling through the air. He smiled as he looked at the boy, who was not even as old as his grandson, his eyes filled with ruthlessness.
Blocked, Ren Shun's face turned cold as he glanced at the much more robust old general. He chuckled and raised his longsword to slash horizontally. Duan Wei immediately raised his wrist and slightly tilted his head to parry with the hilt of his sword. The copper hilt struck the sword with a dull hum, which made half of Duan Wei's body go numb.
What immense force! What incredible speed! What a fine sword!
Duan Wei was startled, but a sense of appreciation for talent also arose in his heart. Such a young man truly deserved to be kept by the carefree king's side and entrusted with important responsibilities.
Unfortunately, he was from the Yue Kingdom, so they were destined to be enemies to the death.
The young man swung his longsword diagonally at a tricky angle, aiming straight for Duan Wei's face. Duan Wei took a half step back, the blade scraping the ground and sparks flying.
The boy suddenly spun around and changed his move. Duan Wei immediately slammed his shoulder into the boy's center, the hilt of his sword hitting the boy's chest acupoint heavily. But from beneath the armor, he heard a crisp sound of a jade pendant shattering.
"Ugh—" The boy looked pained and then vomited a mouthful of blood.
Blood dripped onto the ground in the valley. He stared incredulously at the blood on his palm, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning.
Why did he vomit blood?
"Hmph, ignorant brat. Grandpa doesn't just use a knife; you're not only good at swordsmanship. Your swordsmanship is indeed impressive, but showing off in front of Grandpa is still too green!"
Duan Wei sneered, and with a swift motion, he drew his broadsword, ready to sever the boy's head.
But he missed.
Ren Shun leaped backward, looked around, and saw where he was.
Why does this place look like a battlefield where the Qi and Yue armies were fighting?
No, that's not right either.
The more than one hundred cars not far away were decorated with many "double happiness" characters, representing dowries adorned with red silk.
Is he trying to steal the bride?!
As Ren Shun was filled with suspicion, his gaze passed over the countless soldiers fighting and fell upon Qi Yuxuan, dressed in a wedding gown, her expression numb as she was dragged away.
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