Chapter 179 Who is so bold?
Those outside the cave clearly noticed the anomaly; the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow abruptly stopped at the cave entrance.
The next instant, the snow piled up at the cave entrance fell in with a rustling sound, and a piece of dead wood, half-hidden by snow, was pushed aside from the outside.
Backlit, a person dressed in a black assassin's robe, with a mask covering most of their face, walked in.
The moment the newcomer stepped into the cave, Li Yuanzhao shoved Chen Yanqing aside, drew his long sword, and thrust it straight at the man's throat.
The person who came reacted very quickly, immediately leaning back to dodge.
The blade grazed his chin, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Before he could regain his footing, Li Yuanzhao had already turned around quickly, twisted his wrist, and changed the direction of his longsword, slashing upwards from below, aiming straight for his opponent's chest.
This move is fast and urgent, with a tricky angle, leaving ordinary people no time to react.
The man was so frightened that he lightly touched the ground with his toes and took two steps back, while simultaneously drawing his long sword from his waist and holding it horizontally in front of him.
That's how they blocked the fatal blow.
With a crisp clang, the blade and the sword collided violently, sparks flying everywhere.
Chen Yanqing suddenly realized that this person's martial arts skills were obviously not weak, as he was able to block the prince's two moves.
His Highness had just recovered from her fever, yet her arm was so badly injured; he couldn't help but feel a chill for her.
The two fought fiercely in the narrow cave for several rounds, exchanging blows with flashing swords.
Just as Chen Yanqing was worried that Li Yuanzhao would not be able to hold on, he drew his dagger and wanted to go forward to help.
Suddenly, Li Yuanzhao changed his tactics. He feinted to lure the enemy in, and after dodging a slash, he seized the moment when the enemy shifted his weight forward, grabbed the shoulder of the man holding the knife with his left hand, and kicked him hard in the knee with his right foot at the same time!
With a "bang," the newcomer lost his balance and knelt on one knee.
The long sword, weakened by the loss of strength, fell to the ground with a clatter.
Before he could even look up, Li Yuanzhao's longsword was already at his neck.
If we push it forward just half an inch more, we can slit his throat.
The cave fell silent instantly, with only the sound of their rapid breathing remaining.
Just then, the newcomer seemed to finally adjust to the light inside the cave and could see the person in front of him clearly.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and his voice was filled with surprise, "Your Highness, it's me!"
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and ripped off the mask covering his face.
The flickering firelight illuminated a face with sharp features, sword-like eyebrows, and bright eyes.
Who else could it be but Shen Churong?
Li Yuanzhao glanced at his assassin attire and withdrew his sword.
Shen Churong quickly explained, "I took advantage of the darkness to kill a few assassins, changed into this outfit, and then followed the marks left by Your Highness to find this place."
Li Yuanzhao sheathed his sword and said calmly, "The speed is not bad, faster than I expected."
Shen Churong stood up and rubbed his knee, which had been kicked and was now sore.
"It's because I jumped off the cliff first to find Your Highness, while my brothers are still behind."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the blood-soaked bandage on Li Yuanzhao's arm, and his expression suddenly darkened: "Your Highness, you are injured?"
During their exchange, he noticed that his opponent's right hand was slightly hesitant, but at that moment, with life and death hanging in the balance, he didn't have time to think about it.
Upon seeing the dark red bloodstains seeping from under the bandage, his heart clenched instantly, and he secretly blamed himself for not holding back when he attacked.
Even though he was injured, His Highness was still able to subdue him in just a few moves.
This strength both surprised and impressed him.
"It's alright," Li Yuanzhao asked. "How's the situation outside?"
Shen Churong said with a solemn expression, "I killed a dozen or so people along the way, but judging from their numbers, there are at least fifty or sixty left. And I'm afraid they've also noticed something amiss."
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Li Yuanzhao's eyes.
She walked to the cave entrance, parted the withered grass hanging there, and glanced outside.
In the darkness, shadowy figures could be vaguely seen moving in the distant dense forest, indicating that they were close to finding this area.
Her tone was resolute. "We can't stay here any longer. The fighting we just heard must have been overheard. Besides... I also want to see who is so bold as to be so eager to take my life."
Over here, the last group of assassins was making less and less noise; even the crunching sound of their footsteps on the snow had faded away, as if several of them had fallen behind.
The squad leader at the front of the group raised his hand, signaling to stop advancing and wait in place.
He turned and looked at the middle and sides at the end of the line, calling out the names of several people.
Of the ten people, three did not respond.
The squad leader's brows furrowed immediately. He gripped the long sword at his waist and said to the two assassins beside him, "Follow me!"
The three quickly turned back and walked to the back of the line.
They had only taken a few steps when the squad leader suddenly caught sight of a dark figure leaning against a large tree about five meters to the side.
He immediately drew his sword, and the two assassins also gripped their weapons tightly, slowly approaching in a triangular formation.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered it was a person dressed in the same black robes as them, leaning against a tree trunk with their eyes closed.
The squad leader stepped forward and reached out to pull off the mask from the man's face.
A familiar face appeared; it was the companion who hadn't responded earlier.
His heart sank, and he hurriedly reached his fingertips towards the man's neck.
The skin was still warm, but the pulse had stopped, and the person was no longer breathing.
Touching further down, his chest was alarmingly wet; his fingertips touched a sticky, warm substance. When he pulled his hand back, he saw that his hand was covered in dark red blood.
Beneath his robes, a clean wound pierced his heart, clearly indicating that he had just been stabbed through the heart and died.
Strangely, at such close range, none of them noticed anything amiss.
"Not good!" The squad leader jumped to his feet and shouted, "Watch out! They're nearby! Send the signal immediately—"
"Pfft!"
Before he could finish speaking, the other assassins watched helplessly as the squad leader standing by the tree was shot through the eye by an arrow.
Blood gushed from his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.
Before the squad leader could even scream, he fell straight back onto the snow, the bloody hole on his face particularly horrifying in the night.
Behind the shadows of the trees not far away, Li Yuanzhao slowly lowered the longbow in his hand, the bowstring still trembling slightly.
These bows and arrows were the very ones Shen Churong had seized from the assassin.
Her cold gaze swept over the panicked assassins, as if she were looking at a group of prey waiting to be slaughtered.
The remaining assassins instantly panicked and looked around in alarm, standing back to back on guard and glancing around.
One of the assassins reached for the signal tube at his waist, intending to light a firework to summon his companions.
The next moment, Li Yuanzhao drew two arrows from the quiver on his back, nocked them, and drew his bow in one fluid motion.
Just as the assassin was about to fire the signal, Li Yuanzhao released the bowstring.
With a "whoosh," the arrow pierced the man's upper body with pinpoint accuracy.
The man let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the ground instantly.
The others panicked completely, and their hands holding the knives began to tremble.
"Over there!"
One of the assassins finally reacted and roared in the direction where Li Yuanzhao was hiding.
The remaining assassins, like startled birds, immediately turned around, drew their bows and arrows, and counterattacked in the direction from which the arrows came.
The arrows whizzed into the woods, but didn't touch a single person, only a deathly silence.
Little did they know, two figures had been lying in wait behind everyone for a long time.
As they drew their arrows, two men burst forth from the shadows of the trees behind them.
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