Gu Chi and Liao Jia made the arrangements.
Now all that's left is for the two players on the field to determine the winner.
Setting aside the occasion, the one-on-one duel between Shen Tang and Gong Xi Chou was truly spectacular, a veritable feast for the eyes and ears—from the exquisite use of incantations and the skillful counter-attacks to the dazzling display of hundreds of weapons. The latter was particularly remarkable; ordinary martial artists have limited energy, and mastering one or two weapons in their lifetime is considered quite good, but these two seemed to be masters of time management, wielding any weapon with effortless grace, as if controlling their very souls was second nature to them.
clang!
Shen Tang held his usual Mother's Sword in his right hand and a uniquely shaped weapon in his left. This weapon, called Hook Inlay, was a composite defensive weapon that combined a hook and a shield, and could effectively counter long weapons with "side branches" such as halberds.
Gong Xi Chou's double-crescent-shaped halberd not only met the requirements, but it was also a plus-sized version. With a flick of her wrist, she locked the halberd in place with her shield, and laughed, "Be careful—"
The hook is small in size, but the weight of the sinking crabapple is enormous.
Even Gong Xi Chou couldn't pull his hooked halberd away immediately. Instead, Shen Tang took advantage of the moment when the halberd was restricted to swing her sword and get close, almost touching Gong Xi Chou's face as she unleashed a blade several dozen feet long: "Don't disfigure him."
Shen Tang finished speaking the second half of his sentence.
boom!
Her voice rang out with an explosion. The sword blade collided with the qi gathered around Gong Xi Chou, failing to break through his defenses but causing him to tremble violently. The immense force forced Gong Xi Chou to retreat, his boots leaving two extremely long marks on the ground.
Even so, there was no sign of Gong Xichou rolling around on the ground in a disheveled state. He simply slid to his feet with a flourish, and before he could even regain his footing, he sprang back into action. His weapon had transformed from a halberd into a long-handled mace, and his target was once again his confidant's face. The force of the clash of weapons raged wildly across the battlefield, making Gu Chi and the others' eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
Liao Jia wiped his sweat: "Does my lord still remember..."
They spent a lot of effort digging the tunnel.
"Won't the tunnel have been destroyed by the lord and his men?"
"No," Jiang Sheng replied in a low voice. The tunnel wasn't dug directly from two points, nor was it beneath the battlefield. If they were digging beneath the battlefield, even if the work was at a great depth, Qiu Cheng's men would likely discover it. However, looking at the commotion the two warriors had made in the arena, he added uncertainly, "It shouldn't be... possible."
Completely lacking confidence!
Liao Jia: "..."
Infiltrating deep into the city through tunnels to launch a pincer attack is the most crucial part of this siege. If the tunnels are breached by our lord's generalship, it would be a truly disastrous outcome. Worried, but with the die cast, there's no time to worry.
As it turned out, their worries were unnecessary.
Although Shen Tang was focused on fighting, she tried her best to avoid affecting the direction of the tunnel with the noise of the battle. Gong Xi Chou was unaware of her purpose and was unintentionally led by her. The two fought on foot and then back on horseback. To be precise, Gong Xi Chou mounted his horse and Shen Tang mounted her mule.
Although the motorcycle was a mule, its size and specifications were those of a standard warhorse, and its armor consisted of three layers of heavy armor, with only its eyes visible. Its temperament lived up to the name Shen Tang had given it: fast, fierce in battle, and imposing.
Faced with the provocative charge of Gong Xi Chou's warhorse, it retaliated in kind, its hooves striking decisively, seizing every opportunity to trample and butt. The combined weight of the three layers of heavy armor and the rider on horseback was rapidly draining their stamina, specifically their martial energy. Unbeknownst to them, the Martial Courage Totem and the thousand-plus Qi Giants had already been retrieved…
Xun Ding said, "The battle will soon be decided."
Xun Zhen didn't see it, after all, he was a scholar with a literary mind, he only felt that Shen Tang and the other two still had a lot of energy left: "How so?"
Xun Ding: "Gongxi Chou, that bastard, like his temperament, likes to fight big and unrestrained. Relying on his abundant resources, he uses his martial energy recklessly without any restraint. Even he has started to be more calculating, which shows that it has truly come to a decisive battle..."
At times like these, martial energy becomes especially precious.
Perhaps a little more can determine the outcome of a duel.
Gu Chi and Liao Jia exchanged a glance, then looked at Lü Jue. Lü Jue understood, clasped his hands in greeting, and stepped forward, hiding among the vanguard to conceal his figure. Shen Tang's army had no shortage of skilled archers, but unfortunately, while they possessed the skill, they lacked the martial spirit and courage. Their arrows might not even be enough to kill the exhausted Gong Xi Chou.
To be on the safe side, they let Lü Jue take action.
Lu Jue was skilled in archery, and his martial prowess was also quite high.
Bai Su, however, was not too happy about it.
"Strategist, why not let me come?"
In terms of archery skills, she was slightly better than Lü Jue.
Linshan County sent Lü Jue into battle, but Bai Su didn't get the chance, and she was still burning with anger—the anger of not being able to gain military merit.
Afterwards, Qiu Cheng regrouped his troops and returned to defend Xiaocheng. The army easily attacked other counties and towns. Bai Su felt that she had not performed to her full potential, and her anxiety grew. However, she was usually expressionless, so it was not easy to tell. This did not include Gu Chi.
Gu Chi: "Gong Xichou's identity is still a sensitive issue."
Bai Su was taken aback upon hearing this.
She was a meticulous person, and her strength wasn't just in martial arts; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to become the leader among the female warriors under Shen Tang's command. The deeper meaning behind Gu Chi's words stirred complex emotions within her. Gu Chi lowered his eyes, his voice drowned out by the drumbeats and soldiers' shouts, but Bai Su heard him clearly.
"Given her status, our lord needs the support of more female scholars and warriors; otherwise, she will be powerless. Compared to Lü Shousheng, you are naturally more important."
Bai Su pursed her lips and remained silent.
Gu Chi continued, "There is a fundamental difference between the lord's killing of Gongxi Chou and Gongxi Chou actually dying. If he really died, especially from an arrow shot by his own people, the lord will inevitably have a thorn in his side."
"So, this person isn't really suitable for you." If there were more female martial artists, and they weren't so rare, Gu Chi would choose Bai Su, because her archery skills were better, and her chances of success were higher.
Bai Su's gaze fell in the direction of Lü Jue.
Does Lü Jue know this?
Will you feel resentful after finding out?
Gu Chi's voice came from beside her, a laugh devoid of any emotion: "The person he wants to kill is Gong Xichou, a young man who has risen to the rank of Fifteenth Grade Junior Master. Let alone a thorn, even if it were a rafter, this arrow would be worth it!"
The battle is drawing to a close.
Both Shen and Tang were drenched in sweat and covered in mud, panting heavily, their chests heaving. Gong Xichou couldn't even maintain his protective aura; his armor was tattered. The only thing that remained unchanged was the burning gaze he gave Shen Tang's head.
Shen Tang also craved his body.
This is the moment—
Two recurve bows, enhanced by martial energy, were secretly drawn back. As the bowstrings drew closer to the full moon, two arrows of different colors materialized from the air at their fingertips. Releasing their grip, two streaks of light shot out simultaneously from the city walls above and below, silently cutting across the sky and hurtling towards Shen Tang and Gong Xi Chou, whose martial energy was nearly exhausted.
In this state, even combat instincts will plummet.
A sneak attack, amplified by the proverb "A visible spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to defend against," is even more difficult to detect. There's no way to dodge it, no way to avoid it!
Gu Chi smiled and raised a finger to his lips.
"graft!"
Knowing the enemy was about to launch a sneak attack on their lord, Gu Chi naturally wouldn't gamble on the chances of his lord dodging the arrow himself. Using [Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees] to teleport him to safety was the right thing to do. As for Gong Xi Chou, let him perish here!
Gu Chi could almost picture Gong Xichou's blood spilling on the spot, and he also foresaw the disbelief and questioning look in his lord's eyes. However, none of that mattered. If his lord wanted to settle scores for this later, he was willing to bear all the consequences!
The appearance of the two stray arrows was unexpected by everyone, and the battlefield fell silent for a moment, as if someone had pressed a mute button. But to the people involved, what happened in that instant seemed to slow down countless times, each frame clearly visible.
Gu Chi's face turned deathly pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
Qiu Cheng broke through his defenses and started cursing.
because--
The former's [Transplant] was forcefully rejected by the target. The moment Shen Tang saw that the cold arrow was aimed at Gong Xi Chou, without thinking, she threw her Mother's Sword, which flew past Gong Xi Chou's cheek and deflected the cold arrow.
The latter was due to Gong Xichou rushing towards Shen Tang and catching a stray arrow aimed at Shen Tang's blind spot with his bare hands, resulting in him being the first to roll on the ground in the match. Qiu Cheng's furious voice echoed from the city: "Gong Xichou, I'll curse your ancestors!"
_(:з」∠)_
Tang Mei and Gong Xi Chou: "Stealing heads is intolerable!"
PS: If you look closely, the outcome of this battle is already decided, albeit by a very narrow margin. Tang Mei still has the Compassionate Mother Sword to throw, while Gong Xi Chou is even lacking the martial energy needed to maintain his weapon, so he can only catch it with his bare hands.
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