Yan Xun's eyes were as sharp as torches, staring at her intently.
Chu Qiao got off the horse neatly, without any inconvenience due to her small stature. After getting off the horse, she looked up at him and said, "Yan Xun, I'm leaving now. Although you and I are of different statuses, you have helped me several times. I will remember this friendship in my heart. If I have the chance one day, I will definitely repay you."
Yan Xun smiled faintly and said nothing.
Chu Qiao noticed that he looked strange, and although she was a little suspicious, she didn't think too much about it. Time was running out, and she could no longer afford to be fussy here. Things were a little out of control, not only did Zhuge Yue suddenly appear, but he also alarmed the soldiers of the Wei clan and the Cavalry Battalion, making the situation a little outrageous. However, in such a huge city, she was sure to hide safely.
The child squatted down, tightened his clothes, took one last look at Yan Xun, then turned around and quickly ran towards the empty street.
The sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded behind her. Before she could look back, Chu Qiao's small body was picked up by someone. Yan Xun's loud laughter sounded warmly behind him, "I don't believe that I can't protect a little girl like you. Come on, let's go back to Yanbei overnight. I want to see what the generals of the Wei clan and the Cavalry Battalion can do!" After saying that, he whipped his horse hard and galloped towards the city gate!
"Prince!" Feng Mian and Yan Shiqi were shocked and shouted out in unison.
"Seventeen, go back and reorganize the troops and follow me out of the city."
The sky was filled with snow and the north wind was howling. More than a hundred riders and horses were galloping on the long street, waking up the sweet dreams of most of the people in Zhenhuang City. However, no one cared about what happened that night. They just carefully closed the doors and windows for fear that others would be affected.
Yan Xun reined in his warhorse and raised his hand to stop the actions of the Yan guards behind him. The young prince raised his chin slightly and looked coldly at the densely packed officers and soldiers opposite him. Yan Shiqi rode forward and shouted, "We are the people of His Royal Highness Prince Yan Xun. Who are we facing and why are we blocking our way?"
"I am the Major General of the North Court of the Cavalry Battalion, and I have been ordered to block the road here."
A deep voice sounded from the other side. Yan Xun frowned and said loudly, "This prince has received the imperial decree from Shengjin Palace. Who dares to block my way?"
"That's really unfortunate," a slightly feminine voice sounded slowly. The voice was not loud, but in such a quiet night, for some reason, it was so harsh and carried a chilling chill.
A young man in a dark green brocade robe slowly walked out from behind the crowd, smiled gently, and said slowly: "Prince Yan, what a coincidence, I also received the imperial decree from Shengjin Palace. Tonight, no one is allowed to leave the city. Those who violate it..." The young man deliberately paused, his eyes turned around Yan Xun, then smiled faintly and uttered three words, "Kill without mercy."
"Wei Jing?" Yan Xun raised his eyebrows, and Chu Qiao, who was one horse length behind him, also took a step forward. Yan Xun's hand holding the whip moved across inconspicuously, blocking her way and protecting her behind him. Chu Qiao, who was wearing the uniform of Yanwei, felt warm in her heart. She raised her head and looked at Yan Xun's tall back. A warm feeling slowly came over her, which seemed even more precious in such a cold night.
"Besides, if I remember correctly, the prince was ordered to leave the city tomorrow morning."
Yan Xun chuckled and raised his eyebrows, saying, "This prince misses his mother, so I will leave the city tonight."
"It's a good thing to emphasize filial piety, but there's no need to rush it right now, my Lord."
"I'm sorry to make you laugh, Second Young Master Wei. Yan Xun is young and willful. He has to do what he decides right away, otherwise he won't be able to sleep well."
"Really?" Wei Jing said in a feminine tone, smiling softly, "If that's the case, Prince Yan may suffer from insomnia tonight."
"Second Young Master Wei is too bold!" The little servant Feng Mian stepped forward and shouted, "Not to mention now, even in normal times, our prince can go out of the city to hunt at any time. Who dares to stop him? Second Young Master Wei is here to block him. Who is he relying on?"
"We rely on the power of Shengjin Palace!" A deep voice suddenly sounded behind him. Yan Xun and others turned around and saw two teams of people coming towards them. Wei Shuye was dressed in a green fur coat, and Zhuge Huai followed beside him. There was no longer the usual friendly smile on their faces. They were like solid ice, not showing any expression.
"According to the Imperial decree, Yan Shicheng, the King of Yanbei, has colluded with the enemy and committed treason and is plotting a rebellion. I have ordered Major General Wei Shuye to arrest Yan Xun, the legitimate son of the King of Yanbei, and hand him over to the Court of Justice for custody."
As soon as the words fell, silver lights suddenly lit up, and countless swords were unsheathed in an instant. The Yan guards were horrified and rushed forward to protect Yan Xun.
“Hey!” Chu Qiao pulled out the crossbow from her waist, moved forward, and stood beside Yan Xun on his right side. “It looks like it’s coming for you.”
Yan Xun's expression of shock and anger gradually faded away. He stared at the front closely and said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry for getting you into trouble."
"It doesn't matter." Chu Qiao smiled softly, "Tit for tat, after this battle, we'll be even."
The night was dark, and a fierce long wind blew across the entire main street, blowing murderously from the direction of Jiuyoutai, picking up the fluttering corners of the young men's clothes, and making them flap their wings as if ready to fly, like moths that would fly into the fire without hesitation and die. In the cloudy sky, a giant black bird flew overhead, flapping its wings, flying through the cotton-like snow, emitting a long, mournful cry. The warhorse's breath condensed into frost in an instant. On the main street of Jiuwai, the long sword flashed a cold and bright light, like a broken moon and a star, reflecting the blood-red light of the torch, like the eyes of an ancient ferocious beast.
The Yanbei Iron Guards fell one after another in the midst of the arrows flying all over the sky. Yan Shiqi's shoulder was stained with blood. He struggled to split a stray arrow and turned back to shout, "Protect the young master to break through!"
Several iron guards responded loudly, dancing their swords like a full moon, protecting Yan Xun in the middle.
With a loud bang, a small catapult was moved to the front of the formation, and huge stones came whizzing towards it. With just one blow, the protective circle formed by the Yan guards was broken. The Yanbei warriors spurted blood, their bodies were knocked away like willow catkins, and they fell to the ground, raising a large cloud of snow and mist.
"Where are you going?" Yan Xun grabbed Chu Qiao who was about to rush out of the crowd. She was holding only a crossbow, had a thin body, and did not seem to have any attack power at all. The young man nervously held her to his side and shouted angrily, "Do you want to die?"
“Let me go!” Chu Qiao struggled, her eyes anxiously scanning the crowd opposite, trying hard to break free from Yan Xun’s grasp.
Yan Xun chopped off a sharp arrow with his sword, raised his sword-like brows, and said angrily: "You are going to die! I won't let you go."
"There's still a glimmer of hope if we rush out now," Chu Qiao turned around and said sternly, "Should I stay here and wait for death with you?"
Yan Xun was stunned, his eyes looked a little gloomy in the firelight, his voice was low, and even had a hint of childish anger, "Don't worry, even if I die here today, I will never implicate you."
Chu Qiao knew that he had misunderstood, but she didn't want to explain. She just turned her head and snorted.
"Seventeen," Yan Xun said, "In a little while, while there is chaos, you will take people to escort this child out. Remember to send her to a safe place. Got it?"
"Young Master!" Yan Shiqi frowned and retorted, "My mission is to protect you!"
"Your mission is to obey my orders!"
Chu Qiao frowned and looked at the few people. Seeing that Yan Xun was not paying attention, she dragged him away and escaped from his hands. She was thin and small, but she was very agile on the horse and rushed out of the encirclement in a flash.
"You!" Yan Xun was shocked and shouted loudly. All eyes of both the enemy and us were instantly focused on this little child.
Chu Qiao's horsemanship is superb, like a tiger out of a cage. When she passed by two Yan guards, her skills were superb and she snatched two sharp swords. He moved his body left and right, holding a small crossbow, and shot from many directions on the side and below the horse.
There was not enough light in the dark night, and those flying arrows did not hurt her at all for a moment.
"Quick! Cover her!" Yan Xun shot an arrow, which pierced through the head of a crossbowman with a whoosh. He had superb archery skills and superb martial arts, and he was close to the enemy in a flash.
Although Chu Qiao was not very strong, the angle of her attack was extremely tricky, and her eyes were sharp and her hands were quick. Although anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she had not learned any martial arts, she was bold and careful, and in a moment she managed to rush into the crowd. Chu Qiao swung her knife to knock down two men, then threw the flying knife. She was the first to arrive and stabbed the sharp weapon into the throat of a Wei soldier before the other side launched an attack.
Seeing that a little kid could be so fierce, the Yan guards were greatly encouraged. Yan Shiqi saw that there was a chance, so he shouted, "Follow me!"
"A trapped beast is fighting without knowing whether to live or die!" Wei Jing snorted coldly, raised his crossbow, quickly bent the bow and put an arrow on it. The silver arrow shot out like a meteor in an instant.
The sound of wind broke through the air, and by the time Chu Qiao noticed it, it was too late. She turned her head and the sharp arrow dangled in her eyes. In just a moment, she was hit in the face, her body tilted, and she fell off the horse!
"Girl!" Yan Xun exclaimed, turning to look at Wei Jing with a glare that seemed to burn him.
Wei Jing smiled coldly and said loudly: "Prince Yan disobeyed the order, all officers obey orders, just capture him, regardless of life or death!"
The Wei army shouted loudly and rushed forward together with the soldiers of the Cavalry Battalion, immediately turning the arrow formation into close combat. Yan Xun kicked a burly man away, and with the three-foot-long sword waving, he immediately killed two enemies who had rushed over.
"Yan Xun, do you want to rebel?" Zhuge Huai did not join the battle, but led the soldiers of the Zhuge family to stand outside the battle circle and watch the battle. Seeing this, he shouted loudly.
"If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. Yan Xun has never thought of rebelling. The Wei clan relied on the Council of Elders to frame loyal officials, but the men of Yanbei are not pigs that can be slaughtered at will!"
"Arrogant fellow!" Wei Jing snorted coldly, rode forward, waved his hand and said, "If that's the case, don't blame me for disregarding our friendship as classmates."
He was about to order a full-scale attack when a sharp sound suddenly rang in his ears. Wei Jing was stunned and turned his head, just in time to see the body of the Major General of the North Yard of the Cavalry Battalion falling off his horse. The man's eyes were wide open, his forehead was pierced by an arrow, and his mouth was still open in disbelief, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
He and the Major General of the Cavalry Battalion were standing on the outskirts of the shooting range, and the arrows could not reach them at all. So where did this arrow come from?
An intense sense of crisis suddenly came over Wei Jing, and he turned his horse's head abruptly, ready to gallop backwards. But at this moment, the warhorse suddenly let out a whine, and its two front legs were hit hard, causing it to kneel on the ground with a bang. Wei Jing couldn't help but fall off the horse. Before he could get up, a sharp and cold dagger was pressed tightly against his neck. Chu Qiao's voice sounded coldly in his ears, with a hint of sarcasm and teasing, "Master Wei, is this exciting?"