Zama was stunned by her beautiful archery skills. It took him a long time to react. His face flushed and he shouted angrily: "You! Stop!"
"Sister," Zaru stopped Zama and said in a deep voice, "The banquet has begun. We will settle this account later."
There were bright lights in the distance, and the first feast of the spring hunting in the great summer had finally begun.
Before entering the big tent, Ah Jing quietly approached Yan Xun and whispered in his ear, "Someone is sneaking up on the camp. Should we take action?"
Yan Xun raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in a deep voice: "Who is it?"
Ah Jing replied: "I don't know, but it doesn't look like he is from the Muhe clan."
"I'll go take a look." Chu Qiao walked forward and said in a low voice.
Yan Xun nodded and said in a low voice, "Be careful, don't use force unless necessary. The dinner will be here soon, I'll wait for you."
"Don't worry, it might be Zaru's people coming to cause trouble. I'll be back soon." After saying that, she took Ajing and walked towards the camp.
"A Chu!" Zhao Song was stunned when he saw Chu Qiao leaving. He immediately shouted loudly and pretended to chase after her.
"Your Highness Thirteen," Yan Xun held Zhao Song's arm and said with a faint smile, "Achu has something to do and will be back soon. Let's go first."
Zhao Song was dragged away by Yan Xun unwillingly, and kept looking back as he walked.
The cold wind mixed with snow hit my face, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, and the torches and lights on both sides gradually became scarce. Under the dark sky, the moon was as cold as a knife, and the stars were sparse. The sky seemed high and far away, dark and deep, and from time to time a hawk would fly by, emitting a long cry.
In a blink of an eye, eight years have passed since she came to this unknown dynasty. Life has never given her the opportunity or right to feel sad or play around in the world. The terrible environment, endless killings, and brutal bloodbath have been forcing her to fight and flee constantly. There are too many unknown variables in front of her, too many uncontrollable traps and conspiracies hidden somewhere, and one desperate situation after another is urging her forward, making it impossible for her to stop. She is not a born killer, nor a born robber. She just wants to maintain the simple distinction between good and evil in her heart while surviving.
Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. The edge of destruction hangs upside down, but if it is picked up, it may become the blade of salvation that overturns the world.
"Gee!" Chu Qiao shouted loudly, spurred her horse to a gallop, and galloped across the empty snowy plain.
The sound of horse hooves came from afar, and a man in black was riding alone on the vast snowy plain. Chu Qiao and the others sighed and reined in their horses. Ah Jing frowned and said in a deep voice, "Girl, this person is not right. He is coming from the direction of our camp."
A Yan guard stepped forward and shouted at the newcomer, "Hey! Who are you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, before he had time to catch his breath, a sharp flying knife suddenly cut through the cold and silent night sky, as fast as lightning, with shocking force, and with the sharpness and murderous aura of thunder, whistling towards the Yan Wei who had spoken.
With a clang, the swords collided, and a streak of dazzling sparks burst out in the darkness. Ah Jing drew his sword and chopped off the flying knife, then he bent his bow and rushed forward, shouting, "Who is this? How vicious!"
The man seemed to have noticed the large number of people ahead, and cunningly turned around and rode westward. Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows when she saw this and shouted in a low voice: "Chase!" Everyone agreed and rode their horses at full speed, chasing after him.
The distant mountains are pitch black, the dense forests are as black as ink, and the vast snowfield looks like a ferocious white beast. Countless horse hooves trample on it, snowflakes fly and whistle.
Suddenly, there were shadowy figures ahead, and it seemed that a large number of people were coming. The war horses were silent and quiet, but their orderly steps revealed an indescribable chill and murderous aura. Chu Qiao was startled and immediately raised her hand and shouted, reining in her horse to stop. But before she could say anything, the man in black, who was chased by the Yan guards and had nowhere to go, immediately picked up his crossbow and shot at the opposing troops!
"Who is it?" A loud shout suddenly rang out. It was dark and the distance was far, so it was impossible to see who was coming from the opposite side for a moment. The opposing troops were ambushed, and for a moment, they actually thought that the Yan guards were accomplices of the black-clothed men in front. The sound of swords being drawn suddenly rang out, and swords and arrows were gushing out. The opponent's counterattack and reaction ability were surprisingly fast!
"Stop!" Ah Jing shouted, "We are not..."
Before he could finish his words, a sharp arrow suddenly shot out. Chu Qiao was quick and swift. She supported herself on the horse's back with one hand, jumped up, and kicked Ah Jing in the abdomen. The man felt pain and bent his body. There was a dull sound as the arrow penetrated the flesh. Although it avoided the heart, it still pierced his shoulder.
Chu Qiao's brows immediately furrowed. The other party was indiscriminate and killed people without even finding out the truth. It was really despicable. The girl, dressed in a snow-white fur coat, rode her horse forward, jumped down, and knelt on one knee. She held a huge crossbow in her hand. Her face was serious, and her eyes were staring coldly at the dark snowfield opposite her like a leopard. Her ears moved slightly, her brows were furrowed, and the cold wind blew through her hair in front of her forehead. The girl's eyes were as sharp as lightning.
A powerful arrow suddenly flew away from Chu Qiao's fully drawn bow, with lightning speed, intimidating and terrifying, leaving only a bright white edge, almost creating sparks in the air and shooting into the night.
Almost at the same time, in the darkness opposite, the sound of a vibrating bowstring was heard, and a sharp arrow flew off the string and suddenly headed towards Chu Qiao.
Two bolts of lightning whizzed along the same trajectory at an astonishing speed. With a crisp crackling sound, the two arrows collided in mid-air and broke at the same time, shattering on the vast snowfield.
In an instant, Chu Qiao used amazing skills to constantly change her position and body shape, changing the trajectory and force of the arrows, and shot seven arrows in a row. The other side also fought back one by one with the same mysterious means.
In the air, the only sounds that could be heard were the sound of arrows leaving the bowstring and the sound of arrows shattering upon impact. They were confronting each other in a tit-for-tat and were evenly matched!
The violent sound suddenly disappeared. Chu Qiao's eyes were sharp and slightly half-closed. Her fingers touched the last three arrows in the quiver, quietly waiting for the best opportunity.
A strong wind suddenly arose, and white snow flew everywhere. Everyone unconsciously covered their eyes to block the wind and sand. However, in the darkness, only two people suddenly stood up at the same time, running and exerting their strength, and three arrows were fired at the same time, bursting out in succession, one after another shooting forward, shooting out a breathtakingly bright and cold light under the night sky like a meteor chasing the moon.
Suddenly, there was a snapping sound, and the arrowheads of the four powerful arrows folded in half and turned into a ball of powder. A strong wind blew, and the last sharp arrow seemed to have eyes. Under the witness of the snow, the arrows coming from the east and west passed by each other, bringing up a streak of bright and dazzling sparks, and rushed towards the opponent's hiding place!
Chu Qiao suddenly became like a violent wild beast, her whole body filled with violent explosive power. She dropped her crossbow, supported herself on the ground with her right hand, jumped up from the ground, and stood up using the strength of her waist. However, with a swish, the arrow flew past her neck with fiery force, leaving a dark red blood mark.
"Girl!" Yan Wei was shocked and chased after her. Chu Qiao stood up, put her hand over her neck which was beginning to bleed, remained silent, and stared at the darkness opposite with cold eyes! She knew that the person opposite her had also dodged her fatal arrow, but was also slightly injured like her.
There was silence all around, the night was dark and snow was falling heavily, but through the darkness, she could still feel that cold gaze, with a chilling sharpness, shooting towards her from afar.
The sharp cry of a goshawk suddenly cut through the sky, and in the darkness between the two sides, a nimble shadow suddenly climbed up from the ground. The man in black, who had been lying on the ground stirring up trouble, suddenly ran away like a bullet, trying to escape from this place of trouble.
Almost at the same time, Chu Qiao and the archer on the opposite side each drew out the sword at their waist and threw it out like thunder. The running man trembled, his eyes widened, and he lowered his head unwillingly, but he could only see the two sword edges piercing through his chest. Then, with a bang, he fell heavily to the snow.
Time passed slowly without any sound from either side. A Yan guard took a few steps forward cautiously, and when he saw that the other party did not respond, he shouted loudly: "Friends on the other side, we are arresting thieves, it was just a misunderstanding."
There was silence from the other side, no response.
Yan Wei Zuotang rode forward on his horse, and soon the sound of horse hooves could be heard from the opposite side.
"Miss," Zuo Tang came back after a while, dismounted, handed Chu Qiao back her sword, and said in a deep voice, "Your sword."
The girl raised her eyebrows, "Who is the other party?"
"I don't know." Zuo Tang reported truthfully, "The guards were wearing black fur coats, a very common style, and they looked unfamiliar. I have never seen them before."
Chu Qiao said nothing, nodded, took the sword, but her brows immediately frowned.
This was a rare sword with an ancient style and a thin blade with faint red bloodstains. The edge was sharp and bright, and under the pale moonlight, it flashed brightly like flowing mercury. The hilt was surrounded by golden silk, and on it were cast two small characters in ancient seal script: Broken Moon.
Chu Qiao frowned, stroking the hilt with her fingers, and said in a deep voice: "This is not my sword." Zuo Tang was startled and said quickly, "I will go find them to exchange it back."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves whistling came from the opposite side, and the snow and fog rolled up and disappeared in an instant.
"You can't catch up." The girl said slowly, and with a swish, she sheathed the sword with her backhand. Unexpectedly, the sword and her scabbard fit perfectly.
"Take that man's body back. Ajing goes back to the camp to heal his wounds, and the rest of you follow me to the Imperial Tent Square." The woman spoke in a sonorous voice, turned her horse's head, and rode away with everyone.
Coming to the square in front of the imperial tent was like entering another world, filled with the aroma of meat and laughter. Chu Qiao took off her weapon, handed it to the guard, and walked into the tent under the guidance of a member of the imperial guards. The imperial tent covered an extremely large area, with thirty-six seats spread out vertically, winding and arranged on both sides of the tent.
When Chu Qiao came in, most people had already arrived. As the emperor had not yet arrived, the tent was bustling with people gathering everywhere, making it very lively.
Chu Qiao was only a close follower, so she naturally couldn't just walk around randomly. She glanced around and headed straight for a quiet place with few people. Sure enough, Yan Xun was seen wearing a moon-white robe, with handsome features and a calm face, sitting there quietly drinking tea. Zhao Song stood aside, scratching his ears and cheeks, looking restless and irritable.
"Prince."
Chu Qiao walked over and before she could continue speaking, she heard Zhao Song yelling in surprise, "Ah! Ah Chu, what's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"