"Wow, my lord has ordered me to take Qi Guze's head for you!" After saying that, he spurred his horse and charged off.
Qi Guze immediately turned his horse around and, as expected, ignored him, letting the horse ride slowly forward. At this moment, his forehead was covered with sweat. He desperately took deep breaths to calm himself down, telling himself that he only had one chance to live and he had to seize it.
A gleaming silver needle had appeared in his hand at some point, its tip shimmering with dark light, indicating that it had been coated with a potent poison.
Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, he calculated the time and flicked the silver needle backward.
The view of Maimaiti and the others was completely blocked by this person. From their perspective, they could not see the silver needles at all, nor could they see what Qi Guze was doing.
The man who was charging toward Qi Guze suddenly froze and fell straight off his horse.
But Qi Guze, just as he had said before, did not turn back at all.
The people on Maimaiti's side were so frightened that their legs were trembling and they stammered, "Sir, he... he wouldn't happen to know magic, would he?"
"What the hell?" Maimaiti cursed aloud, but inwardly he was also wondering, could it really be that eerie?
Qi Guze pulled on the reins, turned around and shouted at Maimaiti, "Send more people over, what are you afraid of? If you don't come, I'm leaving."
After saying that, he actually squeezed the horse's belly with his legs and leisurely headed east.
"Sir, what should we do? Chase after them?" Maimaiti's subordinate swallowed hard and asked.
Maimaiti rolled his eyes and replied, "Spread out and approach him from a distance. Don't approach him directly from behind. Wait until we surround him before we attack together. With so many of us, even if he has magic, he won't be able to react in time."
After he finished speaking, his men began to move, gradually forming a semicircle and cautiously approaching Qi Guze.
Qi Guze turned around and sneered, "I was wondering why so many of you were being so cautious. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was the one chasing you down."
Maimaiti looked embarrassed, but it was better than losing his life. He thought to himself that once he caught you, he would tear you to pieces to vent his anger.
After Qi Guze finished speaking, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally turning what seemed like a sure-kill situation into one that was in his favor.
If I can keep them occupied for a little longer, I'll be close to the woods ahead. Their reluctance to get too close is my advantage. When I rush into the woods, they'll still be some distance away. This time difference is my only chance.
Qi Guze gritted his teeth; the pain from the wound on his back was so intense that he could barely think.
After walking a little further, the encirclement behind them had already been formed, and Qi Guze knew that he could not delay any longer.
He pulled on the reins, stopped, and turned the horse towards Maimaiti and his group.
Seeing that he had stopped, Maimaiti and his group all turned to look at him.
"I didn't expect you to be so adaptable, but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," Qi Guze said with a cold smile.
"Sir, is he crazy or stupid?" Maimaiti's subordinate asked.
Maimaiti whispered a warning to be quiet, sensing that something was amiss.
Sure enough, Qi Guze then did something that left him speechless—he ran away.
"Sir, should we give chase?" The subordinate was still standing there in a daze.
Maimaiti jumped up and down angrily, shouting, "Hurry up and chase after him! We've been tricked! He ran into the woods and now we're at a disadvantage!"
"Yes." Maimaiti's men then seemed to wake from a dream, and one by one they shouted and rushed into the woods from all directions.
Maimaiti watched from outside for a while, and seeing that Qi Guze did not run out again, he guessed that he was determined to walk deeper into the woods.
After thinking it over, he spurred his horse and quickly chased after them.
This grove is rarely visited by people, and the plants grow wildly, blocking out the sunlight, so the visibility is not very high, and there are small flying insects everywhere.
While waving his arms to shoo away the small flying insects, Maimaiti hurriedly chased after them.
Before long, he noticed that the woods ahead were thinning out. It turned out that the woods only looked long horizontally, but were actually quite short. He couldn't help but spur his horse and galloped off quickly.
But as soon as he stepped outside, the blinding sunlight made it impossible for him to open his eyes. Then he felt himself being dragged off the horse and heard a mournful neighing sound.
Maimaiti thought Qi Guze was lying in ambush here, and said while rubbing his eyes, "Qi Guze, you actually launched a sneak attack when I wasn't paying attention. What kind of hero are you?"
The person behind him spoke up: "My lord, I am not Qi Guze."
Maimaiti then recognized the voices of his subordinates. Once he could open his eyes, he immediately looked around and asked, "Where's Qi Guze? And why are there only three of you left?"
"My lord, take a look at where we are. If I hadn't dragged you off your horse, you would be reunited with our brothers who just died."
Maimaiti's attention had been focused on Qi Guze, but after hearing his subordinate's reply, he took another look around. What he saw made him gasp in shock.
It turned out that this place was a cliff. After their brothers rushed out of the woods, they plunged straight down the cliff in front of them, and their fate was unknown.
"Did Qi Guze fall down too?" Maimaiti asked, his brows furrowed.
"I don't know, but it's the only possibility right now," the subordinate replied.
"Could someone die if they fell off this cliff?"
"Sir, I just threw a huge rock down, and after counting about thirty times, I didn't hear the sound of the rock hitting the ground."
Maimaiti originally wanted to say he wanted to see the person alive or dead, but when he heard that the thirty slaps hadn't even landed yet, he backed down.
At such a height, even with some kind of magical protection, one would probably be smashed into a pile of mud.
Qi Guze is probably finished now. Maimaiti clapped his hands and said, "In that case, the biggest threat has been eliminated, and we can return to Mingyue Kingdom in peace."
After saying this, he led his remaining three men back the way they came. They had come in high spirits, but when they returned, only three of them remained. However, he was glad that Qi Guze had been eliminated, so their sacrifice was worthwhile, Maimaiti comforted himself.
Before leaving, they spread the false information: Regent Qi Guze disregarded the peace agreement and attempted to harm Maimaiti. After being exposed, he jumped off a cliff to avoid punishment, and his fate is unknown.
The news quickly reached Chang'an, causing an uproar in the court. The emperor slammed his teacup on the ground and cursed, "Utter nonsense!"
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