The bowstring sounded, and several arrows flew towards Haidu Aling who was wearing a gauze skirt. The arrow tips flashed with cold light and flew past his hair.
His figure flashed, he swung his sword to block with one hand, and held Wei Chi Damo with the other hand, dodging left and right in the narrow space, using the screen, couch, and long table as a cover, trying to break out of the encirclement.
More and more personal soldiers surrounded him, and arrows rained down.
There was no fear in his eyes. He leaped into the air and rushed towards the rain of arrows. An arrow whistled past his cheek, splashing blood. His tall figure suddenly froze in mid-air and fell to the ground. When he raised his head again, half of his cheek was covered in blood.
Seeing him injured, the guard commander roared even more excitedly: "Shoot! Kill the assassin and the hundred gold coins will be yours!"
Haidu Aling's face was gloomy, his eyes were red, and his light yellow pupils were filled with cold murderous intent. He rolled on the ground, avoiding the rain of arrows, and rolled towards the pillar beside him. He still held Wei Chi Damo tightly in his hand, and tore open the collar of his clothes with his right hand. The tattered dress shattered instantly, revealing the tight short-sleeved shirt underneath.
At Lady Ina's command, the roar of "a hundred gold coins" spread throughout the palace, and all the palace guards rushed to the hall. The sound of their footsteps merged into a tide, and the entire palace was shaking.
The hall that originally encouraged noise and bustle became a mess.
Yao Ying stood on a high place, his robe fluttering in the wind, and stared at the fight in the hall without blinking.
Amid the flashing of swords and shadows, Haidu Aling struggled hard, like a furious beast being hunted.
Figures swayed in the corridor. Lady Ina, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walked up the stone steps surrounded by her personal guards. She looked at Haidu Aling who was surrounded by people and sneered: "Haidu Aling, do you think I can't recognize you just because you are dressed as a woman? You are also a dignified prince of Beirong, but you pretended to be a woman, like a rat in the gutter, to instigate me and my husband, and attempt rebellion. Are you worthy of wearing armor and commanding 10,000 iron cavalry?"
Haidu Aling said nothing.
Madam Ina raised her voice: "I know it's you! You are a bastard raised by animals! My uncle took pity on you and gave you a chance to live, but you are so ungrateful and you dared to kill Jinbo! You are not worthy of being a member of the wolf tribe! Today I will deal with you, the bastard, for my uncle! I will use your skull to make wine for Jinbo!"
Haidu Aling was in tattered clothes, looked like a wolf, and half of his face was covered in blood. He looked at Lady Yina through the dense crowd of personal soldiers, the forest of swords, and the dense rain of arrows, and laughed: "Yina, several of your brothers were defeated by me, and you want to kill me?"
Madam Ina had a cold expression on her face. She snorted coldly, looked disdainful, and said loudly: "Jin Bo was blessed by the Wolf God and survived the disaster. He has returned to the Ya Court to report to his uncle that you sent someone to assassinate him! The Khan will definitely issue a hunt for you! Haidu Aling, even if you are the best warrior in Beirong, how can you resist the pursuit of hundreds of warriors by yourself? From today on, there is no place for you in the Northern Desert and Western Regions. You can't escape even if you have wings!"
"If you know what's going on, you might as well surrender. I can let you die quickly."
After she finished speaking, she didn't even look at the held Wei Chi Damo, and pointed her finger in the direction of Haidu Aling.
The bodyguards armed with knives, guns and sticks advanced inward layer by layer, narrowing the encirclement and blocking all of Haidu Aling's escape routes, waiting to catch the turtle in the jar.
In the desperate situation, Haidu Aling had a solemn expression and remained silent, as if he knew that he was surrounded and had no way to escape. He had given up hope and planned to fight to the death.
A smug smile appeared on Mrs. Ina's lips.
She is best friends with Jinbo and his brothers. She has never been used to seeing Haidu Aling, who grew up in a wolf pack, stealing the limelight from his cousins. The royal family of Beirong are all descendants of the divine wolf and are of noble birth. How can Haidu Aling, a bastard without a father or a mother and a foreigner, be worthy of being the prince of Beirong?
The guards slowly approached the hall, and the ones walking in the front had their eyes shining with excitement, but no one dared to be the first to attack. Haidu Aling was the bravest warrior of Beirong and had a great reputation, so they did not dare to act rashly.
The outermost shooter continued to draw his bow, and the arrow flew towards Haidu Aling. He flashed and hid behind the column.
Lady Ina stood behind the crowd and saw the guards hesitated, so she shouted, "Whoever cuts off his head will be the head of a thousand households and will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins!"
The guards were encouraged and shouted.
The three bodyguards raised their long swords, made up their minds, and rushed towards Haidu Aling shouting.
Haidu A Ling's pale yellow eyes suddenly widened, and he looked around coldly, his anger sinking into his dantian, and he roared: "You're looking for death!"
This roar was accompanied by inner strength, like the roar of the king of beasts, overwhelming and majestic. The tiles in the hall shook and dust fell.
The soldiers who were besieging him felt that the roar was like an explosion in their ears. They felt dizzy, their hearts were beating like drums, and their internal organs felt like being stabbed by a knife. They could not stand and were about to collapse.
There was a loud clatter of long swords hitting the ground, and several personal soldiers closest to Haidu Aling covered their ears and screamed, shaking all over, with bright red blood oozing from their lips.
The other guards retreated in fear, thinking of Haidu Aling's heroic performance in the battlefield, fighting against a hundred enemies alone. It was like a basin of snow water pouring down on them. The desire to survive temporarily suppressed the wild impulse to make meritorious deeds.
Madam Ina took a few steps back, her face livid.
On the top of the wall, after Haidu Aling roared, Yao Ying, who was hiding in the dark, also heard thunder in her ears and her heart began to beat wildly.
She calmed herself down and gently grasped the sleeve of her robe.
Yang Qian stood beside her, looking into the hall, his brows furrowed, his right hand tightly grasping the long sword, and said: "Haidu A Ling deserves the title of the first warrior."
Yao Ying said nothing.
In the hall, Haidu Aling roared and repelled several guards, and rushed out of the encirclement with Wei Chi Damo in one hand. He moved quickly and swiftly, like a steel knife, directly tearing through the guards' blockade. With a few swishing sounds, arrows flew towards him, and he waved his hand, and the wind from his palm surged, and the arrows fell to the ground a few inches away from him.
Madam Ina kept screaming and giving orders, and the guards gritted their teeth and continued to charge forward. Dozens or even hundreds of people rushed forward, and even without weapons, they were able to crush the enemy.
Haidu Aling faced four or five personal soldiers at the same time. He remained calm in the face of danger and defended tightly, as if he had three heads and six arms. He could advance and retreat freely and defend himself. Wherever his long sword chopped, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the personal guards fell to the ground one after another.
The hall was packed with people, figures were entangled, and the firelight was flickering. People outside could no longer see what was going on inside. The bodyguards were huddled together and had difficulty turning around. The strangulation was still going on and the screams were incessant.
The soldiers fell one after another, and Haidu Aling was covered in blood like a wild beast.
When someone met his gaze, they were so frightened that they stepped back.
The corners of his lips curled up, he spotted an opening, picked up Wei Chi Damo, quickly rushed out of the encirclement, jumped onto the roof, and his tall figure disappeared into the vast night.
Madam Ina roared furiously: "Hurry up and chase him! Kill him without mercy! We can't let him leave Gaochang alive!"
The guards shouted in response, gripped their swords tightly, and chased after him.
In the hall, corpses were lying and blood was all over the floor.
The torch that fell to the ground ignited the brocade tent. The flames rose up and engulfed half of the hall in a blink of an eye. The fire was burning fiercely, and shouts echoed one after another in the palace.
In the distance, Yang Qian stared for a long time at the direction where Haidu Aling fled, his heart trembling, and the hand holding the sword hilt was as cold as snow.
When he was young, he practiced martial arts, was quite conceited, had a dissolute temperament, and loved to compete with others. Just now, he was eager to try, and wanted to jump down to compete with Haidu Aling. At this moment, he suddenly understood why the elders always laughed at him for being reckless and naive. There are always people better than you, and there are always mountains better than you. Haidu Aling is a top-notch master. His fancy clothes are useful for bluffing, but in fact they are just fancy punches and kicks. If he really rushed up, he would definitely not be able to withstand the opponent's killing moves.
Yang Qian retracted his gaze and turned to look at Yao Ying: "Princess, you are right. Madam Yina really can't kill Haidu Aling."
Yao Ying said softly, "Since Haidu A Ling dared to enter the palace alone, he was sure to escape unscathed. He is rough but meticulous. Although he acts in a rough manner, he actually has a plan in mind."
Yang Qian said unwillingly: "It's a pity that he escaped."
Yaoying looked calm.
She couldn't kill Haidu Aling, Xie Qing was seriously injured and hadn't recovered yet, and other people were no match for Haidu Aling, but that didn't mean she couldn't do anything. After recognizing Haidu Aling, she immediately ordered Xie Chong and others to deliver Jin Bo's letter of help to Lady Ina, and told Lady Ina that Haidu Aling wanted to instigate Wei Chi Damo to kill her.
As expected, Lady Ina fell into the trap and set an ambush, hoping to strike first.
Although the ambush failed and Haidu Aling's identity was exposed, what would Wakhan Khan, Jinbo and other princes do to him when he fled back to Beirong? His troubles came one after another, and in the following days, people who chased him were as numerous as crucian carp crossing the river.
Even if he could turn danger into safety this time, the internal contradictions of the Northern Rong were accumulating, and the conflict would erupt sooner or later. He was too young now to suppress the Northern Rong nobles. Even if he killed Wakhan Khan and his son, he could not convince the nobles and would be constrained everywhere.
The fire was raging and the night wind was chilly.
Yao Ying held her cloak tightly, and the bright firelight reflected on her mask.
Haidu Aling certainly didn't know that tonight's trap was a trick she used to kill someone. Beirong instigated wars among the Central Plains countries, hoping to reap the benefits, so she used their own methods to retaliate, exacerbating the conflict between him and other princes. Once Beirong was divided, it would be impossible to launch an expedition.
…
The palace was in chaos.
Yang Qian escorted Yao Ying out of the palace.
Yao Ying reminded him, "When King Wei Chi comes back, the next step is to arrange for manpower. Madam Yina just ignored the King's life and death. The King can make more requests."
Haidu Aling would not kill Weichi Damo. The more Lady Ina disregarded her husband, the more he wanted to save Damo's life.
Yang Qian nodded. He knew Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma was not good at either literature or martial arts, and his best skill was to surrender. He should have gained Haidu Aling's trust according to the plan by now.
Xie Qing was waiting outside the palace gate. When he learned that Haidu Aling was not dead, he frowned and helped Yao Ying get on the carriage.
Yaoying stood against the wall in the breeze for a long time, feeling cold.
Xie Qing handed her a heater, and she took it and held it in her palm, which warmed her body a little.
Yang Qian stood outside the carriage, watching it go away. Suddenly, he caught up with the carriage, knocked on the window, and asked, "Princess, since you know that Haidu Aling will not die, why do you insist on entering the palace?"
He, Wei Chi Damo and Xie Chong had discussed the plan for tonight over and over again. The princess did not have to show up, but she insisted on entering the palace. He thought that the princess wanted to see Haidu Aling being executed with her own eyes.
When Haidu Aling escaped just now, everyone couldn't believe it, except the princess who reacted the calmest, which showed that she already knew the result.
Knowing that the ambush would fail, why did you insist on entering the palace?
Yaoying held the heater in her hand, exhaled slowly, chuckled and said, "Don't tell Shiro, this way I can have fewer nightmares."
She was once imprisoned by Haidu Aling, who was very conceited. He knew that she was just a weak woman and could not escape from his grasp, so he patiently tamed her using the hawk-training method and forced her to submit.
Many nights, she was tired, hungry, scared and desperate. She curled up into a ball, shivering, and secretly thought that she might as well just follow Haidu Aling.
The next moment, she held the Moon Pearl given to her by Li Zhongqian and clenched her teeth.
"In the past, I was afraid when I saw Haidu A Ling."
Yao Ying raised her hand to stroke her hair and smiled at Yang Qian.
She knew that Haidu Aling would lead the Iron Cavalry to invade the Central Plains, and that Li Zhongqian in the book died while fighting against him, so she had no choice but to be afraid of him.
"So I must go to the palace tonight and see Haidu A Ling get ambushed and injured. This way, I will be braver when I face him again in the future."
Since you can't avoid it, face your fear.
Her tone was playful, as if she was joking.
Yang Qian couldn't laugh, he stared at her for a moment and said seriously: "The princess must have suffered a lot."
His sister is about the same age as the princess. She is innocent and has no idea what sorrow is. She worries every day about what kind of dress and jewelry to wear to stand out from the crowd and win the praise of her beloved lover. The princess, however, is stranded in the frontier, thousands of miles away, and has no idea when she will be reunited with her brother.
Yao Ying closed her eyes, thinking of the hopeless days after Li Zhongqian left, the lustful gaze of the eldest prince of the Yelu tribe, and the greedy looks of the other princes...
Bitter memories flooded back to her mind, and her eyes became slightly hot.
A noble and cold figure passed by, and there seemed to be large patches of bright beams of light slanting down, and the cold and dark memories faded away like the tide.
Yaoying came to her senses. The heater in her hand emitted a soothing warmth, her fingers were warm, and her heart was filled with warmth.
She recalled the time when she was in the Buddhist temple and followed the monks to do morning prayers.
Sanskrit chanting lingered in the air as a man sat upright on the Buddhist temple, holding a lotus in his hand. He was wearing a cassock as red as fire. He looked at her with eyes like glass, gracefully emerging from the dust.
She couldn't recite the verse and blinked at him.
His eyes were calm and he looked away.
Yao Ying chuckled, "Then I met a very good person."
There was a smile on her face and her voice was gentle and soft.
Yang Qian could sense her relaxation at the moment, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for her. He asked curiously, "Is that person a Buddhist?"
Yao Ying nodded: "Buddha treats me very well."
Yang Qian thought of the rumors in the city and couldn't help wondering: Why did the princess say the rumors were false?
He hesitated for a moment, not daring to voice out his feelings. He watched the wheels of the carriage rolling into the night, then turned back to the palace.
Haidu Aling escaped right under her nose. Lady Ina was furious and sent all her soldiers to chase him.
Yang Qian led a group of drunken vagrants into the palace, drew his sword, and volunteered: "Madam, the king has fallen into the hands of the bad guys and is in danger. We, as the king's subjects, cannot sit idly by! Please allow us to rescue the king! I will cut Haidu Aling into pieces!"
After saying this, he cut off the seat with his sword.
Mrs. Ina glanced at him coldly and nodded in agreement.
Yang Qian immediately asked her for the bronze talisman to leave the city.
Lady Ina was furious and without thinking much, she ordered someone to bring the bronze talisman.
Yang Qian took the bronze talisman, knelt down and saluted, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.