Chapter 33: Something Went Wrong |
Just then, a whoosh sounded. In mid-air, Cheng Gui Shuo changed the position of his sword and parried with it, causing sparks to fly from the blade.
Five or six arrows whizzed towards Cheng Gui Shuo. Then, more than a hundred people could be seen, who had suddenly begun firing at him.
It was Guan Tie leading them. Earlier, Lan Ruo Ting had instructed Guan Tie to check on Yuan Gang's movements. But who knew Yuan Gang would encounter such danger here? The Prince had taken a liking to Yuan Gang, so they couldn't allow him to die.
It was only thanks to this timely attack that Yuan Gang was saved from death.
Cheng Gui Shuo dropped back and before he could take cover, another volley of arrows, immense in number, assailed him. Dozens of arrows flew towards Cheng Gui Shuo. He knew he couldn't deflect them all with his sword, so he unleashed his protective magical force.
Dozens of arrows froze in mid-air. Some were close to Cheng Gui Shuo, others further away. The exertion of his magical force caused Cheng Gui Shuo to break out in a cold sweat.
Because the arrows were draining Cheng Gui Shuo's magical force, subsequent arrows could fly closer to him. Thus, the arrows were at varying distances from him. And naturally, the most recently fired arrows were closer than any others to Cheng Gui Shuo.
However, this was only the beginning. Guan Tie waved his hand, and another wave of arrows flew towards Cheng Gui Shuo.
How could Cheng Gui Shuo possibly withstand such a barrage of arrows, seeing as he was only a Lian Qi level cultivator? So he swept the arrows away before him with a wave of his hand and immediately concealed himself behind a tree. Many arrows struck the tree, shaking it violently. Quite a few arrows flew past the tree.
Guan Tie looked at Yuan Gang and, seeing that he was alright, asked:
— What happened?!
Yuan Gang replied indifferently: — Unclear.
Seeing Yuan Gang alone, Guan Tie quickly asked: — Where is Su Ce Ren?
Yuan Gang looked at the mountain: — Inside the monastery!
Guan Tie didn't say much and immediately waved his hand, saying: — Up!
And they all headed towards the monastery.
Yuan Gang grabbed Guan Tie's arm and said: — There's probably more than one cultivator there. It's dangerous!
Guan Tie replied: — The Yinyang Guard and Wuli Guard do not abandon their brothers in need!
Yuan Gang froze slightly; he looked at him with mixed feelings.
Guan Tie didn't think much of it and again said to everyone: — Let's go!
The squad headed uphill, towards where Cheng Gui Shuo was hiding.
Yuan Gang looked down. Everything was going according to plan. But then he looked up, at the departing squads. He froze, traces of an inner struggle appeared on his face. And in the end, he didn't run downhill, but instead headed uphill. He took a Zhanmadao from one of the soldiers and rapidly moved uphill towards the vanguard.
And just as the squad was already approaching Cheng Gui Shuo, from above, a person suddenly leaped down from a tree. It was none other than Su Yi Tian. He jumped directly into the crowd. A sword flashed, and he immediately cut down five or six soldiers. Confusion erupted within the squad.
Su Yi Tian fought within the crowd, and the soldiers dared not shoot at him, fearing they would injure their own men. They drew their swords and began to attack him. But how could mere soldiers be a match for a cultivator?
Seeing his brothers falling to the sword, Guan Tie angrily shouted: — Fire a singing arrow!
Yuan Gang turned his head and saw Cheng Gui Shuo, having understood something, also beginning to emerge.
Yuan Gang furiously lunged at him.
— Clang!— a sharp clang sounded.
Two swords clashed, and Cheng Gui Shuo once again felt the might of Yuan Gang's brute strength. His sword trembled, and his arm went numb. Yuan Gang, by contrast, was unaffected. He madly threw himself at Cheng Gui Shuo, swinging his sword. And Cheng Gui Shuo began to retreat from him. From time to time, Cheng Gui Shuo unleashed a palm strike of pure profundity, and spatial force attacked Yuan Gang. Yuan Gang recoiled slightly from this attack, stabilized himself, and once again charged at Cheng Gui Shuo.
Several singing arrows soared into the sky and began to explode one after another.
Standing near the post road, Shang Chao Zong and the others immediately saw a red explosion appear in one spot. Then several more explosions followed. It was a distress signal!
Regardless of whether it was Shang Chao Zong or Shu Qing, they all immediately spurred their horses towards the signal. Several hundred cavalrymen rode up the mountain.
Niu You Dao frowned: *What's wrong? Why is there a distress signal?*
Things were not going as he and Monkey had planned. He worried something had happened to Monkey, and so he too galloped furiously uphill.
The scouts from Kuangai County were also surprised, and seeing Shang Chao Zong heading uphill, they followed him.
— Let's go see what happened!
Ten cavalrymen also rode uphill.
Inside the Southern Mountain Monastery, they also heard the distress signal, and Su Ce Ren, who was currently speaking, saw the signal. Su Ce Ren's expression changed, and he wanted to draw his sword and rush out to help.
But a glint flashed in Song Yang Qing's eyes, and he immediately unleashed a palm strike of pure profundity at Su Ce Ren's back, causing the latter to collapse to the ground.
— Take him into custody!— Song Yang Qing told Yuan Fang, then leaped onto the roof of the building to gaze into the distance.
Amidst the dense forest, he saw Cheng Gui Shuo in a difficult situation, while Su Yi Tian was unleashing a palm strike of pure profundity, sending several people flying. Then he picked up a sword and lunged at Yuan Gang from behind.
— Look out!— Guan Tie warned Yuan Gang and himself blocked Su Yi Tian's path. But his sword clearly could not withstand Su Yi Tian. A dull thud sounded, blood spurted, and Su Yi Tian's sword plunged into Guan Tie's chest.
Yuan Gang reacted and angrily lunged at Su Yi Tian. The latter dodged, then swiftly climbed into the treetop and shouted:
— Let's go!
Cheng Gui Shuo also swiftly disappeared.
Arrows flew in their direction. But in the dense forest, arrows were largely ineffective. Su Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo, using tree trunks for cover, leaped from treetop to treetop.
The crowd of people deterred them with arrows. And then someone knelt beside the fallen Guan Tie on the ground: — Commander! Commander...!
The warriors in the crowd saw Guan Tie stretch out a bloody hand, pointing towards Yuan Gang, who stood nearby. He looked at the silent Yuan Gang with hope.
The warriors in the crowd looked at Yuan Gang, and two men made way for Yuan Gang.
Yuan Gang approached and took Guan Tie's bloody hand.
Guan Tie clutched Yuan Gang's hand tightly and, mustering his strength, said: — Brother Yuan, stay, st-stay...
Yuan Gang remained silent, watching him calmly, until Guan Tie's voice faded. Guan Tie never received the answer he had hoped for.
Under the warriors' resentful gazes, Yuan Gang slowly stood up, leaning on his sword. And immediately, other warriors rushed to Guan Tie's body!
Outside the Southern Mountain Monastery, at the gates, Cheng Gui Shuo and Su Yi Tian had just arrived. They encountered Song Yang Qing there. He had just seen the bloodied Su Yi Tian.
— Successful?
Su Yi Tian shook his head: — We didn't see Niu You Dao. There, we ran into well-trained warriors. It seems they are Shang Chao Zong's bodyguards!
— The boy is cunning. Does he really think Shang Chao Zong will protect him?— Song Yang Qing sneered.
At that moment, the thundering of hooves sounded.
Cheng Gui Shuo said, a little agitated:
— Brother, those must be Shang Chao Zong's remaining warriors. Perhaps we should hide?
Song Yang Qing turned his head and shouted: What is there to fear? What can Shang Chao Zong do to us?
Cheng Gui Shuo said uncertainly: — Shang Chao Zong is still a prince, after all. It wouldn't be good if we fought him. If word gets out, wouldn't that bring trouble?
— Who said we need to fight him? I have no intention of fighting him. What if the Prince is no longer in his prime?— Song Yang Qing said disdainfully, adding with a cold sneer: — Since I've come, let Shang Chao Zong hand Niu You Dao over to me!
Su Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo exchanged glances and indeed considered this. With Shang Chao Zong's current power, what could he possibly do to them?
— Gather all the monks. We cannot allow the bear demon to escape!— Song Yang Qing said again, leisurely descending the stairs. He descended like an esteemed high-ranking official.
Cheng Gui Shuo and Su Yi Tian quickly entered the temple and gathered all the people.
Several hundred people ascended the mountainside and merged with Guan Tie's men. Shang Chao Zong, dismounting from his horse, immediately rushed into the forest and stopped before Guan Tie's body. He also saw dozens of slain soldiers.
Around them, the cavalrymen took every precaution.
Niu You Dao arrived later. He immediately felt relieved upon seeing the silently standing Yuan Gang. Yet, he didn't understand why Yuan Gang hadn't left them according to the agreed-upon plan.
Shang Chao Zong's expression darkened. He asked angrily: — What happened?
— Prince, we came here to investigate the situation. We just saw Brother Yuan come under an unexpected attack. So we began to rescue him...— one bodyguard explained in detail.
Upon hearing everything, Niu You Dao frowned and gazed intently at the silent Yuan Gang.
Su Ce Ren was likely still in the temple. Shang Chao Zong looked at Yuan Gang's face, then at Niu You Dao. Then he waved his hand and said:
— Let's ascend the mountain!
***
End of chapter.