Duan Xifeng watched Gu Qianying's resolute back and sighed, "Alas, I have to take another gamble. I wonder if these eyes, which have captivated countless young girls, will see tomorrow's sun..."
Gu Qianying stopped and looked back at him, "Stop babbling and hurry up. If you linger any longer, you truly won't see tomorrow's sun!"
...
As they spoke,
Suddenly, from the front, a volley of arrows shot towards Gu Qianying and Duan Xifeng.
Among the two, Gu Qianying reacted the fastest. She wielded her sword, slashing left and dodging right. As she spun through the air, arrows fell at her feet, forming a large pile.
Duan Xifeng, likewise, did not let any arrow wound him, though both of them had expended considerable energy. This made Duan Xifeng curse, "Damn it, will this ever end? I'm about to be exhausted to death!"
As soon as he uttered this curse, the arrows vanished instantly, and the surroundings returned to peace. Duan Xifeng chuckled, "Oh, my dear niece, look at your uncle's mouth. Perhaps it's been blessed today, hmm."
Saying this, he shouted forward, "Hey, you two unseen old fellows inside, get out here quickly and kneel at my feet, shouting 'Mercy, good sir!' Then, today, I, in my boundless compassion, will spare you. How about it? Haha."
"Who dares to be so reckless, you little thief!"
The two Arhats finally appeared.
Gu Qianying and Duan Xifeng looked over.
Among the two Arhats, one had a scar on his face, a fierce and menacing appearance, and held an iron hammer.
The other was robust, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a broad face, and a prominent nose. His voice, however, was very coarse. This man wielded a large saber. These two were clearly formidable figures, their profound inner energy altering the very atmosphere around them, making them impossible to ignore.
"Judging by the powerful aura surrounding them, both of these individuals are at the Martial Venerable level."
In the martial world, figures at the Martial Venerable level were not commonly seen.
The martial cultivation of these two Arhats was clearly superior to that of the pair.
Duan Xifeng now deeply regretted his earlier words.
"Two good sirs, the sun is quite pleasant today. How about you two bask in the sun outside the gate?"
"You insolent scoundrel, your life is forfeit!"
One of the Arhats, known as Master Yixiu, was the junior among the Martial Venerables. He spoke directly. Seeing the man and woman before him daring to intrude, he naturally would not let either of them go.
As he spoke, Master Yixiu flicked his hand, and the iron hammer in his grasp seemed to come alive, hurtling directly towards Duan Xifeng.
Duan Xifeng was startled and leaped to dodge. As his toes touched the ground, the iron hammer circled back and swung fiercely at him once more.
"Damn it!"
Duan Xifeng, holding his long sword, no longer dodged. He fiercely hacked at the iron hammer that was smashing towards him. But how could he, not yet at the Martial Venerable level, be a match for Master Yixiu?
The moment his hand gripped the long sword, he broke out in a sweat. The immense power emanating from the iron hammer pressed down on him, forcing him to his knees, his feet sinking into the ground, creating a pit.
Meanwhile, on Gu Qianying's side, as Master Yixiu made his move, the other Martial Venerable Arhat also engaged Gu Qianying in combat.
The one fighting Gu Qianying was named Yuanji. This man was the senior among the Martial Venerables in the martial world. His inner energy and martial arts were even more formidable than Master Yixiu's, and his spiritual energy was abundant.
At this moment, Gu Qianying, after parrying one of his moves, did not fall. This made Yuanji glance at her with a hint of surprise, "You girl, you look delicate and frail, but I didn't expect your inner energy, martial arts, and moves to be quite good."
"I was only using five parts of my true energy just now, Master. Please excuse my presumption." Gu Qianying remained composed and unfazed. Even though she knew she was no match for the master before her, she absolutely could not lose in terms of demeanor!
"Hahaha, you girl, what a bold statement. It seems this master has been too lenient."
In an instant,
Master Yuanji unleashed his spiritual energy. The spiritual energy was fierce, like invisible blades piercing Gu Qianying's body.
Under the suppression of this invisible, powerful spiritual energy, Gu Qianying's expression shifted, and she immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Heh," Master Yuanji chuckled. With a sudden shift, he was standing before Gu Qianying as she looked up.
At this moment, disregarding her injuries, Gu Qianying quickly retrieved the vial of poisonous liquid hidden on her person, opened it, and liberally splashed it onto Master Yuanji's face. As she retreated, she evaded the long sword that Master Yuanji swung at her.
A faint, fragrant scent filled the air.
Master Yuanji, instinctively wanting to strike Gu Qianying again, suddenly felt his body weaken.
The long sword in his hand slipped and fell, making a crisp sound as it hit the ground.
"You wicked girl, how dare you poison this master! It seems it would be inappropriate for this master not to kill you today."
*Bang!*
As he clenched his fists, his internal true energy surged. In just a moment, Master Yuanji's body was filled with power.
He spread his palms, gathering his internal true energy, "Girl, although this master appreciates you, today, you must die!"
The overbearing spiritual energy, like a colossal invisible lion, opened its maw towards Gu Qianying, intending to devour her.
Gu Qianying narrowed her cold eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips. At the critical moment, she raised her palm, using the short sword in her hand to cut a gash on her palm. Clenching her fist, a drop of blood fell onto the short sword in her hand. She held the sword with both hands and fiercely slashed at the invisible, powerful force.
As the two powerful forces clashed, a fierce wind whipped up, engulfing the entire mountain forest with Gu Qianying's fiery might.
*Bang!*
Master Yuanji clutched his chest and staggered back a few steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Forbidden technique, you girl actually knows forbidden techniques. Hmm, not bad, not bad."
Master Yuanji looked at Gu Qianying, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Gu Qianying sheathed her sword. Though she appeared to be breathing steadily, only she knew that she was truly injured this time.
Forbidden techniques were called forbidden because they harmed both the user and the opponent. Such martial arts were not suitable for frequent use.
And this injury was different from the one at the Ninth Prince's manor. On that day, under her deliberate arrangement, the assassins who stormed the Ninth Prince's manor were her own people. With the complicity of a guest attending the wedding banquet within the manor, their staged performance was a great success.
Through her understanding of Nangong Mo in her past life, she knew he was inherently suspicious and highly intelligent. To deceive such a person, one had to put in considerable effort.
For this reason, she had indeed taken a sword strike for Nangong Mo that day. However, that sword did not strike a vital point. That night, by taking a self-made healing pill, she could have recovered immediately.
But to make the act more convincing, and to avoid revealing any flaws before Nangong Mo, she had not treated the sword wound. She had only taken some hemostatic pills beforehand.
However, these were not difficult matters for her.
But at this moment, she had to admit that she had suffered a severe internal injury. The inner energy and foundation of the master before her were indeed superior to hers.
Doing what was impossible, Gu Qianying's lips curved into a faint smile, "Master is too kind. Today, considering Master's injury, as long as you allow this junior to take away my mother's remains, this junior will spare the lives of you two masters. How about it?"
"Hahaha, you little brat, such arrogant words. Aren't you afraid your companion will die by his hand?"
As he spoke, Master Yuanji pointed towards Duan Xifeng, who was pinned to the ground by Master Yixiu, bleeding from the mouth, severely injured, and on the verge of death.
Gu Qianying glanced over upon hearing this, showing no intention of intervening, and coldly stated, "Life and death are determined by heaven. This young lady cannot control it!"
She withdrew her gaze.
Gu Qianying, alone, walked past Master Yixiu with her sword.
Duan Xifeng, pinned to the ground by Master Yixiu's hammer and barely clinging to life, heard Gu Qianying's cold and heartless words, "Life and death are determined by heaven." A wry smile touched his lips, "Gu... Qianying, you... you..."
Suddenly, Gu Qianying spun around abruptly, flicking two silver needles from her fingers towards the back of Master Yixiu.
One needle lodged itself in the Fengchi acupoint behind Master Yixiu's neck, while the other landed on the Fengfu acupoint on his nape.
The iron hammer in his hand dropped to the ground. Master Yixiu staggered backward stiffly and fell heavily.