Zhan Tianye, meanwhile, held the assassin leader by his hair as if he were a mere chick.
He sat there, immobile.
Yet, the glint in his dark pupils seemed capable of freezing three feet of ice, chilling one's very core.
The assassin leader’s face turned crimson, clearly struggling, but no matter how hard he thrashed, he couldn't break free from Zhan Tianye's grip.
Despite this, he gritted his teeth, refusing to utter a single word.
"Not talking?" Zhan Tianye narrowed his eyes, his entire presence exuding a chilling, ruthless aura.
The assassin leader continued to clench his teeth, remaining silent.
The next moment.
A crisp snap was heard.
The assassin leader’s neck was instantly snapped.
An assassin who couldn’t speak was of no use, his life was forfeit.
Seeing this, the other assassins intensified their attacks.
Yun Shu stood ready, her hands striking with ruthless precision.
Although Zhan Tianye sat in the carriage, he also wielded a long whip. Wherever the whip could reach, no assassin could escape.
Yun Shu hadn't paid close attention earlier, but upon hearing Zhan Tianye's whip rather than her own, she glanced over.
That whip bore a strange resemblance to the one in her hand.
Hers had been dyed purple, while his remained its original color, giving it a more serpentine, chilling aura.
And far more killing intent.
Suddenly, a surge of hidden guards appeared, their combat prowess astonishing. Their arrival completely negated the assassins' advantage.
"We can't! We must kill Yun Shu today!" someone among the assassins shouted.
Their tone was resolute!
This was their mission for the day!
Yun Shu smiled faintly, "Kill me?"
She was truly curious, who had the audacity to attempt her assassination here! She had disguised herself, yet these assassins knew who she was, implying they had some control over her whereabouts.
"We are here to kill you! Yun Shu, just kill yourself quickly!" the assassin yelled arrogantly.
Anyone observing would have thought she was the one losing, not these assassins.
Suddenly.
A sky-raining volley of arrows tore through the air.
Swish, swish, swish!
The arrows were incredibly dense.
Even the assassins beside them became targets.
"Yun Shu, come here!" Zhan Tianye's deep voice called out to Yun Shu with a hint of urgency.
After deflecting several arrows, Yun Shu reached Zhan Tianye's carriage.
In an instant, the carriage became a target, riddled with arrows.
Fortunately, Zhan Tianye's carriage had been specially manufactured, and its interior remained sturdy, preventing the arrows from piercing through.
The hidden guards and Jing Heng also arrived near the carriage.
The swords they wielded moved so fast they were mere blurs. Around their feet, nothing but corpses and arrows remained.
Dense volleys of arrows rained down.
This was an assassination that had to succeed, all to claim Yun Shu's life!
A fierce glint flashed in Yun Shu's eyes, her beautiful gaze like brilliant stars, fixed on the direction from which the arrows were being fired.
She took a slingshot from her embrace.
Loading it with a hidden weapon, she aimed forward and with a 'swoosh,' it pierced through the arrows and landed some distance away.
Bang!
A loud explosion.
Simultaneously, thick smoke billowed, and flames surged.
Screams echoed from the nearby forest.
Faintly, she could hear them cry, "Quick, dodge! What is this?!"
Zhan Tianye was momentarily stunned, then looked down at the slingshot in Yun Shu's hand.
Yun Shu knew that Zhan Tianye and the others would be curious, but this was no time for explanations. Someone wanted her dead, and she was determined to find out who it was!
"Master, we must leave quickly, there are many of them!" Jing Heng reminded Yun Shu rapidly, after deflecting several arrows.
Qiu Lu was injured, an arrow lodged in his shoulder, his blood staining his arm, but his eyes were resolute, "Yes, we must break through, we can't let them keep using us as target practice!"
Yun Shu’s gaze was steady as she scanned their surroundings, searching for a way to break through.
The road lay ahead, but it was undoubtedly filled with more assassins.
Suddenly, a pair of calloused hands grasped hers.
Then she heard Zhan Tianye say, "Get into the carriage."
The next moment, she was pulled into the carriage by him.
Qiu Lu and the others immediately drove the carriage, speeding towards the north and south.
Countless arrows flew at them relentlessly.
"Damn it!"
Qiu Lu cursed savagely as he deflected arrows.
Jing Heng, wherever he passed, struck with even more ferocity! When they confronted the hidden archers, Jing Heng was exceptionally brutal!
Blood splattered everywhere.
Whether infected by the atmosphere or not, Qiu Lu also fought with extreme ruthlessness.
Their gory, almost demonic fighting style terrified the hidden attackers, nearly to the point of them soiling themselves.
"You! You guys!"
However, Jing Heng and the hidden guards gave them no chance to speak.
At the same time, arrows continued to rain down from other directions.
They paid no mind to whether their own men were present.
Cries of agony erupted frequently.
Yun Shu glanced at the hand Zhan Tianye was holding, and as arrows approached her, he blocked them, protecting her.
She pursed her lips slightly.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she leaned out of the carriage and nimbly picked up a bow and arrows from the ground.
Then she placed a small pouch of gunpowder onto an arrow.
"Make way," she commanded in a low voice.
As Jing Heng and Qiu Lu moved aside, the arrow in her hand flew.
It was as if the arrow had eyes, heading straight for the densest concentration of incoming arrows.
Another loud explosion.
This was followed by a fresh wave of screams.
"Go!"
Zhan Tianye commanded sternly.
Under such dire circumstances.
Arrows rained down behind them, and though the horses were startled, they galloped forward at full speed.
The carriage entered the woods.
The arrows behind them gradually lessened.
Then, the carriage slowly decelerated.
Their group breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Yun Shu took out a medicine bottle from her embrace, poured out a pill, and handed it to Qiu Lu, "Take this to stop the bleeding. Once we reach a safe place, the arrow must be removed and the wound treated quickly."
Her gaze fell on the blood flowing from Qiu Lu's wound; it was dark, clearly indicating he had been poisoned.
Qiu Lu looked surprised and didn't immediately accept it.
Seeing this, Jing Heng, with a few drops of blood still on his face, his complexion making him look like a grim reaper, said impatiently, "If you don't want Master's medicine, give it to me!"
Others might not treasure it, but he did!
No, Ruan Xi and the others all treasured it!
Short-sighted!
Qiu Lu, completely unaware that he was now considered short-sighted in Jing Heng's eyes, quickly reacted, took the pill, and swallowed it. He glanced at his wound, unconcerned, "Don't worry, Miss Yun Er, I won't die!"
Zhan Tianye's gaze fell on Qiu Lu with a hint of complexity, then shifted to Yun Shu.
Yun Shu said nothing.
She glanced at the sky in the distance; it was about to be completely dark!
Would they have to spend the night out?
Just as Yun Shu was about to speak, she suddenly looked at Zhan Tianye's legs.
She hadn't noticed before, but now she saw that there was a hidden weapon in his leg wound!