The assailant's objective was clear: to kill her.
The vast disparity in their strength meant Feng Yinwan could barely evade, realizing she was no match for him.
Seeing her disadvantage growing, she steeled herself and made a decision.
She could not delay any longer, or there would be no survival for her!
Her eyes flickered. Seizing the moment he attacked, she concentrated seventy percent of her internal energy into a silver needle at her fingertip. Then, catching him off guard, she precisely aimed for his left knee.
Though he had escaped the celestial prison last night, it was an undeniable fact that his left knee had been severely injured by a hidden weapon.
This much she had gleaned from his movements just now.
The room was dimly lit, and her movements were precise and swift. Though he sensed it, he was still a step too late in intercepting her.
"Crack—"
A faint sound of bone fracturing. The needle accurately lodged itself into a gap in his knee bone.
Feng Yinwan's eyes flashed as she saw this. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, a heavy palm landed on her shoulder, sending her body flying backward uncontrollably.
To wound the enemy a thousand, she herself suffered eight hundred.
This palm struck her already heavily injured left shoulder, causing cold sweat to instantly break out on her forehead from the pain.
And the assailant was not faring much better.
The space between bones was an extremely vulnerable part of the body. Her earlier forceful thrust had severely impacted him. Even with his formidable power, the mysterious man stumbled and knelt on the ground.
Her back hit a pillar. Feng Yinwan grunted, expelling a breath. But she had no time to attend to the pain, only using all her strength to break through the window.
Her earlier success was due to catching him off guard. If she tried again, she might not have such good luck.
Her body hit the ground with a considerable thud. Imperial guards on patrol heard the commotion and immediately rushed toward the scene.
But this was far from enough.
For the assailant had already pursued her out of the room, and at his speed, even with an injured leg, it would be easy for him to silence her before the Imperial guards arrived.
Her earlier actions had exhausted her strength. Feng Yinwan lay on the ground, only able to shrink her body backward as much as possible.
The needle had been poisoned, but it was evident that poison was ineffective against such a formidable foe.
Song Qing'an was not present. The only one who could save her now was herself.
She frantically searched her mind for a way to stall. Unexpectedly, the moment he was about to close in, a figure dropped from the roof.
Clad in the same unidentifiable dark attire, the two engaged in a struggle. Feng Yinwan found it difficult to discern the situation.
Another one?
This one seemed to be helping her.
This realization made Feng Yinwan's heart leap. She suddenly thought of that "warning" pebble.
But the current situation did not allow her to ponder further.
The firelight was drawing nearer.
"Quick, immediately seal off Jiuzhou Xiangxie. The rest will follow me to investigate the courtyard!"
The Imperial guards had arrived, their speed even faster than she had anticipated.
Feng Yinwan turned her head. The two who had been fighting were nowhere to be seen. The courtyard was empty, leaving only her and the chaos.
Seeing this, her heart sank.
She had deliberately caused a commotion to draw the Imperial guards in out of desperation. But now, with everyone gone, if the guards entered, she would surely be exposed.
Her body felt as though all its strength had been drained, aching dully.
She gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand.
Almost the moment she hid in the shadows, the courtyard gate was opened from the outside, and the blinding firelight instantly illuminated the courtyard.