Chapter 34

She immediately searched the area and soon found two arrows embedded in a tree, with bloodstains on them. She sniffed and recognized her husband's blood.

She continued to sniff the arrows carefully.

The bow and arrows of a Great Archer, at least a Mo Ying Bow, required a strong grip on the fletching when shooting, leaving a distinct smell of the user.

She smelled it; there were two scents, one light and one heavy. The heavier one was clearly left by the last shooter, and she vowed to remember the scent of the murderer who killed her husband.

When she returned to her husband's body, she found a discarded Mo Ying Bow and a quiver. She smelled the scent of the murderer on both items, but was puzzled to find that the bowstring was missing from the Mo Ying Bow.

The bowstring of such a bow was hard to cut even with a knife, so how could it be missing? Without a bowstring, how could such a powerful arrow be shot?

A Great Archer would not discard their bow and arrows after killing someone.

What was going on? The scene thoroughly confused her.

Later, she transformed into human form, collected the bow and arrows used to kill her husband, and vowed to one day use the murderer's weapon to shoot the murderer. However, the weapon lacked a bowstring, making it impossible to shoot, so she would have to find a new one.

The missing bowstring was a nagging issue, making her restless. She was puzzled and repeatedly wondered how the bowstring could be missing.

...

Ashes from the fire kept falling from the sky, like a heavy snow covering the brutal ambush site.

The surviving Great Archers were on alert, while the surviving soldiers were tallying and cleaning up the scene.

The results of the tally were disheartening.

Over thirty people from the Sinao Office were dead, more than twenty Great Archers were lost, and over six hundred of the thousand escorting soldiers were killed.

Nearly two hundred attendants were dead, with only a few dozen surviving.

The main targets, the candidates heading to the capital for the imperial exams, had sixty dead, and unlike the others, they all died in the cages where they were confined. In some cages, all eight candidates were dead, while in the cage where Yu Qing had been, half were dead.

The surviving candidates had marks from rat bites and cuts from falling rocks, and despite the fighting having stopped, they were still in shock.

"The number of dead and alive adds up to 316. How could two candidates be missing?"

The escort official, Fu Zuoxuan, was furious and threw the tally book at his subordinate's face.

The subordinate awkwardly replied, "Sir, we have double-checked, and indeed two are missing."

Fu Zuoxuan angrily shouted, "They were all in the cages, and died in the cages. How could two be missing? The cage bars are so small, could they have escaped? Don't tell me they were eaten by rats!"

Regardless of the number of casualties, as the escort official, he had to give an account to his superiors. With so many witnesses, he couldn't just make things up.

The subordinate said, "We are already checking each cage in detail. We should have the results soon."

Just as he finished speaking, a soldier ran over and reported, "Sir, we have found out. The two missing are Xu Fei and Shi Heng."

Shi Heng? Xu Jue Ning and Tang Bulan, who were on guard nearby, exchanged glances.

"Xu Fei?"

The few people on the scene spoke in unison. Fu Zuoxuan ignored the name Shi Heng and asked, "Is this the Xu Fei who was personally selected as the top candidate by the Prefect at the academy?"

The messenger nodded, "Yes, that's him."

Fu Zuoxuan: "How could he be missing?"

"The people in the same carriage said that after the Sinao Office personnel opened the door, Xu Fei went out..." The messenger recounted the detailed account of how Yu Qing and Xu Fei disappeared.

One had picked up a key, opened the door, and slipped out during a group outing.

The other followed after the Sinao Office personnel opened the door.

In any case, they were both gone.

Jin Hua Hai added, "They are probably already dead."

Fu Zuoxuan nodded silently, fearing the worst. As long as there was a result to report to his superiors, it didn't matter. He sighed, "After collecting the bodies, have the surviving candidates identify them."

"Yes!"

After the subordinate left, Fu Zuoxuan shook his head, "What a pity for Xu Fei."

Xu Jue Ning and Tang Bulan, who were on guard nearby, looked at each other in silence. After all, they had personally brought Shi Heng from afar, and never expected him to be gone like this.

"If we had known, we wouldn't have come," Tang Bulan whispered.

It wasn't that they had a deep relationship with Shi Heng, but people tend to feel regret when they have invested effort.

At that moment, a group of people rushed from the direction of Qili Gorge. They were the vanguard who had returned after abandoning their horses and crossing the collapsed gorge. They were accompanied by personnel from the forward post, who had come to deliver a message.

The scene was so brutal that no questions were needed. The post personnel presented a letter, "Sir Fu, there is an urgent message."

Fu Zuoxuan read the letter and smiled bitterly, then passed it to Jin Hua Hai and Jiang Yiniang to read.

The urgent message contained a significant piece of news: the Sinao Office's Chief had personally killed the Qixia old demon two days ago.

This meant that the danger along the route had ended.

Jiang Yiniang sighed, "The news came too late. If the Earth Mother had acted a day earlier, there wouldn't have been such a loss. Why the hesitation?"

"Sir Jiang, please be careful with your words!" Jin Hua Hai's face changed, and he warned in a stern voice, "The Chief has her reasons for acting when she did. It's not for us to speculate."

Jiang Yiniang fell silent, realizing he had spoken out of turn. He was truly heartbroken. How many Great Archers were there in the entire Liestate? Over twenty were lost in this incident!

After sharing the hardship, Jin Hua Hai did not criticize further and changed the subject, "I see why they suddenly retreated. It seems they received the news and really did retreat."

Fu Zuoxuan concluded, "Regardless, we must remain cautious until the candidates are safely delivered to the capital."

...

Drifting in the underground river for what seemed like half a day, Yu Qing never imagined it could be so long.

Drifting in complete darkness for half a day, the surroundings seemed infinite, as if there was no end. Outsiders couldn't imagine what it felt like.

The Word Observation Technique was completely useless here, making him blind.

The fear of the unknown in this dark world touched his soul, and Yu Qing truly regretted his actions.

He regretted being greedy and not staying with the carriage. If he hadn't, none of this would have happened.

If there was anything that could comfort his soul, it was saving Chong'er, doing a good deed.

Xu Fei, on the other hand, regretted leaving the cage to chase someone. This one decision led him far beyond his imagination.

He didn't know where the underground river ended or where it would take them.

The three of them were hiding in the treetops, not daring to make a sound or move, even pulling their feet up.

The reason was that there was something in the dark water. They felt something large moving in the water, and something tugging at the branches of the tree.

Xu Fei nervously asked, "Shi Heng, is something eating the leaves?"

Yu Qing replied, "It's better if it's vegetarian. As long as it doesn't eat meat."

He didn't even believe his own words, and after that, everyone fell silent, quietly pulling their feet up, hoping to avoid whatever was in the water.

When people long for light, the sudden appearance of light can seem like an illusion.

What was ahead? Yu Qing blinked and rubbed his eyes, staring intently. Yes, there was light ahead.

All three saw it, but no one dared to speak.

As they approached the light source, it was like a large mirror appeared ahead, reflecting a beautiful sunset. It was already dark.

A canyon then came into view, and the three turned their heads, almost cheering. They had emerged from a cave, finally out of the underground river.

Yu Qing looked around; he didn't want to stay in the water any longer. No matter where they were, he wanted to get out first.

The steep cliffs on both sides didn't stop him; he could easily climb up. The problem was how to get Xu Fei and Chong'er up.

"Shi Heng, let's try to get to shore!" Xu Fei called out excitedly from behind, clearly eager to get out of the water.

Chong'er also didn't want to stay, but his mindset was more humble, and he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Just as he finished speaking, the water beside them suddenly churned, and a large creature's back, with spines, appeared and then disappeared into the water.

Xu Fei instantly fell silent, as did Chong'er.

Yu Qing, however, had already drawn his sword, alert to the water below.

Unlike in the underground river, where everything was invisible and even the Word Observation Technique was useless, if they encountered something dangerous, they would be at the mercy of the unknown. Now, with some light, he could see and act. If any monster dared to attack, he would jump into the water and kill it.

After drifting for a while, the monster didn't reappear. Instead, a giant skeleton was visible on the cliff, leaning against the wall in a strange position, as if it had fallen and been caught by the cliff.

Yu Qing suddenly stood up, stepped on the tree trunk, and leaped several yards, landing on the water and splashing up. He then used the momentum to climb the cliff, moving like a bird and scaling the wall with ease.

This sudden display stunned Chong'er. Shi Heng had such skills? It seemed he was even more capable than his own master.

Though they had shared dangerous moments before, Chong'er had never truly seen Yu Qing's abilities. This sudden display was truly impressive.