Chapter 62

The saying goes, "To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture a thief, first capture his king." This sounds very reasonable, but upon careful consideration, there is much room for debate.

For example, in the current situation, Liang Xiao and Feng Ji are shooting at each other. Every opportunity to shoot is a matter of life and death. Missing the opponent means being hit by the opponent. At such a time, shooting the man is far more important than shooting the horse. Liang Xiao shot Feng Ji's horse but was hit in the thigh by Feng Ji, which could be considered a loss.

Precisely because of this, Feng Ji sarcastically remarked that Huan Yuan didn't really treat Liang Xiao as a disciple, not even teaching him such a basic principle of combat.

However, Liang Xiao was not unaware of this principle; he had his own reasons.

His arrows were poisoned.

After hearing that Li Yunming was skilled in using poison, Liang Xiao naturally asked Li Rongqing. Li Rongqing indeed knew how to use poison, but it wasn't the kind that would kill instantly upon contact with blood. Instead, it was a slow-acting poison. Once poisoned, the victim would gradually feel numbness, eventually losing consciousness.

The poison on the arrowhead was limited and required time to take effect.

For a warhorse, due to its size, a larger amount of poison was needed, so Liang Xiao had to shoot several arrows to increase the dosage. By wounding Feng Ji's horse, he could curb Feng Ji's speed advantage and undermine the confidence of Feng Ji and his men.

Sure enough, after being shot by Liang Xiao three times, Feng Ji's mount finally could no longer hold on. It started shaking its head and tail, and its legs began to tremble. Despite Feng Ji's best efforts to control it, the horse could not be calmed down. Instead, due to the horse's loss of control, Feng Ji was shot by Liang Xiao twice, though he managed to deflect both arrows, he lost his previous arrogance.

Before Feng Ji's horse fell to the ground, one of his subordinates collapsed. It was the one whose arm Liang Xiao had shot earlier. He held his sword in reverse, leaning on it, swaying unsteadily, and then fell to the ground with a thud, mumbling incoherently.

Feng Ji was startled and immediately realized the problem. He shouted angrily, "Liang Xiao, you are shameless to use poison!"

"Heh heh, you eight against one, are you not shameless?" Liang Xiao laughed loudly.

Amidst his laughter, another person fell. He had been shot in the thigh by Liang Xiao and initially didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was a normal reaction to being injured. But upon hearing Liang Xiao admit that the arrows were poisoned, he panicked, his legs gave way, and he sat on the ground.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. One of Feng Ji's seven subordinates was dead, two were injured, leaving only four. These four, fearing Liang Xiao's poisoned arrows, did not dare to get too close. They became cautious, prioritizing their own safety over attacking. Against ordinary arrows, they only needed to protect their vital points. But against poisoned arrows, they could not afford to be careless; once poisoned, they might die.

Feng Ji was furious and shouted, "Despicable scoundrel, using poisoned arrows. An eye for an eye, bring me the poisoned arrows, I will make him taste his own medicine."

The subordinates, hearing this, hurriedly searched for the arrows Liang Xiao had shot, leaving only one to watch Liang Xiao. Feng Ji himself lost his composure, staring intently at Liang Xiao, wishing to shoot him with an arrow. He dismounted and hid in the roadside grass.

At this moment, Liang Xiao suddenly appeared, drew his bow, and aimed at Feng Ji.

Feng Ji did not dare to be careless and immediately drew his bow, shooting an arrow.

Liang Xiao released the string, but no arrow was shot. He just pulled the string and retreated, shouting, "Kill!"

Feng Ji's arrow grazed his cheek, the feathers brushing against his face, causing it to sting. If he had not feinted and retreated, but truly aimed to shoot Feng Ji, this arrow might have taken his life.

Feng Ji's reaction was quick, much faster than his.

Feng Ji shot an arrow and instinctively dodged to avoid being hit by Liang Xiao's arrow, but he did not see Liang Xiao's arrow. He was startled and had no time to understand what had happened when a black shadow suddenly leaped from the grass, charging at him.

"Damn!" Feng Ji cursed, stepping back. He realized that Liang Xiao had not shot an arrow at all; he had only lured him to act. He shot an arrow and moved to avoid Liang Xiao's non-existent arrow, leaving him vulnerable. He watched helplessly as the enemy charged at him, unable to react.

"Bang!" Feng Ji was knocked flying by Tuniuer, soaring through the air, and then crashed into the swaying warhorse, bouncing back and falling to the ground.

"Kill!" Tuniuer, having landed a successful hit, swung his sword and brought it down.

Feng Ji had no time to dodge and could only raise his bow. "Crack!" The bow was knocked away by Tuniuer's sword, shaking Feng Ji's hand until it was numb. Feng Ji regretted it deeply; he knew who this was, Liang Xiao's close friend, Tuniuer, a disciple of Zhongli Qi.

How could this reckless young man hide so well? Was it Zhongli Qi's teaching?

In a critical moment, Feng Ji did not have time to think much. He rolled twice to avoid Tuniuer's pursuit, grabbed the sword from the fallen subordinate, and turned to face Tuniuer.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Liang Xiao seized the opportunity, shooting three arrows straight at Feng Ji.

Feng Ji did not dare to be careless, waving his sword to deflect Liang Xiao's arrows. Tuniuer seized the opportunity and pounced again, roaring and smashing with his shield and sword, forcing Feng Ji to retreat step by step.

Feng Ji was skilled in archery but mediocre in swordsmanship. Faced with Tuniuer's fierce attacks and Liang Xiao's constant cold shots, he was flustered and unable to cope. His subordinates rushed over to support him, surrounding Tuniuer.

Tuniuer, however, became even more excited, shouting and fighting more fiercely.

Liang Xiao, ignoring the intense pain in his arm and thigh, continued to shoot. The forest was dim, and he could not see clearly, but he relied on his hearing, and being so close, he did not have to worry about hitting Tuniuer.

On the contrary, without his bow, Feng Ji could not suppress Liang Xiao and was flustered by the arrows, fearing Liang Xiao's poisoned arrows and being cautious. Although five people surrounded Tuniuer, they could not subdue him for a while.

In a short time, another person was shot by Liang Xiao and retreated with a scream.

Feng Ji was furious but had no plan, only waving his sword to block Tuniuer, retreating while fighting, and shouting, "Retreat!"

The subordinates, hearing this, did not dare to delay, jumping out of the battle circle, carrying the injured, and riding away.

Tuniuer shouted and pursued with all his might, but he could not catch up with the horses, watching helplessly as Feng Ji and his men left. He stopped, spat, and said proudly, "Brat, you know the power of your father now. Xiao, where are we going now?"

The answer was a dull thud, and Liang Xiao fell from the tree, groaning on the ground.

"Quick, help me bandage. Ouch, it hurts so much."

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