Chapter 64

Liang Xiao half-sat in the grass, his vision going black, and his injured leg had lost all sensation. He knew he had lost too much blood and wouldn't last much longer, soon losing consciousness. He never thought he would die like this. Liang Xiao gave a silent bitter laugh. He had wanted to join the army, earn merit, and become a general, but now he was about to die before even leaving the boundaries of Guangling. The dangers of the battlefield had been spoken of countless times, but never had he felt it so deeply. Now, with death imminent, his journey through this world was about to come to an end.

Damn, who the hell wants to kill me? Liang Xiao felt a bit resentful. Dying like this was too pathetic. Even if he had to die, he at least wanted to know who his enemy was and why. He hadn't even seen the big boss, and was killed by a few lackeys?

Liang Xiao bit his lip and pinched his waist hard to stay awake. He crouched in the grass, staring at Feng Ji in the distance. Feng Ji and his companion dismounted, the latter holding a round shield in one hand and a long sword in the other, crouching and slowly moving through the wild grass. Feng Ji followed behind, holding a bow and an arrow, vigilantly observing the surroundings. They covered each other well, leaving no openings, making it difficult for Liang Xiao to hit a vital spot with one arrow.

As they approached, they didn't take any detours and soon reached about thirty steps away. Liang Xiao realized that his wound had been bleeding, and Feng Ji was following the blood trail. He looked around nervously, gritted his teeth, and endured the pain, taking off his blood-soaked shoe. He then used a piece of cloth to wipe the blood from his leg and wrap the wound more tightly.

He took out two poisoned arrows, removed the arrowheads, and stuck them in the mud. Then, dragging his injured leg, he carefully crawled forward. Before Feng Ji and his companion reached the last bloodstain, Liang Xiao had crawled five steps and barely hidden himself in a clump of grass. The short distance had almost exhausted all his strength, his arms trembling uncontrollably, almost unable to hold the bow, and his vision going black. He couldn't even see the figures a few steps away clearly.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, repeating this three times to calm himself down. His hand holding the bow stopped trembling. He drew an arrow and placed it on the string. The bow hung low, the arrow pointing to the ground, his upper body leaning to the side, as if just waking from a deep sleep.

Suddenly, the world became silent. Liang Xiao heard the wind, the insects, and the footsteps and muffled voices five steps away.

"Lord, he's run away," said the voice of Feng Ji's companion, unfamiliar to Liang Xiao.

"He won't get far. He's lost so much blood," Feng Ji replied. "Be careful. That Tuniu is very strong. He must be hiding nearby. Liang Xiao is injured; he can't have left alone."

"Understood," the companion swallowed, tapping his sword on the shield, as if to boost his courage. He took a step forward and suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Feng Ji whispered, "Find him quickly."

"Lord, I... I've been hit by an arrow," the companion's voice trembled with fear. "My foot... it's a bit numb."

"Damn!" Feng Ji exclaimed, "That damn brat, he actually buried poisoned arrows in the ground..."

Hearing this, the half-asleep and half-drunk Liang Xiao suddenly woke up. Without opening his eyes, he lifted his body. As his spine straightened like a bow, his left hand holding the bow rose, his left arm straight, his left shoulder sinking, his right hand's two fingers pulling the string, steadily holding an arrow, the tip pointing directly at Feng Ji.

For over half a year, Liang Xiao had practiced the bow-drawing stance for at least half an hour every day, and his form was flawless, perfect.

Liang Xiao closed his eyes, as if practicing in the dark, without a target.

Release the string, let the arrow fly!

With a light "buzz," the bamboo arrow left the string and flew toward Feng Ji.

In that instant, Feng Ji and his companion felt the intense killing intent. The companion, without hesitation, crouched down, raising his shield to protect his face and abdomen, exposing Feng Ji. Feng Ji, without hesitation, leaped up, drew an arrow, pulled the string, and released it in one fluid motion.

The arrow left the string, whistling as it flew toward the figure five steps away.

The two arrows met in the air, less than three inches apart, passing each other and heading toward their respective targets.

"Thud!" Feng Ji was hit, the arrow piercing his throat a few inches below, penetrating his leather armor and winter clothes, the tip piercing his collarbone.

"Thud!" Liang Xiao was hit, the arrow piercing his shoulder, the tip protruding from his back.

"Thud!" Feng Ji fell into the grass, rolling several times.

"Thud!" Liang Xiao staggered and fell, sitting on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

...

"Mother, don't move," Li Rongqing whispered in Liang Miao's ear, "I'll lead them away."

"Rongqing..." Liang Miao tightly held Li Rongqing's arm. "Be careful."

"Mother, don't worry, I'll be careful," Li Rongqing's nose tingled. "After I lead them away, Mother should follow the edge of the pond to the east and row the boat away from the shore. If I come back, I'll call you."

"You must come back."

"I will," Li Rongqing nodded forcefully. "I will be Mother's daughter for life." She hugged Liang Miao's head, kissed her forehead, and then turned, crouching and tiptoeing away.

Liang Miao raised her hand, touching the tear-mixed kiss on her forehead, her eyes welling up.

Li Rongqing wiped away her tears, crept to the middle of the hill, and crouched down. The two knights had dismounted, lit torches, and were carefully examining the ground. They covered each other well, working in perfect harmony. Soon, they followed the trail Liang Miao and Li Rongqing had just left, heading toward the top of the hill.

Li Rongqing crouched in the grass by the roadside, watching the two knights approach. Suddenly, she leaped out, shouted, and threw a short knife at the farther knight. She then rolled to avoid the sword thrust of the closer knight, grabbed her knife, and stabbed at his abdomen.

"Clang!" The knight raised his shield to block the knife.

"Clack!" The other knight stepped back, parrying Li Rongqing's short knife with his sword. Clearly, they were well aware of Li Rongqing's skills and remained highly alert, giving her no chance to ambush them.

Li Rongqing's attack failed, and she flipped and disappeared into the grass again.

The two knights shouted in unison and surrounded her. A moment later, Li Rongqing leaped out again, but instead of attacking the knights, she ran toward the horses by the lone grave. The knights pursued her closely. Li Rongqing was slightly faster, reaching a horse, leaping onto it, and stabbing the horse's buttock with her short knife. The horse, in pain, neighed and galloped down the hill.

The knights reached the grave, one leaping onto a horse and chasing after her, the other whistling. Li Rongqing's horse, hearing the whistle, reared up, throwing her to the ground. Li Rongqing rolled, got up, and continued running.

The two knights galloped after her, quickly disappearing into the night.

Liang Miao took this opportunity to quietly go down the hill and follow the edge of Wuwang Pond to the east.