Chapter 193: A Villain of Few Words

Before the two could even catch their breath, a group of men in black burst from the woods, attacking without a word.

They weren’t carrying weapons for a horse race; Mu Yunzhu only had a riding crop.

Just as she was bracing for a desperate fight, the sound of something tearing through the air at high speed echoed out. A volley of arrows rained down from another direction, catching the men in black completely off guard.

’We’re saved!’

Mu Yunzhu looked up, pleasantly surprised, but she couldn’t see any archers. Instead, Xiao Li had somehow produced a bow and a set of arrows, and was now picking off the nearest assailants one by one.

"Where did you get a bow and arrows?"

Mu Yunzhu rode closer. The other six riders were cut off ten meters away, so she had no choice but to stick close to Xiao Li.

Xiao Li spared her a glance. "They’re here for me. Run, if you don’t want to die."

Mu Yunzhu gripped her crop, her lovely eyes narrowing. "This is no time for nonsense. Turning tail and running will only get us killed faster."

Xiao Li let out a short laugh. Catching sight of more men in black appearing out of the corner of her eye, she yanked her reins. "In that case, follow me."

Mu Yunzhu immediately followed. The two galloped from the woodland path toward the dense forest on the back of the mountain. Branches from the roadside whipped at them, stinging their cheeks and drawing blood, but they didn’t dare to slow down.

Mu Yunzhu glanced back. Ghostly figures flitted between the tree trunks in hot pursuit, and the sound of hoofbeats thundered behind them. There were far more pursuers than she expected.

Mu Yunzhu didn’t know if any of them were there to kill her, but she was certain they were here for Xiao Li.

’Just who did this Princess Xuanyang provoke? To mobilize such a force just to kill one person...’

She regretted not running away earlier, but it was too late for that now.

The two rode desperately for about five li. Just as they were about to shake off their pursuers, Xiao Li suddenly reined in her horse.

Mu Yunzhu instinctively stopped as well. Before she could ask, the thorny thickets on both sides of the path were pulled apart, revealing an opening large enough for a horse to pass through.

"Quick, get in."

Xiao Li led Mu Yunzhu inside. Only then did Mu Yunzhu see that there was a deep pit behind a Shield, completely concealing the horses once they entered.

Next to the entrance was a platform built of stacked stones, reinforced with embedded metal Shields.

About fifty or sixty soldiers lay in two rows on top, weapons in hand, poised for battle.

Peeking through a crack between the stones, Mu Yunzhu saw the pursuers arrive. They followed the hoofprints to the edge of the thicket, approaching cautiously with their weapons drawn. In an instant, a rapid succession of sounds tore through the air.

Before Mu Yunzhu could even see what was happening, all the pursuers in the front had been killed.

She whipped her head around to look at the prone soldiers. Each of them held a weapon that resembled a bow, but was smaller and much stockier.

They quickly swapped out a box-like object and returned to their prone positions.

Mu Yunzhu recognized them at once. They were crossbows—repeating crossbows.

Crossbows weren’t rare weapons, but their unique structure meant their range and power couldn’t match a longbow, so their use wasn’t widespread.

Crossbows were at a disadvantage from a distance, but up close they were fast and accurate. However, they had a fatal flaw: you had to reload the bolts one by one.

At such close range, the enemy would be on top of you by the time you finished reloading.

But these were repeating crossbows. They could fire a volley of twelve bolts in an instant and then swap out the entire magazine. The reloading speed was no slower than drawing a bow.

’For assassinations, a weapon like this is simply unbeatable.’

The crossbow bolts eliminated the first wave of enemies. As the assassins from deeper in the forest rushed forward, the soldiers all switched to bows and arrows.

Sixty men drew their longbows until they were like full moons, unleashing a volley of arrows that blotted out the sky.

Watching this unfold, Mu Yunzhu understood everything. Xuanyang had clearly known this was going to happen and had made preparations long in advance.

’No wonder Xiao Li completely ignored her when she’d challenged her to a horse race.’

A large number of assassins fell dead. The few who remained saw that the tide had turned and immediately fled.

Mu Yunzhu said, "They’re leaving."

Xiao Li took a moment to look up at her. She said nothing, but that one glance made Mu Yunzhu’s heart stop. In that instant, she felt like she was already a dead woman in Xiao Li’s eyes.

It was only then that she belatedly realized she was surrounded. In front of her were unknown enemies, but all around her were Xiao Li’s people. She was utterly alone.

’If Xiao Li kills me and blames it on the assassins, then I...’

"Xuanyang... I am the Princess Chi Rong. If anything happens to me, Chi Rong will surely march its armies on your border..."

"I know," Xiao Li cut her off. "I don’t care, but I’ll let you live."

Mu Yunzhu was speechless. It was a good thing that Xiao Li wasn’t going to kill her, and she should have been relieved. But Xiao Li in this state felt incredibly dangerous, like a great beast stretching its limbs, ready to pounce and deliver a fatal bite at any moment.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

A faint vibration traveled through the ground. Mu Yunzhu’s ears perked up. "Cavalry."

’And a lot of them, too.’

She turned her head and saw Xiao Li listening with her eyes closed.

Moments later, a vast contingent of cavalry appeared. There were at least five hundred of them by sight. They surrounded the area, but were careful to stay out of the crossbows’ range.

Shields formed a wall in the front, with archers behind them drawing their bows. The cavalrymen exuded a chilling, murderous aura, ready to charge.

The air was thick with tension. A battle was imminent.

The enemy cavalry parted, and a young man rode forward. He stared intently at the hidden thicket, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Xiao Xuanyang! I know you’re in there! You killed my brother and harmed my wife! You’re cruel, vicious, and your evil knows no bounds! Come out and face your death!"

’So it’s Lu Chengzhi.’ She could hear the pure hatred in his voice. He was desperate to kill her.

Xiao Li couldn’t be bothered to waste words on him. She simply raised her hand and gave a signal.

Yang Jun, who had been lying motionless to the side, nodded and took aim.

BANG!

Lu Chengzhi, who had just been shouting, had his head instantly blown apart.

"Young Master!"

Hearing the instant panic from the enemy lines, Xiao Li was satisfied.

’Villains always die from monologuing. And she just happened to be one of the few villains who didn’t like to talk.’

’Never try to reason with your enemies. Once they’re all dead, whatever you say becomes the truth.’

Lu Chengzhi’s death was so sudden that the enemy fell into disarray. Everyone scrambled for cover behind their Shields, terrified of being picked off by some unknown Hidden Weapon.

But Xiao Li had more than one trick up her sleeve.

’A sniper rifle is for one-shot kills. Take out the leader with a single bullet, then leave the rest to the heavy firepower.’

Due to the lack of time, Xiao Li had only managed to build two mortars with a limited number of shells. But in an era that only knew cold weapons, it was more than enough to deliver some divine justice from the heavens.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two mortar shells landed, exploding right in the middle of the enemy’s formation. The terrified horses bolted, throwing the ranks into utter chaos.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Lu Chengzhi had dared to give chase because Rong Qing and the Princess Mansion’s elite guards had been held up at the front. Even though he knew Xiao Li had guards lying in wait, he assumed there wouldn’t be many. With a pincer attack and five hundred elite soldiers, how could he possibly fail to deal with a single Xuanyang?

Clearly, he knew nothing of Xiao Li’s true power.

From the end of last year until now, Xiao Li had been preparing for a full five months. Now, she had even used herself as bait. She hadn’t done all this to reason with them. Anyone who dared draw a blade against her—every last one of them—would be sent to Yama Hall for a reunion.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Two claps of thunder suddenly echoed from the clear sky. Immediately after, a torrential downpour began, blurring vision in the blink of an eye. It was impossible to see anything more than three meters away.

Listening to the sounds of the enemy’s retreat, Xiao Li looked up at the sky and sneered. "You think you can save them by playing favorites? They started this. They all have to die!"