Chapter 484: Unexpected turncoats (1/2)

Chapter 484: Unexpected turncoats

There were assassins!

Neither Han Yunxi, Gu Beiyue, nor Gu Qi Sha had expected killers to target them here. There was no more time to consider it twice because the arrows came fast and furious. Gu Qi Sha completely ignored Gu Beiyue to focus on Han Yunxi’s safety. He shielded her with his body, one hand flinging up his cloak as a shield while the other unsheathed his sword to deflect the incoming arrows. At the same time, sounds of combat broke out from beyond the walls. Most likely, the guards who had tailed Han Yunxi were now fighting against enemies, too.

“Gu Beiyue! Protect Gu Beiyue!” Despite her alarm, Han Yunxi didn’t forget the imperial physician who didn’t know martial arts. No matter whether the assassins were targeting her or Gu Qi Sha this time, Gu Beiyue was still an innocent bystander! It was impossible for her to break free of Gu Qi Sha’s grasp under these circumstances, however. Even breathing became difficult, much less trying to see what was going on. Still, the endless swooshing of arrows and the clang of their points against Gu Qi Sha’s sword was enough to make a sizable din. She knew the situation was bad. There had to be at least a hundred archers around them. But Gu Beiyue didn’t know a speck of martial arts, so even a single arrow would be enough to take his life!

“Gu Qi Sha, save Gu Beiyue!”

“Gu Qi Sha, I’m begging you, save Gu Beiyue!” Han Yunxi didn’t usually cry, but now she was coming close to tears.

Fortunately, Gu Beiyue hadn’t been hurt because Lil Thing was shielding him from harm. It was a lot faster than Gu Qi Sha, its tiny body darting around Gu Beiyue’s form like a streak of white as it bit through the arrows raining down on him. Their fallen fragments formed a circle around his feet.

Han Yunxi wasn’t wrong with her guess. They really were surrounded by archers on all sides. Moreover, their assailants were using a rare make of crossbow to attack them. In the world of archery, bows and crossbows differed. Regular bows shot arrows using a parabolic curve with a hand pulling back the string. Without adequate stamina and power, it was impossible for the user to shoot their arrows very far or quickly, or for long periods of time. Crossbows, on the other hand, were different. They had a smaller curve and could be shot only using one hand. What they relied on was mechanical energy, and their arrows traveled in a straight line for farther distances. The explosive force behind each shot was immense, as was their killing strength. Compared to the long and slender bows, arrows shot from a crossbow were much harder to dodge. One crossbow could stand in for the killing strength of ten regular bows.

It was unclear how many archers had hidden themselves around Gu Beiyue’s courtyard, but their arrows really did fall like rain upon the trio. When Gu Beiyue heard Han Yunxi’s cries, his eyes turned inexpressibly gentle. Their current dangerous circumstances didn’t affect him at all, but neither Han Yunxi nor Gu Qi Sha noticed anything peculiar about his state of being. Gu Qi Sha was wholly focused on blocking the incoming arrows but kept getting distracted by Han Yunxi.

Finally he lost his patience and cried, “That poison beast of yours is shielding him, so he’s not going to die! But you’ve nearly talked this old fellow to death, so be quiet!”

Poison beast?

Lil Thing!

Han Yunxi finally remembered its existence. Her heart sank back in her chest. With Lil Thing’s skills, Gu Beiyue should be perfectly protected. Instead of shutting up, however, she cried, “Gu Qi Sha, take me away, quick!”

If she and Gu Qi Sha could leave the Gu Estate, Gu Beiyue should be safe. The sudden onslaught could only mean that their enemies had prepared ahead of time. There was no way they’d let them off so easily.

“Where to? It’s safest here, the imperial guards will show up eventually if this keeps up. Motherf***er, even Long Feiye’s guards aren’t enough to beat them back. Just how many of them are there? This old fellow’s having trouble holding out!” Gu Qi Sha spoke the truth.

Chu Xifeng should’ve followed Han Yunxi out with his guards publicly to protect her. If even he was having trouble, then the enemy’s preparations must have been extremely thorough. There had to be plenty of archers and assassins hidden in wait. Under these circumstances, their only hope laid in reinforcements from the imperial guards. Something this big would never escape their notice. As soon as the capital’s soldiers arrived, they wouldn’t have trouble surviving.

Hearing this, Han Yunxi could only relent. She was still anxious, but she couldn’t do anything else in this situation. Even poisons and hidden weapons wouldn’t help her now. If only I knew how to fight with a sword. Then things would be much better!

She thought of Long Feiye then and wondered where he’d gone with Duanmu Yao. What are they doing now? Why did he disappear now of all times?

In the midst of the chaos, one single arrow pierced through the crowd and straight into Gu Qi Sha’s shoulder. It narrowly missed Han Yunxi, who was still hidden within his cloak! The arrow had hit the same shoulder that Long Feiye stabbed in the past, but Gu Qi Sha only acted like nothing had happened and kept dodging more arrows. Nestled within his embrace, Han Yunxi didn’t see or feel a thing.

Gu Beiyue furrowed his eyes at the sight. The tiny flying dagger hidden in his palm began to reveal itself, but its owner still held back on using it in the end. Lil Thing paused in reaction to the shot, but it was this moment of inattention that caused yet another arrow to sink into Gu Beiyue’s shoulder this time, sending out a fresh spray of blood!

Gu Qi Sha was dressed in black robes, so no one could tell he was bleeding, but Gu Beiyue was dressed in white. His wound was starkly obvious against the pale cloth, blood pouring from the injury. This particular arrow was stranger than the rest; Heaven only knows where it’d came from. It was hard to block! This time, it was Gu Qi Sha who got distracted, causing two more arrows to sink into his back. He spat up blood from the wounds but remained indifferent, using all his stamina to block the rest of the projectiles. It was as if he wasn’t injured at all.

In contrast, Lil Thing gave a cheep of alarm at Gu Beiyue’s wound. It didn’t dare pause any longer, but flew into action to dart around Gu Beiyue once more as a white, streaking shield. Now it was thoroughly incensed, squeaking angrily as it wished it could bite all the archers to death.