"Wait." Chen Nan quickly stepped back and said, "Your Highness, you are too heartless. During the day, I knew that your camp was in a weak position, but I still joined you without hesitation. How could you treat me like this?"
"Heh heh, you sly thief, you're really slippery. You already knew that the Third Prince would kill you after he made his move, otherwise, would you have risked your life to make a deal with me then?"
"Ahem... Well... this way you're even less likely to kill me. Your guards are already seriously injured, but I still have the strength to fight."
The little princess hesitated for a moment, then looked at him and smiled, saying, "Alright, since that's the case, I'll let you off the hook for now. Here, carry this on your back."
Seeing the box containing Hou Yi's bow handed to him by the little princess, Chen Nan cried out, "No! Kill me!" He understood that the little princess had made a decisive decision. She painfully threw down Hou Yi's bow to divert everyone's attention, and then looked for an opportunity to escape.
"Fine, I'll kill you." The little princess drew her sword.
"No, no, I'll carry it."
On this peaceful night, however, danger lurked in the woods. At the Third Prince's tent, swords gleamed, and he was quietly plotting with his men.
Yang Chong, the captain of the guards under the Third Prince, said, "That old man Zhuge Chengfeng is definitely not nearby. We were all fooled during the day. Your Highness, please take action to avoid any unforeseen complications."
The Third Prince pondered for a moment and said, "Don't rush. We've already surrounded them. Keep a close watch on them and don't make any rash moves. Let them be on edge for one night, and then we'll make our move when they relax at dawn."
Yang Chong said, "There's no need to be so concerned about them. Almost everyone there is seriously injured. Even if that little witch is powerful, can she possibly be stronger than Your Highness?"
The Third Prince said calmly, "Yang Chong, you're still not experienced enough. How can I trust you to lead a team on your own with such recklessness? It's true that they are all seriously injured, but even a sick tiger will roar. Never underestimate your enemy. Since we can break their morale and weaken their strength in just one night, why don't we take advantage of it? The way to defeat the enemy is to do everything possible to create favorable conditions for yourself. You still have a lot to learn."
Yang Chong was already sweating. He both respected and feared the Third Prince. He could always sense a faint but powerful aura emanating from the Third Prince, which gave him a heavy sense of oppression.
"Yes, I know I was wrong."
The Third Prince paced back and forth in the tent, hands behind his back, and said, "Once we succeed, you take the Houyi Bow and immediately return to Baiyue. There must be no delay on the way. Do you understand?"
"I can't leave yet. I haven't gone to the Falling Wind Mountains to see the Qilin yet," the Third Prince said with a smile.
Yang Chong said, "What Your Highness is doing is far too dangerous."
"It would be more dangerous for me to rush back to Baiyue immediately. If I did, everyone would be able to tell that I did it. Hehe, if I stay here, without any evidence, who can say that I did it?"
"Alright, go and make the arrangements. Tell them that when they take action at dawn, they must be swift and decisive, leaving no survivors." The Third Prince's face was icy cold.
"Yes, I understand." Although Yang Chong had experienced countless life-and-death trials, he still couldn't help but shiver at this moment.
Princess Chu Yu summoned all her subordinates together. She was no longer the cheerful and playful girl she usually was; at this moment, she was solemn and dignified, like a composed general.
"That scoundrel Chen Nan has already told you everything that's about to happen, hasn't he? 'A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.' The third prince of Baiyue Kingdom harbors wolfish ambitions and wants to seize the Houyi Bow, the national treasure of my Chu Kingdom. The two sides are vastly different in strength. Even if I give them the Houyi Bow now, they will not show any mercy and will still kill to silence them. But there are two kinds of deaths: one is to die a humiliating death by surrendering without a fight, and the other is to die a heroic death in battle. Which one do you intend to choose?"
From inside the tent came the low, angry roars of the guards: "A heroic death!"
"Yes! Although we have been driven into a corner, we must not give in. We must fight to the death and make them pay the most terrible price. Are you willing to defend the dignity of our Chu Kingdom with your blood?"
"We are willing to fight for the princess!"
"We are willing to shed our last drop of blood for the State of Chu!"
...
Chen Nan admired the little princess's remarkable skills; she clearly wanted to escape with the help of others, yet she spoke with such fervor and passion.
"Alright, let's start setting up now..."
The little princess assigned a location to each guard and instructed them to sneak up there under the cover of night.
Then the little princess said to Chen Nan, "You scoundrel, considering your weak martial arts skills, I won't ask you to kill the enemy. You just need to take good care of Hou Yi's bow."
"Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
A female guard stood up and said, "Princess, why don't we break out under the cover of night?"
The little princess shook her head and sighed, "Come here, all of you."
She lifted a corner of the tent flap, picked up a small pebble from the ground, and flicked it. The soft thud of the pebble landing in the grass echoed nearby. At the same time, a bowstring twanged in the air, and dozens of arrows shot towards the grass.
"You've all seen it, haven't you? They were prepared in advance, ready to ambush us. Heh heh, in that case, we'll just wait here and wait for them to fall into our trap instead."
The guards couldn't help but show their admiration for the little princess.
The little princess continued, "I suspect that if they don't launch an attack within an hour, it might be delayed until dawn. You must be very careful and not let your guard down. Alright, go and prepare."
Chen Nan sighed inwardly: I didn't expect the little devil to be so meticulous. It's a pity that she has no weapons at her disposal. If her strength were equal to that of the Third Prince, it would be hard to say who would win. This little girl is really terrifying!
As the group was about to leave, a guard suddenly knelt down and swore, "I will do everything in my power to protect the princess and help her escape from this place."
Upon seeing this, the other guards also knelt down.
"We swear to protect the princess with our lives."
"I am willing to shed my last drop of blood for the princess."
...
Everyone present whispered a vow to protect the little princess with their own lives.
Of course, there was one exception: Chen Nan, whom the little princess considered a "scoundrel" and a "scoundrel." He thought to himself: "Are you kidding me? Protect this little devil? She's already prepared to run away. That wretched guy, actually making me carry the Houyi Bow to my death! Sigh, if the Houyi Bow hadn't been sealed away, who could stop me now?"
After leaving the tent, the guards immediately lay in ambush nearby.
Just as Chen Nan was about to walk toward the tent next to him, a female swordsman suddenly drew her long sword and held it to his neck, saying, "You also have to stay here to protect the princess. Stay here obediently."
Chen Nan felt even more wronged than Dou E from ancient mythology, having been inexplicably dragged into this vortex and found himself in a dangerous situation.
Death itself is not painful; it is merely a fleeting moment. The greatest pain is the waiting for death. Every minute is agonizing, the heartstrings being stretched tighter and tighter with each passing moment until they can no longer withstand the immense force and break, collapsing.
Despite their exceptional skills, the princess's guards couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat during the long wait. In contrast, Chen Nan, the "mysterious" figure in their eyes, seemed quite relaxed. He was constantly scouting escape routes and revising his escape strategy.
"Hmm, the first step is to throw Hou Yi's bow at that unlucky guy, the second step should be to run to that place, and then... hmm, should the Nth step be to play dead under that tree? Let me think about it... hmm, finally, escape when they are in the most confusion."
If these people knew what Chen Nan was thinking, they would definitely kill him immediately.
Only the bright morning star remained on the eastern horizon. Chen Nan knew his moment of life or death was approaching. He took the dark Houyi Bow from its box and gently stroked it. He whispered in the language of the continent from ten thousand years ago, "Old friend, do you still remember me? I am Chen Nan. I never thought we would meet again after ten thousand years."
A guard next to him nudged him and said, "What are you muttering about?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Just then, more than twenty figures formed a circle and surrounded them. The princess's guards breathed a sigh of relief; the end of their agonizing wait was finally over, and regardless of whether they would survive, they were unwilling to endure this torment any longer.
As the long night drew to a close, a murderous aura filled the forest, and the twenty-odd men charged forward like tigers and wolves. At the same time, the princess's guards had already aimed their bows and arrows at the intruders.
...
Arrows were fired in unison, accompanied by screams of agony. Six people were instantly killed by arrows and collapsed to the ground.
Yang Chong, the captain of the guards under the Third Prince, cursed under his breath, "Damn it, that devil princess! It's already dawn, and she's still on guard."
By the time the ninth person was shot down by the flying arrow, the guards under the Third Prince had already rushed in front of Chen Nan and the others, rendering the arrows useless.
The princess's guards gripped their weapons and charged forward, except for two who remained motionless: Chen Nan and an apprentice mage who had survived the battle with the giant serpent. Chen Nan was searching for an opportunity to escape, while the apprentice mage was chanting incantations, preparing to cast a spell.
A surge of magical energy rippled through the air, and a massive ice spike rapidly formed. The ice spike transformed into a beam of white light and charged into the enemy ranks, piercing the chests and abdomens of two people in the blink of an eye. Finally, it shattered after killing a third person.
The apprentice mage was overjoyed after his successful sneak attack, but when he tried to cast a spell again, he discovered he had no magic left. Already severely injured, being able to cast a spell even once was already a remarkable feat. However, being unable to cast a spell now meant death. A steel sword was thrown at him, piercing his heart with unerring accuracy. With a look of resentment, the apprentice mage slowly closed his eyes.
Chen Nan remained motionless, lying prone in the grass, waiting for the best opportunity to escape.
Both sides were suffering casualties in the fierce battle. Although the princess's guards were already wounded, they were still fighting desperately, fighting with their lives on the line.
Suddenly, the little princess rushed out of the tent with lightning speed and into the enemy ranks. She held a thin sword in her hand, and wherever she went, someone would fall dead, leaving a trail of blood in the air.
Chen Nan was taken aback. He had thought the little princess would take advantage of the chaos to escape, but he did not expect her to actually fight her way into the enemy ranks. However, he thought that she must have changed her mind after a painful struggle, otherwise she would not have forcibly handed over the Houyi Bow to him in the first place.
"I didn't expect the little devil to not have evolved into a true demon yet. Sigh, she's still a young girl after all. Her heart isn't hard enough yet. She couldn't bear to abandon her subordinates and run away alone. If it were a few more years, things might be different."
Amidst the chaos of the enemy ranks, Chen Nan stood up, holding the dark Houyi Bow in both hands. Instantly, he became the focus of everyone's attention, and more than a dozen killing intents surged toward him.
When the little princess saw that Chen Nan had successfully drawn the enemy's attention, a hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes, but then she became extremely angry.
Chen Nan shouted at the guards under the Third Prince, "Brothers, I have no intention of being your enemy. Didn't you want this Houyi Bow? Here you go!" He threw the Houyi Bow, but deliberately made it deviate from its direction, so that the Houyi Bow landed next to the little princess.
"Kill!" The Third Prince's guards surged forward, and the Little Princess's guards, eager to protect their master, also charged forward. The encirclement immediately crumbled, and everyone rushed towards the Little Princess, or rather, Hou Yi Gong, and the two sides clashed in a chaotic battle.
The little princess glared fiercely at Chen Nan, her eyes practically spitting fire. If looks could kill, Chen Nan would have been burned to ashes. Extremely unwilling, she shifted her gaze to the enemy charging towards her, sword in hand, and charged forward.
Chen Nan sneered, "Don't blame me. I don't offend others unless they offend me. You forced me to carry Hou Yi's bow to my death first. I was just trying to protect myself."
He bent down, picked up a long sword from the ground, and tucked it into his belt. He turned around and was about to run into the depths of the woods when suddenly, with a thud, Hou Yi's bow fell from the sky and landed at his feet.
"No way, she's back so soon!" Chen Nan turned around and saw the little princess sneering at him from among the enemy ranks. At the same time, several guards under the Third Prince were already rushing towards him.
"You little girl, you're ruthless." He didn't have time to throw Hou Yi back anymore. He turned and ran into the depths of the woods, but after running only a dozen steps, he suddenly stopped, his body feeling ice-cold.
The Third Prince emerged from the depths of the woods, a faint smile on his face. He said, "Interesting, interesting, brilliant, brilliant. I never expected Princess Yu to miscalculate, letting you slip through my defenses. I truly underestimated you; I never imagined you possessed such quick wit. I was waiting for Princess Yu here, but you were the first to escape."
"This... Your Highness, I never intended to be your enemy. I didn't come from the palace with them, nor am I a eunuch. That little devil, oh, I mean Princess Yu, the reason she's been bothering me is because I know a huge secret, and she's been trying to get it out of me, but... she hasn't succeeded yet."
"You call her a little devil? Haha... You're quite the character." The Third Prince laughed, but then his expression darkened, and he said, "You're nothing but a slippery character in front of me. Don't try anything funny, and don't even think about using some 'great secret' to beg me to let you go."
Chen Nan's heart sank, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He said, "It's true. I accidentally found a map in an ancient cave. Although I'm not very knowledgeable about ancient culture, I still recognize those characters. There are three ancient characters on it: 'Xuanwu Jia'."
"What?" the Third Prince exclaimed in surprise, but his face instantly turned frosty as he said in a cold voice, "How dare you spout nonsense in front of me!"
"Your Highness, everything I said is true, absolutely true. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been chased down by that little devil for thousands of miles."
The Third Prince's eyes flashed with a cold light as he stared intently at Chen Nan. After a long while, he finally asked, "Where is the map?"
"This... I've already hidden it in a secret place."
"Hmph!" The Third Prince snorted coldly and said, "Go and retrieve Hou Yi's bow."
The guards who had been chasing Chen Nan for Hou Yi's bow retreated after seeing the Third Prince. Hou Yi's bow was in the grass not far away.
The Xuanwu Armor, a celestial treasure never before obtained by anyone, was indeed extremely attractive. Although the Third Prince did not believe Chen Nan's words, he spared his life to verify the matter later.
"Phew~~~" Chen Nan let out a long breath. He handed the Houyi Bow to the Third Prince with both hands. The Third Prince's face showed excitement, and he kept stroking the dark bow back with his hands.
"The Houyi Bow, a divine treasure from the mainland, is finally in my hands, hahaha..." His eyes shone with a burning light.
By this time, it was already broad daylight, and a thin layer of mist hung in the forest. A pungent stench of blood permeated the air, and corpses lay scattered haphazardly deep within the woods.
The little princess's white dress was already stained with over a dozen blossoms of blood. Her eyes were filled with murderous intent, and every strike drew blood. She had killed most of the Third Prince's guards. However, almost all of her own guards had also perished, with only one or two lying on the ground, emitting faint groans intermittently.
"Stop!" the Third Prince shouted. "Princess Yu is indeed remarkable. My guards are all experts who can take on ten men each, yet so many have still died or been injured."
The guard commander Yang Chong and the other three guards who were besieging the little princess retreated together.
The little princess leaned on her sword, panting heavily. Her long, black hair was soaked with sweat, clinging together in clumps. She was utterly exhausted, but the tragic deaths of her guards had deeply wounded her, and she had been sustained by the burning anger within her.
The little princess glared at the third prince, addressing him by name, and said, "Renjian, aren't you afraid of provoking a war between the Chu Kingdom and the Baiyue Kingdom by doing this?"
"Hehe, Princess Yu, you should know very well that today's events will forever remain a mystery. No one will ever know that the little princess of Chu met with misfortune here."
"No secrets stay hidden forever; this matter will spread throughout the mainland sooner or later."
"There are no walls here, and no one to listen to the whispers of the wind."
The little princess pointed at Chen Nan and said, "Isn't he?"
"Haha, it's funny to think about it now. The dignified little princess of Chu, the famous little witch, was actually outsmarted by such a nobody."
The little princess glared fiercely at Chen Nan. If she could still move, she would have already charged at him with her sword. Chen Nan was furious; the little devil was trying to frame him at this crucial moment.
The Third Prince glanced coldly at Chen Nan, then looked at the little princess and said, "Princess Yu, what should I do with you? I really can't bear to kill such a beautiful woman, but keeping you by my side means I have to be constantly on guard against you assassinating me. Sigh, it's a real headache. After thinking it over, the only solution is to secretly give you away. I think some princes from other countries would be very willing to accept you as a gift."
The little princess looked as if she had made some difficult decision, a hint of pain appearing on her face.
The Third Prince said coldly, "Don't even think about using the power of those princes to take revenge, or making them soften their hearts and let you go. You will be given away as a private favorite. You are just a gift for me to form an alliance with others. Hehe, I know you won't commit suicide. You won't let go of any chance to survive. Only by surviving will you have a chance to take revenge."
The little princess sat down on the ground, feeling utterly helpless.
Chen Nan, who was not far away, felt a chill run down his spine. The Third Prince was truly terrifying; he was definitely a ruthless and ambitious man.
Suddenly, the little princess raised her head, glared at Chen Nan, and then turned to the Third Prince, saying, "Ren Jian, why didn't you kill him?"
The Third Prince laughed and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, this guy has decided to give me the treasure map about the Xuanwu Armor." Although he didn't quite believe that Chen Nan knew the secret of the Xuanwu Armor, he thought that the feud between Chen Nan and the little princess was caused by the treasure map, and he wanted to take this opportunity to strike a blow against the little princess.
"Haha..." The little princess suddenly burst into very unladylike laughter, tears streaming down her face.
"Ren Jian, you big idiot, haha...you're killing me with laughter. You actually believed that guy had the Xuanwu Armor, that's hilarious! Haha..."
The Third Prince, Renjian, had a livid face and looked coldly at Chen Nan.
Chen Nan's heart sank. He suddenly attacked, striking a guard beside him in the chest with his palm and snatching the Houyi Bow from the guard's hand. Following the example of the little princess's master, Zhuge Chengfeng, Chen Nan used the Houyi Bow as a club, forcefully swinging it at another guard. The attack happened so suddenly that the guard didn't even realize what was happening before his chest caved in, and he died instantly.
"Haha, interesting, well done, scoundrel!" the little princess exclaimed gleefully.
"Kill him!" Ren Jian roared.
Two other guards wielded steel knives and slashed at Chen Nan. He had no choice but to raise his Houyi Bow to meet the attack. Although he initially managed to break one of the guards' steel knives with the help of the Houyi Bow, he couldn't withstand more than twenty moves before a guard struck him on the back, causing him to vomit blood and collapse to the ground.
When Chen Nan's blood splattered onto Hou Yi's bow, a warm current flowed from the back of the bow to his hands, and the dark Hou Yi's bow began to emit a faint golden light, the bowstring trembling slightly.
"This... wasn't the Houyi Bow just like this ten thousand years ago? Every time I hold it, it makes a cheerful chirping sound and emits bursts of golden light. Could it be... could it be that its seal has been broken?"
All of this happened in an instant; at that moment, a guard raised his knife and slashed at Chen Nan, who was lying on the ground.
Chen Nan swiftly grabbed a dry branch from the ground and placed it on the bowstring. He pulled the bowstring open slightly, and golden light, like a thin mist, surged toward the dry branch. A faint golden light shot off the bowstring like lightning, and a strong wind blew through the forest, accompanied by the sounds of thunder.
The golden light collided with the steel blade, exploding into a shower of light in the air. The steel blade instantly shattered into pieces, scattering down from the sky. Within the shower of light, a withered branch, like the spear of death, instantly pierced the guard's chest. Blood gushed out of the wound like a gushing spring, and theguard died with his eyes wide open.