Chapter 37: Archery Like a Deity

Before she even arrived, Feng Fei stretched out her hand, and an invisible force instantly enveloped the leading officer, making him feel as though his body was about to be lifted and swept into the air. He was horrified—his armor weighed several hundred pounds, yet he was still affected by her aura from a distance. It was inconceivable.

There was no time to draw his sword. With a furious shout, the officer threw a punch to block her approach. Feng Fei reached out and caught his steel-clad fist in her grasp.

The warhorse gave a despairing cry, blood streaming from its mouth and nostrils as it collapsed beneath him. The officer's whole body convulsed, robbed of speech and hearing, losing all control. His chain mace crashed to the ground as he was lifted off his feet and carried through the air.

“My lord!” Countless voices cried out in panic.

Feng Fei seized the officer and soared away. The archers and crossbowmen surrounding them exchanged nervous glances, none daring to release an arrow. The monks Jingyue and Jingru hurried after her.

“Stop!”

Using her hostage as a shield, Feng Fei forced the two eminent monks to hesitate, neither daring to attack recklessly. In the blink of an eye, they clashed midair over a dozen times. The more Jingyue and Jingru fought, the more shaken they became. The woman in white struck with a sword that stirred not a whisper of wind, yet its power was tremendous, as though all her energy, spirit, and will were concentrated into the blade. Defending against her blows was an agony.

What was even more terrifying was that, no matter how Jingyue’s iron staff or Jingru’s monk’s staff changed their forms, the tip of the woman’s sword always found the weakest spot in their defense, as if she could see right through to the heart of their techniques, leaving no secret unexposed. How could one hope to triumph over such an opponent?

“Aerial evasion, seamless force, prescient anticipation—this is bad. She has one foot in the Innate Realm already!”

The assembled monks joined the fray, hoping to slow Feng Fei down. But it was futile. With her hostage as a living shield, only two or three could engage her at once. Against her peerless swordplay, even the likes of Jingyue and his fellows were soon covered in wounds. If she had wished to kill rather than break free, someone would surely have already perished. Even so, men kept falling from the sky, losing their strength to fight.

Feng Fei’s sword traced a circle, slicing off one of Jingru’s fingers as he gripped his staff. He grunted in pain and struck out with his other palm. Feng Fei sneered inwardly and was about to run him through when, suddenly, a sharp warning rang in her heart.

An arrow streaked through the air, impossibly swift and silent.

The speed of this arrow caught Feng Fei completely off guard. She never imagined an archer would dare fire, heedless of the hostage’s life, and with such perfect aim.

There was no time to use the officer as a shield. Feng Fei twisted aside, but the arrow grazed her cheek in a flash of blood and tore her ear clean off.

This was the first real wound Feng Fei had suffered in the entire battle.

Her eyes burned with hatred. As a woman who prized her beauty, how could she bear such a disfiguring injury?

I will have your life!

On the outermost edge of the formation, atop a pavilion, Su Yi finally revealed himself. He wore the armor of the Twelve Golden Men and held a powerful bow from the armory, already nocked and drawn, aiming again at his foe.

He understood that Feng Fei was less than ten paces from breaking through the encirclement. She would never turn her back and run; her only path to survival was to charge directly at him and eliminate him.

Su Yi was unlike the soldiers below. To him, slaying Feng Fei was the only thing that mattered. Collateral damage—hostages, allies—was not his concern. There must always be sacrifice when eradicating evil.

Having broken through his spiritual barrier and reached the ranks of first-class martial artists, Su Yi found that the fusion of mind, internal energy, and physical strength had taken his archery to new heights. In game terms, his accuracy had improved dramatically. Within fifty or sixty meters, he could strike precisely where he aimed—if he shot for your thumb, he would never hit your forefinger. With that confidence, he knew the risk of friendly fire was minimal.

Without a trace of hesitation, Su Yi loosed arrow after arrow at every vulnerable spot on Feng Fei’s body.

Feng Fei seethed with fury. Though she held a massive human shield, she had to evade not only the attacks of two expert monks and their companions but also the arrows of this uncanny marksman. He exploited the tiniest openings, threatening her at every turn. Just when escape seemed within reach, disaster struck again.

To defend against the deadly arrows, Feng Fei was forced to split her focus. Hauling a man weighing several hundred pounds was a massive burden, and Jingyue and Jingru were formidable opponents, aided by several skilled disciples. Thus, the mere ten paces to freedom became a nightmare; wound after wound opened on Feng Fei’s body until she was drenched in blood.

———

Earlier—

Guan Shan led the members of the five great escort agencies in a grand procession down Zuo Street in Xingning Ward.

After waiting under the sun for some time, a scruffy fellow hurried over and handed Guan Shan another letter.

After reading it, the other agency leaders crowded around. “Well, old man, what’s it say?”

“Yeah, they have us running here and there without ever telling us what’s going on. If it weren’t for the money, I’d already be home in bed.”

“See for yourselves,” Guan Shan replied, his expression odd, passing the letter around.

As the letter made its rounds, everyone quickly understood its contents.

“The authorities are hunting a murderer, and our employers want the five great agencies to help secure the area so the culprit can’t escape?” Thunder-hand Gong Kun of the Long Wind Agency could scarcely believe his eyes.

“Whatever. If they’re paying, they’re the boss. Who cares what the bastard’s thinking? We take the money and do the job.”

“True enough,” Guan Shan nodded. “Since all of you know what’s at stake, I won’t waste words. Let’s coordinate our agencies and make sure every exit from Xingping Ward is covered. Don’t let the criminal slip through. Be careful—the employer says there are experts among the fugitives.”

“We’ll follow your lead, old man.”

“No matter how skilled this crook is, he can’t fly, can he? We’re not made of straw, and if we all shout together, he won’t escape even with wings.”