The attire of these people was something Meng Shaode remembered clearly; they were the same villains who had captured his daughter.
"Shaode, you must be extremely careful." This time Cai Lihua did not object. Her daughter had given up her lifelong happiness for their family; how could she possibly be afraid now?
"How dare you!" Eunuch Zhou interrupted.
"Do you little girl know the crime this person has committed? Is it something for a commoner like you to beg for mercy?"
After speaking, Eunuch Zhou felt he had overstepped and quickly turned to the old man, clasping his hands in apology.
"Sir, this servant simply could not bear to see it. This girl is..."
Whoosh! Five feather arrows streaked through the air, with Eunuch Zhou as their primary target, striking him directly in the chest.
The other four fell to the ground. They tried to force themselves up, but the feather arrows with their hardened tungsten steel heads had pierced through their bodies. As they stood, they swayed and then crashed down.
"Guard... guard the Emperor!" Eunuch Zhou's last words were cut short as he spat a mouthful of bloody foam and instantly lost his breath.
Ajiu was instantly terrified, but without thinking, she knew it was her father's arrows.
She turned her head slowly to see her mother rushing out. "Jiu'er..."
"You dare touch my daughter, you all will die..." Meng Shaode's eyes were bloodshot. Five feather arrows flew out, one after another, his movements swift.
The old man retreated in fear, protected by over twenty guards.
"Ah Die..." Ajiu was stunned, standing there and looking towards the forest. Feather arrows whizzed past her ears, and the people behind her fell.
In that moment, it felt as if she were in a hail of bullets, yet she remained unharmed.
"Ajiu, run with your mother..." A pair of hands grabbed Ajiu amidst the chaos, and they fled.
Ajiu looked back. She felt she had been too reckless and caused trouble. But as she turned, she saw Zhao Kun leap into the air with a whoosh.
His clothes fluttered in the wind. His body visibly shed its skin and flesh at an astonishing speed. Under the red light, Zhao Kun's body emitted a metallic sheen, blindingly bright.
With internal and external threats arriving simultaneously, the guards, while protecting the old man, searching for Meng Shaode's position, and pursuing Ajiu and her mother, were thrown into disarray. They could only turn their attention to Zhao Kun first.
Clang! Ding! A saber struck Zhao Kun's shoulder.
Zhao Kun smiled eerily. "Foolish humans."
This scene sent the guards fleeing.
"A demon, a demon..."
Even the old man's initial calm demeanor changed.
"Mother, look..." Ajiu said as she ran.
Whoosh! Suddenly, Ajiu felt a weight in her hand. She glanced sideways and saw her mother collapse. Behind her stood a guard with a long saber raised.
"Mother..." Before Ajiu could even cry out, the long saber was positioned directly over her nose, as if about to cleave her in two.
"Run, run... In this world, there are no good people... Remember, run... Hurry!" Cai Lihua struggled to get up, but her head hit the ground heavily.
Clang!
A person with a metallic sheen appeared before Ajiu. His features were no longer distinguishable.
The one holding the saber looked at the blade embedded in this person and immediately scrambled away in terror.
"General, come back. The space in this world collapsed long ago in the flow of time."
The voice he emitted was not human at all.
He stood before Ajiu like steel. The more than thirty guards were already terrified.
They stood with their backs to the old man, warily vigilant.
Ajiu, frightened, retreated. Grabbing her mother's hand, she pulled with all her might. "Mother, wake up. Our family cannot be separated again."
"Jiu'er sister, I am here. I will always protect you."
"Jiu'er, I really didn't want to be separated from you."
"I'm not good with words..."
"Jiu'er sister, look, I brought you something to eat."
"I didn't want to kill anyone, but when I saw you being bullied, my mind went blank. I couldn't help it... Jiu'er, please don't blame me, okay?"
Ajiu missed him. His every smile and expression was so mischievous and innocent. No one would have guessed he was a demon.
"Capture him, capture this demon!" The old man stared, dumbfounded. Was there truly someone whom even a saber could not kill?
It must be a demon; it was a demon for sure. When things deviated from the norm, there was always a cause.
"Zhao Kun, kill them for me."
A voice, accompanied by a faint red glow, seemed to come from all directions, as if whispered in her ear, yet also from afar.