Cui Sanyi, upon hearing that Cui Dana intended to personally intervene, was overjoyed. "Yes, yes, sir, if you personally handle this, you'll surely be able to resolve it."
As he walked home, Cui Dana instructed, "Pass the word down. Starting tomorrow, do not go into the mountains to pick fruit. When I return, I will make Chen Xiaobei return everything, with interest."
In the blink of an eye, the sun began to set.
At this moment, on Green Ox Mountain.
Liu Yuanwu arrived before the steep slope. Looking at the near-vertical incline, Ma Biao cautiously surveyed the surroundings.
Liu Yuanwu, however, was calm. He pointed to the distant patch of woods and said, "The only place to hide is over there, but it's thirty zhang away from us, so it poses no threat."
Ma Biao finally nodded. "Second Young Master is correct. We will rest in that patch of woods for the night and depart tomorrow."
After speaking, Ma Biao ordered his men to secure the ropes and was the first to descend.
Upon landing, Ma Biao was still uneasy and strode towards the dense forest.
Liu Yuanwu, on the steep slope, laughed heartily. "Military Advisor Ma, you are overly cautious."
With that, he grabbed the rope, ready to descend.
At this moment, in the dense forest.
Da Lao Hei and the others became excited.
Da Lao Hei held up a portrait of Liu Yuanwu. "Brothers, it must be him."
Li Tong shook his head. "Big Brother, we only have one chance. If we miss, there's no recovering."
Xiong Fei also appeared somewhat worried. "Yes, from this distance, we can't see his face clearly."
Yang Chun, however, smiled slightly. "You guys still haven't observed closely enough. He's wearing a brocade robe, while everyone else is in black. And the person who descended with him was talking the entire time."
"Logically, it's impossible for Liu Yuanwu himself to descend first, so the second one to descend must be Liu Yuanwu."
"Exactly, exactly! Look, the person descending is heading this way. We need to hurry, or we'll miss our chance," Hou Liu also whispered.
Seeing that someone was approaching, regardless of whether the person in the brocade robe was the target, an arrow had to be loosed. Otherwise, their day-long ambush would be in vain.
All eyes were focused on Li Tong, the Iron Arm Divine Fist.
Li Tong drew his bow, nocked an arrow, held his breath, and carefully aimed into the distance, and aimed again.
Then, his expression became serious. "Swish." The arrow flew rapidly into the distance.
Li Tong then shot three more arrows in quick succession, a speed that was astonishing.
Ma Biao was approaching when suddenly his vision blurred, and he heard the sound of blades cutting through the air. Upon closer inspection, several points of cold light flew into the distance. His heart leaped, and he shouted, "Be careful!"
Hearing his shout, Liu Yuanwu turned his head. A point of cold light, reflecting the last rays of the sun, was already upon him. Liu Yuanwu flicked his wrist, twisting his body in mid-air.
With a crisp "ding."
An arrow grazed his body and embedded itself fiercely into the cliff face.
"What strength in your arm!" Liu Yuanwu couldn't help but exclaim.
Before his thought was finished, he heard the sound of blades cutting through the air again. His expression tightened, and he twisted his body again.
Unfortunately, he had overlooked one thing: the rope was fixed above. The further he twisted to the side, the higher his body would effectively rise, requiring more force.
He was just a fraction too slow.
"Puff, puff."
Two muffled thuds. Two arrows, one piercing his chest and the other lodging in his shoulder.
His arms in pain, Liu Yuanwu could no longer hold the rope. His grip loosened, and he plummeted straight down the steep slope.
Seeing this from the slope, Zhang Qian and the others were petrified.
Zhang Qian drew his sword with a clang, grabbed the rope, and descended rapidly, landing beside Liu Yuanwu.
Liu Yuanwu, meanwhile, was already spitting blood and had lost consciousness.
In the dense forest, Da Lao Hei and the others rejoiced at their success. "Brothers, retreat quickly! Someone is coming."
Seeing Liu Yuanwu fall, Ma Biao had no time to investigate further. He drew his sword and charged into the dense forest.
Li Tong calmly nocked three arrows and aimed at the charging Ma Biao. With a rapid "swish, swish, swish," he unleashed three volleys, then another three, and another three. Nine arrows formed a veritable wall, flying towards Ma Biao.
Ma Biao, being a top expert, saw this situation and let out a soft roar. His body abruptly rose more than a zhang.
The arrows whizzed past his shoe soles.
"Nine Arrows God Seal!" Ma Biao couldn't help but exclaim. After landing, he did not advance rashly but rapidly retreated.
"Quickly take the Second Young Master away!"
Hearing his command, Zhang Qian did not dare to delay. He tied the rope around Liu Yuanwu, calling for those above to pull him up quickly.
By the time Ma Biao arrived, Liu Yuanwu had already been pulled up the slope.
Then, a tug on the rope from above, and Ma Biao and Zhang Qian returned to the slope one after another.
"Military Advisor Ma, what's the situation ahead?"
Ma Biao sighed. "The opposition ahead is formidable, using the Nine Arrows God Seal technique."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qian was also startled. "Are they from the Li family of Southern Xinjiang?"
"Yes, I dared not advance recklessly."
After speaking, Ma Biao lowered his head to examine Liu Yuanwu's injuries.
Upon closer inspection, his expression suddenly turned solemn, and he reached out to feel Liu Yuanwu's neck.
"Quickly prepare to treat the Second Young Master."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Yuanwu suddenly opened his eyes. "Don't waste your effort. I'm beyond saving. Take them and retreat quickly. Go, find Ru Mei, and have her avenge me."
After saying this, Liu Yuanwu's neck went limp, his eyes closed, and he died.
Everyone present was deeply moved. They had set off with high spirits from the distant capital to Qingniu County, only to meet disaster at the outset, with their main general shot dead upon entering Qingniu Mountain.
Ma Biao wiped the tears from his eyes, then took a piece of clothing to bandage Liu Yuanwu's wounds.
"Zhang Qian, take the men and escort the Second Young Master down first. I will stay behind to cover the retreat."
Zhang Qian shook his head. "Brother Ma, let me stay. I know what needs to be done."
Ma Biao pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Just make sure you see who it is. Do not advance rashly."
Zhang Qian, with tears in his eyes, nodded. "I understand. Revenge can wait ten years."
Ma Biao stood up, carried Liu Yuanwu on his back, and suddenly let out a roar towards the sky. It was a roar of deep helplessness.
Da Lao Hei and his men, who had retreated deep into the forest, heard the roar from behind and exchanged glances, unable to suppress a smile.
Xiong Fei gloated. "Don't worry, shot twice, there's no chance of survival."
"Big Brother, can we go and collect our reward from Xiao Cui'er now?" Hou Liu nearby chirped gleefully.
Da Lao Hei glared at him. It was clearly inappropriate to mention that at this moment, especially in front of Li Tong.
Li Tong, however, was calm. "The enemy's commander is dead. They will most likely descend the mountain immediately. We don't need to go further in. When it gets dark, we should also hurry down the mountain."
At the third watch, Liu Ce returned and knocked on Liu Ru Mei's door, weeping uncontrollably.