Yun Si Man's face changed in alarm, "Not good, those people are catching up..."
So, the Sui Zhi assassins had been lurking in the shadows, secretly following them. Seeing that the two were about to reach Harila City, the assassins decided to eliminate them once and for all. After all, if they returned to Na Risongde, they would never get another chance...
Xiao Xin Ling, hearing this, broke out in a cold sweat, "Th-then what should we do now?" She had told this Yun Lao Si before that impersonating Princess Xia Qing was a terrible idea, but Si Man wouldn't listen... Now look, there were over a hundred assassins rushing at them. Even with Yun Si Man's exceptional martial arts, he couldn't possibly defeat them all... If they took turns punching him, he'd be finished.
"Don't panic!" Yun Si Man narrowed his eyes and pushed Xiao Xin Ling, "You go sit securely in the carriage, leave the rest to me!" Honestly, Yun Si Man himself wasn't very confident... On this vast grassland, with no villages or settlements in sight, not a single living soul could be seen. Once they were caught by those assassins, he and Xin Ling would surely die.
Xiao Xin Ling bit her lip, "No, I want to fight alongside you. If we must die, let's die together..." Although her words were brave, Xiao Xin Ling was already terrified. Her pretty face was as pale as paper, and she trembled all over, clinging tightly to Yun Si Man's arm.
"They are ahead, we must kill them this time..." "Hurry up, the master wants us to report back soon, we don't have time to waste with them!~" "Charge, charge, kill them all together!" "......" Hundreds of Sui Zhi assassins galloped on horseback, brandishing their gleaming curved sabers, drawing closer and closer to the carriage.
Xiao Xin Ling felt around her. She didn't have any defensive weapons on her, only a dagger given to her by Si Man... Xiao Xin Ling would only take it out when absolutely necessary. Besides, close-quarters combat wasn't her specialty...
"Si, Si Man, hurry and think of a way!~" Xiao Xin Ling was on the verge of tears. Yun Si Man glanced back, then, holding the reins with one hand, he took out a delicate small crossbow from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Xin Ling, "Take this and shoot them..."
Xiao Xin Ling: "???" What was this thing? Why did it look so strange? "I, I don't know how to use it!~" "It's very simple, aim at them and pull this here..." Yun Si Man said. If he wasn't focused on driving, he would have loved to try out this crossbow. The main reason was that Xiao Xin Ling's driving skills were too poor, and Si Man didn't trust her with the carriage.
"Si Man, I've never seen such a small crossbow in my life!~" Xiao Xin Ling played with the crossbow in her hand, her face full of curiosity. Yun Si Man: "......" Of all times, you're still interested in studying a crossbow?
"If you don't shoot now, it'll be too late!~" Yun Si Man said sternly. This crossbow was something he had researched and developed with his sister... When Yun Si Man returned to Dashui Village during the New Year, he had nothing to do and wanted to invent a self-defense weapon. This weapon didn't need to be large, it just needed to fit into his sleeve. It was Xiao Xi Tian who had a flash of inspiration, found many parts, and designed the crossbow's blueprint. The finished product was made in just half a month... This was a ten-shot crossbow. Instead of short arrows, it was loaded with hundreds of silver needles coated with potent poison. Anyone hit by a poisoned needle would die within half an incense stick's time. To ensure safety, Yun Si Man had always kept the crossbow on him and never taken it out to show off...
Xiao Xin Ling said "Oh," turned around, aimed at an approaching assassin, and pulled the trigger. With a "咻" sound, a poisoned needle shot through the air and instantly pierced the assassin's chest. The latter fell directly from his horse, rolled a couple of times on the ground, and then died... "Whoa, this thing is really amazing!~" Xiao Xin Ling exclaimed. Yun Si Man, hearing this, beamed with pride, "Of course, this is a weapon designed by my sister, the only one in the world..."
The two horses pulling the carriage ran desperately forward, but even so, they couldn't outrun the fast horses behind them. Xiao Xin Ling killed about ten assassins in one go, feeling her blood surge and her spirit soar... The assassin leader, seeing his subordinates fall one by one, was so angry his eyes turned red, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and surround the carriage!~" He felt something was not right. When Xiao Xin Ling looked back earlier, she wasn't wearing a veil. The assassin leader took a quick glance and realized this woman was clearly not Xia Qing, but a very ordinary girl from the Central Plains... Then all their painstaking efforts to chase her here were in vain?
"Si, Si Man!" Xiao Xin Ling twitched her mouth, "They, they seem to have discovered I was impersonating..." Yun Si Man heard this and curved his lips, "So what if they found out? They are too stupid to realize it only when they're almost at their doorstep!~" Once they reached Harila City, Na Risongde would naturally find a way to deal with these assassins. If possible, Yun Si Man also wanted to go to the palace and talk to Na Risongde face to face... After all, the Sui Zhi people had no enmity with the Central Plains people; everything was secretly orchestrated by Queen Jila. If the culprit could be found, Si Man could happily take Xiao Xin Ling back to the capital to report.
"Damn it!~" the assassin leader cursed, grinding his teeth, "You two scoundrels dare to deceive me! Today I will cut you into a thousand pieces and scatter your ashes!" "Someone, bring out the arrows!" "Yes!" The assassins were elites of the grassland, and riding and archery were their essential skills... As long as the two horses pulling the carriage were shot dead, Si Man and Xin Ling, even with wings, couldn't escape this grassland.
"Fire!~" With a command, dozens of sharp arrowheads rained down like threads, piercing through the air... Yun Si Man frowned, quickly dropped the reins, and reached out to lift Xiao Xin Ling by the waist. "Ah ah! Wh-what are you doing?" Xiao Xin Ling screamed. Yun Si Man had no time to explain. Just as the two horses were about to be turned into porcupines by the arrows, he kicked hard and flew directly from the carriage shaft... The moment his feet touched the ground, the carriage heavily crashed into a boulder, instantly shattering into pieces. If he had been a second slower, he and Xiao Xin Ling would have been turned into meat paste.
The assassin leader caught up, looked up, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, where do you think you can run now?" Yun Si Man put Xiao Xin Ling down, glanced into the distance, and his dim eyes suddenly lit up...