amaotonovel Chapter 456 Danger
Chapter 456 Danger
Chapter 456
It wasn't that she was timid; it was simply the closest she had ever been to death. She felt a chilling chill suddenly lock onto her like a venomous snake, and every hair on her body instantly stood on end. In this life-or-death situation, Ye Yunzhou's command came, and she obeyed almost instinctively.
Chun Xing ran to her side in two steps, and checked Luo Shuiyao's body back and forth with trembling hands. After confirming that she was not injured, her tense body suddenly relaxed.
She turned to look at the arrow still crackling in the fire—the shaft had long since been engulfed in flames, leaving only the charred tail still struggling to burn. She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger. "You scared me to death! Don't worry, young lady. I will definitely find that thief!"
Before he finished speaking, he was about to rush towards the direction where the arrow came from.
"Stop! Don't be impulsive!"
Ye Yunzhou stopped her and scanned the surroundings with a hawk-like gaze. "You stay here and protect the young lady. Don't leave!"
He turned to look at the guards beside him and said in a deep voice, "All of you, spread out in a fan shape and search the forest carefully. Be sure to be careful of hidden weapons!"
"Yes!" The guards clasped their fists in unison, unsheathed their long swords, the blades reflecting the leaping flames, and sneaked into the depths of the dense forest in groups of three.
As they walked further and further away, an eerie silence fell all around them, with only the crackling of flames and the occasional chirping of insects as the sounds.
Ye Yunzhou silently took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders. His fingertips brushed against her cold wrist, and his brows furrowed even tighter: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Luo Shuiyao nodded, pressed her pale lips into a straight line, and tried hard to suppress the slight trembling of her fingertips.
She bent down and picked up the half-charred arrow tail. The rough feathers were still stained with wet mucus, and they glowed an eerie green in the firelight. "This arrow came from a strange place. We left the capital only a few days ago and have kept a low profile throughout the journey. We haven't had any conflicts with anyone."
She suddenly clenched the arrow's tail, her knuckles turning white from the force. "Besides, that chill I felt just now—it's clear someone is targeting me like a sitting duck. Who is it? They want to kill me!"
Ye Yunzhou crouched down to meet her eye level, his palm resting on the back of her cool hand, his fingertips gently stroking it soothingly. He waited until her tense shoulders relaxed slightly before taking the arrow tail from her hand. His brow furrowed in the flickering candlelight. The arrow tail looked ordinary, but where the feather met the shaft, a dark red thread was wrapped around half a circle, tied with a distinctive cross knot, a marking technique commonly used by the Southern Barbarian Army.
"There is indeed something fishy."
He picked up the thread between his fingertips, the dark red thread glistening in the firelight. "The Southern Barbarian Army has always marked arrows with hidden marks, so they can count the number of enemies killed after the battle."
Before he finished speaking, a faint, strange fragrance suddenly reached his nose. He brought the arrow tail close to his nose, sniffing carefully, and his pupils suddenly contracted - the smell was pungent with a hint of sweetness, just like...
Before Ye Yunzhou could even recall the scent, a shrill wolf howl suddenly echoed from the nearby mountains, piercing the night like a steel needle. Then, from deep within the dense forest, the crisp sound of weapons clashing echoed, accompanied by the guards' terrified cries: "Run! There are wolves!"
"It's the beast-attracting powder!" Ye Yunzhou's face suddenly changed, and the tail of the arrow in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
He caught a glimpse of the dark green wolf eyes flickering in the forest, and suddenly grabbed Luo Shuiyao's cold wrist, lifted her up horizontally, and ran towards the carriage on tiptoe. Behind them came the muffled sound of wolves biting, and the fishy wind wrapped in grass and wood debris hit their backs.
Before he finished speaking, dark green wolf pupils emerged from the depths of the dense forest, forming a terrifying light band in the night. Chun Xing screamed and pulled out her whip, but Ye Yunzhou pushed her away: "Protect the young lady!"
He jumped into the air on tiptoe, and pulled out a soft sword from somewhere. The sword flashed with silver light and accurately stabbed the throat of the wolf leader who was the first to be hit.
The wolf was tall, nearly half a man's height, its fur sleek and shiny, a pack leader who had experienced many battles. Its amber pupils narrowed slightly, and after smelling the blood on Ye Yunzhou's sword, it curled its lips in a human-like manner, then suddenly leaped back.
The sword that Ye Yunzhou thrust out barely grazed its ribs, only shaving off a few strands of wolf hair with a metallic luster.
The wolf head stood firmly after landing on the ground, digging the soil with its front paws and whimpering softly, with fishy saliva dripping from between its sharp fangs, staring intently at the "two-legged beast" in front of it holding a sharp blade.
Ye Yunzhou stomped his toes hard on the ground, using the momentum to leap up, creating a gust of wind. He reached out and grabbed a half-burned piece of firewood beside the fire, and threw it with all his might towards the surging wolves.
The burning wood streaked through the night, shooting towards the fire like a meteor. The wolves, already afraid of fire, whimpered in fear at the sight of the burning wood, retreating in a hurry to avoid it, their attack instantly stopped.
Ye Yunzhou had no intention of engaging in a fight with them. Not to mention his chances of winning against a pack of wolves alone, he had previously injured his arm to avoid arousing Luo Shuiyao's suspicion. This injury might be bearable under normal circumstances, but now in danger, every tiny movement could become a fatal weakness.
In this way, staying for a moment longer will increase the danger.
He immediately turned around, stretched out his long arms, and lifted up Luo Shuiyao behind him. He tapped the ground with his toes and rushed towards the carriage like an arrow.
Before this, Chun Xing had received Ye Yunzhou's signal and jumped onto the carriage swiftly.
Ye Yunzhou ran to the carriage with Luo Shuiyao in his arms. Without saying anything, he lifted her up and quickly stuffed her into the carriage. Then, he turned abruptly and slapped the horse's buttocks hard with his palm.
The horse neighed in pain, raised its four hooves and galloped out of the forest.
Everything happened so suddenly! Luo Shuiyao barely had time to react before she collapsed to the ground in the violently jolting carriage.
At this time, Ye Yunzhou's voice mixed with the whistling wind came: "Get out of the forest as soon as possible, hurry up, and don't come back! I'll come find you after I finish here!"
The carriage sped along the rugged path through the forest, its wheels rumbling over gravel. Luo Shuiyao struggled to her feet, her hands tightly gripping the copper door ring, her nails digging into her palms. The bumpy ride rocked her several times, and she nearly fell, only gritting her teeth to brace herself against the door.
He wanted to peek outside to see what was going on, but he was worried that the noise would distract Chun Xing who was driving.
After much hesitation, she finally gritted her teeth and leaned halfway out of the carriage door. The howling night wind, carrying the strong smell of grass and trees, lashed her face. The carriage was jolting so hard it was practically falling apart, and the vibrations of the wheels rolling over gravel radiated through her fingertips.
Deep in the dense forest behind her, the sounds of wolf howls and weapons clashing rose and fell, sometimes far away, sometimes near. She gripped the shaft of the cart so tightly that her fingers turned white as paper. She opened her mouth to shout, but the wind carried her voice away, leaving only a sob that faded into the night.