Chapter 4: The Grievance of Bone Injuries

As Xuanjing turned back to take a look, he was struck with an overwhelming shock, for he saw a gray eagle sitting behind Princess Jiuhe, holding a long sword, once again having her life firmly in his grasp

Princess Jiu, however, remained remarkably calm. She thought to herself: I refuse to believe that he has the courage to harm me. Thus, she spoke up, saying: "If you harm even a single hair on my body, it would be a grave sin that implicates your entire clan. You must clearly understand the severity of this matter. Oh dear!"

As the people of Kazakhstan were immersed in the moment of life and death loyalty, Princess Jiuhe suddenly felt a chill around her neck, her arm being gripped by someone, and she couldn't help but cry out in surprise again

The gaze of the falcon gradually returned to normal, and he said loudly: "Good men and worthy opponents, let us shake hands and make peace, and no longer engage in combat." After manipulating the broken bone of Princess Jiuhe a couple of times, the princess let out a cry of agony as the dislocated bone was reattached. She took a few breaths and nodded, saying: "Let it be as you say."

Li Linhong was secretly worried, thinking: These Kazakhs truly do not know what is good for them. Although we seem to have the upper hand on the surface, the enemy is strong while we are weak. If they disregard the hostages and charge at us all at once to kill, we would be utterly unable to withstand it

The eagle, in a hurry, did not understand and asked: "What?"

The Mongolian soldiers freed their hands, drew their crossbows, and retaliated against the Kazakhs. At this moment, the crowd had already found cover and occasionally countered with arrows. However, the Mongolian soldiers found it easy to load their crossbows, which were more powerful than longbows. Although the Kazakhs were brave, they continued to have people struck by arrows and fall to the ground

Li Linhong couldn't help but slap his forehead, feeling utterly frustrated and cursing inwardly: "This fool really has no memory. Is he determined to push the Emperor into the fire pit?"

Suddenly, his short sword was yanked by a powerful force, nearly slipping from his grasp. He turned around abruptly and saw Xuanjing hovering nearby, seemingly trying to grasp something in the air, with a fierce energy clinging to his short sword. A flash of insight struck him, and he realized the gravity of the situation, knowing that this person possessed extraordinary martial skills, capable of employing a technique akin to striking a cow from across a mountain. Without time to think further, he summoned all his strength and slashed the short sword towards the princess's neck.

He exclaimed in disbelief: "You. How are you not dead?"

The hawk dismounted from her steed, walking steadily without looking back, heading towards her companions. He knew that the Mongols placed great importance on promises; if they were to go back on their word, it would be an indelible shame, thus he had no concern that they would break their promise

At this moment, the eagle calmed down, hurriedly dodged the flying arrows, ran to Li Linhong's side, and asked: "Your Majesty, are you well?"

However, with such thoughts in mind, the current situation is unforgiving. If this person does not die soon, one must serve him well to avoid provoking his anger, lest he take it out on Jiu and the princess.

He was determined, employing his agility to dodge like a wild rabbit amidst the rain of arrows, approaching the enemy lines. He pretended to attack the princess, taking advantage of the enemy's momentary distraction, leaping onto his horse, and swiftly targeting the swordsman. The swordsman cursed, "What a shameless act," as he turned to evade, narrowly escaping the fierce assault of the eagle. At that moment, the eagle sensed a powerful gust of palm wind pressing down like a mountain avalanche.

Xuanjing let out a long sigh, leaped off his horse, and lamented: "Little brother, if you harm my beloved disciple, I swear that if I can survive this, I will use every means at my disposal to eliminate all the Kazakh people in the world"

She suddenly let out a sharp scream, the bones in her arm making a crisp sound, and the pain nearly caused her to faint. She struggled to open her eyes and saw that her right arm was hanging limply by her side, already broken by this madman with a brutal force.

At this moment, the princess had calmed down considerably and thought to herself: I have finally persuaded my father, the king, to allow me to lead these desert heroes in search of treasure, so we must not lose the face of our Khanate. She then smiled and said: "From now on, this young brother shall be the captain of a hundred men. Upon our return, he will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold and granted a beautiful woman in marriage"

But with a long howl, a man stood in front of the princess, blocking the short sword with his long sword. The two immense forces collided, and the eagle could no longer maintain its grip, causing the short sword to slip from its hand. At the same time, it received a kick to the chest, letting out a low grunt as it rolled and fell to the side

Li Linhong shouted angrily: "Finally, I didn't let you down."

Li Shuxiu was extremely hesitant. Although her martial arts skills were high, she had a genuinely kind heart and had rarely taken a life in her lifetime. On this day, De had no enmity with her, and at this moment, he was completely defenseless, making it even harder for her to strike. She was at a loss, and in an instant, she trembled all over, revealing a woman's frail demeanor

The long sword of the hawk flashed suddenly, as if by magic, into his right hand, while his left hand grasped the left arm of Princess Jiuhe. He murmured, "This arm is as thin as a chicken's claw; it would break with a mere squeeze. How outrageous."

She looked at the eagle with a pleading gaze, then glanced at the Daoist Master Xuanjing, who was close at hand. Daoist Master Xuanjing coughed and said: "You are a master of a generation, naturally above such acts of bullying the weak. I suggest we each take a step back, turn hostility into friendship, and shake hands to make peace. What do you think?"

The soaring eagle trembled with excitement and shouted: "I, your humble servant, have no objections; I do not know how Your Majesty intends to decide." This statement was naturally directed at Zhao Sheng

Once these words were spoken, they surprisingly elicited a chorus of agreement from the Kazakhs. Li Linhong, standing by, was left dumbfounded; he thought: Are these Kazakhs really so stubborn? This is not just a poor strategy, it is utterly foolish. If Brother Li were to escape, these people might still serve as hostages, prolonging their lives. If he remains here, it would truly be a waste of his life

Seizing the moment when the Mongolian warriors engaged with the golden eagle, Li Shuxiu executed her lightness skill, darting into the enemy ranks like a flying swallow. With a gentle tremor of her long sword, she swiftly struck the wrists of the Mongolians, knocking down several crossbows in an instant, and effortlessly kicked a few Tatars off their horses.

Xuanjing was quite frustrated, but then thought: This person must be holding on with great effort. My golden flower is renowned in the martial world, and those who oppose it will surely perish. How deep can this young man's skills be? I see he is already gravely injured and will soon meet his end.

Li Shuxiu let out a light reprimand, her long sword executed fierce and intricate moves, changing direction in a myriad of ways. The swordsman was unable to defend against her, and the long sword was wrested from his hand by Li Shuxiu. Seizing the opportunity, she performed a move called "Iron Circle Sweeping Leg," striking the swordsman squarely on the cheek. He let out a miserable cry and fell heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, unable to rise for a moment.

The eagle replied, "Your strike was misaligned. I spat out a couple of mouthfuls of blood, but at this moment, I am no longer in serious trouble"

The Cangying repeatedly apologized, then turned to assess the situation in the arena, secretly thinking: this Xuanjing possesses remarkable skills, fortunately due to his high status, he is not taking action at this moment. As for the swordsman fighting against Li Shuxiu, he is likely a disciple of Xuanjing. It seems I must assist Li Shuxiu in eliminating this person, and then we can join forces to confront Xuanjing.

The surviving Kazakh warrior walked up to her, and Lap stood fearlessly in front of her, saying: "Brother Li, you go ahead. Go back and tell my father that I, Lap, have never feared death. And Aman, tell her not to wait for me; if you have the heart, then marry her as your wife."

The face of the hawk twisted into a delicate yet hysterical expression, mumbling incoherently about something unknown. The Mongolian soldiers roared in unison, their eyes filled with murderous intent, yet they could only force themselves to hold back. The mysterious mirror was about three zhang away from him, and he could have used the Void Capture technique to seize the enemy's long sword, but at this moment, being injured and with his power compromised, he had very little confidence and therefore dared not act recklessly

Xuanjing looked at his fallen and unconscious disciple, feeling a myriad of emotions in his heart, and glanced at Princess Jiuhe. After a moment of silence, the princess said: "I will let you go, and you will release Brother Tiande."

Li Shuxiu pointed his sword at the throat of the swordsman and said to the group of Mongolian Tatars: "Put down your crossbows, or I will kill him"

Li Shuxiu glanced sideways at the eagle, noticing it remained motionless, which stirred a wave of sorrow within her. Upon witnessing the formidable power of the Xuanjing, her expression changed, and she gripped her long sword even tighter.

Li Shuxiu angrily said, "Hand over the murderer and return the treasure map to us." As she spoke, she thrust her long sword forward, pressing it against the skin of Tiande's neck, applying just enough force to nearly draw blood. The Kazakh people behind her jumped out one after another, loudly cheering her on, each face filled with indignation.

Seeing such a scene, Princess Jiu could not help but feel a surge of anger. She thought to herself: Do they really think this princess is afraid of them? Thus, she coldly said: "Master Xuanjing, Brother Tiande died heroically in battle. When I return, I will certainly reward your entire Quanzhen Sect handsomely. I will count to ten, and if she does not release her, I will order the execution of all these people, leaving not a single one alive."

Li Shuxiu felt a deep sorrow in her heart and wanted to express her true feelings to the one she loved, but she found it difficult to voice them. After some contemplation, she gritted her teeth and said: "I will die here with all of you. We have long agreed to live and die together, and I have no reason to survive alone"

The Cangying turned and struck to block, simultaneously throwing the short sword, not aimed at the swordsman, but at the Xuanjing who was extending his palm from afar. Xuanjing never anticipated that this person could be so cunning; at that moment, he exerted all his strength in his palm strike, leaving his defense weak. With a hissing sound, the short sword pierced into Xuanjing's side, instantly causing blood to flow profusely. At the same time, his palm force struck Cangying, sending him flying like shattered stones.

Xuanjing pulled the short sword out from the wound, struck the acupoint in mid-air to stop the bleeding, and laughed, "This little rascal is quite cunning, yet he actually managed to injure me. However, after receiving my Golden Flower Unfalling Palm, I fear he has already met Yan Wang at this very moment"

At this moment, another Mongolian soldier wielding a long sword had already entangled Li Shuxiu, and the two were executing intricate moves, making it difficult to determine a clear victor. The eagle-eyed observer recognized that this person was the one who had just blocked the sword for the princess. Xuanjing watched from the side, stroking his beard and smiling, surprisingly calm.

The eagle, panting heavily, had its eyes wide open, yet it stubbornly kept its mouth shut, uttering not a single word, and its mere appearance nearly frightened both the Ninth Prince and the Princess to death

Xuanjing took out a scroll of map, sighed deeply, and with a gentle wave, the thin paper flew towards Li Shuxiu like a gust of wind and fire, suddenly plummeting and piercing into the ground like an iron pestle, sinking several inches deep; such power truly inspires immense awe

Xuanjing mistakenly thought that he was speaking to Princess Jiuhe, and thought to himself: This person wants to surrender, which makes things much easier. However, he has confused the titles, likely because such a rude person cannot distinguish these flowery phrases. Therefore, he spoke in a gentle and pleasant manner: "Princess, what do you think we should do"

He was also extremely fortunate; just as he stabilized his declining momentum, the hilt of the short sword fortuitously returned to his hand. A surge of joy filled his heart as he noticed a flash of silver light before him. He quickly brandished the short sword, deflecting the arrows that were shot towards him.

A person ran past the苍鹰 and helped him up. When he turned around, he saw that it was the young Kazakh named Lap. Lap praised, "What a good brother, a true hero." He then drew his long bow and suddenly shot an arrow, hitting a Mongolian soldier squarely in the head.

Princess Jiu could no longer suppress the fear in her heart, and with a loud cry, she exclaimed: "I will agree to anything you ask, I will agree to anything you ask."

Among the Mongolian warriors, two men jumped off their horses and shouted in crude Chinese: "To kill is to pay with your life." At the same time, they drew their daggers and, with a thud, plunged them into their own chests, letting out two muffled groans before falling to the ground, dying instantly, without a moment's hesitation. They truly were warriors who regarded death as a return to their homeland.