Chapter 554: End of the Road
Ye Qianning’s heart jumped. She shoved him aside and threw herself to the right.
The man in black’s sword struck empty air. He pivoted and lunged at Ye Qianning on the ground.
Ye Qianning scrambled backward. Though she moved quickly, the sword still pierced her calf. Pain shot through her body in an instant.
The man in black’s eyes were ice-cold, showing not a shred of pity as he twisted the tip of his sword in her calf.
Ye Qianning bit her lip so hard that blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She let out a few muffled grunts but refused to scream.
"You’ve got a lot of backbone for a kid," the man in black said coldly.
"Ye Qianning!" Sang Zhi’s face was deathly pale as he grabbed a stick from the ground and swung it at the man in black. "Let her go! If you’re going to kill someone, kill me!"
Ye Qianning’s expression hardened. "Stay back!"
But Sang Zhi paid her no mind.
The man in black merely flicked his wrist, sending the stick in Sang Zhi’s hand flying.
Without hesitating, Sang Zhi grabbed the assassin’s arm and bit down. But in the man’s eyes, the attack was laughable, worthy only of contempt. He looked at the boy as if he were a dying ant, struggling in its final moments.
The assassin raised a hand, seized Sang Zhi by the neck, and lifted him clean off the ground.
Ye Qianning tried to get up, but her calf was pinned to the ground by the sword. The slightest movement turned the wound into a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Sang Zhi clawed at the large hand around his throat, his legs kicking wildly. His small face grew redder and redder as he struggled for air.
"Stop! Don’t kill him!"
Chu Yue and her entourage arrived. Seeing Sang Zhi’s face turning a deep red, she barked out the order.
The assassin merely gave Chu Yue a cursory glance before loosening his grip. Sang Zhi dropped to the ground.
"COUGH, COUGH... Let her go... COUGH..." Sang Zhi pushed himself up and began crawling toward Ye Qianning.
The assassin kicked him aside and retracted his sword. He looked at the approaching Chu Yue without bowing, his tone tinged with interrogation. "Your Highness brought all these men and still couldn’t manage to capture two children?"
Sang Zhi was sent flying several meters. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then propped himself up on his arms and started crawling toward Ye Qianning again.
Ye Qianning’s calf throbbed with excruciating pain, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She tried to stand, only to find it was difficult to even move.
Chu Yue walked past, ignoring the assassin’s arrogance. She glanced at Sang Zhi, then her gaze landed on Ye Qianning on the ground. "Let’s see where you run to this time, you little bitch."
"Do your eyes not hurt anymore?" Ye Qianning asked, looking up at her.
At her words, Chu Yue flew into a rage, her hand clutching her crudely bandaged eye. "I will take your head as an offering!"
As she spoke, she raised her foot and stomped on Ye Qianning’s bloody, mangled calf.
Ye Qianning hissed, sucking in a sharp breath.
"Still so defiant? Go on, say something else," Chu Yue taunted, grinding her foot down.
Ye Qianning bit her lip, staring at her coldly. Though she was a pathetic sight, her eyes remained sharp and frigid.
"Let her go! Get away from her!" Sang Zhi howled.
The assassin grabbed him by the back of his collar, lifting him completely off his feet.
Sang Zhi struggled. He regretted not learning martial arts. ’The classics of the sages... useless, utterly useless...’
"CHIRP CHIRP..."
RUSTLE RUSTLE...
The forest canopy above began to churn. With a great RUSTLE, a dense swarm of innumerable small honeyeaters descended.
They flew straight for Chu Yue and the assassins around her.
"Get away! Where did all these birds come from...?" Chu Yue stumbled back, surrounded by the flock.
The assassins fared no better. Hundreds of birds swarmed each of them, pecking at them relentlessly.
Freed from his captor, Sang Zhi scrambled to his feet and ran to Ye Qianning.
Enduring the pain, Ye Qianning used a nearby tree to pull herself to her feet.
"Let’s go, we have to go now!" Sang Zhi reached her side and bent over, trying to lift her, but realized he was simply too weak.