Chapter 584: Pierced Through
Yuan Yintang’s fingers, poised to draw his bow, faltered.
Disregarding the deadly arrows, Sang Zhi rushed to Ye Qianning’s side and spread his arms to shield her.
"Don’t harm the Eighth Prince!" Yuan Yintang waved his hand frantically.
The archers redirected their arrows, loosing them toward Zhan Chi, Gu Shuo, and the others.
Ye Qianning caught the flicker of panic in Yuan Yintang’s eyes. ’If anything happens to Sang Zhi, Yuan Yintang won’t be able to answer to the Emperor.’
"Eighth Prince, the Emperor sent me to escort you back to the palace. It would be best if you did not associate with these traitors who plot against the throne," Yuan Yintang said, stepping forward one pace at a time.
"They are not traitors!" Sang Zhi retorted, his fair face filled with fury.
"Do you intend to defy an imperial edict, Eighth Prince?"
"So what if I do? Do you dare to kill me?" There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in Sang Zhi’s eyes.
Yuan Yintang’s brow furrowed, his fingers tightening around his bow. ’I can’t touch the Eighth Prince. I only want to kill Ye Qianning.’
"Mr. Yuan, the Gu family’s guards have arrived, and the Qian family’s people are all heading this way," a subordinate whispered, sword in hand, as he drew close to Yuan Yintang.
Yuan Yintang’s gaze passed over Sang Zhi to land on Ye Qianning behind him. His intuition told him the little girl was far from simple, and for a fleeting moment, he sensed the aura of a Gu worm on her.
It vanished in an instant, leaving him uncertain.
"The Third Prince is here! All of you, stand down!" a loud voice commanded from the rear.
Yuan Yintang looked back and saw a contingent of the Imperial Army had arrived.
"By order of the Third Prince, cease your actions! Any who disobey will be executed!" the Imperial Army guards shouted as they swiftly surrounded the soldiers on the ground.
Hearing the command, the archers lowered their bows and looked to Yuan Yintang.
"Mr. Yuan, the Third Prince is here," his subordinate reminded him.
Yuan Yintang’s knuckles whitened around the hilt of his longsword. He raised his hand. "Stand down."
Sang Zhi’s heart leaped with joy at the sight of the distant figures. Seeing his opponents stand down, he turned to help Ye Qianning up.
Hearing that Sang Yan had arrived, Ye Qianning finally let out a sigh of relief. She used Sang Zhi’s support to slowly get to her feet.
SWISH!
WHOOSH!
Two arrows shot out, swift as lightning—one aimed at Sang Zhi, the other at Ye Qianning.
Ye Qianning, having just stood up, immediately sensed the killing intent from two arrows. She looked up to see one speeding straight toward her forehead. She stumbled back, narrowly dodging it. With no time to think, she thrust out a small hand and violently shoved Sang Zhi aside.
THWACK.
The arrow meant for Sang Zhi pierced Ye Qianning through the heart. The force was so great it went clean through her.
"No—!"
"Little girl!"
"Pangtuan...!"
"Young Miss!"
The air was filled with piercing, anguished cries.
Ye Qianning felt the world spin as her body slammed onto the ground. Heart-wrenching screams filled her ears.
A light rain began to fall, its cold drops splashing against her face.
"Ye Qianning! Ye Qianning!" Sang Zhi finally reacted, scrambling over to her side, his hands hovering uselessly.
Ye Qianning’s mouth opened, but not a single word came out. She struggled to breathe.
Zhan Chi rushed over, his vision filled with a sea of crimson blood and her pale little face. "Little girl... little girl!"
"Impossible... Stop the bleeding! Stop the bleeding!" Qian Fanji dropped to his knees and quickly pressed her acupoints, but the blood continued to pour from her chest.
Gu Shuo’s lips were pale and trembling. "Little girl, wake up. You’ll be alright, you’ll be alright... Father will take you to a doctor."
With that, he lifted her into his arms.
Ye Qianning’s eyelids felt so heavy. ’I’ve never been this tired before... I don’t even have the strength to open my eyes.’ She used every last ounce of her energy to grab Gu Shuo’s arm.
But it was only for a moment before her consciousness plunged into endless darkness.