VGAB Chapter 15

After Wei Chao left with his guards, Qi Heng took Qi Shao and Zheng Er ashore. He had originally been thinking of finding an opportunity to infiltrate the military camp of Fufeng City and seize a chance to disrupt the alliance of Qi and Wei.

But he didn’t expect a group of assassins to suddenly appear and present him with an opportunity.

Qi Heng hadn’t gone far at that time, so he heard the sound of weapons changing hands and decisively turned back with Qi Shao and Zheng Er.

It was truly a stroke of luck.

Qi Heng was in high spirits, while the black-clad figures on the opposite trees were absolutely terrified. Where did the Third Prince meet these people? Faced with the siege of dozens of them, he showed no signs of weakening.

Even in the face of sneak attacks from behind, it was as if he had eyes on the back of his head, always able to evade in time and even counterattack. His strikes were swift and ruthless. Many of the people he brought along were either silenced by his sword at their throats or had their tendons and ligaments severed.

In the midst of this entanglement, not a single person could get close to him. He remained as pristine as snow in his white attire, and even the straw hat on his head didn’t move during the fight.

There was no doubt that this extraordinary individual on the Third Prince’s side couldn’t be allowed to live.

The black-clad figure in the tree had a hundred thoughts racing through his mind. He withdrew his last feathered arrow, placed it on the bowstring, and slowly raised his hand, aiming down at the three figures battling below. The bow and arrow trembled slightly, sparing two guards who were nearing exhaustion, and the target landed on the white-clad person wielding a flexible sword.

At this moment, his eyes squinted slightly. The bowstring was pulled to the breaking point, and his fingers slightly loosened. The arrow shot out with the speed of a thunderstorm.

Whether it succeeded or not, they had to leave immediately.

The moment the arrow was shot, everyone present heard a shout, and the black-clad figure in the tree jumped several feet away.

He turned his head to see if his arrow had hit the target, but instead, he saw the white-clad person who seemed to be looking at him.

The black-clad figure was greatly alarmed. He was about to use his qi to escape when a very familiar sword was placed in front of him.

In a panic, he narrowly avoided the attack by brushing against the sword. The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his back, then plummeted from the air.

“Young Master, please spare his life!” Two guards, who had dealt with the remaining black-clad men too late to escape, hurriedly ran to Qi Heng and stopped his killing intent. They gave a respectful bow to Qi Heng.

“Thank you, Young Master, for saving our lives. However, this man is the leader of these assassins, and we have some questions we want to ask him.”

Qi Heng moved the tip of his sword away, his voice cold, “In that case, you can handle it yourselves.”

The black-clad man on the ground looked despairing. He gritted his teeth and tried to crush the poison pill in his mouth, which would fill his throat with a deadly poison.

Little did he know that the two guards had already sensed his intentions and forcefully removed his chin, extracting the poison he had concealed in his mouth.

Wei Chao writhed in pain, then woke up in agony, coughing up blood. Fortunately, Qi Shao had applied a hemostatic powder to his wound, preventing further bleeding.

Qi Shao, on the other hand, was terrified when he saw Wei Chao’s condition.

“He’s going to die,” the black-clad man said with a raspy voice, coldly chuckling. He felt a great sense of satisfaction. Even if his tendons had been severed, if he could drag down the Third Prince, he would have fulfilled his master’s orders.

Fortunately, he had smeared poison on the arrow, just in case.

The guard glared menacingly at the black-clad man and squeezed his throat. “Hand over the antidote.”

“Even if you kill me, there won’t be an antidote,” the black-clad man chuckled sinisterly. “The arrow in the Third Prince’s chest is deeply embedded, and I smeared poison on that arrow as well. The Blue Ring Snake venom is exceptionally potent, with no antidote. In half a day, even if gods descended, they couldn’t save him.”

The black-clad man looked maliciously at the pale-faced guards, regretting that he had come in such a hurry and hadn’t found a more potent poison to apply.

Wei Chao slowly opened his eyes, trying to speak, but he instead coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Strangely, after expelling that black blood, he felt somewhat relieved, despite the pain from his torn wound.

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness!” The two guards were horrified, and Wei Chao shook his head, despair visible in their eyes.

Qi Shao, realizing that no one was paying attention to him, slowly raised his hand and awkwardly glanced at Qi Heng. “Um, earlier, I took the antidote pill I had on me and gave it to Brother Wei, so he probably isn’t poisoned anymore. The reason he’s coughing up blood might be his body detoxifying itself?”

Qi Shao, despite being a bit erratic and fickle, understood the importance of gratitude. Wei Chao had saved his life once before, so when Zheng Er mentioned the poisoned arrow, Qi Shao didn’t hesitate to give Wei Chao the antidote that Qi Heng had given him.

It was just a little awkward when Wei Chao swallowed the pill unconsciously.

Now, the black-clad man was furious. He refused to accept it. “Do you think that detoxifying him would save his life? My arrow was aimed at his heart, after all.”

“Wei Chao.” Wei Chao’s face turned pale as he glanced at Qi Heng, who stood with his hands behind his back. He felt a bit shaky.

“I’m sorry, I concealed my identity…”

“What are you apologizing for? Let’s go find a physician. The wound is the priority,” Qi Shao hurriedly interrupted him. He had heard the “Third Prince” being shouted loudly, and they had all concealed their true identities. It was a situation where no apologies were necessary.

Qi Shao felt quite uneasy himself. He stole a glance at Qi Heng, realizing that he could now explain all of Wei Chao’s unusual behavior since they had met. But how did Qi Heng know that the Prince of Wei State was in this Fufeng City and even confirm his identity?

Qi Shao couldn’t make sense of it. He had spent most of his time with Qi Heng. It didn’t make sense that he would be completely unaware. However, Qi Shao had a carefree nature and knew the weight of his own brain. If he couldn’t figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it.

“Yes, His Highness’s injuries are the priority,” the guards regained their clarity of mind, their bodies worn out from the fierce battle. They wanted to lift Wei Chao.

However, they were also seriously injured, and their strength had been drained in the fight. Trying to lift Wei Chao forcibly might cause further harm.

“Zheng Er,” Qi Heng calmly spoke, and Zheng Er crouched down, carefully avoiding pressure on Wei Chao’s wound as he lifted him horizontally.

There was a clinic in Fufeng City. The two guards took Wei Chao to the clinic, reassured by Qi Shao’s assurances. They left in haste, taking the captured assassins with them.

A medicine boy prepared hot water, and the elderly physician at the clinic cut away Wei Chao’s clothing to examine the wound. He clicked his tongue and remarked, “This arrow is deeply embedded. You still have the strength to open your eyes; that’s a miracle.”

Wei Chao forced a wry smile, his voice trembling. “D-Doctor, can you be gentle when removing the arrow?”

“Want it to be gentle?” The elderly physician leaned in to inspect the wound. “Whether I dare to remove it gently or not is the question now.”

The elderly physician shook his head and sighed. “Let me give it a try.”

Wei Chao clenched his lips. The elderly physician went to wash his hands before returning to Wei Chao. He pointed to Zheng Er and Qi Shao. “You two, hold him down to prevent him from moving.”

“That’s easy,” Zheng Er stepped forward, and with a few quick gestures, he touched Wei Chao in several places. Wei Chao’s eyes widened as he realized his entire body had gone stiff, and he couldn’t move a muscle below his neck.

Wei Chao stared in astonishment. It was the first time he had experienced this kind of miraculous acupressure. “Is this the legendary acupoint manipulation?”

Thinking about it, if he hadn’t gone through this experience, he wouldn’t have known that these two masters and their servant were so skilled. Especially the young master, he had initially thought that the young man was just as fragile as he was. However, with the same short sword, it was just a decoration in his hands, while in the young master’s hands, it radiated such brilliance.

The sword moved like a wandering dragon, the wielder of the sword was as light as a swallow, moving effortlessly amid the onslaught. The sword techniques were graceful yet filled with deadly power. Even the sight of the blood on the tip of the sword looked beautiful, perfectly embodying the kind of elegance Wei Chao had imagined for a swordsman.

Wei Chao was lost in his thoughts for a moment, forgetting the pain from his wound. But then he felt ashamed. The young master had risked his life to save him, yet he had been on guard against them from the beginning, not even revealing his true name…

Even the second young master had willingly given him the antidote from his own person, a precious remedy that even the royal family of Wei State possessed only one of.

The more Wei Chao thought about it, the more he felt ashamed of hiding his identity.

The elderly physician reached out and gently grasped the arrow’s tail. Wei Chao screamed in pain, took a deep breath, and his face contorted in agony.

“No,” the elderly physician shook his head, “The arrow is too deep. Pulling it out could potentially cause severe bleeding. I dare not proceed. You should seek another solution, sir.”

The elderly physician was getting on in years, and his son hadn’t yet mastered the craft. The reputation of Chun Guan must not be tarnished.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!” A heavily armored man with a stern face rushed in with a few others. Wei Chao couldn’t move, but he recognized the voice.

“General Sun, I’m here.”

General Sun Hua immediately spotted the arrow deeply embedded in his chest. “Quick, quick, fetch the military doctor.”

Among the people he brought along, there was a slightly scholarly middle-aged man who stepped forward to examine Wei Chao’s wound. Afterward, he slowly shook his head.

“I can give it a try, but I’m afraid Your Highness won’t be able to endure the pain when the arrow is pulled out.”

“Just go ahead and pull it out,” Wei Chao gritted his teeth. “I can’t have this arrow stuck in my chest forever.”

“Bring some hot water,” the middle-aged man said to the elderly physician. The elderly physician was already trembling with fear due to Wei Chao’s identity and hurriedly crawled away to fetch hot water.

“Your Highness, endure it for a moment,” the middle-aged man opened a vial of hemostatic powder and handed it to General Sun Hua. Then, he washed his hands. “Once I remove the arrow, General, immediately sprinkle this powder on the wound.”

General Sun Hua nodded solemnly.

“W-Wait,” just as the middle-aged man’s hand was about to touch the arrow, Wei Chao screamed in pain once more.

After several attempts, the middle-aged man was unable to proceed due to Wei Chao’s agonizing screams.

“I won’t pull it out, I won’t pull it out,” Wei Chao’s face turned deathly pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat, clearly in excruciating pain.

“But this arrow must be removed.”

“Wei Chao.” A cold voice suddenly rang out in the room. Wei Chao realized he could move his neck again and immediately followed the sound to see Qi Heng standing behind everyone.

With just one glance, his attention was instantly captured.

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