The capital city was shrouded in an ominous atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing.
Soldiers from the patrol battalions tightened their armor and gripped their sabers, their eyes scanning every street with vigilance.
The black market, like a tide, saw people emerging from underground.
On the street beside the black market, townsfolk leaned against their doorways, chatting, or weaving bamboo baskets. Children played and bickered nearby, their laughter incessant. Occasionally, a mischievous child would provoke an adult's scolding, revealing a simple and warm daily life.
"Er Ya, take this mud ball!"
A burly little boy, forming mud into a ball, threw it at a little girl from the neighboring house. The girl quickly dodged, but the mud missed her and instead hit a man standing behind her.
Seeing her child had caused trouble, the boy's mother rushed forward, twisted his ear, and apologized to the man. "Big brother, I'm so sorry. The child..."
Before the woman could finish, she froze in shock as the man suddenly drew a saber from behind him and swung it at her.
A flash of cold light. The blade descended.
The woman's blood froze in her veins. Her feet felt as if they were cast in lead, and she could only watch helplessly as the long saber swung towards her throat.
"Swish~"
An arrow pierced the air, its arrowhead grazing the strands of hair by the woman's temples, and burying itself in the man's heart.
The long saber fell, clattering at the woman's feet.
The man's body followed, hitting the ground.
With a "boom," the dust on the ground was kicked up, and it was as if a switch had been flipped. Screams erupted into the sky. The woman, seeing the blood flowing to her feet, her legs gave out, and she sat down heavily on the ground.
A dark figure leaped down from the rooftop. Holding a bow and arrow, he shouted at the crowd, "Officials investigating a case, bystanders, retreat quickly! Close your doors and do not come out before the hour of Shen!"
As he spoke, he drew an arrow from his quiver, pulled back the bowstring, and released. The arrow tore through the air, piercing the heart of a ruffian ten paces away who was brandishing a saber and attacking the townsfolk.
The smell of blood instantly filled the air. The entire street was filled with the screams of the people and the clash of weapons.
"Sister-in-law, get up quickly! Hurry and take Shuan Zi back inside!"
The little girl's father rushed forward, scooped his daughter into his arms, and reached to pull the woman who had fallen to the ground. The woman snapped back to reality, quickly grabbed the boy, and ran home with all her might.
Ruffians swarmed the street, attacking anyone they saw.
"Quick, Changping Street!"
Li Hao, leading the soldiers of the patrol battalion, rushed towards Changping Street. When he arrived, he saw a ruffian swinging a saber at an elderly man.
"How dare you!"
Li Hao roared, drawing his saber and charging forward.
However, the distance was still too great. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't reach them in time and could only watch as the ruffian's saber swung towards the old man's head. Li Hao's eyes widened in fury. In the next second, an arrow tore through the air, whistling as it pierced the man's heart.
"Save them!"
A shout reached Li Hao's ears.
He saw a figure clad in black, holding a long bow. Drawing an arrow, nocking it, releasing it, the figure ran, shooting arrow after arrow. Each arrow pierced a heart. Flawless, lightning fast, in the blink of an eye, dozens of ruffians were killed.
Seeing how formidable the black-clad archer was, Li Hao turned and shouted to the patrol battalion, "What are you standing around for? Save them!"
With the skilled archer leading the way and the patrol battalion rescuing the people, although chaos erupted on Changping Street, not a single civilian lost their life.
...
"Clang~"
A strange noise came from outside the door.
The man with the hooked nose's head snapped up. He stood up, approached the door, and peered outside through the crack.
A foul stench met his nostrils first. Through the crack, he saw several sharp teeth hanging with shreds of flesh. He paused for a moment, and then, a tremendous force struck the door from the outside. The door slammed heavily against him, sending him flying backward.
A ferocious tiger kicked the door open and entered.
The man crashed against a screen and fell heavily to the ground. He felt as if his internal organs were being ripped apart. The pain made him dizzy. He raised his hand to cover his head, and blood seeped through his fingers.
Damn it!
The man cursed loudly.
Just then, a hint of imperial yellow caught his eye. He stiffened and raised his head, his hair standing on end.
A fierce tiger was looking at him with glinting eyes. Crystal clear saliva dripped from the corners of its gaping, bloody maw.
How did this tiger get into his courtyard!?
The man's liver and gall bladder were shattered, and every cell in his body screamed in terror. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't muster an ounce of strength, his body going limp like a lump of mud.
The tiger let out a roar and lunged forward, its front paws planting on the man's chest. Saliva dripped onto the man's face, the tiger's jaws mere inches away. The man stared with wide, terrified eyes.
Just as he thought he was about to die and become food, a cold voice entered the room: "If you dare to bite, I'll skin you!"
The tiger trembled all over, and the man actually saw fear in its eyes.
This... even the fearsome Ji Jinmo couldn't intimidate a tiger with a single word?
Could there be someone in Lin Yuan, the capital, even more ferocious than Ji Jinmo?
Nan Shiying entered the room and sat down by the side. She looked at the man pinned helplessly under the tiger and a thin, cold smile touched her lips. "Hu Yan Jue?"
Upon hearing the name, the man trembled violently.
Hu Yan!
The royal surname of the Liao Frontier Kingdom.
The man gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Nan Shiying was not annoyed. Her voice still carried a hint of laughter. "Come, eat his hand!"
Ying Yi stepped forward.
The tiger sensed someone approaching and turned, letting out a threatening roar. The next moment, a cup flew through the air, smashing hard against the tiger's head. Nan Shiying lowered her hand and looked at it with a half-smile. "Call out again, and I'll skin you!"
It might not have understood what she was saying, but it could feel the naked killing intent emanating from her.
It let out another meow. This time, the roar lacked the majesty of a king of the jungle, sounding less like a threat and more like a plea.
The tiger felt incredibly wronged. It had been happily strolling through the forest, but it had been captured and brought here without paying attention. Before it lay such a large meal, but it could only look and not eat. Moreover, she was threatening it.
Are you even human?
Ying Yi stepped forward, grabbed the man's hand, and, just like the night before, placed the man's hand into the tiger's mouth.
Understood!
Feeding time!
The tiger felt that these two bipedal… animals were a bit peculiar.
Hu Yan Jue finally understood what the other party meant.