Chapter 28: Amidst the Roiling Clouds (VII)

As the bowstring vibrated, an arrow sliced through the air, heading straight for Xu Le’s chest.

It was said that within a hundred paces, a bow could strike like a tiger or wolf, and Yuan Junwei was only twenty or thirty paces away from Xu Le. The arrowhead was shaped like a three-edged wolf’s-tooth armor-piercing bolt—once it entered flesh, it would vent blood and air. Its steel tip, shot from a powerful bow of over a stone’s pull at such close range, would pierce even armor, let alone Xu Le’s mere cloth robes.

Xu Le was locked in fierce combat with Yuchi Gong, his senses sharp and undiminished. In that instant, the tremor of the bowstring and the whistle of the arrowhead breaking the air reached his ears with perfect clarity.

Just as his spear came crashing down, Xu Le suddenly released his left hand, keeping the right to press the attack and force Yuchi Gong back. He could not risk assuming Yuchi Gong would hold back and not seize the advantage.

Leaning his body slightly backward to avoid vital organs, Xu Le’s left hand swept downward, catching the arrow in flight. By shifting with the incoming force, he resolved the momentum and firmly grasped the armor-piercing wolf’s-tooth bolt.

At that moment, Han Yue’s furious roar rang out, “You dare, villain!”

With that shout, Han Yue, who had been calmly observing and trusting entirely in Xu Le’s skill, transformed into a mad tiger whose eyes burned red. He hurled the iron Yu Lei shield he had just picked up, sending it whistling through the air toward Yuan Junwei twenty paces away.

Han Yue himself, holding the Shen Tu iron shield, spurred his horse and charged furiously toward Yuan Junwei!

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Yuchi Gong was wholly immersed in the thrill of battle with Xu Le.

He was born vigorous and mighty, a blacksmith by origin, and it was precisely this talent that allowed him to rise to prominence. He eventually earned the rank of Chaosan Dafu in the Heng’an Eagle Battalion, holding a real post as a battalion deputy. Yuchi Gong was born to fight—he admired only true men of skill.

Wang Ren Gong had tried to win him over many times, but Yuchi Gong looked down on him for relying on Heng’an’s troops for brute force, while he himself led the main force of Ma Yi’s Eagle Battalion to pick up the spoils. He also remembered Liu Wuzhou’s kindness in promoting him, and swore never to abandon his post.

Moreover, in Heng’an’s Eagle Battalion at Yunzhong City, he had to face the pressure of the Turks directly. When battle broke out, it was always a hard fight, which suited Yuchi Gong’s temperament perfectly.

Whenever there was an alert and Turkish raiders invaded, Yuchi Gong rejoiced at the prospect of war. He endured ice and snow, spending seven or eight days on horseback, launching long-range raids over a hundred miles, facing the fierce Turkish wolf cavalry. The more intense the battle, the more his blood boiled and his energy surged.

Last year, during a fierce battle with the Turks, Yuchi Gong led light cavalry in a relentless skirmish with the enemy army. Even the Turkish wolf cavalry found him a headache; seeing his figure appear, spear and whip in hand, their morale was crushed before the fight began. This man was born for war!

After last year’s defeat of the Turkish incursion, the northern Turkish divisions behaved themselves for nearly a year, not interfering with Yunzhong’s great autumn gathering. It seemed as if peace had returned, reminiscent of the days when Shibi Khagan married the Sui Princess Chuluo.

With the north pacified, Wang Ren Gong turned his attention to recruiting and expanding his forces, aiming to annex Liu Wuzhou’s Heng’an Eagle Battalion. The frontier people enjoyed rare peace.

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But for Yuchi Gong, days without battle were dull and excruciating. Daily patrols, occasional hunts, all left him feeling his bones would melt from boredom. Sparring with fellow soldiers, he could barely use a third of his skill and strength before his opponents conceded, hardly breaking a sweat. How was one to endure such tedious days?

Fortune smiled today—he encountered a young man from a merchant caravan. Though Yuchi Gong was, for once, pushed into the defensive, the fight was so exhilarating that it made him laugh from the soles of his feet. This was true combat!

In the heat of battle, the sound of an arrow breaking the air suddenly caught his ear. Yuchi Gong thought to intervene, but Xu Le’s spear pressed forward.

In the midst of combat, Yuchi Gong saw Xu Le switch from wielding the spear with both hands to one, freeing his left hand to catch the arrow. A single-handed strike lacked much of the original force, but Yuchi Gong did not seize the opportunity to counterattack, lest he throw Xu Le off balance. Instead, he calmly received the blow, even allowing Xu Le’s force to be executed comfortably, keeping his own body stable.

In that instant, Yuchi Gong resolved that, even if it meant a falling out, he would demand Liu Yingji punish Yuan Junwei. Liu Yingji was working hard to win hearts to resist Governor Wang, and could not afford Yuan Junwei’s constant damage to his reputation.

Most importantly, where else could he find such a worthy opponent?

No matter how forceful Yuan Junzhang might be, Yuchi Gong would not be intimidated!

As the arrow flew, Xu Le deftly snatched it from the air. At Han Yue’s angry shout, Yuchi Gong bellowed, “Well done!”

In the midst of battle, to keep one’s stance against the enemy and catch an arrow shot from twenty paces with bare hands—such skill was rare in a lifetime!

As their shouts rang out, the iron Yu Lei shield whistled through the air, spinning toward Yuan Junwei.

Han Yue’s throw was full of fury, and the force behind it was immense. Yuan Junwei, holding only a bow, dared not receive it directly and stepped back. Two personal guards rushed forward, swinging thick-backed straight sabers down.

A clash of metal rang out, and the sabers collided with the iron shield, sending sparks flying. Both guards’ sabers were knocked from their hands, flying high into the air, their palms bleeding and their bodies shaken.

But the iron Yu Lei shield was finally knocked to the ground, landing with a muffled thud, its steel-pointed fangs still menacingly facing Yuan Junwei.

All this happened in a flash, and now the onlookers of Yunzhong City erupted in a thunderous roar.

“If you’re a true man, don’t use arrows!”

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Amidst the tumult, Xu Le grasped the arrow, nodded slightly and smiled at Yuchi Gong.

Xu Le understood Yuchi Gong’s gesture. Even if Yuchi Gong had pressed the attack, Xu Le could have handled it, albeit with some embarrassment. But the gesture was appreciated.

Xu Le raised the arrow high, glaring at Yuan Junwei twenty paces away. “Is this the way of Heng’an Eagle Battalion?”

A fire captain behind the barricade was silent for a moment, then shouted, “Yuan Si, this isn’t the way of Heng’an Eagle Battalion!”

The people’s shout echoed, “We Yunzhong folk don’t do this!”

The cries surged like waves. A dozen archers turned pale and looked at Yuan Junwei.

Yuan Junwei took a deep breath, drew another arrow and nocked it to his horn bow, pulling it taut like a full moon, aiming at Xu Le, his gaze sweeping fiercely over his men.

Yuan Junwei had always been the darling of Yunzhong City and the future star of Heng’an Eagle Battalion, but today, because of Xu Le, his reputation was ruined. Now, only one thought consumed him:

Kill Xu Le. Kill Xu Le!

Under Yuan Junwei’s predatory gaze, the dozen guards swallowed hard, raised their bows, and aimed again at Xu Le. The wolf’s-tooth armor-piercing bolts gleamed coldly.

Han Yue galloped forward, spreading the Shen Tu iron shield to protect Xu Le, fiercely meeting Yuan Junwei’s gaze.

Yuchi Gong shouted angrily, “Yuan Si, what are you doing!”

Yuan Junwei roared back, “That’s none of your business!”

Xu Le shrugged, finally reaching into the saddle’s bow bag, pulling out a horn bow, nocking the armor-piercing arrow he had just seized. With a powerful draw, his fingers hooked the string, the bow arched like a full moon, aimed at Yuan Junwei.

Now that it had come to this, they would see it through. Let’s see who dies first—me or you!