Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 49

Luo Xiang stared at the iron bow pierced by the golden arrow, sweat beading on his forehead. He had lost. Yes, since earning the title of shrewd archer, he had never lost so miserably. Lu Qingcheng must have fired the second arrow at the same time as the first; the two arrows flew almost in a straight line, the first arrow shooting down his, the second following closely behind. And he only realized it at the very end.

At this moment, Qing Jianyue had already ridden back to Lu Qingcheng's side. His eyes shone with a crystal-like brilliance as he laughed heartily, "The Fortress Master is the true marksman, and the thieves of the Sky Eagle Sect are nothing but rubbish."

Kiyomi Tsuki's voice was extremely loud, and since the drill ground was as quiet as if no one was there, his shouts immediately spread to every corner.

The warriors of Lujiabao burst into laughter, shouting, "The fortress lord is the true marksman, and the thieves of the Sky Eagle Sect are nothing but rubbish!"

Seeing the undisguised adoration and excitement on Qing Jianyue's face, Lu Qingcheng felt a sweet warmth in his heart. He endured the excruciating pain from his reopened wound and forced a handsome smile. Qing Jianyue was momentarily stunned by his gaze, but quickly turned his face away.

Enraged, Li Ying ordered his troops to attack. The Sky Eagle Sect rescued Luo Xiang and gave him a new horse. A fierce battle ensued. However, the battle didn't last long; as Li Ying had predicted, Lu Qingcheng's old wound reopened. Lin Feng, Cai Bo'an, Bai Yiting and his daughter, and Qing Jianyue led the Lu Family Fortress warriors in a desperate fight, carving a bloody path to protect Lu Qingcheng as she escaped.

Whether due to an inside traitor or not, the inner city gates were tightly shut, as if determined to force Lu Qingcheng into a corner. Lin Feng and the others had no choice but to protect Lu Qingcheng and follow the battle path, exiting through the back gate of Lu Family Fortress's outer city and fleeing straight towards Maple Forest Valley.

Lu Family Fortress is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and Maple Forest Valley is a passage between two of these mountains, serving as the second route to and from the outside world. Seeing Lu Qingcheng's men rush into Maple Forest Valley, Luo Buqun immediately sensed something was wrong. He spurred his horse to catch up with Li Ying, who was at the front, and shouted, "Second Young Master, be careful not to fall into a trap!"

With his long-cherished wish about to come true, how could Li Ying let Lu Qingcheng escape such a golden opportunity? Ignoring Luo Buqun's warning, he brandished his longsword and loudly commanded, "Capture Lu Qingcheng alive, and there will be a great reward."

With such a generous reward, brave men were sure to emerge. The Sky Eagle Cult warriors were even more eager, rushing headlong into Maple Forest Valley. Little did they know that Lu Qingcheng's group, which had been just a short distance ahead, had vanished in the blink of an eye, like an army of gods and demons.

Luo Buqun blurted out, "Second Young Master, we've fallen into a trap! Retreat quickly!"

Flames and shouts of battle rose into the sky as Qingfeng led the warriors of Lujiabao to the hilltop. He rode a fiery red steed, his snow-white cloak billowing, and gripped a precious sword, exuding an awe-inspiring presence, like a valiant warrior descended from the heavens.

Li Ying exclaimed in shock and anger, "Lu Qingfeng!"

A dashing smile appeared on Qingfeng's face. "That's right, it's me. Li Ying, you self-righteous little devil, you've tried to steal a chicken but lost your rice instead. Be careful, or you'll lose your life, or you'll be at a huge loss."

Li Ying roared, "You treacherous brat, if you have the guts, come down here and let's fight one-on-one."

Qingfeng laughed heartily, "Don't rush, don't rush, we should always try to be polite first before resorting to force."

With a wave of his hand, a rain of arrows fell, and countless members of the Sky Eagle Sect were killed by arrows. Suddenly, the war drums sounded, and Qingfeng took the lead, leading the warriors of Lujiabao down the mountain with shouts.

Qingfeng shouted, "Li Ying, why aren't you tucking your tail between your legs and running away?"

Li Ying was furious and drew his sword to fight.

Luo Buqun immediately stopped his horse and shouted, "Second Young Master, don't fall for his provocation. You are the leader. If anything happens to you, we will all be wiped out tonight."

Li Ying, true to his reputation as a formidable figure, instantly calmed his anger. He commanded, "Form ranks! Although Lu Family Fort has laid an ambush, we outnumber them five to one. Lu Baoquan, Lu Zhi, Luo Xiang, meet Lu Qingfeng in my place. Killing him will extinguish Lu Family Fort's morale. This is our only golden opportunity to turn the tide."

Under Li Ying's series of orders, the Sky Eagle Cult warriors, who had been in complete disarray just moments before, immediately formed an impenetrable defensive formation. Lu Baoquan, Lu Zhi, and Luo Xiang rode swiftly to meet Qingfeng. The three took turns attacking, locked in fierce combat with Qingfeng. Fang Runmin, seeing this from afar, cleaved through the obstacles blocking his horse and charged towards Luo Xiang. At this moment, Lin Feng and Cai Bo'an led the Lu Family Fort warriors back, forming a pincer attack on the Sky Eagle Cult.

"Lu Baoquan, you escaped last time, but this time we will capture you alive."

Lin Feng charged straight at Lu Baoquan, who sneered and turned to meet the attack. Meanwhile, Cai Bo'an attacked Lu Zhi. Qingfeng, having been substituted, observed the battle. Although the Sky Eagle Sect was at a disadvantage, their tenacious resistance and fearless spirit were truly admirable.

Qingfeng stared at Li Ying, who was hiding in the formation directing the attack, and thought to himself: "To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first. Only by dealing with this guy can we make the Sky Eagle Sect surrender completely."

Thinking of this, he roared, and his fiery steed shot off like an arrow, seemingly cutting through an empty field, carrying him into the enemy ranks. A bolt of lightning flashed from his White Tiger Blade as he swept towards Li Ying. Li Ying was indeed a ruthless character; he slashed horizontally with his longsword, attacking Qingfeng with reckless abandon.

On the mountainside, twenty imposing iron cavalrymen formed a ring, protecting Lu Qingcheng, Qing Jianyue, and Bai Yiting and his daughter in the center. Because of her injuries, Lu Qingcheng was only responsible for leading the enemy into Maple Forest Valley, while Bai Yiting and his daughter were responsible for protecting her. It could be said that tonight's battle was entirely under Qingfeng's command.

Bai Yiting exclaimed, "The Great Lord is as brave as a god. Li Ying will have no chance of escaping tonight."

Lu Qingcheng narrowed her eyes as she watched Li Ying fiercely fighting with Qingfeng, and said calmly, "Li Ying is as cunning as a fox and as fierce as a wolf. Killing him will not be an easy task."

Qing Jianyue was like a cheetah hunting its prey on the grassland, his eyes constantly searching through the fiercely fighting crowd. Suddenly, his gaze settled on Luo Buqun, who was giving orders from the back.

Kill him!

A voice filled with intense hatred screamed within him. Kiyomi Tsuki shook his head frantically. Calm down! Ignore that voice. Don't let hatred blind you.

"Who is that person?" Lu Qingcheng asked.

Bai Yiting pondered for a moment, "If I'm not mistaken, this person must be the legendary Luo Buqun, Li Ying's trusted strategist."

"He's a talent. Even under these circumstances, he was able to command the Sky Eagle Cult warriors to deploy their forces. Although our fortress attacked from both sides, we were still able to keep them in disarray." Lu Qingcheng's eyes flashed with a sharp, hawk-like light.

The battle at the foot of the mountain grew increasingly fierce. The Sky Eagle Sect was barely clinging to life, but the casualties on the Lu Family Fortress side were also rising.

Lu Qingcheng frowned. This war had to end as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if they won, the cost would be devastating. Suddenly, he took out a powerful bow from his pouch.

"Lord of the Fortress, you mustn't!" Bai Yiting tried to stop him.

Lu Qingcheng said with great confidence, "Watch me decide the fate of the world with one arrow."

Qingjian Yue looked over. She saw Lu Qingcheng gently pull back the powerful bow, adorned with exquisite magpie patterns, as if embracing a crescent moon. A golden arrow whistled through the air, like a flash of lightning in a summer night. Qingjian Yue held her breath, watching silently.

Whether Li Ying was lucky or Heaven thought he shouldn't die, it's unclear.

Suddenly, Luo Xiang spurred his iron steed to charge towards the fiercely fighting Li Ying and Qingfeng. Qingfeng cleaved Luo Xiang in two with a single blow, while Li Ying, caught in the collision, was also thrown from his horse, and a golden arrow whistled past, killing the person behind him.

"Ah!" Qing Jianyue exclaimed in shock, deeply regretful. Although he wasn't a bloodthirsty person, someone like Li Ying, as long as he lived, posed a threat to Lu Family Fortress. Letting him go alive today meant endless open and covert struggles tomorrow. On the other hand, he cared about Luo Xiang's life or death. If Luo Xiang died, how heartbroken that person would be! A very contradictory emotion was battling deep within Qing Jianyue's heart, its intensity no less than the battlefield below.

With their leader fallen, the last vestiges of morale within the Sky Eagle Sect vanished. They charged and trampled, descending into chaos, resulting in even heavier casualties. Although Li Ying and Luo Xiang were quickly rescued by Sky Eagle Sect warriors, the tide had turned, and their fate was sealed.

Luo Buqun shouted loudly, "Quickly protect the Second Young Master and help him break through the encirclement!"

Amidst the deafening roar of battle cries, the Sky Eagle Sect, like frightened dogs with their tails between their legs, scattered and fled in disarray, like fish that had escaped a net. Down the mountain, Lu Qingfeng ordered a retreat and began to comfort the wounded. Not pursuing a fleeing enemy was a wise move. A wounded beast, when turned on, is a terrifying beast.

A red sun slowly rises, illuminating Maple Valley. In autumn, the mountains and valleys are covered in red leaves, exuding a fragrant aroma, like the morning glow descending to earth. This once beautiful and tranquil Maple Valley, like a fairyland, has now become the most tragic hell on earth.

Kiyomi Tsuki sighed. This is the ugly desire of humankind!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Kiyomizuki's Confusion