"Whoosh!" Suddenly an arrow from the other side hit the arrow, which was going to hit Sheng Li. The shooter drew his brows together and came to the front from behind the tree.
Sheng Li right away turned back and saw Ying Lili on Kongqi. He then looked down at the arrow, which was going to hit him. "Lili," he murmured.
Kongqi stopped while Ying Lili got down from it. An assassin attacked her, but she easily defended him. Ying Lili was surrounded by two more assassins. She extended her sword out. She bent on her waist as the assassin shoved the sword towards her stomach.
Ying Lili placed her right hand on the ground and moved her left leg to kick that assassin. She kicked him and he fell to the ground. Ying Lili swiftly moved up and turned back, thus stabbing the sword in the assassin's stomach behind her.
She pulled out the sword and looked uphill from where the assassin had shot the arrow. She saw how Sheng Li was surrounded by a few more assassins, so she picked the sword from the ground beside the assassin's body and marched towards Sheng Li.
The shooter watched them from the uphill and clenched his fist tightly. "I underestimated this woman!" he thought and took out another arrow. Pulling the arrow on the bow, the shooter released it towards Sheng Li.
Wang Hao saw the arrow was going to hit Sheng Li. He kicked the assassin from his way and ran towards Sheng Li. But before the arrow could hit Sheng Li, Ying Lili had pushed him down and the two fell on the ground.
Ying Lili fell beside Sheng Li. "Lili," Sheng Li murmured, who cried out in pain as her hand hit against the pebble there. Sheng Li immediately got up and killed the assassin that had approached them.
Wang Hao looked towards the slight hill from where two arrows were shot. General Wang quickly cleared his way out and stood in front of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. "Your highness, someone is shooting arrows from the uphill," Wang Hao stated.
Sheng Li was on his knees as he was making Ying Lili stand up. "Check out there. Don't spare him," Sheng Li ordered Wang Hao. Xiao Zhan and Hu Jingguo had killed the assassins there. They both came near them.
"Xiao, protect them!" General Wang told Xiao Zhan who nodded. Wang Hao ran towards the uphill. The shooter who was standing behind the tree got panicked as the distance between him and General Wang was not far. He quickly picked the quiver and bow from the ground and ran towards the other side.
"I told you to protect her." Sheng Li shouted at Xiao Zhan after seeing the wounded hand of Ying Lili.
"Don't scold General Xiao," Ying Lili told Sheng Li who glared at her.
"You are not allowed to act bravely in such situations. And don't advocate on behalf of him," Sheng Li's anger burst out at Ying Lili. He tore a piece of cloth from his dress and wrapped it around Ying Lili's right hand, which was bleeding.
"If I would not have been here at the right time, you might have gotten injured again. You shall thank General Xiao for listening to me," Ying Lili yanked him.
"Shut your mouth," Sheng Li angrily said and took her towards Kongqi. Sheng Li glared at Kongqi and said, "Why did you take her here? Since when did you start listening to others?" Kongqi neighed when Ying Lili giggled.
"Kongqi loves me more, that's why he took me here. Now, you even have a problem with this?!" Ying Lili astonishingly asked him.
Hu Jingguo smiled at seeing them. "They are indeed made for each other," he thought when he saw General Xiao was examining the arrows.
"Your highness, the arrows have poison on them and the design of these arrows are very familiar," Xiao voiced, which grabbed the attention of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess towards him.
"Let's examine all this later. First, we need to go somewhere safe. We cannot go to the rest house," Sheng Li proclaimed.
"Your highness, another rest-house is near the market. We can go there," Xiao Zhan suggested.
"What about General Wang?" Ying Lili worriedly asked.
"He will come there later. Xiao, bring our luggage to the rest house which is near the market. Ahh, before leaving, check these dead assassins. Maybe we could find something from them," Sheng Li ordered Xiao Zhan. Hu Jingguo too helped in that, and they checked the dead bodies of the assassins.
Ying Lili was on Kongqi while Sheng Li was looking around. His hands were on his waist. Nothing could be found from those assassins' dead bodies so they decided to leave from there. Sheng Li, Ying Lili, and Hu Jingguo took the route of the market while Xiao Zhan went to the rest house. They were in disguises so recognizing them was difficult.
General Wang, on the other hand, caught the shooter. "Cai Hong." General Wang recognized him as he pointed his sword at his neck.
Cai Hong wanted to become the military general but Sheng Li did not let him. He then left the military and left for his home.
"Wang Hao, it has been a long time. You indeed became the right hand of the Crown Prince," Cai Hong said.
"You tried assassinating his highness?" Wang Hao questioned him.
"If I say yes, then what will you do? Kill me? Then do it!" Cai Hong provoked Wang Hao.
Wang Hao went closer to Cai Hong and put the sharp edge of the sword beneath his chin. "Do you think I will not do this? Who gave you the orders to do this?" Wang Hao asked him.
Cai Hong chuckled. "No one. I have wanted to kill your Crown Prince since the day he stopped my enlistment in the army as the General," Cai Hong pronounced. He took out the dagger from his waistband quietly. "No wonder he forgot me so easily. Well, I do not have any regrets because his favorite General will die now," Cai Hong stated and almost pierced the dagger in Wang Hao's stomach but he caught his wrist.
"I am afraid but you are wrong," General Wang directed it towards Cai Hong and it stabbed his stomach, who cried out in pain.
"Who gave you the orders to do this?" Wang Hao demanded an answer from him again. "Is it the Empress?" Wang Hao asked, but Cai Hong did not open his mouth. Wang Hao moved it further inside because of which Cai Hong ended up coughing blood. The blade of the dagger was poisoned. But Cai Hong until his last breath did not take the name. Wang Hao pulled the dagger out, and Cai Hong fell to the ground.
Wang Hao checked inside the clothes of Cai Hong and found two scrolls there. He put them inside his pocket and left for the rest-house.