Ye Ningjie went to the south of Jin An city. It was nearly midnight when she reached a vast bamboo forest. It's so dark. She immediately took out a bamboo lighter and blew on it so it lit up.
The cold air and the sounds of wild animals around her did not frighten her. It was because, all this time, she had lived in the mountains and seen many of them.
She glanced around. There was no one she saw. Where is the Zhonglei Temple she is looking for?
She carefully stepped deeper into the bamboo forest. The ground under her feet was filled with dried bamboo leaves. It's like the place hasn't been visited by anyone in years.
Ye Ningjie kept walking until she finally stepped out of the line of bamboo trees. She saw an ancient, dilapidated building. There was a nameplate on the front that was crooked and almost fell off.
Here it is!
Zhonglei Temple is surrounded by a bamboo forest. The building is quite big, but it doesn't look very nice. It was so ordinary that it didn't stand out.
There was no one that Ye Ningjie could see. Why is the security level so bad? One might be able to easily enter the shrine without any problems.
Ye Ningjie felt that this was a little fishy somehow. Could this be a trap? If this temple really was the gateway to the imperial palace, it should be extremely secure.
She stopped her footsteps for a moment, then took out her dagger. She must be careful.
When she felt ready, she resumed her steps. The moonlight falls on her. Only now did she realize that the moon was shining so brightly. Previously, the bamboo leaves had covered the light.
There are several steps leading to the temple terrace. Ye Ningjie took the initiative. Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from behind. Her sharp ears heard it. She immediately jumped to one side.
The arrows slid and hit the temple walls. Ye Ningjie's heart immediately pounded. There were people hiding in the bamboo forest, but she couldn't see them because it was too dark inside.
"Who?!"
There was no response, and there was no movement. Ye Ningjie gripped her dagger tighter. "Don't be a coward! Let's have a fair match."
Moments later, five men dressed in black jumped out of the bamboo forest. This is surprising. How could Ye Ningjie not have noticed their existence before? They are so good at hiding themselves!
The men hid their faces in black clothes. It's the same as what Ye Ningjie did. Then one of them laughed.
"It's been a long time since someone came to this temple. Who would have thought that a girl would come here in the middle of the night?"
Ye Ningjie looked at the man who spoke with a deep gaze. "Are you the guardians of this shrine?"
"Of course. Do you think this building was really left unattended?" The man chuckled and pulled an arrow from his back. He prepared to aim at Ye Ningjie.
"I know that. You are right. A building this important couldn't have been left without someone watching over it." Ye Ningjie quietly stepped back onto the temple terrace. "But that is not a problem. I will still go in, even if you guys get in my way."
"Catch that girl now!" shouted the man in black who had shot his arrow earlier. Then the other four men immediately ran over to Ye Ningjie.
They were trying to catch Ye Ningjie with their bare hands. Even so, Ye Ningjie felt that these people were not like ordinary soldiers. Their physical strength and martial abilities were much stronger.
Of course. They were special forces that had been arranged to guard the Zhonglei Temple. They must have higher strength than ordinary warriors.
The battle is inevitable. Ye Ningjie tried to use the martial skills she had trained for years. Her body was slender, and she moved more agilely than them.
So, Ye Ningjie managed to dodge several of their attacks. However, it didn't last long before a heavy fist hit her in the chest.
Bump!
Ye Ningjie was pushed back several steps. Pain immediately spread across her chest. However, she ignored that. Enduring the pain, she dashed up to one of the nearest men and attacked him with a dagger.
The man dodged at first, but she came back even more quickly. She stabbed her dagger into the side of the man's stomach. Red blood immediately splashed.
The other three men were shocked. Ye Ningjie seized the opportunity to attack them with one move. She moved like the wind, swinging her dagger at them.
Whoosh!
Two more men were scratched by Ye Ningjie's dagger. However, it wasn't as bad as the first guy. So they can still hit the girl. Once again, Ye Ningjie was pushed back as a palm struck her chest.
She fell down on the floor. The pain in her chest increased. A metallic taste started to appear in her mouth. A few seconds later, she spat out a mouthful of red blood. Her face turned pale.
The crossbow-wielding man, who was still standing on the temple grounds, burst into laughter. "Young lady, I suggest you surrender and obey. That will at least lighten your sentence!"
Ye Ningjie snorted coldly. She stared at them with a murderous gaze. She may have never killed anyone before, but if she had to do it now, she would.
"Quick, catch her!"
Ye Ningjie saw them getting closer. She secretly took out a porcelain bottle from under her clothes. She immediately threw green powder at them when they were right in front of her.
Whoosh!
She jumped away while holding her breath. Meanwhile, the men were coughing while covering their noses. "What is this?"
They tried to wave their hands to shake off the flying green powder. However, before long, their entire bodies became paralyzed. They fell to the floor without being able to move an inch.
"This ...."
The bow-wielding man, who was their leader, became confused and surprised. Everything happened so fast. She didn't even have time to do anything.
"What did you do to them?!" He immediately shouted angrily.
Ye Ningjie looked at him coldly. "What else, if not cripple them?"
"You damn girl! I will really kill you!" Then, quickly, the man drew his bow.