Zhai Le observed the battlefield in secret.
With a bent bow and a drawn arrow, he shot down the enemy who had launched a surprise attack on the "thief." Swiftly, he arrived by the thief's side, extending a helping hand to rescue him from the siege. The thief, drenched in blood, had fought bravely for who knows how long before their arrival, relying solely on sheer willpower to hold on. As the dagger slipped from his grasp, he collapsed on the ground, uttering, "Thank you, young friend..."
"Thanks are unnecessary; just reform your ways from now on," Zhai Le responded.
By aiding the thief, Zhai Le had become a thorn in the eyes of the enemies. Seeing wave after wave of attackers closing in, even he, with his carefree demeanor, realized that something was amiss. He asked the thief, "Who are these people? Which faction do they belong to?"
But what he truly wanted to ask was—what exactly did this fellow thief steal to incur such relentless pursuit?
The thief did not answer his question but gritted his teeth and wielded his sword against the enemies. Seeing the lack of communication, Zhai Le could only sigh and accompany him.
Internally, he couldn't help but mutter—
"Brother Shen, he and the thief, three individuals with two Martial Arts and one Literary Arts... no matter how you look at it, Brother Shen's support could maximize our chances of winning..."
"Star Scattering Chessboard!"
As Zhai Le thought about whether his elder brother would descend from the sky while shooting arrows, a sudden change occurred in the situation!
Countless black and white characters surged like waves, instantly covering the entire village, forming a vast chessboard of intersecting black and white squares.
Zhai Le exclaimed with joy, "Brother, you've finally come!"
The newcomer did not respond.
Before seeing the person, his voice was heard. He calmly recited, "Being both knowledgeable and wise, to protect oneself, diligent day and night, devoted to one cause!"
[Knowledgeable and Wise to Protect Oneself]!
The black and white literary energy surged and intertwined, enveloping the most severely injured thief, impervious to the chaotic slashes of the enemy's blades. Following closely was Shen Tang, with Zhai Le last. Because of this detail, even without turning his head, it was clear that the newcomer was not his brother.
As flames soared and weapons clashed, blood splattered. The Confucian scholar's expression became solemn as he looked down at the chaotic battlefield below, completely clueless about how the fight had erupted.
However, that was no longer important.
Looking at the bodies scattered around, Qi Shan realized that the situation was difficult to resolve. The only solution now was to kill all the enemies present—dead men tell no tales compared to living ones! His gaze then turned to Shen Tang, who was engaged in a fierce battle with the Yanling Blade warrior. Finally, a ripple appeared on his calm face.
This drunkard is truly insane!
Having a low alcohol tolerance is one thing, but having such poor alcohol taste!
Though Qi Shan was disdainful, the mess still needed to be cleaned up. With the Literary Arts badge at his waist emitting a halo, he parted his lips.
"Divided Heart."
As the spoken words echoed, two masses of literary energy, one black and one white, surged under Qi Shan's feet like viscous flowing water. In just a breath's worth of time, the literary energy stretched to the height of a person, ultimately transforming into two figures identical to Qi Shan.
Three individuals, three hearts, with each responsible for a different direction.
The use of Divided Heart was a more advanced incantation for those skilled in Literary Arts. Qi Shan's incantation not only split one into three but also doubled the literary energy in a short period. He was determined to leave none of the people below alive, not sparing a single soul!
The Yanling Blade warrior: "..."
He exerted tremendous effort, traversing a thousand miles in pursuit, believing he had finally driven his target into a corner, ready to launch the final trap. Yet, one after another, people emerged to disrupt his plans. The first to arrive was a sword-wielding youth, though skilled in Literary Arts, he was too preoccupied with combat and showed no intention of supporting his companions. The second was a black-clad archer with astonishing marksmanship, but being young, he posed little threat.
The third—
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
He came with a murderous intent, eager to strike!
With the three of them teaming up, along with a severely wounded ninth-ranked physician... no matter how one looked at it, it was impossible to keep the target here. He gritted his teeth, glancing resentfully at the "thief" protected by Zhai Le, feeling the blood clotting in his chest.
How was this any different from tending a field, fertilizing it, and eagerly awaiting the harvest season, only to have thieves appear and plunder the rice?
I sow the seeds, I fertilize them.
But when it comes time to harvest, the results have nothing to do with me!
Inwardly torn, he ultimately made the begrudging decision to retreat—vengeance may be delayed, but it will not be denied! Turning back to settle the score with these individuals later! Qi Shan noticed his intention immediately and used his Literary Arts to create a barrier in the form of literary energy.
The Yanling Blade warrior paid no attention and swung his blade, splitting it open.
Qi Shan smirked, well aware of the frailty of literary energy walls without the reinforcement of troops. However, delaying the target for a moment was enough. As expected, the drunken swordsman with a raised sword approached, leaping into the air, his blade aimed directly at Qi Shan's face.
One used a sickle while riding a horse.
One wielded a long sword on foot.
It seemed Shen Tang was at a disadvantage.
But Shen Tang was as agile as a monkey, darting around, full of energy. The advantage of the Yanling Blade warrior became a disadvantage; his movements were not as agile as Shen Tang's, and he was constrained in both offense and defense. In the end, the Yanling Blade warrior was pushed to his limits.
He did something familiar to everyone except Shen Tang—activated his Martial Arts and invoked the tiger seal hanging from his waist!
The crimson literary energy, like a roaring beast, surged straight towards Shen Tang, its momentum briefly overpowering the surging black and white literary energy.
Zhai Le saw this and muttered, "Not good."
Seeing Shen Tang's refusal to retreat and her intent to attack, Qi Shan became infuriated. Hoping for Shen Xiao Langjun to be "in tune" with him was no longer possible; he was prepared to forcibly "shift the blame" and redirect Shen Tang.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
After the crimson literary energy soared into the sky and then scattered like raindrops, transforming into soldiers clad in crimson armor, Zhai Le used the tiger seal to command them to engage in battle with the soldiers in red armor.
Dozens of people clashed, turning it into a battle of thousands!
The pressure on Shen Tang's side suddenly decreased, and she shifted her gaze.
The head, the Yanling Blade warrior was the most valuable.
She shifted her stance and silently recited her sword technique.
"A thousand miles without leaving a trace."
The sword shadows converged, weaving into a net.
With a leisurely stride, she advanced towards the Yanling Blade warrior, leaving behind a trail of lingering images. Each strike decapitated a soldier in red armor.
Qi Shan said, "Don't pursue an enemy to the end!"
But Shen Tang paid no heed. "I'll pursue! I'll chase them to hell!"
Qi Shan: "..."
"As silver saddles a white horse, galloping like..."
Shen Tang didn't hesitate to draw upon the literary energy within her Danfu Literary Arts, activating her incantation to pursue. However, halfway through her sentence, her Danfu was instantly depleted. A strong sense of powerlessness spread throughout her body, her long sword dissipated, and her legs gave way, collapsing to the ground with a thud.
She was sober now.