At this moment, it was too late for Qin Feiyang to dodge! A touch of madness flared in his eyes. Gripping his dagger, he met the three oncoming arrows.
CLANG!!!
Sparks flew as two arrows were deflected. They grazed past his ears, leaving two stinging, bloody scratches on his face! However, the third arrow, with a sickening PFFT, embedded itself in his right shoulder!
Simultaneously, he lifted his left leg. The three arrows meant for the Wolf King pierced through his calf, lodging between the bones. Blood gushed out!
The intense pain contorted Qin Feiyang's face! He gritted his teeth, wrenched the arrow from his shoulder, and stabbed it into the ground to support himself as he scanned the area before him.
"White-Eyed Wolf," Qin Feiyang said in a low, urgent voice, "I know you're weak right now, but whether we can escape depends on you. I saved your life; don't you dare leave me behind."
Before his words even faded, a man in black robes emerged from a patch of bushes a hundred meters away. From another thicket behind him, a young woman also stepped out.
Both appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old and were quite good-looking; the woman beautiful, the man handsome. Their clothes, made of silk, clearly marked them as disciples from prominent families.
Lin Gu! Lin Guo! Qin Feiyang recognized them, his pupils constricting.
He was familiar with these two; they were from the younger generation of the Lin family. Both were Seven-star Martial Artists. Even if I weren't injured, he thought, I'd be no match for them, let alone now.
Each carried a pitch-black iron bow. Lin Guo's was slightly smaller, and she had a quiver with a dozen or so gleaming, sharp arrows on her back.
Lin Guo's expression was frosty. She nocked three arrows, drew her bow, aimed at Qin Feiyang, and said menacingly, "You had the audacity to kill Lin Feng and Lin Shi! Now, you have only one chance: surrender and return with us to await the Family Head's judgment!"
Lin Gu also drew three arrows, aiming at Qin Feiyang, poised to shoot.
"And if I refuse?" Qin Feiyang stared at them grimly. Damn my luck for running into these two, he cursed inwardly.
Lin Gu sneered, "If you dare utter a single word of refusal, I guarantee your body will be riddled with bloody holes in the next instant!"
Qin Feiyang growled in a low voice, "White-Eyed Wolf, how much longer are you going to rest?"
The Wolf King lay on the ground, its breathing shallow, seemingly on the verge of death. But that beast is definitely faking it, Qin Feiyang knew.
Lin Gu said, "To think you'd ally yourself with a wolf. No wonder you're capable of such animalistic deeds."
Hearing this, a ferocious glint flashed in the White-Eyed Wolf's eyes.
Qin Feiyang sneered, "So what if I've allied with a wolf? Wolves may be cunning, but in my eyes, they're ten thousand times better than hypocrites like you!"
"Then I have no choice but to kill you and rid Iron Bull Town of this menace!" Lin Gu drew his bowstring taut, killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Qin Feiyang jeered, "If it weren't for Lin Yiyi, you probably would have killed me already. If you want me dead, just say so. Stop making these sanctimonious excuses, will you?"
Apart from Lin Yiyi, he had no goodwill towards anyone in the Lin family.
"Still so unyielding! Go to hell!" Lin Guo's eyes blazed with a cold light. She released her bowstring, and three arrows shot like lightning through the air, straight for Qin Feiyang.
AROOO!
Just then, the White-Eyed Wolf howled at Qin Feiyang and abruptly leaped to its feet.
Without a second thought, Qin Feiyang threw himself onto the White-Eyed Wolf's back, gripping its neck fur tightly.
SWOOSH!
Instantly, the White-Eyed Wolf burst forward at full speed, plunging into a thicket and bolting deep into the dense forest.
"Die!" Lin Gu roared, drawing his bow to its limit. Three arrows flew with a piercing whistle toward Qin Feiyang and the White-Eyed Wolf!
"Watch out!" Qin Feiyang yelled.
The White-Eyed Wolf veered left, and the three arrows missed, embedding themselves in a tree trunk as thick as a water bucket with a CRACK.
Such destructive power! Qin Feiyang broke out in a cold sweat. They're not holding back at all! If those arrows had hit me, wouldn't I be dead on the spot?
"Chase!" Lin Guo gestured sharply.
The two pursued at top speed, loosing arrows whenever they had a clear shot, without hesitation!
The White-Eyed Wolf, carrying Qin Feiyang, weaved through the forest. After only a few tens of breaths, it was already panting heavily from exhaustion.
Qin Feiyang shouted, "White-Eyed Wolf, can't you go any faster?"
Lin Guo and Lin Gu were Seven-star Martial Artists, inherently faster. If this continued, they would be overtaken soon.
Hearing the shout, a flicker of annoyance appeared in the White-Eyed Wolf's large, bell-like eyes.
If I could speak, the wolf fumed, I'd give you a piece of my mind right now! You're just sitting there comfortably, doing nothing! But what about me? I have to carry your heavy self! It's a miracle I can even maintain this speed, and you want me to go faster?
Of course, it had no way to voice these complaints.
In reality, Qin Feiyang weighed around one hundred and twenty pounds at most, hardly a "heavyweight." But to the injured and exhausted White-Eyed Wolf, it felt like carrying an ox.
"There's no escape for you today, whether to the heavens or into the earth!"
"Stop struggling, Qin Feiyang! It's useless!"
Lin Guo and Lin Gu radiated killing intent. If Qin Feiyang and the White-Eyed Wolf paused for even a moment, they would be shot down without mercy!
Qin Feiyang snarled, "Lin Guo, Lin Gu, just you wait! Your fate will be far more miserable than that of Lin Feng and Lin Shi!"
"Still talking tough when you're at death's door!" Though a woman, Lin Guo exuded a savage aura. She drew her bow and loosed an arrow, all in one swift motion!
SWOOSH! CRACK!
The arrow sped through the air, splintering shrubs and shredding wild grass in its path. Qin Feiyang felt a bone-chilling sharpness aimed at his back!
What's happening? At this critical moment, he had no time to worry about the arrow behind him. He stared ahead in shock and anger—they were at a cliff's edge!
Critically, the White-Eyed Wolf showed no sign of stopping as it rushed towards the precipice.
"White-Eyed Wolf, stop! I don't want to die yet... No, no, no!" Qin Feiyang roared desperately, but the White-Eyed Wolf paid him no heed. Without the slightest hesitation, it leaped straight off the cliff!
"White-Eyed Wolf, I HATE YOU...!" Qin Feiyang's furious roar drifted up from below the cliff, reverberating between heaven and earth, lingering long after.
Lin Guo and Lin Gu halted at the cliff's edge. They peered down, their brows knitted tightly.
"What now?" Lin Gu asked.
"It's a bottomless abyss down there. Jumping like that, they're undoubtedly dead." A cold smile touched Lin Guo's lips, her gaze icy.
Lin Gu nodded and sneered, "Daring to kill disciples of our Lin family... Even if Qin Feiyang is dead, Qin Yuan cannot be let off lightly. Let's go back and report to the Family Head."
The two turned, plunged into the dense forest, and quickly vanished without a trace.
This is it, I'm really doomed, Qin Feiyang despaired. I haven't even made it back to the Imperial Capital! White-Eyed Wolf, I knew you were vicious, but did you have to go this far?!
Qin Feiyang could no longer feel the pain from the arrow wound in his right shoulder. He clung desperately to the White-Eyed Wolf, staring at the rapidly approaching ground below, his eyes filled with dread. Is there any way I can survive this fall?
"Huh?" Suddenly, a glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes. Far below, he spotted a river! Could it be...? A wave of elation washed over Qin Feiyang. Wolf Valley is nearby, so the White-Eyed Wolf must be familiar with this area. It must have known there was a river down here! That's why it jumped without hesitation!
That scared the life out of me, Qin Feiyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hitting solid ground would undoubtedly mean being smashed into pulp. Falling into the river, while still dangerous for a Six Star Martial Artist like him, at least offered a chance of survival.
Now I can only pray that this river isn't just a few meters deep, or that its bed isn't covered in jagged rocks. If it is, I'm still dead!
SPLOOSH!!
Seconds later, man and beast, like two large stones, plunged into the river, sending up a splash several meters high!
The inertial force from such a high fall was terrifying! The instant he impacted the water, Qin Feiyang felt as if his body was shattering. An intense, tearing pain, like a relentless tide, threatened to overwhelm him.
I can't pass out now! Qin Feiyang bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain clearing his mind considerably.
I know nothing about this river. If there are powerful Water Beasts lurking here, and I pass out, won't I become an easy meal? Even if there are no Water Beasts, I'll drown if I just keep sinking.
Enduring the searing pain, he tried to move his limbs. His arms were fine, but his left leg was unresponsive. He looked down, his eyes widening; his left leg was clearly fractured. At the break, the skin was split and flesh exposed, and blood was already dyeing a large patch of the river red.
Thank heavens, it's just a broken leg, Qin Feiyang thought with a strange sense of relief. Gritting his teeth, he began to swim downwards. The White-Eyed Wolf had lost consciousness and was slowly sinking.
The river was very deep; at least, Qin Feiyang hadn't seen the bottom yet. Fortunately, the water was also very clear.
He swam down quickly, grabbed the White-Eyed Wolf's tail, then turned and kicked powerfully towards the surface.
Having lived by a lake for five years, his swimming skills were superb. Despite his broken leg, his speed wasn't much slower than an ordinary person's. However, the pain he endured with every movement was almost beyond human endurance.
After a dozen breaths or so, he finally broke the surface, gasping greedily for air.
But then, his face turned pale green. What he inhaled wasn't just air, but also a pungent, fishy stench!
Water Beast! A jolt shot through him as the terrifying realization hit. If we encounter a Water Beast now, the White-Eyed Wolf and I are truly finished.
He cautiously scanned his surroundings, his gaze suddenly locking onto something to his left. A massive body floated on the water's surface! His first impression was that he had encountered a behemoth!
He traced the massive form upwards with his eyes. When he finally saw the creature's true appearance, he froze, his face turning deathly pale. That... that's more than just a behemoth! I don't even know how to describe it! It's a fish! But no ordinary fish—it has evolved into a Water Beast! Only half of its body is above the water, yet it's as large as a house! It's impossible to imagine how big its entire body must be! Its eyes, as large as winnowing baskets, glinted with a terrifying, ferocious light that made Qin Feiyang's scalp prickle as if it would explode!