Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 22: Tactical Killing

Eroded by the winds of time, the Fengjing Ruins were now nothing but crumbling walls and broken walls, reduced to a vast expanse of ruins that stretched as far as the eye could see. The fact that such a massive main city could be built speaks to just how powerful the Fengjing tribe was back then. Xia Ye hid behind a crumbling wall, watching as, some fifty meters ahead, the corpse of a fox that had been shot was gradually disintegrating into specks of light. “A Spirit Beast?” Xia Ye’s brows furrowed deeply. Spirit Summoning is a form of witchcraft; when performed by shamans, it allows them to summon a spirit beast to aid them in battle. The disintegration of the corpse into specks of light is a distinctive characteristic of summoning-type spirit beasts upon their death. “Is it someone from the Cao clan?” If there was a spirit beast, there must be a shaman nearby, but Xia Ye had waited for quite some time without seeing anyone come looking for revenge. Song Guo clutched a handful of grass in her hand and held it above her head. Xia Wa had said that members of the Cao clan had already arrived, and even if they hadn’t, she wasn’t going to let her guard down. “This guy keeps firing arrows to keep the enemy at bay—could he be waiting for his companions to surround and finish them off?” In a group hunt, everyone has a different role. A guy with such good archery skills definitely wouldn’t be used as a frontline attacker. Using his left eye, Xia Ye noticed that the opponent was still in a drawn-bow stance, aiming right at them. “What are you hesitating about?” Song Guo blinked. She was quick-witted and sensed that Xia Ye had something to say: “No matter what you ask me to do, I’ll take care of it!” “Is that so?” Xia Ye chuckled softly, though his expression remained somewhat grave. He wasn’t sure if he should put a little girl in danger. “I’ll tell you what—I’m super awesome!” Song Guo patted her massive hammer. “All right, I’ll draw his fire while you sneak around behind him and take him out!” Xia Ye handed her the crossbow. “I’ll be the decoy!” Song Guo stood up, ready to run out. “Come back!” Xia Ye reached out and yanked the little girl back: “You’re too small—he won’t see you as a threat, so his attention will definitely be on me.” “That makes sense!” Song Guo nodded. “Go on. Use those spots as cover. If you’re spotted, run away immediately—don’t try to fight it out!” Xia Ye warned. Using a bow requires at least one or two months of rigorous training for the average person to hit a target, but not a crossbow—just raise it and pull the trigger. That’s why, in both Eastern and Western nations, crossbows have always been weapons banned by those in power, because they allow a peasant soldier who’s just put down his pitchfork to easily kill a soldier who’s undergone extensive military training. “Don’t worry, I know how to use it!” Song Guo took the crossbow, loaded it with practiced ease, and began scouting for an approach route: “All right, I’m ready!” “Keep an eye on the enemy’s position at all times!” Xia Ye wasn’t one to dither. Once a plan was set, he didn’t hesitate but instead considered every possible mishap and how to remedy it. Hearing Song Guo speak, Xia Ye formed an “OK” sign with his thumb and index finger, then pushed off with both feet and charged forward. “You’re asking for trouble!” Cao Mu narrowed his eyes. Seeing that the one-eyed man still dared to flee, he immediately let out a savage grin and released his finger. Whoosh! An arrow whistled through the air, cutting through the wind as it flew toward him. Just as Xia Ye darted toward a rock wall five meters away, the arrow thudded into his leather backpack—it had come so close it could have blown his head off. “Heh, I bet you’re scared shitless, huh?” Cao Mu had excellent eyesight; he clearly saw that the one-eyed man was so preoccupied with fleeing and dodging that he didn’t even bother to look up and assess his enemy’s movements—he was obviously a greenhorn fresh out of the gate. After all, when facing an archer, the first priority is to pinpoint the opponent’s position and create as much distance as possible. But this guy was just running around aimlessly. “Should I pretend to look a little panicked? But at this distance, he probably can’t see me, right?” Xia Ye stared intently, using his left eye to observe. Even through numerous obstacles, he could make out a tiny human silhouette crawling on the ground, using the walls and debris for cover as it crept closer to the ambusher. “I have to move fast!” Xia Ye didn’t know if the attacker had any accomplices, and to minimize the chance of Song Guo being discovered, he had to act—whether he was ready or not. He pushed off with both feet and sprinted, trying to force the enemy to turn around—if not to face away from Song Guo, then at least to create a blind spot in her line of sight. Whoosh! Arrows whizzed past, grazing Xia Ye’s side. The chill wind stirred up by the sharp arrows sent a shiver down his spine. “Damn it!” Having failed to take down his opponent three times in a row, Cao Mu was furious, muttering under his breath, “Come out already! This time I’m definitely going to blow your damn head off!” Xia Ye took a deep breath, resting while keeping an eye on the little girl. Song Guo had taken her position, raising her crossbow from a distance of over fifty meters from the ambusher. Determined to land a killing blow, Xia Ye charged forward. “Are you a member of the Cao clan? I’m friends with Cao Ang!” Xia Ye shouted, slowing his pace slightly. “Haha, running out of steam, are you? But does Cao Ang really have friends like you?” Cao Mu hesitated for a split second—after all, Cao Ang was leading the group this time; otherwise, he wouldn’t have cared if that half-blind guy had just picked anyone at random. “Who cares? I’ll just shoot him half to death first!” Cao Mu’s arrow, which had originally been aimed at Xia Ye’s head, involuntarily shifted downward toward his chest, but just as he released it, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. “Oh no!” Cao Mu’s face turned pale as he leaped toward the nearby redwood, trying to take cover behind the massive tree. It had to be said that this guy’s reflexes were incredibly quick; if it had been an ordinary bow, he might well have dodged it. Unfortunately, Song Guo was using a fine piece crafted by Master Xia Jia, worth over a thousand dao coins. You get what you pay for. The crossbow bolt Song Guo fired wasn’t just incredibly fast—it was also remarkably stable. Over a distance of fifty meters, its drop was minimal; the moment she pulled the trigger, it had already flown past Cao Mu’s back. Thud! The bronze arrowhead pierced his right lung, passing right through it, causing him such excruciating pain that he nearly suffocated. “I let my guard down!” Cao Mu was drenched in sweat from the pain. He hadn’t seen any companions with his prey—so why had a crossbow bolt come flying at him from behind? “Crush them!” Spotting the ambushers, Xia Ye leaped to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Crush them!” It was meant to intimidate and create psychological pressure. “What? There’s someone else?” Cao Mu was startled. Just as he widened his eyes, staring intently at the direction the crossbow bolts had come from to guard against a second wave of attacks, he saw a little girl clad in a small black bear pelt dart out. “Awoo, crush them!” The little girl shouted, charging forward on her short legs, brandishing a massive stone hammer with a murderous glint in her eyes. In that instant, Cao Mu’s expression of shock froze!