Firework sensed someone holding onto her and instinctively launched an attack, but she quickly stopped when she realized the other party was Zu An.
She breathed a sigh of relief, only to be assaulted by fiery pain right after. It felt as if her meridians had all been ripped apart.
The Mongol soldier who ambushed her didn’t give chase. He cautiously retreated and eyed them from afar.
Zu An finally saw the other party’s appearance. The latter had a tall nose and distant eyes, an appearance that resembled Hu Feng[1]. He was clearly not from the Central Plains.
“You live up to your title as Persia’s Assassin King, Old Man Shanzhong. I’m impressed,” Prince Zhenjin complimented the man.
The other experts grunted in indignation, but they were awed by Old Man Shanzhong as well. They had all seen what Firework was capable of; the latter had even killed the Red Sun Reverend with ease. Yet Old Man Shanzhong had inflicted severe damage on her by dealing a timely blow.
With Firework’s injuries, the Mongols’ victory was sealed, but they chose to temporarily pause their assault lest Firework attempt a desperate counterattack—the last thing they wanted was to die in vain when victory was already theirs. Instead, the Mongols chose to encircle them from afar.
Brief silence settled upon the battlefield.
Zu An stared at Old Man Shanzhong. He hadn’t expected to meet Persia’s Assassin King here, though it all made sense considering how Mongolia had conquered Persia as well.
Prince Zhenjin said, “Young master Guo, your big sister is severely injured. Her life will be in danger if she isn’t treated right away. Why don’t you consider my proposal? I’ll make sure your big sister receives proper treatment.”
He had remained calm thus far because he knew about the experts hidden around him. With his victory certain, he tried to recruit Zu An and Firework once more. He understood how the carrot and the stick worked.
“Young master Guo, I suggest you think things through before answering. You’re alone now. If we continue this fight, not only will you be unable to save your big sister, you’ll also be going up against all of us alone. You are a smart person. I’m sure you know what to choose.”
Zu An’s expression darkened. Prince Zhenjin was right.
If Firework hadn’t sustained injuries, they could have broken out of this encirclement with ease. Now that he was alone, the chances of him breaking out of this encirclement alone were 50% at most. If he carried the wounded Firework with him, the odds would be even lower.
Firework understood that and coldly said, “Escape by yourself.”
Having survived by herself thus far, she didn’t expect anyone to protect her. Besides, they weren’t on close terms, either. It would be a stretch to call them friends; they had merely been making use of each other. There was no reason for Zu An to risk his life to save her.
There would be no disappointment if there was no expectation.
But Zu An smiled and said, “We’re comrades. I won’t abandon you.”
Firework frowned. “We aren’t comrades. You can even say that I’m your competitor.”
Zu An calmly replied, “Since we came here together, we ought to leave together as well. As I’ve said, I’ll find a way for the four of us to leave this place together. I won’t abandon you here. If our roles were reversed, I’m sure you wouldn’t abandon me either.”
Firework sneered, “You overestimate yourself. I’d toss you aside in a heartbeat.”
“What a pity,” Zu An remarked, though he continued standing his ground.
Firework looked at him in contempt. Is he so obsessed with playing the hero that he doesn’t recognize reality anymore? I bet he’ll leave without hesitation the moment his life is in danger.
She had seen such scenes play out far too many times. Even the closest friends and lovers eventually betray each other in times of desperation.
She focused on circulating her inner energy to heat up, but she soon frowned. Old Man Shanzhong’s earlier blow had crushed most of her meridians, making it impossible for her to properly channel her inner energy to recuperate.
I dominated the universe for so many years. To think I’d end up dying here.
The lack of response from Zu An made Prince Zhenjin’s expression darken. He waved his hand and ordered, “Attack!”
The Mongol soldiers nocked their bows and unleashed a rain of arrows.
Zu An kicked up two spears on the ground and wielded them. He twirled the spears around, deflecting the arrow rain.
He knew it wouldn’t do for him to passively defend against the arrows, or else it was only a matter of time before he was turned into a porcupine. Thus, he stomped the ground, jolting the arrows up into the sky, and flung them out with his spear.
While the archers were dealing with his abrupt counterattack, he quickly grabbed Firework’s waist and dashed into the Mongol soldiers.
Firework frowned. The heat on her waist made her uncomfortable. It wasn't the first time Zu An had hugged her in such a manner, but back then, she was a cat teasing a mouse. This was her first time being protected in such a helpless position.
But what’s the point? He’ll still abandon me in the end. He might as well just dump me now and spare me the misery.
As these thoughts surfaced in her mind, her expression grew increasingly colder.
The Mongol soldiers and Quanzhen daoists attacked Zu An, but with the combat experience he had accrued, the latter dealt with them easily.
Daoist Bai Sun and the other Mongol experts exchanged shocked looks.
Firework had already astounded them earlier, and they hadn't thought she would have an ally whose strength was on par with her. Just watching the pair's moves evoked an epiphany in them. They felt as if they could make a breakthrough if they went into closed-door training.
All of them had already reached a bottleneck in their martial arts, such that they had hardly made any advancement in the last few decades. Yet these two youths inspired them so much that they thought they could push toward higher ground.
That was how shocking the situation was.
Seeing over half of the Mongol soldiers and Quanzhen daoists crumbling in defeat, Prince Zhenjin turned to the Mongol experts and said, “I request you to join hands with my people and capture that man.”
He knew that these people were lofty grandmasters in their respective territories, and the only way they would join hands with one another was for him to make the request in person.
But he was wrong this time.
After witnessing Zu An and Firework’s tremendous fighting prowess, these experts wouldn’t dare to put on airs. They had only held still thus far because they wanted the Mongol soldiers and Quanzhen daoists to wear down Zu An’s inner energy.
Zu An and Firework’s moves surpassed their wildest imagination. Their only shortcoming was their comparatively weaker inner energy due to their young age. Their odds at victory went up the more Zu An expended his inner energy.
Those Mongol soldiers and Quanzhen daoists weren’t dying in vain; their deaths had expended at least half of Zu An’s inner energy. Since Prince Zhenjin was making the request in person, the experts decided to make their moves now.
The Master of the Vajra School dashed forth, confident in the defensive prowess of his Indestructible Vajra Divine Art.
Daoist Bai Sun exerted his Xuanming Divine Palm to inflict Zu An with his ice poison.
Yang Lianzhenjia revealed inner energy stronger than the Red Sun Reverend's.
The biggest headache of all was Old Man Shanzhong, who prowled in the shadows like a venomous viper, ready to dish out a lethal blow whenever Zu An let his guard down. Zu An had to continuously keep an eye out for the latter.
These four experts were highly experienced in combat, but Zu An calmly stood his ground against their joint offense. Thus, they quickly adjusted their strategy and focused on attacking the injured Firework instead.
Under normal circumstances, such a fighting style would have been beneath them, but no one faulted their actions here.
It worked. Zu An’s initial composure eroded away, and he began to struggle. It didn’t take long for wounds to appear on his body.
Firework’s expression turned even colder. “Enough. You have already shown enough camaraderie. You can scram now.”
Zu An smiled. “I’m not in the habit of abandoning my comrades, let alone a beautiful lady.”
Another injury was inflicted on his shoulder.
Firework closed her eyes. “A licentious pervert is bound to lose his life to a woman.”
1. A Chinese poet in the 1900s ☜