novelaction Chapter 266: Unable to Speak
Chapter 266: Unable to Speak
"No one is wrong." Zong Yanli looked calm. He glanced at everyone and waved, "Is there any survivors of the assassin?"
Long Feiguang shook his head. The assassins hiding in the dark were clearly targeting Lu Peibai. They didn't give them any chance to react. There were not many of them, so they were wiped out in a moment. Judging from the clothes those assassins were wearing, they must be Qi people.
The State of Qi obviously understood that as long as Lu Peibai was there, the State of Qi would be weaker, so it was so eager to assassinate Lu Peibai.
The assassin was willing to take such a big risk to carry out the assassination. He must be a very capable person to be able to find Lu Peibai so accurately among thousands of soldiers.
Zong Yanli, Long Feiguang and others sat down and roughly reviewed the situation at that time. They found the assassin's lost bow and arrow, and compared it with the arrow pulled out from Lu Peibai's wound. Zong Yanli's face became increasingly heavy, and he turned around to ask someone to call Li Jiehu.
Among the many generals, only Jie Hu had the best archery skills. Zong Yanli had known Jie Hu for many years and was familiar with his shooting range. However, Zong Yanli had just made an estimate. Judging from the distance at which the assassin shot Lu Peibai, his shooting range was probably far beyond Jie Hu's.
According to Zong Yanli's understanding of Jie Hu, his shooting range is about 120 meters, while this man's shooting range is about 160 meters or more!
What a terrifying distance this is! Is there such a powerful archer hidden in the State of Qi?
"No wonder he dared to assassinate us when we were marching and was so fearless." Zong Yanli and Jie Hu roughly simulated the situation at that time. Judging from the fact that the guards discovered his escape route, saying that the range was 160 meters was a bit conservative.
"Have you ever heard of such a person in Qi State?" Zong Yanli asked with a frown and a heavy expression.
Everyone shook their heads, and finally Pei Liang said: "If this person already existed in Qi, how could he not show up in the previous battles? In my opinion, this person is probably not a soldier in the army, but a hermit who was invited by Qi for a large sum of money."
Zhan Haoyue's eyebrows relaxed and said, "It's not impossible."
There are countless military strategists who are good at using weapons, such as Jin Da, who once joined the army. He learned swordsmanship from a swordsman. Most of them have been training in the martial arts world or practicing martial arts in seclusion. Now, many of them have responded to the call amid the strife and chaos in the country.
The State of Qi has been established for many years, so it is normal for it to have such a genius.
"Since he has such a skill, he missed the target with one strike. I'm afraid he will come back again." Zong Yanli frowned, his eyes full of worry as he said, "How can we defend ourselves against him shooting arrows from the dark?"
"With such a long range, even I find it difficult to detect it in the first place." Zong Yanli sighed, worried about Lu Peibai's safety.
Everyone was silent after hearing this. I'm afraid no one in the army could have predicted this...
Zong Yanli was at a loss for words for the moment, so he could only ask Jie Hu to pay more attention. As a fellow sharpshooter, he must have a rough idea of where this person would appear again. He didn't know if counter-reconnaissance was feasible.
Because Lu Peibai was injured, the marching team stopped to rest temporarily.
Zong Yanli asked Sang Caijie to send people to investigate those who were good at archery in Qi State, hoping to find some clues.
When Lu Peibai woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the next day. After sleeping for a whole day, she felt pain all over her body. The numb pain from the wound made her frown. When she moved her hands, it seemed that half of her body could not move.
"Is Mr. Mingxi awake?" Zhan Haoyue came to see Lu Peibai from time to time, probably because of the friendship they developed while drinking tea together. This time, Lu Peibai was injured in front of Zhan Haoyue and others. These grown men felt very guilty and took good care of him.
"Hmm..." Lu Peibai responded and was about to struggle to get up when he realized that he was not wearing any clothes. The gauze was wrapped around the key parts of his chest and the wound. He looked like he was wearing a chest-wrapped dress.
Lu Peibai was stunned on the spot as if struck by lightning. He looked up in panic and saw a curtain rack hanging in front of the tent, blocking the bed. Zhan Haoyue's voice came from outside.
She felt a little panicked, and at that moment she seemed to recall how she looked when she was injured, and it seemed that it was Zong Yanli who bandaged her wound.
Lu Peibai was stunned for a long time, until Zhan Haoyue's voice continued to come from outside the tent: "Your clothes are all on the table. I asked someone to boil medicine and food. Mr. Mingxi, do you want to eat now?"
Lu Peibai's mind was a little confused, and he responded randomly. He forced himself to sit up, endured the pain, and trembled as he picked up the clothes on the table and put them on with difficulty.
It's not like she had never been injured before, but she had rarely been injured so badly. After all, it was difficult for people who didn't practice martial arts to endure such pain. She was almost in tears, and she sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, gasping for breath with tears in her eyes. Her lips were pale, and she looked pitiful.
This was the scene Zhan Haoyue saw when he came in with the medicine. He was stunned and quickly looked away, not wanting to look at it.
"These are medicines and meals." Zhan Haoyue didn't know what to say for a moment. He usually saw Lu Peibai dressed as a scholar and he really treated him as a colleague. This time, seeing Lu Peibai's demeanor really caught him off guard.
"Thank you." Lu Peibai's voice was a little hoarse, as if he had calmed down for a long time before he said: "My injury..."
"Uh..." Zhan Haoyue thought of what Lu Peibai would ask, and said helplessly, "The situation was very critical yesterday. All the soldiers in this army are men, and even the military doctor couldn't treat you. The general stepped forward to save your life, and I hope you won't blame me."
When Lu Peibai heard that it was Zong Yanli who treated her injuries, she didn't know whether she was relieved or felt awkward.
She could vaguely recall the cold look on Zong Yanli's face as he held her down yesterday, and thought to herself that Zong Yanli was so resolute and upright that he would not do anything indecent or disrespectful to her...
Lu Peibai moved his lips and whispered, "It's okay, thanks to the general for saving me so decisively."
Zhan Haoyue saw that Lu Peibai did not do anything to commit suicide or ask the general to take responsibility for his body being seen, so he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Mingxi just woke up. He should take some medicine and rest first. The general may come over later."
Lu Peibai nodded in agreement, picked up the medicine with trembling hands, frowned, and drank it mouthful by mouthful. The medicine tasted bitter, and her face seemed to become even paler after she finished drinking it.
"Life in the army is hard, sir, please be patient." Zhan Haoyue didn't know what to say. He watched Lu Peibai drink the medicine and leave.
This ordeal had exhausted all of Lu Peibai's energy. After taking the medicine and eating something, he fell asleep again.
During this period, Zong Yanli brought Xiao Tianhe over, took his pulse, prescribed some medicine for him, and then left.
Zong Yanli didn't come until the next day. Lu Peibai had just woken up and taken the medicine when she saw Zong Yanli. She thought she would be shy and embarrassed to see Zong Yanli, but unexpectedly, Zong Yanli sat directly in front of Lu Peibai as if nothing had happened.
"Sir, do you recognize this arrow?" Zong Yanli raised his hand, and Gao Feilin came forward holding an arrow.
Lu Peibai didn't have time to feel any emotions, and when Zong Yanli asked this question, he immediately lowered his head to look at the arrow.
She reached out and touched it, then weighed it for a moment and said, "This arrow is not made of iron. It looks like it was made by the Bu family."
Lu Peibai thought for a moment and said, "Is this arrow the one that injured me?"
"Not bad." Zong Yanli nodded. She pulled it out with her own hands.
"Then I am really lucky to have survived from the Bu family..." Lu Peibai was a little amused and helpless, covering her wound. No wonder the arrow left her unable to move half of her body. The Bu family was famous for their archery.
However, as the State of Qi grew stronger, it was heard that the Bu family had offended someone and was hunted down and almost wiped out.
In the end, he disappeared from the world and there has been no news about the Bu family for many years.
But it doesn't mean that there are no such people in Qi State, so it's not surprising that Lu Peibai could recognize the arrow.
Zong Yanli learned about the Bu family, and then asked: "Sir, do you know who used this arrow?"
"I don't know about that." Lu Peibai shook his head. The Bu family has been in seclusion for too long. Even if you see them on the street, you may not be able to recognize them. How can you know who is still in the Bu family?
"But..." Lu Peibai raised his eyes slightly and whispered, "The technique used to forge the bows and arrows of the Bu family is very unique, and since this person has already made a move, there is no reason for him to stop."
"Unless I die." Lu Peibai took a breath and said bitterly, "I didn't expect that Qi State would even find the descendants of the Bu family in order to kill me."
Lu Peibai didn't know what kind of mood she should be in. When she was in Qi State, Qi State paid no attention to her at all, and she even became Min Wenshan's concubine. But now Qi State was not hesitant to use such means to kill her. It can be seen that Qi State was frightened by the plan to fight against Lu Peibai, and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Zong Yanli seemed to see Lu Peibai's mood, and smiled at her reassuringly and said, "Sir, don't worry. Since you are mine, I will protect you."
Lu Peibai was shocked, and he looked up at Zong Yanli. There seemed to be a bit more surprise in his eyes, and he felt a little awkward about her words.
"General..." Lu Peibai's face turned pale, and he seemed to be silent for a long time before he spoke in a hoarse voice: "General, do you still remember what I said when I first joined the army?"
"Hmm?" Zong Yanli raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"I don't want to be a slave or a concubine." Lu Peibai has her own persistence and choice. She knows that Zong Yanli is excellent, even stronger than Min Wenshan, but this is not what Lu Peibai wants.
Zong Yanli was stunned when he heard what Lu Peibai said, and then he realized that Lu Peibai had misunderstood him. He laughed and said, "Sir, you are overthinking. I didn't mean that."
She looked at Lu Peibai, thought for a moment and said, "It's urgent to save you. If you want me to take responsibility for you, I'm sorry it's really hard for me to do it."
"It is common to be injured in the army. If you can't endure this, I'm afraid you won't be able to stay in the army any longer." Zong Yanli said bluntly and coldly. She stood in front of Lu Peibai and said, "I don't have any romantic feelings for you, and I won't do what Min Wenshan did, and make you my concubine."
"Sir, take good care of your injuries. What happened earlier was just mutual help between colleagues." Zong Yanli was certainly not so stupid. She directly told Lu Peibai that she was also a woman. After all, Lu Peibai was from Qi and had only known her for a short time.
Zong Yanli has always been very methodical in her actions. Even if she was working with her accomplices, she had kept it a secret from Monkie and others who had been with her for more than ten years. How could she reveal such a secret to someone who joined her halfway?
She has her own explanation. If Lu Peibai can accept it, then he can accept it. If he can't accept it, she won't force him.
Lu Peibai's emotions, which had been brewing for a long time, instantly disappeared after hearing Zong Yanli's words. She stood there in a daze, watching Zong Yanli calmly nod at her and then turn around and walk out, as if he was doing his job in a businesslike manner.
She leaned against the bed, feeling a little confused. She felt slightly relieved but couldn't help feeling a little weird. She looked down at herself, as if she discovered for the first time how unattractive she was.
"General." Zhan Haoyue, Pei Liang and others who were waiting outside the tent saw Zong Yanli coming out and all went to greet him.
"Mr. Mingxi..." Pei Liang looked at Zong Yanli with some hesitation. He wanted to say something, but he was worried and did not speak.
"Nothing, let her have a good rest." Zong Yanli raised his chin slightly and said, "Let's go to the meeting camp to talk."
Pei Liang understood, probably realizing that Zong Yanli had already dealt with it.
Zhan Haoyue saw that Zong Yanli did not say anything, and took Lu Peibai into the room, or that she would be his woman in the future, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. As counselors in the same tent, they could still get along well. If she really became the general's woman, then...
That's much more complicated.
However, Zhan Haoyue thought that with the general's temper, he would definitely not do something like Min Wenshan did, and might even drive Mr. Mingxi away!
Zong Yanli did not give them time to continue thinking about it, but told them what Lu Peibai mentioned about the Bu family. Naturally, everyone knew nothing about the people in Qi State. Although Zhan Haoyue had been to Qi State in the past, he could not know everything.
"If it is really as Mr. Mingxi said, then the assassin will still take action." Pei Liang was a little troubled and said with a frown: "Why not send someone to guard Mr. Mingxi all the time?"
"How can we keep it? Ms. Mingxi is a woman after all..." Zhan Haoyue said helplessly.
"I'll guard her." Zong Yanli frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Wait for the next assassination, and make sure to capture this person."
Zong Yanli raised his eyes and said, "Let Wennian come to see me."
She felt that Wen Nian was the only one in the army who could help her and cooperate with Jie Hu to catch the person.
Now the tight protection will not let him attack again, so Zong Yanli is not in a hurry. Seeing that Lu Peibai is fine after waking up, he directly orders the troops to continue marching. There is no time to stay in the battle.
Lu Peibai could only endure the bumps and continue to move forward with the army towards Baishui Pass, and finally set up camp in a favorable terrain outside Baishui Pass.