A Powerful Bow Slays the Enemy

The others thought he had a point. At once, on someone's shout, the Wu Family riders split into pairs and began slowly searching ahead.

Though the pursuers were so far away that Shi Mu couldn't hear what they were saying, the sharp-eyed man carrying the wooden box stood out among them. From the way he spoke, he seemed to be their leader.

That immediately stoked Shi Mu's urge to kill him.

Shi Mu had already realized that the pursuers all walked with heavy steps. They were all Martial Disciples; there wasn't a single Houtian Martial Artist among them.

If that was the case, then with his skills, he had nothing to fear.

With that thought, he suddenly grabbed a large handful of arrows from his quiver and planted them one by one in the dirt before him. Then he took a deep breath. A crackling series of pops rang out from inside his body, and his arms swelled by more than a full size as he drew back the Purple Steel Bow.

The enormous bow instantly bent into a full moon, aimed straight ahead.

In the stillness of the woods, the sounds from Shi Mu's body carried a great distance.

"What was that sound?"

"Who's there?"

"Idiot, it must be that brat Shi Mu. Hurry over there—don't let him get away again!"

The Wu Family riders were startled at first, then overjoyed. One after another, they charged toward Shi Mu's position.

The sharp-eyed man was the only one who didn't hurry after them. Seeing this, a smile appeared on his face.

In his eyes, now that Shi Mu had revealed himself, he was sure to escape this time only if he had wings.

Just as he was about to close the lid of the wooden box in his hands, he suddenly heard a sharp blast in the distance. Then a gust of wind surged before him, his throat turned cold, and he shot backward as if struck by a massive object.

With a crash, he slammed into a tree, sending a shower of leaves fluttering down.

Only then did the sharp-eyed man realize in horror that he was hanging in midair. A long arrow had appeared in his throat, with only a small feathered end protruding.

The arrow had pierced his throat and pinned him to the tree behind him.

"Ugh..."

The sharp-eyed man let out two strangled groans and feebly kicked his legs. The strength drained rapidly from his body.

Just before he breathed his last, he glimpsed his companions in the distance. One after another, they too jolted and flew backward amid the repeated blasts.

At least I'm not going alone. I won't have to worry about being lonely down there.

The wooden box in the sharp-eyed man's hand hit the ground with a thud. Its lid sprang open, and the little insect inside fluttered its wings and flew out. After a few quick flickers, it vanished into the grass.

"Get out of the way! Their archery is formidable. Zhao Shitou and Kong Zhang have been shot dead!"

"No way—the arrows are too fast to dodge! Get behind a tree. Ah..."

"Damn it, they're using a Three-Stone Hard Bow! It can pierce stone and punch through wood! Hiding behind trees didn't help Sun Ergou and Li Kuang either—they were shot through the throat! What do we do?"

"Idiots, get down on the ground!"

The Wu Family riders who had been closing in on Shi Mu with such ferocity fell into chaos after a few sharp blasts. They all flattened themselves on the ground, afraid to stand.

Meanwhile, Shi Mu calmly picked up another arrow, drew the Purple Steel Bow, and aimed toward the spot over a hundred zhang away. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression remained utterly composed.

"Hu Lao'er is dead too! Did anyone see which direction the arrows came from? We can only defend ourselves if we know their exact position." An older Wu Family rider lay on the ground, yet managed to ask with some composure.

"Boss Li, their arrows are too fast. I only caught a glimpse of one. It seemed to come straight from ahead." Another Wu Family rider answered in exasperation.

"Good. Now that we know where he is, I have a way to deal with him." At that, the rider called Boss Li reached behind his back with one hand and swept it through the air. With a pop, a thick, round leather shield appeared in his hand.

Boss Li simply rolled over, tucking his entire body behind the shield. Then he gave a low growl, hunched over, and charged toward Shi Mu with the shield held in front of him.

"Excellent! I almost forgot—Boss Li's specialty is the Blade and Shield Technique. We're saved!"

"Get ready. As soon as Boss Li gets close, we'll all jump up and rush him too. We have to finish that brat as quickly as possible!"

The few remaining men were overjoyed at the sight.

A muffled thud rang out.

Just as Boss Li lunged forward, another sharp blast sent him flying five or six zhang backward. He hit the ground hard, and no sound came from him again.

"That wasn't a Three-Stone Bow—it's at least a Seven-Stone Hard Bow! Boss Li's leather shield was useless. We'd need a Black Iron Shield at the very least to stop it. Ah..." A Wu Family pursuer lifted his head slightly and saw what had happened to Boss Li. He cried out in alarm and fury, but the next instant he let out a scream as another arrow pierced his forehead, sending him rolling several times almost flush with the ground.

At this, the others went white with terror. They pressed their heads hard against the ground, not daring to rise even an inch.

At the same time, they were deeply baffled. In such a dark night, from so far away, how could their opponent hit every shot? Could he really be a once-in-a-decade master archer?

But as they lay there, trembling with fear and afraid to move, it was utterly silent on Shi Mu's side too.

This only made the pressure on the Wu Family riders all the more unbearable.

After a while, one of them finally couldn't hold back and cursed:

"Brat, don't get too cocky! Don't think that just because you've got a good bow and know a little archery, you can escape alive. Once Master Tong gets here, he'll skin you alive and avenge our brothers!"

"The Wu Family? You're not with the Jin Family?"

At last, Shi Mu's somewhat surprised voice came from the other side.

"Hmph, the Jin Family is here too. Fifth Master Jin is leading them in person. But our Green Wind Colts are faster, so we found you first. You're dead this time. Even if you somehow escape from us, you won't escape the Jin Family's pursuit in the end." The Wu Family rider spoke viciously.

Hearing this, the others were heartened too.

That was right. Even if they couldn't do anything to Shi Mu, once Wu Tong arrived—a Houtian martial artist—the situation would naturally change.

"Master Tong? You mean Wu Tong? Good. Then I'll deal with you lackeys first."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps suddenly sounded from the other side. A figure burst out through the dim night, moving as swiftly as a crossbow bolt.