Startling Retreat

Li Yan felt a touch of surprise.

He recognized Gu Sheng.

Having encountered Gu Erniu twice before, Gu Sheng had been present both times, sharing a close relationship with Gu Erniu and displaying archery skills comparable to his.

Therefore, he hadn't held back at all just now; that arrow was aimed at Gu Sheng's right leg.

But he hadn't expected Gu Sheng's reaction to be so swift. Gu Sheng had sensed it first and managed to dodge quickly, even while carrying a wild deer.

"Kid, you're alone? Where's Gu Erniu? Why isn't he with you?"

Li Yan chuckled, trying to lower Gu Sheng's guard, while subtly signaling to the three hunters beside him.

The three understood immediately, crouching low and spreading out to the sides.

Once they created some distance and had shooting angles, Gu Sheng would have no escape!

Gu Sheng hid behind a tree, his chest heaving, his eyes filled with anger and killing intent.

A double-cross!

While he had met this scoundrel before, this was the first time they had resorted to violence without a word.

This was partly due to the lure of the wild deer and partly because of Gu Sheng's relationship with Gu Erniu.

Because Gu Erniu had married Li Lian, he and Li Yan were sworn enemies. Their conflict had deepened over time, escalating to a point where they would kill each other. Gu Sheng was being caught in the crossfire.

Li Yan feigned incessant chatter, intending to disrupt Gu Sheng's concentration.

But Gu Sheng was incredibly vigilant. Hiding behind the tree, he regulated his breathing, his keen senses immediately detecting the other three hunters spreading out to the sides.

Once the four opponents were dispersed, Gu Sheng, a mere mortal, even with archery skills nearing perfection, couldn't fight four hands alone.

If he were hit by even one arrow, his fate would likely be sealed.

"I need to strike first!"

Gu Sheng's eyes were cold. He hadn't killed anyone before, but with the enemy charging at him, he felt no fear.

His greatest advantage was that the enemy believed his archery skills were merely comparable to Gu Erniu's, when in reality, Gu Sheng's archery was already close to perfection, far superior to Gu Erniu's!

"I need to leverage this information gap to create an advantage."

Gu Sheng occasionally glanced sideways. Li Yan was indeed an experienced hunter, using the trees to conceal his movements, making it difficult for ordinary people to get a shot.

Gu Sheng's focus was absolute as he predicted the movement trajectories of Li Yan and the other three, while simultaneously calculating his escape routes.

Suddenly.

His eyes lit up; he seized a fleeting opportunity.

"Now!"

Gu Sheng lunged forward with incredible speed. His eyes were like a hawk's, sharp and focused. His bow was drawn taut like a full moon, and the arrow he nocked was released instantly, whistling sharply as it flew, aimed directly at Li Yan's heart!

Afterward, Gu Sheng didn't wait to see the result; he had immense confidence in his archery.

Without looking back, he rolled forward, carrying the wild deer and sprinting into the distance.

With his current stamina, running with the wild deer for a short distance was not an issue. In a critical moment, he could even use it as a shield.

Seeing that he wasn't giving up the wild deer, the opponents might continue their pursuit. During the chase, if they exposed any openings, his near-perfect archery would teach them a lesson!

Gu Sheng harbored killing intent as he sprinted, using the trees of the jungle as cover.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Gu Sheng moved like a startled rabbit, displaying a terrifyingly high level of archery skill. In an instant, he seized a slight opening revealed by Li Yan, loosed an arrow, and then fled rapidly, with utmost decisiveness.

Shock flashed in Li Yan's eyes.

The turn of events was so sudden, catching him completely off guard. Everything happened too quickly. He was still trying to distract Gu Sheng, and the arrow had already been shot with deadly precision.

Whoosh!

The arrow was like lightning, piercing the air with a whistle, growing larger in Li Yan's pupils, making it impossible to dodge.

Gu Sheng's archery far surpassed the level he had previously displayed. It seemed poised to pierce his heart!

However.

The scene he had imagined, of the arrow piercing flesh and Li Yan screaming in agony, did not occur.

Clang!!

A crisp metallic sound echoed through the forest. The arrow fell powerlessly. Li Yan's face twitched. Although the protective item had blocked the arrow's sharpness, the impact force was considerable, causing a throbbing pain in his chest.

His expression was grim, a mixture of lingering fear, dread, and anger.

So close, just a hair's breadth away, and he would have been dead!

Looking at the three hunters who had just shot and were about to pursue further, Li Yan couldn't help but shout:

"Stop chasing! Come back!"

When Gu Sheng heard the crisp 'clang,' he immediately realized his arrow had been blocked. Li Yan must have had some kind of metal plate or protective gear strapped to his chest!

He touched his own chest, where a piece of iron was also tied.

Gu Sheng couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. There hadn't been an angle before, otherwise, that arrow would have been aimed at Li Yan's throat.

"This guy is quite cautious. Lucky for you!"

Gu Sheng's figure was agile. He knew that after revealing his position and shooting that arrow, he would definitely attract attacks from the other three hunters. However, Gu Sheng wasn't too worried, as these three might not have reached the minor accomplishment stage in archery.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three arrows flew in from various directions, but Gu Sheng had already calculated their trajectories.

Shifting his position, two arrows embedded themselves in a tree, while another grazed the deer carcass on his back, tearing away a piece of flesh.

Gu Sheng didn't dwell too much on the failed shot, continuing to flee.

Once he escaped the encirclement, if these men dared to pursue him further, that would be the real start of the show.

Several hunters from Li Family Fort gathered around Li Yan, asking with confusion:

"Brother Yan, why didn't we keep chasing? This kid is carrying a deer, he can't run far. Even if we can't kill him, we should at least force him to drop his prey. Are we just letting this prize escape for nothing?"

The men looked somewhat unwilling.

If they had continued the pursuit, they would have eventually caught up to Gu Sheng.

Li Yan's scarred eye twitched incessantly, his expression grim. He took a deep breath and pulled out a palm-sized chest guard from his chest. The mirror surface of the guard bore faint cracks.

"This kid was playing weak to catch the strong. He'd been hiding his archery skills all along. In that surprise moment, I almost died from that arrow. If it weren't for this chest guard my sister gave me, you would have seen my corpse!"

"Chase? Are you prepared to trade your lives for it?"

Li Yan sneered sarcastically, his heart filled with dread.

The archery Gu Sheng displayed made his hair stand on end. In such a predicament, he could shoot a fatal arrow with such precision. If they continued to pursue, he couldn't imagine the consequences.

Even if they had the advantage of numbers to kill this kid, it was possible they might drag two people down to hell with him.

Li Yan couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be one of them.

Therefore, despite his anger, he chose to give up the pursuit.

Looking at the cracks on the chest guard, the three men's expressions changed in unison. In the lightning-fast moment, they hadn't seen clearly, but they hadn't expected Gu Sheng's arrow to hit Li Yan's chest directly.

For a moment.

The three men felt a tingling sensation in their chests and broke out in a cold sweat.

If that arrow had been aimed at them, and they didn't have a treasure like the chest guard, they would likely already be cold corpses.

Instantly, they stopped mentioning the pursuit.