Mei Zhongjun, inside the house, caught a glimpse of the guards outside the courtyard drawing their bows, and a surge of blood rushed to his head.
Big brother, are you going to shoot?
Including me?
Arrows have no eyes; after this round, not only the four women in the room, but he himself would be riddled with arrows.
He reached his left hand to his lower back and pulled out a red pill the size of a fingertip from a hidden pocket in his belt.
The things that the people from Prince An's Residence sent last month were said to be black medicine. They said that if you took it, you could boost your strength, but the price would be half your life.
He held the pill in his hand, his palms sweaty.
There's nothing to hesitate about anymore.
The crossbow, exposed to the light, stood up on its own, and the eldest brother was about to fire an arrow to silence them.
Whether or not I can kill that woman in bed tonight, there will be no other way after dawn.
With a flick of the thumb, the red pill enters the mouth.
The pill slid down my throat, feeling almost like chewing a dry peanut.
In less than two breaths, it felt as if someone had stuffed a handful of red-hot coals into his chest.
A surge of scalding heat rushed up from my dantian, hit my ribs, bounced back, and churned around in my stomach three or four times.
The veins on his neck bulged one after another, pushing against the skin and arching outwards all the way to the sides of his temples.
The whites of his eyes turned a deep crimson, and his pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.
"Heh--"
A hissing sound, unlike a human cry, escaped his throat, and a line of dark red blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Outside the courtyard, Mei Boqian saw his younger brother convulsing and spitting out blood and foam, and his face changed.
"Second brother, what did you eat?!"
Mei Zhongjun did not turn around.
The muscles on his face twitched, his features contorted in pain.
Mei Boqian stared at him for a couple of breaths, his back teeth clenched.
So what if I ate it?
If they're crazy, they're crazy.
Regardless of whether the woman inside is truly a princess, no one should be left alive after what happened in this courtyard tonight.
"Release the arrows!"
The bowstrings rang out in unison.
Twelve feathered arrows shot from the courtyard into the main house, passing through broken doors and windows, and embedding themselves in the walls, beams, and bed boards, the feathers at the ends of the arrows still humming.
Two arrows flew in diagonally from above the door frame, grazed Shiqing's scalp, and embedded themselves in the wall bricks half a foot behind her.
Shiqing lay face down on the ground, her face pressed against the cold, broken bricks, too afraid to lift her head.
Huayi curled up against the wall, using half of her body to block Gu Moli's view.
An arrow pierced the outside of her calf, the shaft penetrating three inches into her flesh. She bit her tongue to keep quiet, and blood seeped from her trousers into the soles of her shoes.
Qingwu had injured one wrist, and with the other hand still clutching half a short blade, she knelt in front of the bed corner, like a crumbling wall.
"Keep pretending!"
Mei Boqian's voice came from outside the courtyard.
Round two.
The creaking sound of the bow arm being fully drawn rang out again.
Gu Moli huddled behind the headboard, her back pressed against the carved wooden railing.
She heard the sound of the bowstring, and she also heard her own heartbeat, thump-thump-thump, incredibly fast.
Qingwu can't make it to the second round.
The Huayi an arrow stuck in the artist's leg.
Shiqing wrists are bleeding.
Inside this room, those who could stand in her way fell one after another.
Mei Zhongjun, however, was still standing.
The burning sensation in his body from the red pill rendered him almost numb to pain; his scarlet eyes were fixed intently on the direction of the bed.
"Second cousin?"
Outside the courtyard, Lu Xuerou, who had been held down by the old woman under the eaves, broke free halfway. The sores on her face were still oozing pus, and her voice was shrill and broken.
"What's wrong with you, cousin? You can't shoot anymore, please let him go, okay?"
Why don't you shoot me? Shoot me!
Cries and pleas for mercy mingled together, scattered by the night wind.
Mei Zhongjun, however, did not hear it.
Only one word remained in his mind.
kill.
He looked up at Qingwu, let out a short hiss, and charged forward with his knife.
Qingwu knew something was wrong, but she still pushed the knife-wielding hand forward.
No refunds.
Behind her was the corner of the bed, Gu Moli was still by the headboard.
Outside the door were Mei Boqian's archers; inside was Mei Zhongjun had taken drugs and gone mad.
On the left, Huayi has an arrow shaft stuck in her leg; on the right, Shiqing's wrist is bony.
The only way is to risk your life.
The knife tip had barely been extended when Mei Zhongjun's hand arrived.
Grip the blade with your five fingers.
The metal shard sank into his palm, and blood trickled down between his fingers.
He seemed oblivious to the pain, twisting his hand so that the short blade made a piercing scraping sound between his knuckles.
Qingwu's wrist was pulled off course by that brute force.
"Let go!"
She raised her knee and struck Mei Zhongjun in the abdomen.
Mei Zhongjun's shoulder slumped, dodging the knee strike, and his grip on the blade tightened further.
Click.
The faint sound of bones cracking entered the room, clearer than the sound of the wind outside.
Qingwu's wrist drooped, the short blade slipped from her hand and fell to the foot of the bed.
" Qingwu!"
Gu Moli lifted the curtain.
Mei Zhongjun raised his leg and kicked out.
Huayi rushed in from the side, blocking her way, and his kick landed solidly on her abdomen.
She crashed into the wall, her back shattering a piece of gray brick, blood gushing from her mouth and dripping down her chin onto her clothes.
She looked down at her palm; blood was mixed with bits of flesh.
Dust from the wall stung her eyes. She tried to stand up again, supporting herself against the wall, but her legs only moved half an inch before she couldn't move any further.
" Huayi!"
Ignoring her broken wrist, Shiqing lunged forward, dragging half her arm along.
Mei Zhongjun turned around and swung the hilt of his knife at her back.
She knelt down in the pile of broken bricks, a metallic taste filling her mouth, her fingers clawing wildly at the ground until she grabbed a broken arrow shaft.
Mei Zhongjun walked past the three people and headed towards the corner of the bed.
They walked very fast.
The leg that had been feigning a limp for seven years stepped onto the ground, the sole of the shoe crunching over fragments of oil lamp oil with a crisp sound.
Gu Moli retreated to the edge of the headboard, her shoulder bumping against the carved wooden railing.
A splinter pierced her clothing, but she didn't look down; she just stared at the dagger that was getting closer and closer.
Mei Zhongjun raised his knife.
"You know what?" he gasped, his voice completely hoarse, "I hate people like you the most."
Gu Moli did not answer.
"You're good-looking, and you act so convincingly. When I look at you, I just want to peel that face off and see what's hidden inside."
The blade fell towards her head.
Gu Moli raised the copper hairpin and used it to brace against the back of the knife.
The metal collided, and the shock made her entire arm go numb. The tip of the hairpin grazed Mei Zhongjun's hand, leaving a bloody cut.
Mei Zhongjun grinned, pressing the knife down even lower.
"You've taken the drugs; I'm now only at the Second Rank Qi and Blood level. No one can save you this time."
"Prepare to die!"
Gu Moli's hand holding the copper hairpin was trembling; the hairpin was already bent and could barely hold on.
Just as the copper hairpin bent to its limit, the sound of horses' hooves thundered in the night outside the house.
It's not sporadic.
It was the sound of more than a dozen horses charging at once, their horseshoes hitting the wet stone slabs with a sound as loud as drumming.
Mei Boqian turned around, about to ask a question.
A figure landed on top of the courtyard wall.
Zhen Meili carried a heavy crossbow about half an adult's arm's length away, her hair was disheveled by the wind, her shoes crushed the tiles on the wall, and she was still shouting.
"Look, I'm in first place! Everyone else, hurry up, I can't hold this crossbow down any longer!"
The next moment.
Gu Moran sprang off his horse, lightly touched the top of the wall with his toes, and flipped himself into the courtyard.