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Gyrfalcons were ferocious in nature. Although it always appeared timid in Bishui Alley, once its true nature was unleashed, it transformed back into a true falcon!
The black-clad man did not expect the arrow he shot to be caught by a falcon. How could this happen?
Little Nine discarded the arrow in its claw and swiftly pounced towards the black-clad man, pecking on one of his eyes!
The black-clad man clutched his bleeding eye and fell to the ground, howling in pain!
Hearing the commotion behind her, Gu Jiao paused briefly but didn't dare linger for too long. She continued running forward, almost crossing from the south to the north of the woods.
Finally, exhausted, she sat down against a large tree.
She gasped for breath, her body sticky with either blood or sweat.
She was very thirsty, but she had no water with her, and there were no streams nearby. Even if there were, she wouldn't be able to reach them.
She was completely drained.
Little Nine landed on Gu Jiao's shoulder, flapping its wings and gently brushing her face with its beak.
Gu Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Have you completely forgotten that you're a falcon?
Mimicking a chicken was one thing, but now you were copying Little Eight's behavior, rubbing your face against people. If I gave you a flexible tail, would you wag it around now?
Little Nine made a cooing sound from its throat, expressing who knew what, then in a moment, it fluttered its wings and flew away.
When it returned, it had a bird's egg in its beak.
It gently placed the egg on Gu Jiao's skirt and flew away again. When it came back, its beak held another bird's egg.
This repeated several times until there were a total of eight bird's eggs on Gu Jiao's skirt.
None of them seemed to belong to the same species, so how many bird nests did this little creature actually rob?
The birds in the woods probably never expected to be robbed by a gyrfalcon in the middle of the night.
Little Nine was a conscientious little fellow; it only took one egg from each nest it raided.
It was impossible to start a fire here, or more precisely, Gu Jiao no longer had the strength to do so. Her body temperature was rapidly dropping, and she was on the brink of going into shock.
In her past life, eating raw bird eggs was no big deal. She wasn't that finicky or saintly. Survival of the fittest was the law of this world.
Little Nine seemed to have sensed her lack of strength and used its beak to peck small holes in each bird egg.
Gu Jiao drank all the egg liquid.
Little Nine used its wings to sweep away the eggshells, sending them flying far away. Then it jumped into Gu Jiao's embrace and curled up like Little Eight had done before, nestling in Gu Jiao's arms to keep her warm.
Whether it was the effect of the egg liquid or Little Nine's assistance, Gu Jiao's body temperature slowly began to rise, and her pale lips regained a hint of color.
"Coo!"
Little Nine let out a cooing sound from its throat again, raising its head alertly and looking towards the other side of the forest.
Gu Jiao was startled, "Seriously? They're coming again?"
She was almost certain that the group of assassins from earlier had been incapacitated by her explosions. So, was this the third wave?
How many assassins had that woman secretly raised?
Fortunately, she had regained some strength and didn’t have to just sit back and wait for her death.
"Little Nine, let's go!"
Little Nine flew up into the sky, leading the way for her.
The pursuers caught up.
There were a total of eight of them.
Great, just great.
She had already run out of her black gunpowder balls.
It seemed like this would be the end for her.
However, the imagined slaughter didn't happen. Just as the assassins charged towards her, a tall and sturdy figure suddenly flashed out from the other side of the woods. He was clad in a black robe, his face donned with a mask, and his hand wielding a gleaming longsword.
He was someone with high martial art skills. His stature alone, as he confronted the eight assassins, made it clear.
Though outnumbered, he didn't show the slightest sign of weakness.
"Who is this person? How can he fight so well? Those are the Dragon Shadow Guards trained by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing. They are just a step away from being true Dragon Shadow Guards..."
Rather than focusing on who this person was and why he was helping her, Gu Jiao's thoughts seemed to have gone off track.
Gu Jiao wasn't inclined to trust him just because he dealt with her pursuers. In situations like this, she would usually choose to slip away.
However, she quickly sensed a familiar aura from him.
His techniques, body movements, and aura...
They all resembled the Dragon Shadow Guards.
Gu Jiao had fought against a Dragon Shadow Guard before, and she had a deep impression of them. She was confident that she wasn't mistaken.
Moreover, the Emperor knew that she had left the capital, it was just that he wasn't sure if she was searching in the right direction, so he didn't immediately follow.
Could it be that he caught up later?
If it was the Emperor's Dragon Shadow Guard, then there was nothing to worry about. He wouldn't harm her now.
Gu Jiao decided to stay and go with him later to find Gu Chengfeng and Grandaunt.
But she wondered... Could he really beat eight opponents alone?
Facts proved that Gu Jiao was worrying too much. Even though this group of people was just a step away from being Dragon Shadow Guards, that step was like an insurmountable chasm.
He swiftly and decisively dealt with the eight assassins under Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing.
Gu Jiao silently nodded. This combat ability was indeed worthy of a Dragon Shadow Guard.
Unexpectedly, in the next moment, something incredible happened. This Dragon Shadow Guard actually approached Gu Jiao with his sword raised, emitting a murderous intent!
Gu Jiao looked at him strangely.
What was going on?
Was he trying to kill her too?
The Dragon Shadow Guard swung his long sword and slashed towards Gu Jiao, but Little Nine swiftly dove down and fearlessly crashed into the Dragon Shadow Guard.
This was a real Dragon Shadow Guard, Little Nine’s collision wouldn't cause any harm to him. Instead, it was Little Nine who was met with an impatient slap from the Dragon Shadow Guard, sending it flying.
However, that single move still interrupted the Dragon Shadow Guard, and in that fleeting moment, a person's fate was quietly reversed.
As the Dragon Shadow Guard swung his sword once again, aiming to strike Gu Jiao, a slender figure in a white robe suddenly appeared and swiftly stood in front of Gu Jiao!
The Dragon Shadow Guard's sword stopped just inches away from the figure's head.
It was a refined and elegant young man, with features as picturesque as a painting, and appearance as handsome as jade. His eyes were profound and still, his dark pupils reflecting the figure of the Dragon Shadow Guard wielding his long sword.
The Dragon Shadow Guard's gaze fell upon the young man's face. He raised his hand and pinched the young man's cheek, as if confirming something, though it was unclear what exactly.
But in the end, he didn't kill the young man.
Nor did he kill the young lady fiercely protected by the young man.
The Dragon Shadow Guard left with an indifferent look in his eyes.
Gu Jiao finally regained her ability to move. Earlier, she was suppressed by the Dragon Shadow Guard's internal energy and couldn't even make a sound. She suddenly felt that this Dragon Shadow Guard might not be the same one she fought against last time.
This one was obviously more formidable.
If she had encountered this level of Dragon Shadow Guard the first time, she wouldn't have had a chance to take out the black gunpowder ball at all.
"Are you alright?" Xiao Liulang supported her.
"I'm fine." Gu Jiao shook her head and wiped the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth.
She actually coughed up some blood.
Good.
One day, she would put this Dragon Shadow Guard into a sack as well!
However, Xiao Liulang didn't think she was alright. She was covered in bloodstains, her face pale, and her palms and the back of her hands were dried with blood.
Gu Jiao truly didn't pay much attention to her injuries. Compared to the wounds, she was more concerned about her energy depletion. Resting for a night would make her fine again.
She looked at Xiao Liulang and asked, "Why did you come here? Didn't I tell you to wait at home? Also, what was going on with that Dragon Shadow Guard just now? Why did he want to kill me? Is he the Emperor's Dragon Shadow Guard?"
Gu Jiao knew that three of the Dragon Shadow Guards in His Majesty’s hands had gone to the borders, but she wasn't aware that there were only four of them in total.
The remaining one had already been ruled out since she had fought against him. Therefore, the Dragon Shadow Guard just now couldn't have been the Emperor's.
Out of the series of questions, Xiao Liulang only answered the last one, "Probably not."
If he wasn't the Emperor's Dragon Shadow Guard, then the act of trying to kill her wouldn't be too surprising.
No, it was still strange.
She hadn't offended him in any way!
Gu Jiao looked in the direction where the Dragon Shadow Guard had left.
As she looked, she realized that she had unknowingly returned to the vicinity of the official road, where several carriages were parked not far away.
And right now, the Dragon Shadow Guard who had nearly killed her along with the assassins was standing quietly beside one of the carriages. His arms crossed, holding his sword in his embrace.
Regular guards would report what they had witnessed to their master, but not the Dragon Shadow Guards.
They had no independent thoughts; they were merely tools for killing.
Xiao Liulang's throat moved uneasily, and he clenched his fingers into fists. He turned his face away, forcing himself to look away.
Gu Jiao stared in that direction, not noticing the fleeting complexity on Xiao Liulang's face. She seemed to have some understanding of why the Dragon Shadow Guard had come to eliminate her pursuers as well as tried to kill her too. Most likely, he mistook them for treacherous assassins, posing harm to his master.
But why did he show mercy to Xiao Liulang?
And he even pinched Xiao Liulang's cheek.
Wait, did he take a fancy to her husband?!
A Dragon Shadow Guard could also be lecherous?!
Furthermore, wasn't it said that only the Emperor had Dragon Shadow Guards in the entire State of Zhao?
Then, why was there one over there?
Who was inside that carriage?
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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