Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Lu Fengnian leaned against the old tree and fell silent, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to escape.

However, after thinking it over, there was only one way to escape: kill Ye Zhengtang and the other two.

However, he didn't know how strong a second-grade martial artist was, and he wasn't sure.

Once a fight breaks out, it will be a fight to the death.

If he were alone, he would have already made his move, but his mother and sister were still hiding in the woods.

While he was pondering, Ye Zhengtang spoke again.

"Lu Fengnian, you killed someone in a fit of rage for your sister, and when you fled, you never abandoned your mother and sister."

Previously, when we went to Mao'er Village, the villagers all spoke well of you and begged me to show leniency.

That's why I don't want to take your life.

I've been trying to persuade you, but if you remain stubborn, there's nothing I can do.

I'll give you ten breaths to consider. If you don't come out on your own, I'll go in.

Lu Fengnian didn't speak, but took out three iron arrows from the quiver and nocked them onto the bowstring, the side of the bow, and his wrist.

Ten breaths passed quickly.

Ye Zhengtang snorted coldly, his steps faltering as he darted out and rushed towards Lu Fengnian's hiding place.

It is incredibly fast, even faster than a swift and spirited horse.

One zhang, two zhang... In an instant, Ye Zhengtang had run ten zhang, leaving only sixty zhang from the edge of the forest.

Just then, Lu Fengnian emerged from behind the tree, and with three sharp, thuds, three iron arrows shot out one after another, aimed directly at Ye Zhengtang.

The moment Lu Fengnian released his arrow, Ye Zhengtang narrowed his eyes and increased his speed again, rushing forward.

Then, the first iron arrow came right in front of him.

Ye Zhengtang moved his right hand quickly, and the curved knife at his waist was instantly drawn.

Ding!

The scimitar struck the tip of the iron arrow, sparks flying.

The arrow was actually split in two.

Iron arrows are generally classified into three grades: fine steel, ordinary iron, and coarse iron.

Lu Fengnian's arrows were the lowest grade of crude iron arrows, made from ordinary wrought iron and scrap iron.

It has only undergone simple forging and cold water quenching, resulting in rough workmanship, uneven thickness, and a relatively soft texture.

However, Ye Zhengtang's ability to split an arrow in two with a single strike demonstrates his formidable strength.

At the same time, the scimitar in his hand was certainly no ordinary weapon.

However, as he cleaved the iron arrow, Ye Zhengtang's face clearly showed surprise.

The force of the iron arrow exceeded his expectations.

After splitting the arrow, the hand holding the knife felt a distinct numbness and pain.

Moreover, the second arrow came flying almost without pause.

Ye Zhengtang shouted, twisted his waist sharply, and slashed out with his curved sword again.

He cleaved the arrow shaft with his sword.

With a snap, the arrow shaft broke in two.

At the same time, Ye Zhengtang groaned and took a step back.

Just as he regained his footing, a third iron arrow came hurtling towards him.

He took a deep breath, gripped the knife with both hands, and chopped down with all his might once again.

Ding!

The slash struck the arrowhead again, splitting the arrow in two.

Ye Zhengtang was also forced to retreat four steps before he could regain his footing.

He held the curved sword upside down in his right hand, his hand trembling slightly, and his face flushed slightly.

On the official road, both the tall, thin man and the short man looked shocked.

They were well aware of Ye Zhengtang's strength.

Ye Zhengtang was a second-grade martial artist of the Acquired Realm, capable of splitting mountains and rocks with his sword, yet he was actually knocked back several steps by Lu Fengnian's three arrows.

To their even greater surprise, Lu Fengnian fired three arrows in quick succession, with almost no pause between them, completing the feat in one go.

Such archery skills are astonishing.

They asked themselves if they had faced that arrow; they estimated they would have died three times over.

Ye Zhengtang blocked Lu Fengnian's barrage of arrows. Although he was shocked, he steadied himself and, without hesitation, continued to rush towards the woods.

In just a few breaths, they had covered another ten or so feet, and were now only forty feet away from Lu Fengnian.

Lu Fengnian took a deep breath and took out the arrow again.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Several arrows were fired in sequence, one after another, and shot towards Ye Zhengtang.

It was still a rapid-fire attack, but this time he fired four arrows in one go.

They were not iron arrows, but bamboo arrows.

He only had five iron arrows in total, and he had already used three. Now he only had two left, and he couldn't afford to waste them.

Bamboo arrows are simple to make, and his quiver contained more than forty of them, more than enough.

Seeing four bamboo arrows hurtling towards him, Ye Zhengtang dared not be careless and hurriedly stopped. He slashed repeatedly with his curved sword, its cold light flashing in the dark night.

After a series of clanging sounds, Ye Zhengtang chopped away all four bamboo arrows.

But he staggered back several steps, his right hand holding the knife began to tremble uncontrollably, and his chest heaved noticeably.

His expression turned serious. He took a deep breath and ran towards Lu Fengnian again.

Lu Fengnian frowned.

Four arrows in quick succession—such archery skills would be considered top-notch in Qinghe County, yet Ye Zhengtang still managed to block them.

If Ye Zhengtang gets close, he will undoubtedly lose.

So he raised his voice and shouted coldly, "Chief Constable Ye, if you dare to take another step, I will shoot your two subordinates dead!"

As he spoke, he raised his hunting bow and aimed the arrow at the tall, thin man on the official road.

The tall, thin man turned pale and quickly stepped behind the horse.

Lu Fengnian took out another arrow, placed it beside his hunting bow, and said coldly, "One arrow for the horse, one for the man. You can't dodge it!"

Then, the bowstring was drawn taut, and the arrow was ready to be released.

The tall, thin man hid behind the horse, looking at Ye Zhengtang with a face full of fear.

Ye Zhengtang stopped and stood about thirty feet away from Lu Fengnian, his eyes gleaming.

At the same time, Lu Fengnian put down his hunting bow and silently looked at Ye Zhengtang.

The tall, thin man breathed a sigh of relief after surviving the ordeal.

Ye Zhengtang said in a low voice, "Lu Fengnian, your archery skills are very good, but you won't be able to escape today."

Lu Fengnian slightly raised his head. "Chief Constable Ye's swordsmanship is very strong, but while you can take me down, you can't save your two subordinates!"

Ye Zhengtang frowned deeply. "If you dare to hurt them, you will not escape the death penalty."

Lu Fengnian replied in a deep voice, "If you continue to press this, I will have no choice but to shoot them."

"You dare!" Ye Zhengtang said coldly.

Lu Fengnian retorted sharply, "Whether I dare or not, Chief Constable Ye will know once he tries."

Ye Zhengtang bent over and prepared to charge forward again.

Lu Fengnian also raised his hunting bow almost simultaneously, the arrowhead pointing at the two constables on the official road.

The bowstring was drawn taut again, ready to be released at any moment.

The two constables turned pale again, their faces pale with cold sweat.

Three breaths later, Ye Zhengtang straightened up and stared coldly at Lu Fengnian.

Lu Fengnian spoke softly, "Chief Constable Ye's care for his subordinates is admirable."

"How about you let us go, and we can all live in peace?"