Only Ning Wanwan knew how tightly he was gripping her hand.
They were on the river, unarmed, with no way to escape and potential ambushes hidden underwater. Si Zhan, physically weak, couldn’t fight back, making direct confrontation impossible.
Yuan Bi, however, quickly demonstrated his prowess as the number one master in the martial world. Ning Wanwan, unfamiliar with martial arts, was awed as Yuan Bi spun his sword, deflecting incoming strikes and swiftly dispatching several attackers.
Taking advantage of the moment, Yuan Bi leaped into the air, grasping the sword hilt and engaging the remaining black-clothed men, quickly felling three more.
Yet, additional ambushes surfaced, as five more men emerged from the water, surrounding Yuan Bi instead of targeting Si Zhan.
Si Zhan’s eyes darkened as he pulled Ning Wanwan towards the bow of the boat, urgently saying, “Hurry and go!” His rare panic indicated the extreme danger of their situation.
Ning Wanwan noticed that the black-clothed men were only attacking Yuan Bi, seemingly drawing him away, which reminded her of the strategy of “luring the tiger away from the mountain.”
They reached the boat’s bow, and Si Zhan picked up an oar to row. Their position was not far from the shore, and once they landed, they would have a place to hide.
As Ning Wanwan grabbed another oar and prepared to row, she felt a chill run down her back. Instinctively, she looked towards the shore and saw a man in luxurious clothing perched in a tree, holding a three-bolt crossbow aimed at Si Zhan with a sinister smile.
Di Huan!
When Si Zhan sensed something amiss and turned to Ning Wanwan, she instinctively threw herself over him just as the arrow was released. He lost his balance and fell into the river, witnessing a short arrow pierce Ning Wanwan’s chest.
“Wanwan!” His scream was drowned by the water.
They fell into the river one after another.
Yuan Bi, hearing the commotion, was shocked and used a mutually destructive technique to eliminate the assassins, but was severely wounded in the process.
He fired a signal flare into the sky and dove into the water to search for them.
Massive suffocation and bone-chilling cold enveloped Ning Wanwan. She could no longer distinguish her surroundings, only seeing a light ahead. Following the light, the darkness lifted, revealing the daylight.
