Farm Girl's Manor

The ferocity of this sword strike not only deterred the beasts that were pouncing on them but also greatly boosted the morale of the other people. The first wave of twenty-five guards, taking advantage of the beasts’ momentary hesitation, quickened their movements, striving to cut down these wild beasts with their swords.

The flute sounds driving the beasts continued, and those like Xiao Ruiyuan on the outer perimeter faced the greatest defensive pressure. Wild beasts relentlessly advanced in waves, and even from the distant mountains, one could faintly hear the growing roar of other beasts, compelling them to be ever more vigilant.

The second wave of guards was also busy, not only dealing with the "slip throughs" that broke through the first line of defense but also relieving guards from the first wave who were out of strength, fighting fervently to prevent the beasts from breaking through the second line. Otherwise, should any Princes sustain injuries, even if the guards survived and returned, they would be held responsible and even their families might suffer.

While King Heng and the others in the third wave were temporarily not required to take action, they dared not relax at all. These naturally ferocious beasts with strong offensive capabilities were not easy to deal with. It was only a matter of time before they broke through two lines of defense. By conserving their energy now, they hoped to take on the beasts more easily once they were worn down, and in doing so, minimize casualties.

The guards coordinated seamlessly with each other, and with Xiao Ruiyuan’s presence, capable of facing ten enemies alone, the group of beasts was momentarily unable to break through, resulting in many dead and injured, leaving severed limbs and broken bodies scattered across the ground. Several Princes and Sons, unaccustomed to such brutality, emptied their stomachs in disgust.

However, this brief victory did not last long. Compared to the wild beasts, human stamina drained more rapidly. About half an hour passed, and more than ten guards had been bitten and injured due to slowing movements from exhaustion, causing their defensive capabilities to decrease significantly.

While the other guards were relatively unaffected, once someone was injured and lost their defensive ability, others would immediately step forward to fill the gap and continue fighting. But those Princes and Sons, fearing being devoured by beasts, watched the dangerous scenes unfold with ashen faces, cursing the guards for their incompetence.

Among them, Prince Qi was the most vociferous, kicking at several injured guards who had lost their defensive strength and were brought to the inner circle, berating them with bulging eyes, "You useless trash, if you dare let these ferocious beasts injure me, I will ensure Emperor Huian hears of this, and you will be charged with neglecting your duty and your entire families will be executed." freeweɓnøvel.com

Despite knowing that it was their duty to protect those inside and that they had to endure the scolding and threats, the guards were still affected when they fought hard yet saw their comrades killed by the beasts; those who could help cowered inside and even said such things. Even those with great patience felt the strain.

The guards could only grit their teeth and endure, but Xiao Ruiyuan would not. After wielding his sword to temporarily drive back a Ferocious Tiger, he took advantage of the moment the tiger dared not approach, drew an arrow from the quiver on his back, and hurled it by hand toward Prince Qi, who was shouting the loudest.

The arrow struck Prince Qi’s hairpin accurately, and under his fearful gaze, Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes were icy cold, his voice as if creeping out from hell, charged with a bone-chilling menace, "Speak one more word, and the next arrow will be through your throat."

This act not only stupefied Prince Qi but also terrified the other cursing onlookers, who nearly dared not to meet Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes.

If even Great Chu’s esteemed Prince Qi could be threatened, what were they, Young Masters from prominent families, in his eyes?

Intimidated, Prince Qi came to his senses, his face fluctuating between fear and anger, turning green and red in patches, wishing he could grind Xiao Ruiyuan to dust and vent the hatred in his heart. Yet, when he met Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes filled with the intent to kill, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, finding it exceedingly difficult to even move his fingers. In an instant, his thoughts of revenge evaporated.

Not until Xiao Ruiyuan turned away did the murderous intent in his gaze dissipate, and Prince Qi, still trembling with fear, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said through gritted teeth to King Heng, who had remained silent, "Third Royal Brother, the Xiao surname is too presumptuous! He dares to threaten me, which is practically a slap in the face of the entire Imperial Family!"

King Heng, uncharacteristically, did not respond to him. His gaze was fixed on the figure ahead that was adeptly slaughtering the savage beasts. He slightly lowered his gaze, hiding the murderous intent in his eyes: This man must not be allowed to walk out of the Savage Beast Forest alive!

More and more guards fell until the second wave had no reinforcements to fill their ranks; in contrast, the group of beasts, driven by the whistling sound, kept surging in from all directions, launching a fierce assault on the people.

The battle was turning increasingly unfavorable. To stay alive, King Heng and others had no choice but to pick up the Sharp Sword and join the fray. Their combat experience was far less than Xiao Ruiyuan’s, even the guards couldn’t compare, and facing beasts that could tear an arm off with a single bite, they were already intimidated psychologically. Their full strength, which was impressive, could only manifest seven or eight out of ten parts, and in the end, even King Heng suffered a chest wound from a ferocious tiger, bleeding profusely.

An hour had passed, and the reinforcement of two hundred guards was still nowhere to be seen. Watching more and more people getting injured and losing the ability to resist, Xiao Ruiyuan, drenched in beast blood, looked like Yama emerging from hell, the malevolence in his eyes nearly solidifying into reality.

He mechanically swung his arms that were nearly numb with fatigue, desperately killing the relentless onslaught of wild beasts. He didn’t want to think too deeply, nor did he have the time to ponder whether the guards weren’t arriving on time because they had been intercepted on the way...

King Heng, severely wounded, his white garments stained with blood and having lost the elegance of bygone days, pitifully said to Xiao Ruiyuan as he fought off the savage beasts, "To deal with me, that person doesn’t even care about your safety. This is the man you serve! Haha, ridiculous, it is truly ridiculous!"

As he spoke, King Heng laughed maniacally to the sky. Yet, in that derisive laughter, who could tell that he was, in fact, mocking himself?

He had never imagined that the frail Imperial Brother he considered a useless sickly person could be so ruthless!

He originally thought the poison plot was orchestrated by King Jing or King Kang, who were under house arrest. But if they had such ability, they wouldn’t have ended up being stripped of their princely titles and put under lifelong house arrest.

He then suspected the Fourth Imperial Brother, who had come of age and possessed considerable power, of devising the poison plot, aiming to annihilate all the Princes and Princes, including himself, in one fell swoop, waiting for the sickly elder brother to pass away and then smoothly ascend to the position of Crown Prince.

However, seeing several adult Princes suffering severed limbs from savage beasts, with their lives hanging by a thread, he dismissed this conjecture as well.

The throne of Great Chu would never be inherited by a person with disabilities!