Chapter Thirty-One: The Divine Healer Has Returned

Page 1 of 3

Lu Hu suddenly sprang up, darting like lightning toward the leading guard. With his left arm, he locked the man’s neck and threw him down, while his right hand snatched away the knife, striking the guard unconscious with the back of the blade and quickly stripping him of his bow and quiver.

An Shizhu and Shi Zhenxiang each toppled a guard as well, seizing their weapons.

Feng Cheng, Feng Suo, Feng Kong, Yan Cha, and Yan Da had grown up hunting wild beasts with bows and arrows since childhood, and even in close combat, their instinct was to draw a dagger or knife from their waists or calves to stab or slash—never to grapple barehanded with a beast.

They knew little of formal fighting; to put it plainly, they weren’t much good at brawling. So the three of them flailed about together, six hands and six feet entangling and pulling until they finally managed to bring down a single guard.

Once they had him pinned to the floor, one dug at his nose and eyes, another pummeled him with all his might, and a third leaped up and landed on him with a thud. They scratched at flesh wherever they could, pinched and twisted through his clothes, unleashing their inner shrews to the fullest.

The guard beneath them, though tormented to the point of being unable to cry out, had not suffered a fatal blow and continued to struggle desperately.

Feng Kong clung to the guard’s hair, yanking for all he was worth, but the man’s head stubbornly jerked upright, so in his frustration, he lowered his head to bite—only to be stopped by Lu Hu, who handed over a bow and arrows, saying, “Quick, seal off the main entrance.”

Archery was Feng Kong’s forte. He took the bow and arrows, gripping the bow in his left hand and nocking an arrow with his right. With a practiced motion, he drew and released—a guard who was peeking into the hall fell dead instantly.

Feng Cheng also received a bow and arrows from Shi Zhenxiang and in the blink of an eye felled another guard.

The two guards pinned to the ground were swiftly finished off by Lu Hu and Shi Zhenxiang, and now Feng Kong and Yan Da were also armed.

Lu Hu charged through the main doors, his blade rising and falling in a fluid dance, felling several more guards while the rest retreated in panic.

He drew upon his inner strength and thundered, “No one move! Anyone who moves dies!”

Four bows were aimed; Lu Hu stalked forward, knife in hand, eyes fierce and watchful. Behind him, An Shizhu clutched his trident, eyes bloodshot. Further back, Shi Zhenxiang gripped a knife in her left hand and a spear in her right, as fearsome as a wolf. Two other hunters had stripped bows and arrows from fallen guards and looked ready to shoot.

Usually, the eight tigers and three bears would nod and bow obsequiously, eager to please, but now they had gone wild, their primal nature unleashed as they prowled and growled, watching the guards intently, ready to pounce and tear at any moment.

Which guard would dare resist now? Besides, Yakexi wasn’t present—there was no one to impress with their loyalty. To die now would be for nothing.

Where had Yakexi gone?

After killing the black bear, Yakexi hesitated for a moment atop the tiger-skin seat, his heart burning with indignation. Unable to swallow his anger, he gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and strode to a hidden door behind the seat. With a powerful kick, he burst through, heading straight for Kameda’s quarters.

...

Yana Li was led obediently into Kameda’s quarters.

Once inside the bedroom, two round-faced women tossed her onto the tatami. She lay there, her beautiful eyes wide open, without moving.

Kameda Fantong Taro, who followed behind, was overjoyed. He thought, This little beauty is going to submit to me without a fuss. At this rate, I won’t even need to tie her up or have anyone hold her down—she must have been looking forward to this day.

He waved his hand, instructing the two round-faced women to stand guard outside the bedroom.

Page 2 of 3

Four little dachshunds, seeing what was happening, automatically retreated to stand guard at the door.

Yana Li had only been in this place once before—a few days ago, when she helped Lu Hu search for the unfamiliar blade. She had rummaged through the rooms top to bottom, so she was familiar with the layout.

Kameda, grinning with delight, knelt beside her, rubbing his hands together. Seeing that the beauty showed no reaction, he moved in with a smile, aiming for her lips.

An old hand in affairs of love, experienced as he was, he knew everything had to be done step by step to win both body and heart.

He was about to finally taste those soft lips he had dreamed of for so long when suddenly a numbness shot through his waist, followed by a thunderous roar in his head, his whole body struck as if by lightning. He couldn’t even make a sound before being hurled aside like a rag sack.

Yana Li leapt up, striding swiftly to the table in the middle of the room. From the rack above, she grabbed a narrow-bladed sword, taking it in her left hand and holding the electric baton in her right. Moving silently, she crept toward the door...

She had been waiting for this perfect chance:

On the way to the castle, riding side by side with Lu Hu, she had tried every tactic—coaxing, pouting, acting cute, getting angry—until Lu Hu, flustered, obediently took out the electric baton and taught her how to use it.

At the castle gate, when all possessions had to be surrendered for inspection, Lu Hu had anticipated a body search.

So on the way to the hall, when no one was looking, he secretly slipped the electric baton into her hand, and she tucked it into her waistband.

What guard would dare lay hands on Princess Yana Li? Her body search was merely symbolic—an empty gesture—before she was let through.

When the two round-faced women suddenly restrained her in a moment of farcical drama, she realized their martial skill was formidable and she couldn’t fight them directly—she would have to wait for an opportunity.

And now, the moment had come. Her blow struck true.

The two round-faced women heard a heavy “thud” from inside, as if something had crashed hard against the wooden wall, then fell to the floor.

They exchanged a glance, puzzled. They had witnessed plenty of scenes like this, but never heard such a commotion.

Whenever Kameda hosted such affairs, the room would be noisy with laughter and tears, as lively as a boiling pot. Why was it so quiet this time? Was he taking longer than usual with the preliminaries?

They supposed it was the perfect match of fine sword and fine sheath, both parties holding back in anticipation—a silent passion more telling than words. Impressive indeed!

As they silently admired the scene, the door suddenly burst open...

The round-faced woman on the left, lost in reverie, was caught off guard. She only felt a coldness at her throat, instinctively covered it with her hand as her mind went blank, then collapsed limply to the ground, her soul drifting away.

The round-faced woman on the right watched in horror as the blade was withdrawn from her companion’s throat. In a panic, she reached out, but her shoulder was jolted numb, a thousand needles shooting through her body. She was flung aside, crashing heavily into the wooden wall.

Outside the door, the four little dachshunds heard the dull thud from the log wall behind them, immediately suspecting a bear was pounding inside.

What was happening? How could there be a bear in the master’s bedroom?

As they wondered, the door was yanked open and, in a flash of cold steel, the two dachshunds nearest the door lost consciousness—their heads already severed from their bodies.

Yana Li slashed left and right, dispatching them cleanly. Then, with a lunge, she drove half the sword into the neck of the third dachshund on the right.

Page 3 of 3

At that moment, the last dachshund behind her let out a strange cry and swung its blade at her.

But as the blade was raised, a spear shot through the air, piercing its neck and pinning it to the wooden wall.

“Xiao Li, are you alright?” gasped Yakexi, who had thrown the spear with all his might. He rushed forward, eager to embrace Yana Li.

His joy at finding her safe after all his anxiety made him tremble with excitement. But in the next instant, his whole body convulsed and he was hurled backward, crashing heavily into the snow outside, sending up a spray of white.

Yakexi writhed in the snow, seized by violent spasms.

Yana Li didn’t spare him a glance. She shook off her long, slender legs and, as light as a swallow, darted toward the main hall.

Her heart was filled with thoughts of Lu Hu, the dashing, mischievous “Big Long-Eared Donkey.” He mustn’t come to harm.

If anything happened to him, I wouldn’t want to live!

I shouldn’t have kept the electric baton—if I’d returned it to him after the search, he wouldn’t be in danger now.

Is he still alive? Could he be...

Even if someone must die, it should be me. I’d rather trade my life for his!

Tears brimming in her eyes, Yana Li raced breathlessly to the hall entrance, only to find it empty—not even the tigers guarding the door remained. Her heart tightened with dread.

“Big Long-Eared Donkey, Big Long-Eared Donkey!” she called out, her voice quavering with tears, as she hurried to the entrance.

Inside the hall, the guards stood in perfect order, weapons cast at their feet, while the tigers and bears circled them.

Feng Cheng, Feng Suo, Yan Cha, and Yan Da each stood on tables and chairs behind the guards, bows drawn and arrows nocked, watching over them.

An Shizhu stood by the tiger-skin seat, gravely lecturing the assembly...

But Shi Zhenxiang, Lu Hu, Feng Kong, and Yan Da were nowhere to be seen.

Yana Li felt a thunderous roar in her head, a chill rising from her feet: “Where is my Big Long-Eared Donkey? Where is he? Why can’t I see him? Where is he?”

An Shizhu, belly jutting, was in the midst of his blustering speech when the goddess of his heart floated gracefully into the hall. That familiar, dazzlingly beautiful face made his heart pound so hard it nearly leapt from his chest, and he shouted with joy, “Divine Mother, Divine Mother, Divine Mother is back! Divine Mother is back!”

He lumbered toward the door in excitement, his heavy footsteps making the floor tremble.

In his haste, he failed to watch his step, slipped on something, and crashed to the ground with a resounding thud, his bulk shaking the room.