Forty miles west of the ancient city of Xiaojian, Jiajin Valley lies nestled between two mountains, shaped like a horseshoe. At the valley's mouth, a clear stream flows downhill, washing away the reddish-yellow rocks within. By day, it resembles a golden ribbon.
But now, with night falling and the stars and moon hidden, it's naturally invisible.
Only in the pool at the stream's end, a few faint wisps of green light sway, sometimes dispersing like swimming fish, sometimes gathering like a long snake.
Seven monks had already gathered around the pool, positioned according to the seven constellations.
The middle-aged monk in the lead, seeing the green light converge toward the pool, shouted, "Form a formation!"
The seven responded by forming hand gestures.
A silver formation then emerged from beneath their feet, rapidly shrinking inward from the pool's center. Like a net, it trapped the green lights and plucked them directly from the water!
Jade marrow is the essence of water and the spirit of jade; it transforms when in contact with water and solidifies when out of it.
The moment the formation lifted them from the water, the azure lights instantly solidified into deep azure ice crystals, suspended on the surface.
The middle-aged cultivator exclaimed in delight, "It's done!"
But before his smile could even reach his face, a fiery blade of energy suddenly exploded from the side, slashing towards the formation with unparalleled force!
With a loud bang, the formation shook!
The middle-aged cultivator in the main formation was caught off guard, his heart pounding, and he spat out blood.
The entire formation collapsed and disintegrated.
The jade marrow that had just been gathered fell back into the water, once again disintegrating into swarms of swift azure light.
The other cultivators were also thrown back, their faces utterly distraught.
Shocked and enraged, the middle-aged cultivator quickly turned towards the source of the blade of energy and shouted, "Who's coming?!"
At the entrance to Jiajin Valley, dozens of people had already gathered.
In the front stood a dashing young man in a white robe embroidered with gold, a smile on his face. Beside him stood a young man in purple, armed with a bow and arrows and wielding a short sword, his expression grim.
There was no doubt—it was Jin Buhuan and Chen Si who had arrived.
"Look, what did I say?" Jin Buhuan, still clutching a handful of roasted peanuts, peeled one, rubbed off the red outer shell, and tossed it into his mouth, laughing. "Someone got there first."
Chen Si had clearly not expected anyone else to dare enter the Golden Valley tonight. His lips pursed tightly, a frost covering his face.
He ignored Jin Buhuan's teasing and stepped forward.
The seven cultivators retreated in alarm.
Chen Si glared at them coldly, asking, "The jade marrow in the Golden Valley tonight is needed by the Shendu Song Clan. No one else is allowed to touch it. Haven't you heard?"
The Shendu Song Clan!
With just those four words, the cultivators' expressions suddenly changed.
Even the middle-aged cultivator's eyelids twitched.
Someone whispered, "We've come from far away and haven't heard of this..."
Chen Si then said, "Now you know, you can get out."
One side was outnumbered, the other was weak; one was a nameless cultivator, the other a prominent family.
Even a fool could see which choice to make.
They'd painstakingly set up the formation, finally gathering the jade marrow, only to find themselves serving someone else's purpose. The word "get out" was a harsh and infuriating sound.
The leading middle-aged cultivator couldn't swallow this insult. "We've waited for days in this pool to retrieve this jade marrow, spending countless hours setting up the formation. Even if you're from the Song family, can you ignore first come, first served principles and be so overbearing—"
Before he could finish his words, a flash of cold light flashed before his eyes!
The middle-aged cultivator had no time to react before he felt a chill on his neck. Reflexively, he reached up and touched it, and blood gushed out, staining the ground in front of him crimson!
The monks were horrified: "Uncle Master!"
But how could they save him now?
Chen Si was holding a knife, the blade stained with blood. The middle-aged monk's eyes were dull, as if he had just dreamed. He fell straight back to the ground, his eyes still wide open, but he was already dead!
The monks were filled with grief and anger, turning to glare at Chen Si.
Chen Si's expression was cold: "Jade marrow is naturally grown. Anyone with the ability can obtain it. If you still don't know what's good for you, don't blame me, the Song family, for going on a killing spree."
He said this without any emotion, as if it were a daily routine.
Jin Buhuan, eating peanuts nearby, chuckled for no apparent reason.
The six monks had followed their uncle to obtain the jade marrow today, and unexpectedly encountered no one else trying to steal it. They thought it was a stroke of luck, but who could have imagined that it would be a disaster!
Seeing their uncle killed by this man's knife, even though they were filled with hatred, after some reflection, who would dare to go against the aristocratic family?
He could only swallow his anger and hatred.
Several people retreated cautiously with their weapons in hand, then carried the middle-aged monk's body and finally left in disgrace.
By the Jiajin Valley pond, only a horrible bloodstain remained, proving that someone had been there.
Jin Buhuan looked bored and pulled out a chair from his Xumi Ring, sitting down leisurely. He took out his plate of peanuts and placed them on his lap, peeling and eating them carefully, saying nonchalantly, "Seeing blood right after arriving is bad luck."
Chen Si didn't bother to pay attention to him at first, but when he glanced at him casually, he couldn't help but frown: "You can eat it, but can you please not throw it on the ground?"
In just these two sentences, the peanut shells were already scattered all over the ground.
Jin Buhuan raised his eyebrows and laughed: "You don't like dirt, but I don't like blood either. I didn't stop you from killing people."
Chen Si was immediately choked by his words.
Jin Buhuan was a man with a lot of bad habits. When he fried peanuts, he never ate the skins. After peeling the peanuts, he would rub off the outer layer of red peanut skins. Tiny crumbs would fall from his fingers.
When the wind blew, they flew all over the sky.
Chen Si was upset watching this and cursed inwardly that this man was indeed a butcher from the market and was not worthy of being in a refined place. He simply stopped watching and walked straight towards the pond.
The formation formed by the monks earlier was destroyed, and the balls of green light returned to the surface of the water and wandered.
But Chen Si didn't need a formation.
He just took out a two-inch-high clear celadon bottle from his sleeve and threw it into the air above the pond. In an instant, the green light in the pond seemed to be attracted by a force and jumped out of the water and fell into the bottle like a carp into the dragon gate.
In just a moment, all the jade marrow in the pond had gathered in the bottle.
Jin Buhuan couldn't help but admire: "Sure enough, the noble families have some wonderful methods."
Chen Si smiled triumphantly, extending his hand and sending the celadon vase flying back toward him.
However, as the vase drew closer, he suddenly felt an indescribable sensation—a faint, resonant sound.
Chen Si couldn't tell if he'd truly heard it, or if it was just an illusion, amplified by the sense of crisis within him. All he knew was that when he looked up, the eagle-feather arrow, piercing the night sky, was only three feet from his head!
At that moment, Chen Si barely broke into a cold sweat. He immediately retracted his hand, stomped his foot on the ground, and, using the momentum, rolled back.
The sharp, black iron arrow barely grazed his scalp, piercing the ground behind him.
A second arrow followed immediately.
Without even a moment to breathe, as if anticipating his next strike, the arrow, while still in mid-air, charged at him with the force of thunder.
Chen Si had no escape, and as a last resort, he could only raise his short sword to block it.
But with a sharp "clang" sound, the arrow was so powerful that it actually struck the back of the knife and produced a string of sparks!
Chen Si was in mid-air and fell heavily as if hit by a huge wave.
Fortunately, he slapped the ground with his palm when he landed, and used the force to turn over and barely stood up.
This was really a sudden change, which no one had expected.
Jin Buhuan's hand shook, and even the fried peanuts fell off in shock.
It was not until Chen Si blocked two arrows in a row that the others reacted and pointed in the direction of the arrow: "That's over there!"
The mountains on both sides of Jiajin Valley are high and the forests are dense. It is even darker in the middle of the night. It is an excellent hiding place, suitable for ambush.
Several people flew to check the mountains and forests on the east side.
Chen Si finally stabilized his body, and his blood was churning in his body. When he saw it, he immediately shouted: "Don't go!"
But it was too late.
As he finished speaking, five arrows whizzed out from the pitch-black forest, crushing the men to the ground before they could even take three steps!
Each arrow struck the Danzhong acupoint!
This acupoint is where a cultivator's Qi Sea stores spiritual energy. While not fatal, it's enough to rob a person of their fighting power, instantly rendering them unconscious.
In the blink of an eye, only eleven of the sixteen men remained standing.
Jin Buhuan, quick to seize the opportunity, threw the jade plate of roasted peanuts eastward. Circles of gilded patterns suddenly appeared on the jade plate, radiating a brilliant light, crashing into the forest where the arrows had been fired.
Rocks collapsed, forests crumbled, and light flooded the air.
But upon closer inspection, there was no one there!
Alarm bells rang in Chen Si's heart, a strong sense of danger washing over him. He cried out, "Be careful!"
But the arrows still arrived faster than he anticipated.
This time, the arrow came from a different direction, coming from the south at an extremely tricky angle. A single arrow pierced two people simultaneously.
Chen Si initially dismissed it as a coincidence.
But when the second arrow struck, again at a tricky angle, piercing both, he finally realized it was intentional!
Such exquisite archery, such calm killing intent!
Jin Buhuan had imagined that tonight might be exciting, but he had never imagined it would be this intense. It took them only a moment to realize that only seven of the sixteen remained.
And the archer, hidden in the shadows, hadn't even appeared yet.
His eyelids twitched, and he immediately recalled the jade plate and hung it above everyone's heads. A shimmering golden glow enveloped the remaining seven. He simply said, "Don't leave yet."
Chen Si's face darkened as water. He stared intently at the forest to the south and shouted, "I am Chen Si of the Song Clan in Shendu. May I ask your name!"
From the bottom of the valley, his voice resonated throughout the surrounding area, echoing relentlessly throughout the valley.
However, the forest was silent for a long time, and no one responded.
Chen Si frowned.
Jin Buhuan's eyes turned, and he glanced at the monks who had fallen to the ground, but suddenly said: "Your Excellency only shot at the meridians with each arrow, but did not hurt anyone's life. I think you are kind-hearted. If there is anything, why don't you sit down and talk?"
The archers hiding in the dark are most afraid of exposing their position.
Where there is a sound, there is a position.
Zhou Man lay quietly behind a big rock in the forest. She didn't intend to say a word, but when she saw the jade plate hanging in the air at the bottom of the valley, she knew it was a magic weapon for protection.
With this thing, what's the difference between shooting them and shooting a turtle?
After two rounds of rapid shooting, she only had six arrows left in her hand, three of which were ordinary carved feather arrows, and three were broken arrows engraved with heavy silver. She couldn't afford to waste any more.
So she frowned and made some calculations.
Jin Buhuan and Chen Si below did not hear any sound for a long time, and thought that the archer would not respond to them again.
But just when they were about to give up, a laugh was heard from the woods.
Then came a voice that seemed to be deliberately suppressed: "You have been surrounded by me. If you know what's good for you, leave the jade marrow and get out of here."
With just this one voice, Chen Si instantly recognized her location—the huge rock in the southern forest.
But the other party was hiding behind the rock, and he could not see her figure directly.
Even though the arrows shot just now were as dense as a rain, Chen Si was also a good archer. How could he not tell that they were all shot by one person?
A mere person dared to say that he "surrounded" them!
From childhood to adulthood, Chen Si had never heard such an arrogant tone!
He suppressed his anger and demanded, "The Song family had long ago announced their intention to take the jade marrow, and had already placed it in a bottle. You, my lord, then attacked us with a stab in the back, and now you're asking us to keep it. How is that any different from robbery?"
The stone queen laughed again, "Robbery? Jade marrow isn't naturally grown, so whoever has the ability can take it? If you don't know your place, don't blame me for a bloody massacre."
Upon hearing this, Chen Si's face changed drastically.
Not only was it filled with bitter sarcasm, but also because the words sounded incredibly familiar. They were the exact words he had spoken when he had expelled those monks!
This proved that this mysterious archer had been stalking them from the moment they entered Jiajin Valley, and he hadn't noticed a thing.
What a humiliation!
Chen Si's face darkened completely. He stared at the huge rock in the woods to the south for a long moment, then suddenly said to Jin Buhuan, "Take this plate away."
Jin Buhuan was startled before realizing he was referring to the jade plate he'd placed above everyone's heads. He immediately wondered, "Are you sick?"
Chen Si's voice was cold and stern, "I told you to remove it!"
Jin Buhuan stared at him for a moment, easily realizing he'd been provoked.
But the fool was hell-bent on death, so who could stop him?
He wasn't one for good temper either. He sneered back and actually pulled the jade plate back, leaving it hanging above his own head.
The remaining five monks panicked.
But Chen Si pointed behind the rock where Zhou Man was hiding and ordered them, "Go."
The mysterious archer's predatory presence had been terrifying, like a ghost. Who would dare to go? But the order was irresistible.
The five men exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and headed up the mountain.
Chen Si, however, unhooked the longbow he carried on his back, drew a golden arrow from his quiver, and nocked it onto the string. He raised the bow high, aiming it at the boulder on the mountaintop.
Jin Buhuan instantly understood this person's intention—those five people were just bait.
If the powerful enemy hiding behind the rock dared to show his head, he would kill him with a single arrow!
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