ITF Chapter51

“Many people here should still remember what this land looked like more than twenty years ago.”

Bai Yi’s voice was deep, sonorous, and powerful, instilling a sense of groundedness and a heavy security.

“Twenty years ago, a group of brave and martial young people; among whom there might even be relatives of those present today, established this new kingdom alongside me. Under the protection of the Lord, we cast off the rule of the false king and welcomed a free new world. And behind this flourishing new world, during that long war of founding, tens of thousands of soldiers paid the ultimate price with their lives.”

“Yet there are always some people with malicious intentions who constantly instigate rebellions and even collude with foreign enemies, wildly attempting to destroy this hard-won tranquility and wishing to drag this kingdom into war once more.”

“Today, we are going to hold an open, fair, and just trial. We want to tell all those harboring ill intentions right here, through our actions—whoever dares to oppose the peace of Damasen, whoever that may be, is an enemy of the Kingdom of Damasen.”

Enthusiastic cheers instantly drowned the grand colosseum.

Bathed in the golden glow of the afternoon sun, the king looked like a deity descended upon the mortal world. Amid the lively atmosphere, he turned his head and signaled Shao Yixiao to continue with a glance.

The attendant standing behind Shao Yixiao immediately presented him with a fine yew longbow.

But Shao Yixiao did not take it.

He stood up, solemnly bowed to the king, and then looked at Bai Jiashu beside him, asking politely, “Would Your Highness like to give it a try?”

Bai Jiashu naturally knew what he meant, but he was not skilled with a bow and arrow, so he declined without hesitation, “I have no interest.”

Only then did Shao Yixiao look up again.

He faced Bai Yi and said with utmost respect, “Your Majesty, although I captured the rebel leader, it cannot be denied that I also disrupted the snare meticulously laid by General Bai Heting due to my own rashness.” He bowed deeply once more. “Learning of this, my heart is filled with immense shame, and my conscience cannot allow me to claim this merit entirely for myself. I beg Your Majesty to graciously permit me to share this honor with General Bai Heting.”

Humility was not a fine virtue that Shao Yixiao seemed to possess.

Bai Yi asked, “How do you wish to share it?”

Shao Yixiao appeared to fall into thought. His gaze lingered briefly on Bai Heting’s face before looking behind him.

“I heard that this Alpha bodyguard standing behind General Bai is the most excellent sharpshooter in the General’s guard regiment.”

Everyone knew that there were only Betas in Bai Heting’s guard regiment; as soon as these words left his mouth, whispers broke out all around.

Hearing this, Bai Yi also grew serious. He looked over along with Shao Yixiao, his gaze suddenly sinking.

Shao Yixiao said with an earnest expression, “Why don’t we bestow this honor of executing the criminal upon the excellent bodyguard under the General’s command?”

Bai Yi stared for a brief moment before withdrawing his gaze, and then said indifferently, “As you wish.”

Shao Yixiao thanked the king for his grace, and then said to Bai Heting, “What does the General think?”

Bai Heting slightly pursed his thin lips, silently watching Shao Yixiao’s performance to its end, but he did not give an immediate response. Since Shao Yixiao would resort to this kind of probing, it proved he indeed lacked definitive evidence to verify Luo Congye’s identity. Yet, Bai Heting had to admit that this move was incredibly clever. Shao Yixiao had given Luo Congye two choices: kill his own friend with his own hands or expose himself.

“General,” Luo Congye did not let him hesitate for too long, speaking up to request, “Please allow this subordinate to try.”

Bai Heting’s expression remained icy. He said nothing, but he did not stop him either.

He gave his tacit consent.

Luo Congye took the longbow from the attendant.

The bow was about a meter and a half long, and Bei Chengzhou was approximately a hundred meters away from him.

With a bow like this and within this distance, he could easily hit the bullseye and achieve armor-piercing force.

Or he could also use this bow to kill that damned Shao Yixiao.

If the guards were not fast enough to react, he could even take a gamble and attempt to assassinate the high-and-mighty king.

But what then?

Then he would have no choice but to be executed.

Bei Chengzhou was the general’s physician, and he was the general’s personal bodyguard. If things reached that point, could Bai Heting ever clear his name of suspicion?

Luo Congye took a deep breath.

He squared his shoulders and stood straight, took an arrow from the attendant, drew the bow completely back, and aimed at the target in the very center of the colosseum.

Bei Chengzhou was locked in an iron cage that was less than a man’s height. Because the space was limited, he could only hunch his back; his body swayed slightly, but he remained standing.

Luo Congye suddenly recalled something Bei Chengzhou had once said to him: “In the end, a person must pay the price for their own naivety.”

If he had left with Bei Chengzhou a little earlier, Bei Chengzhou would not have needed to remain lurking in Bai Heting’s residence, nor would he have had to risk exposure in the enemy camp to maintain contact with the Urdan people.

The moment he decided to stay by Bai Heting’s side, he had already subconsciously cast Bei Chengzhou’s safety aside.

The price of his naivety was Bei Chengzhou’s life.

Ending the life of his childhood best friend with his own hands was heaven’s punishment for his naivety.

The crowd held its breath in anticipation. With a sharp swoosh, the wooden arrow sliced through the air, flying toward the center of the colosseum.

*

The audience, their expectations thoroughly piqued, responded with a chorus of disappointed boos.

The wooden arrow grazed the edge of the iron cage and flew past before finally plunging at an angle into the distant dirt.

This shot had missed.

Shao Yixiao smiled as though he had expected this all along and let out a theatrical sigh. Imitating Bai Heting’s earlier demeanor, he shook his head regretfully and said, “It seems I overestimated this so-called sharpshooter’s abilities.”

Luo Congye’s jawline was strained tight from clenching his teeth. He took another wooden arrow from the attendant and was just about to raise the longbow when his hand suddenly lightened.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, so quickly that most people had no chance to react. Bai Heting seized the bow, plucked an arrow, drew the string, and released it; all in one fluid motion, each action flowing seamlessly into the next without the slightest hesitation—

And with effortless ease, he pierced the throat of the target inside the cage a hundred meters away.

Shao Cheng was the first to react, leading to the applause and praise, “General Bai’s heroic posture while archery is truly a feast for the eyes. Splendid.”

The delayed, ecstatic cheers drowned out a sharp crack.

His left cheek felt as though it was burning. Luo Congye swayed slightly from the force of the heavy slap. He immediately stood straight again, swallowing the rusty-tasting blood in his mouth.

A fierce, furious rage erupted from the fir pheromones.

“Useless trash.” Bai Heting cursed coldly.

He threw the longbow onto the ground, never sparing Luo Congye another glance, and said to Qiu Chen, “Replace him. I have no use for a bodyguard who is utterly worthless.”

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