79. Another Assassination Attempt?
Her words sparked a flicker of emotion in Leng Yuli.
She snorted, not quite agreeing with Gong Yiling. “This young lady doesn’t need anyone’s protection.”
“What?” Miss Gong turned to her, a smile playing on her lips. “So confident now, Yuli? Have you made some progress in your forging?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘progress’.”
Leng Yuli looked into Gong Yiling’s eyes, a mischievous glint in them. “It’s just that Master taught me well, so it’s only natural that I’ve learned a bit of her confidence.”
Her words stunned Miss Gong.
Did this girl… just agree?
“Yuli?”
“Hmm?” Leng Yuli took a pastry from Miss Gong’s hand and popped it into her mouth. “Did I say something? No, I didn’t.”
“You did!”
Miss Gong made a funny face, then turned and walked away.
But just then, an arrow shot out from a hundred meters away.
In this crowded place, shooting an arrow at a cultivator was incredibly difficult.
But someone did—and it was a powerful strike, long in the making.
And the target was… Leng Yuli.
However, the “hidden arrow is hard to defend against” adage only applied to ordinary people. Miss Leng, having been trained to deal with various assassination attempts, was no weakling.
The moment the arrow was fired, she sensed its presence.
She could have easily dodged it, just like she had done before.
But this time… as she was about to move, she realized something.
No… I can’t.
Behind her wasn’t some insignificant passerby, but the master she had just acknowledged.
Master.
It all happened in a flash. There was no time to warn Gong Yiling, nor could she muster enough energy to deflect the arrow.
So, Leng Yuli stared at the arrow, predicting its trajectory towards her shoulder, and then, pretending not to notice, she stepped into its path.
—But… why the shoulder?
Before the searing pain shot through her body, this was her last thought.
“Whoosh—”
The arrow struck her shoulder. Although it didn’t pierce through, the force sent her flying into Gong Yiling’s arms.
“Yuli!?”
This scene was eerily similar to the time Qiu Shui took a sword for her, and a cold rage filled Gong Yiling.
Amidst the chaotic screams, a murderous glint appeared in her eyes.
She quickly scanned the area but couldn’t find the archer.
Then, she quickly fed Leng Yuli a pain-relieving healing pill, picked her up, and rushed into a nearby alley.
Perhaps because of the crowd, the arrow only hit her shoulder, not causing a fatal wound.
To prevent another attack, Gong Yiling forced herself to calm down, brought Yuli to a deserted courtyard, set up a few talismans at the entrance, and then examined her injury.
“How are you?”
Miss Gong, still thinking about how to remove the arrow, couldn’t help but ask, “Besides the arrow wound, do you feel any other discomfort?”
Leng Yuli just looked at her and smiled faintly, her eyes half-closed, as if she could fall asleep at any moment. “No… nothing. Just a little… sleepy.”
Sleepy?
Gong Yiling immediately thought of something… poison.
Yes, if it was poison, then there was no need to hit a vital spot. Just a single scratch would suffice.
But if it was poison… it could be cured!
She quickly took out a few universal antidote pills from the Cloud Rainbow Sect’s legacy and fed them to Leng Yuli.
After taking the pills, Leng Yuli’s breathing seemed to stabilize.
Gong Yiling then used her true essence to examine her.
The pills’ medicinal power immediately attached to Leng Yuli’s heart meridian, ensuring the poison wouldn’t act up.
However, Gong Yiling couldn’t detect any trace of poison in her.
Normally, any poison would quickly corrode the meridians, causing internal chaos.
But this poison… Miss Gong checked her thoroughly, but couldn’t find a single trace.
What was going on?
She looked at Leng Yuli, puzzled, and saw that the girl had already fallen into a deep sleep, completely unresponsive.
“Really asleep?”
Miss Gong checked her breathing—it was faint, but she was indeed just asleep.
What was going on?
Taking advantage of her deep sleep, Gong Yiling pulled out the arrow from her shoulder. The sharp pain made Leng Yuli groan, showing how deeply she was asleep.
As for the arrow…
Gong Yiling examined the arrowhead and did find some liquid on it besides blood.
But when she touched it, the system didn’t give her any prompts, as if it didn’t know what it was.
Of course… this usually meant not that the system didn’t know, but that she shouldn’t know.
Every time this happened, Miss Gong couldn’t help but want to complain—System, what good are you?
After confirming Leng Yuli was just asleep, as if under anesthesia, and that her body was fine, Gong Yiling tended to her wound, then carried her and left.
On their way back to the inn, Gong Yiling pondered a question.
Who was behind this arrow?
She didn’t know who shot it or who the original target was.
If it was her, could it be Yue Huasheng?
But that didn’t make sense. Yue Huasheng had no reason to attack her. If something happened to her, no one would be able to cooperate with him in his plan. It would be a self-inflicted wound.
Then who…
As she was thinking, someone suddenly pushed her into an alley and covered her mouth.
