Chapter 149: [Big Beard Wants to Sleep]

Chapter 149: The Lord Wants to Sleep (Double-length Chapter)

Daphne sat on the ground in a disheveled state. She could not even remember whether she had tripped in a panic or if she had been shoved to the ground by the scoundrel in front of her!

At twenty-one years of age, Daphne had never been treated with such rudeness in her entire life! Her full name was Daphne Kremar!

Kremar! This was the most illustrious surname in the entire Byzantine Empire! The symbol of the Byzantine imperial family!

Daphne had borne this surname for several years. Ever since she came of age and married into the royal family, becoming the chosen daughter of heaven as the bride of the current Crown Prince Garcia, her destiny had been sealed. She was the Crown Princess, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would one day become the Empress!

The Lancer Emperor was aging, and the Empress had passed away due to illness many years ago. Emperor Contos had never appointed a new Empress. Therefore, on this level, Daphne could almost be considered the woman of highest status in the entire Byzantine Empire!

Moreover, all of this was not merely because she was the Crown Princess! Even before her marriage, before she took her husband's family name, her original birth name was already illustrious and noble enough: Minas!!

She was the youngest daughter of Duke Minas! The elderly Duke Minas had obtained this daughter when he was over forty years old and cherished her like the apple of his eye! Born into such an imperial powerhouse as the Duke of Minas, with a father who was a renowned veteran of the imperial military and the spiritual leader of the Hawk faction, even among the warlord factions, quite a few prominent figures had served under Duke Minas in their youth. With just a single word from the old Duke, both the Hawk faction and the warlord factions had to give him a measure of respect. With such prestige, he could practically be considered the foremost figure in the imperial military... Born into such a prestigious aristocratic family, and blessed with captivating beauty since childhood, Daphne was universally acknowledged as the undisputed belle of the imperial high society. From the time she was underage, countless young aristocratic scions had bestowed their romantic devotion upon her. Suitors were as numerous as carp crossing a river; regardless of whether they were heirs to grand houses or distinguished military officers, none failed to be captivated by Daphne's pure and breathtaking beauty upon seeing her. With her illustrious background, a father of such immense power and influence, and even an elder brother who was a rising star in the imperial military, she was perpetually surrounded by endless flattery.

Furthermore, after her engagement to the royal family, others had long regarded her in the light of a future Empress, treating her words and actions with an even greater degree of reverence.

For a woman like her... let alone being treated with disrespect, she had never heard even a half-sentence of flirtation since childhood!

At this very moment... at this very moment... she had actually been groped on the chest by this damned young officer?!!!

Daphne's lips trembled with rage. Although she possessed peerless beauty and countless young nobles regarded her as their dream lover, she had been strictly brought up by Duke Minas with uncompromising virtue. Throughout her life, she had never even dreamed that her body could be touched by any man other than her husband!

Yet today, in this royal garden, while she stood alone by the lake carrying a heart full of sorrow and unutterable melancholy, she never expected to be openly harassed!

***

Xaya was also frozen in place. Watching the woman tumble to the ground, he momentarily forgot to reach out and help her up, merely spreading his palm and staring at his hand again and again.

Uh... it seemed... he had just touched something he shouldn't have...

If it were in the past, Xaya might have remained somewhat clueless, but by now, he was no longer an inexperienced novice. He understood a thing or two about matters between men and women, realizing that his rash move just now had been wildly inappropriate.

Damn it... touching a woman's breast, did that count as sexual harassment?

The country bumpkin possessed a cunning and shameless streak. With a twitch of his eyes, he instantly hatched a plan: play dumb!!

Thinking of this, Xaya immediately pulled back his hand, assumed an expression of supreme innocence on his face, and exclaimed in feigned surprise, "Oh? My lady, how did you fall?"

With a completely unruffled demeanor, he strode over, intending to help her up.

"Don't touch me!"

Daphne's voice suddenly grew several degrees colder. Her originally serene and alluring face seemed veiled in frost as she bit her lip. "Don't you dare touch me!"

She struggled a few times, managed to stand up, and retreated repeatedly. The snow fox also dropped to the ground. Seeing Xaya approach, the little beast displayed a protective loyalty to its master. It crouched down, blocking Daphne's path, arched its back, bared its teeth at Xaya in a threatening posture, and emitted intermittent sharp shrieks.

Xaya curled his lip and spread his hands. "My lady, I accidentally knocked you over just now. This... was certainly not intentional. As long as you aren't hurt, then—"

"..." Daphne's face flushed red with anger. However, seeing that Xaya did not mention the earlier grope, she felt a slight sense of relief. Of a dignified disposition, she was naturally too ashamed to speak of such a matter. Xaya's silence spared her the embarrassment, yet it only intensified her aversion toward the young officer: the man looked honest on the surface, but was actually a cunning bastard! He had taken advantage of her just now, yet he was now playing dumb!

Daphne had no desire to converse further with such a fellow. Given her noble status, she couldn't even be bothered to ask Xaya's name. Judging by his attire, he was most likely a member of the Imperial Guard, and once she returned, she would surely be able to track him down...

Seeing the expression on her face, Xaya said nothing more. Instead, he suddenly bent down, grabbed the snow fox by the scruff of its neck, nodded to Daphne, turned on his heel, and walked away.

After taking two steps, Daphne flew into a rage, broke into a trot, and chased after him. "Hey! Stop right there!"

"?" Xaya turned his head.

With a flushed face, Daphne pointed at the little beast in Xaya's hand. "Give it back to me!"

Xaya scratched his head. "My lady, knocking you down just now was my fault, and I've apologized for that. But this little creature is my prey; I chased it for ages before catching it..."

"You..." Daphne stamped her feet in exasperation. "You're being completely unreasonable! This is clearly my pet! Give it back to me immediately!"

Xaya forced a smile. The bumpkin rolled his eyes. In truth, he had never intended to keep the snow fox; he was merely putting on an act. Wearing a grin, he said, "Alright, I won't argue about whether it's your pet or not. Since I shoved you just now, consider this my apology—I'm giving this thing to you, and let's call it even for what just happened!"

With that, he raised his eyelids and gazed at the woman.

Xaya had also figured out that this woman was most likely from some prominent aristocratic family, and her temperament seemed relatively honest, not the petty or cunning sort. That slap-dash grope of his had been thoroughly inappropriate, and he feared it might invite unnecessary trouble. While he wasn't afraid of such matters, avoiding extra complications was always better than courting them; smoothing things over was the best course of action.

He might as well continue playing the ruffian, insisting on "gifting" this prey to her in exchange for her promise to let the matter drop. Such aristocratic youths typically valued their pride, and words spoken aloud would generally not be broken, especially since this woman appeared reasonably upright.

Sure enough, though deeply resentful, Daphne found herself in an awkward predicament. Her servants had gone off to chase her startled horse, leaving her utterly unattended and entirely alone—which was why she had been bullied by a scoundrel like Xaya. While she wished to throw a tantrum, the fellow blatantly pretended not to know who she was, and she was entirely unwilling to part with the snow fox.

She considered revealing her identity—yet she refused to do so! Everyone was tacitly pretending nothing had happened regarding that grope; to expose her identity now would only bring her even greater humiliation!

Thinking back and forth, Daphne's eyes reddened with frustration. She bit her lip and said, "Return the snow fox to me, and we'll call it even for what just happened."

Xaya breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, tossed the snow fox onto the ground with a flick of his hand, bowed to the woman, turned around, and strode away.

Behind him, Daphne scooped up the snow fox while glaring at Xaya's retreating back with simmering annoyance.

Xaya's current impulse was to sprint away as fast as possible, but since he had put on an air of utter nonchalance, he had to maintain the act to the very end. If he suddenly bolted, wouldn't that prove he had a guilty conscience? He walked briskly to his horse, swung into the saddle, turned the mount around, and slowly rode back. Pausing before the woman, he nodded from horseback and said, "My lady, although this is a royal garden, wild beasts do roam these parts. Since you are alone, you should still be careful."

"Hmph, I don't need your concern. I have servants, and they'll be back shortly." Cradling the snow fox and glaring at Xaya, Daphne's chest heaved with anger as she took a couple of steps backward.

***

"Hmm." Not wishing to linger, Xaya reined in his horse and turned to leave...

Yet precisely at that moment, Xaya's ears twitched as he faintly caught an unusual disturbance in the distance! Having grown up in the mountains and forests, his preternatural instincts were exceptionally sharp, akin to those of a wild beast! Hearing the strange commotion, his heart instantly tightened, and a powerful sense of alertness surged up within him. Before he could speak, his expression shifted drastically...

Swish!!

A piercing whistle tore through the air!

Xaya let out a sharp cry and hurled himself off his horse. Mid-air, he caught sight of a streak of black light tearing through the void—and its target was precisely the woman cradling the snow fox!

A crimson light flashed instantly across Xaya's eyes. Unleashing his crimson murderous intent, he immediately felt the surrounding world slow down to a crawl! Within his field of vision, a black arrow shaft cut through the air, and even its flight arc was clearly visible!

Bang!!

Xaya flung out his arms, tackling the woman directly, and the two of them tumbled onto the ground! The sharp arrow brushed past Xaya's cheek, leaving him with a faint sensation of stinging pain!

Rolling on the turf with the woman's soft body pressed against his chest, Xaya had no leisure to appreciate such romantic sensations. He rolled once more on the spot, clutching the woman and spinning three times, only to hear a soft groan of pain escape from the woman beneath him.

Daphne's face turned ashen white, her mind blank as she stared fixedly at Xaya, a single thought echoing in her head: This bastard, what is he—

"Stay down and don't move!" Xaya barked a stern command, reaching back to draw his sword. Having gone hunting today, he carried only a standard personal blade, while his fire-fork remained strapped to the saddle untouched. Springing to his feet, his eyes narrowed into slits as cold light glinted within them.

Right where the woman had been standing moments before, an iron-spined armor-piercing arrow was embedded deep in the earth! The fletching at the tail was not standard goose feather, but custom-made iron plumage!

Xaya instantly deduced that anyone capable of loosing such an iron arrow possessed formidable archery skills; if nothing else, their arm strength was extraordinary!

Daphne lay flat on her back, finally taking in the situation. She had initially thought the young officer was driven by sudden lust to assault her, but seeing the arrow embedded in the ground and the thin line of blood oozing from tiny beads on the left side of Xaya's cheek, she understood in an instant that she had deeply wronged the young warrior. Had he not tackled her just then, she would most likely be dead!

With his sword in one hand and crouching low like a wild beast, Xaya stared intently into the distant forest.

That previous arrow had originated from that direction. The distant woods remained dead silent, the rustling of vegetation whispering in the breeze...

Xaya's heart was gripped tight. Narrowing his eyes, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Who goes there! How dare you commit assassination in the royal gardens!"

His sharp shout met with no response. Then, amidst the verdant canopy, Xaya suddenly spotted a pinpoint of black, chilling light flashing! His gaze sharpened instantly!

Swish!

Another piercing arrow shrieked through the air!!

This time, the projectile seemed wreathed in a wisp of dark radiance, clearly indicating that the archer had infused battle-qi into the shot! The assailant was no ordinary foe!

Both the power and precision of this arrow were top-tier! Yet Xaya stood in an open clearing devoid of any cover! While he could have dodged out of the way, the frail woman lay helpless on the ground behind him; if he evaded it, she would surely perish. As long as the enemy possessed rapid-fire archery techniques, their next shot could easily claim the woman's life!

At that moment, crimson light flared brilliantly in Xaya's eyes. He saw only a pinpoint of black light rushing toward him, its arrowhead expanding clearer by the fraction of a second. With a sudden, explosive roar, Xaya gripped his longsword with both hands, aiming directly at the oncoming arrowhead...

"Break!!!"

A faint crimson thread traced outward from the tip of his blade! Under the influence of his crimson murderous intent, Xaya's mental focus reached an unprecedented peak. Within the realm governed by his willpower, everything in his field of vision seemed to slow to a crawl. Such a miraculous technique happened to be the natural nemesis of ambush arrow attacks! Moreover, Xaya possessed innate physical prowess of terrifying caliber—his strength and agility were top-notch. Without this, even if someone else had unleashed their mental power to track the arrow's trajectory, it would have been entirely useless if their physical reflexes failed to keep pace with their consciousness.

In an instant, the muscles encased within Xaya's armor swelled violently. As his crimson murderous intent surged, his movements turned ghostly! The edge of his sword cleaved directly downward to meet the arrowhead!

Clang!

With a crisp, shattering sound, the blade struck the dead-center apex of the faceted arrowhead with hair-breadth precision!

Imbued with the indestructible force of the crimson murderous intent, the ordinary steel sword became incomparably sharp! With that single strike, at the point of contact between blade and arrowhead, the iron point cracked open! Fine iron filings drifted through the air as the blade sheared straight through!

A sharp, grating screech pierced the air as the sword cleaved the arrowhead and split the entire arrow shaft cleanly in two!

The force behind the arrow was astonishing. Even split in twain by Xaya, the two halves retained immense momentum, their trajectories altering only slightly as they swept past either side of his body, missing him by a hair's breadth! The passing shafts scraped against the steel-mesh armor Xaya wore, producing a teeth-grating shriek!

The tension of that single instant had reached an absolute extreme. Covered in cold sweat, Xaya realized he had been far too arrogant, rashly intercepting such an arrow without even knowing his opponent's strength. Fortunately, his crimson murderous intent was formidable; otherwise, his skull would have been pierced clean through by now!

The distant forest remained silent, the adversary evidently stunned by Xaya's breathtaking display of skill.

Catching his breath, Xaya dared not turn around. Retreating step by step to Daphne's side, he hauled her up behind him without ceremony and whispered, "Hide behind me, don't show your head!"

Retreating step by step to his horse, Xaya urged in a low voice, "You know how to ride, right? Get on the horse and plunge into the woods quickly! Once inside, the trees will block them, and we won't have to fear hidden arrows anymore! Move!"

With that, he snatched up his storm-bow and grabbed five arrows from his quiver—four standard goose-feather arrows and one custom iron-spined armor-piercing arrow.

Clutching them in one hand, he growled low to the woman behind him, "When I say run, mount the horse immediately, don't look back, and gallop into the forest! You hear me?!"

Daphne's face was bloodless, her eyes filled with terror. When Xaya had tackled her earlier, she had badly twisted her right ankle, and a piercing wave of agony now wrung tears from her eyes. Yet she dared not utter a single half-syllable, merely murmuring a low assent. At this moment, every trace of irritation toward Xaya had vanished from her heart, replaced entirely by profound gratitude.

"RUN!!!"

Xaya suddenly roared at the top of his lungs, launching himself laterally toward the nearby forest. Mid-air, he snapped his storm-bow into position. Channeling every ounce of his physical strength into his arms with crimson light flashing in his eyes, he watched a crimson thread rapidly infuse into the bow from his fingertips! The silvery bowstring even seemed to glow with a faint reddish tint...

Grasping the five arrows in his massive hand, he nocked them all to the string, aimed directly at the origin point of the sniper's shot in the distant woods, and drew the storm-bow to a full, straining crescent moon!

The bowstring emitted a low, vibrating hum as the limbs curved taut. Widening his eyes, Xaya let out a thunderous roar toward the distance!

Swish-swish-swish-swish!!

Four goose-feather arrows shot forth in rapid succession like a string of pearls!!! Four piercing bolts of momentum flashed through the air, streaking toward the distant trees!

In truth, Xaya knew no formal rapid-fire archery techniques; he had merely watched others use them and was mimicking the form. Relying purely on his immense strength and the terrifying power of the storm-bow, he let loose four arrows in a single breath. While the power was more than sufficient, the accuracy was utterly abyssal!

All four shafts were aimed generally at the sniper's location, but two drifted wildly off course the moment they left the string, missing their mark by more than twenty paces. The remaining two zipped across to the far side of the woods; with two dull thuds, one embedded itself deeply into a massive tree trunk, while the other plunged straight into the thicket.

***

The moment Xaya shouted "run," Daphne had already scrambled onto her horse. However, her legs gave out beneath her, and she failed to climb up on her first attempt; after a brief struggle, she managed to haul herself into the saddle, shook the reins, and galloped into the forest, pressed flat against the horse's neck.

Using the interval while Xaya was loosing his arrows, the horse covered a considerable distance, and Xaya maintained a parallel pace on foot without breaking his stride.

He had never intended to harm the enemy with those four arrows anyway; they were merely meant to scare the foe and buy time for their escape.

Sure enough, his four arrows provoked no reaction from the other side, who was presumably ducking for cover. By the time they realized Xaya's shots had missed wildly, precious time had already been bought!

The horse was now within a dozen paces of the tree line when half a figure suddenly burst from the distant woods!

In that exact split second, Xaya caught sight of the attacker: clad entirely in a long green robe, even wrapped in a green turban! With such camouflage, no wonder the sniper had been so difficult to spot amidst the verdant forest!

The assassin, growing desperate as the target neared the safety of the woods, could no longer hold back and had leaned out! Spotting the foe, Xaya saw they wielded a large bow only a size smaller than his own storm-bow. The assailant drew the weapon to its absolute limit in a flash...

Then a speck of black lightning lanced forward like a bolt! The dark aura wreathing the arrow shaft burned like hellfire! Clearly, the enemy was unleashing their ultimate technique! The speed of that arrow was so immense that even viewed through Xaya's crimson murderous intent, its velocity hardly seemed to have slowed at all!

Xaya had been waiting precisely for this moment!!

The arrow was hurtling once more toward Daphne on horseback. Mid-air, Xaya violently twisted his waist! That single twist showcased true mastery! Only a monster of his terrifying physical caliber possessed such core strength! This flexibility and explosive power had been hammered into him since childhood under the brutal tutelage of the old codger!

Mid-air, Xaya actually managed to pivot mid-flight, executing a swift twist that landed him squarely on the horse's back, sitting right in front of Daphne! He used his own chest to block the path of that incoming death-dealer!!

Hum!!

That speck of black lightning slammed with pinpoint accuracy into the center of Xaya's chest! The arrow, empowered by its dark aura, instantly tore through the steel-mesh armor he wore and drilled viciously inward!

Xaya felt a violent jolt wrack his entire body! The kinetic force packed into that arrow was so staggering that it felt as though he had taken a direct hammer blow to the chest from an Odinic beast-warrior! A spike of agony flared in his chest, his vision darkened, and a sweet taste surged up his throat!

Fortunately, at the very last moment, the scale of the dragon he kept tucked against his skin intercepted this fatal strike!! The arrow struck the dragon scale and nearly pierced through it, but the scale suddenly flashed with a faint radiance. The dark aura on the shaft instantly dimmed, and with a resounding *clang*, the arrow was deflected away!!

Xaya forcefully swallowed down a mouthful of blood. His frantic succession of maneuvers, culminating in his willingness to use his own body as a shield, had all been calculated for this exact moment!!

Having loosed that arrow at maximum output, the enemy was naturally experiencing a momentary drop in momentum.

Perched in the saddle, Xaya exerted every ounce of strength to pull back the storm-bow! As he drew it, a tearing pain flared in his chest, causing his heart to sink: he was injured after all! That enemy arrow had been terrifyingly powerful! Even with the dragon scale pressed against his heart, it hadn't completely blocked the impact!

With no time for hesitation, having drawn the storm-bow to the limit, he nocked the very last arrow held between his fingers against the string...

Hum!!!!!!!!

The string's vibration let out an unprecedented, violent shriek akin to a raging ocean tsunami!! Under the drive of the crimson murderous intent, the true might of the storm-bow was finally unleashed! The iron-spined armor-piercing arrow catapulted off the string, trailing a streak of red light, without producing even the faintest piercing whistle through the air—or rather, the arrow's velocity had shattered the speed of sound!

The arrow arrived before its sound could follow!!

Invisible to the naked eye for most of its flight, the arrow flashed across the void and materialized instantly before the assassin!

The assassin never imagined Xaya's counter-attack would pack such terrifying power! Evasion was already impossible! A flash of red light slammed squarely into the assassin's body—after all, Xaya's marksmanship still lacked a degree of refinement, and the shot missed a vital organ, smashing directly into the foe's shoulder instead!

Yet what devastation accompanied the combination of crimson murderous intent and the storm-bow!

The instant the arrow struck, the iron-spined armor-piercing projectile exploded entirely from within! With a concussive boom, a burst of shredded gore erupted from the target's shoulder! The shattered iron fragments tore the person's shoulder into a bloody pulp of mangled flesh!!

The assassin let out a bestial shriek of agony, tumbled backward, and rolled over several times on the ground. With half their upper body reduced to a mangled mess, the assailant suddenly jerked upright, plunged back into the thicket, produced an object, and crushed it fiercely. A burst of emerald radiance flashed with faint magical ripples, and the figure vanished utterly within the magical glow!

Xaya watched with burning frustration! He had taken such extreme risks, yet still let the bastard escape!

Lowering the storm-bow, a sudden wave of vertigo washed over him. Behind him, Daphne let out a startled cry, "Hey, you..."

Turning his head to look at the woman, Xaya caught his breath, but before he could utter a single syllable, the blood he had forced down earlier finally surged up. A mouthful of boiling-hot crimson blood splattered directly across Daphne's face.

Daphne let out a shrill scream, while Xaya's body gave way, tumbling sideways off the horse. Fortunately, the turf was soft; hitting the ground, he struggled weakly into a sitting position, though his arms felt limp and devoid of strength. If another assassin were to appear right now, he would be completely at their mercy.

Glancing down laboriously at his chest, he saw his steel-mesh armor was completely ruined, torn wide open at the front—a testament to the sheer force behind the enemy's shot!

With a fierce yank, he tore the armor open, pulled out the dragon scale tucked inside, and inspected it. The scale, previously smooth and flawless, now bore a deep indentation at its center, right at the middle of which gaped a tiny, rice-grain-sized perforation!

Xaya stared at the pinprick hole for several long moments before drawing in a breath. "Close! Damn it! It almost punched right through!"

With the crimson murderous intent now receding, the backlash of physical exhaustion hit him in full force. Xaya slumped backward, flung his arms wide, and panted heavily, dark spots dancing across his vision.

Daphne dismounted hastily, kneeling anxiously beside him on the ground. The aristocratic daughter's face was smeared entirely with Xaya's blood, rendering her delicate features terrifying and grotesque. Wiping frantically at it only smeared the mess further, and tears streamed down her face—whether from the agony of her twisted ankle or something else entirely, she grabbed Xaya's arm desperately. "Hey, you... General, are you alright?"

Xaya's voice was paper-thin. "Your lord... is fine... just... goddamnit... really wants to sleep..."