Chapter 249 She’s a Sniper

Chapter 249: She Was a Sniper

The official didn't dare defy her, and immediately gathered ten men. They also borrowed some ropes from nearby villagers and got ready to go down the mountain.

Ji Yuntang, Pei Zhiyi, and Wang Sheng found a narrow path that snaked around to the other side of the mountain, planning to approach from that direction.

Once they reached the bottom, visibility dropped, and everything around them turned eerie and terrifying.

The wind howled in their ears, sounding like crying ghosts and howling wolves.

As a tough woman who'd spent two years training on the battlefield, Pei Zhiyi wasn't fazed by such a scene.

She initially thought Ji Yuntang, a pampered young lady, would be scared, but the latter appeared completely unfazed, even calmer than she was.

Curious, Pei Zhiyi asked, "Princess Ye, aren't you scared in a place this dangerous?"

Ji Yuntang raised an eyebrow. "Other than the darkness and the bumpy trail, what's there to be afraid of?"

Wang Sheng chuckled from behind. "Miss Pei, you underestimate our princess. Walking through a place like this is nothing to her."

He left out that Ji Yuntang could kill without blinking, had stepped up to the emperor and even slapped a princess in the great hall. A simple mountain path was indeed nothing to her.

Pei Zhiyi was visibly surprised, her respect for Ji Yuntang growing even more. She found herself increasingly fond of this bold and straightforward woman.

Just as the three of them reached the mountainside, they heard a heart-wrenching roar from the opposite side.

"If you take one more step, I'll throw these two brats off the cliff! If we can't live, no one will!"

Wang Sheng had known Zhu Mian for years and instantly recognized his voice.

He said to Ji Yuntang, "Princess, that's Zhu Mian's voice. The two children are indeed in his hands."

"What should we do now?"

Pei Zhiyi frowned. It seemed the officials had found Zhu Mian and Widow Yang's daughters, but the problem was the kidnapper was holding hostages. Zhu Mian might hurt the kids if pushed too far.

Ji Yuntang scanned the area and said, "Let's find a high spot with a good view first."

Soon, she spotted an old tree with a thick trunk and dense foliage.

She climbed it as nimbly as a cat, without any effort.

Pei Zhiyi watched from below, worried, but Ji Yuntang smiled at her.

"You don't need to come up. I can handle it by myself."

Pei Zhiyi had no idea why she was climbing so high or what she meant.

After all, they were still far from the officials, with hundreds of meters and a cliff between them.

Without explaining, Ji Yuntang pulled out a telescope from her space and observed the opposite side.

What she saw: Zhu Mian, disguised as a man in his sixties, holding a knife to the neck of a five-year-old girl.

The younger child had her hands and feet bound and was dumped near the cliff edge.

The ten officials on the other side were still confronting him, repeatedly urging him to let the children go and give himself up.

Zhu Mian wouldn't listen. He knew that if he gave up now, it would mean certain death.

So he threatened the officials even more viciously, telling them to leave or he would kill the children.

Neither side would yield, and the situation was hitting a boiling point.

Through the telescope, Ji Yuntang noticed that Zhu Mian's hand holding the knife was shaking, and the girl's neck was already bleeding.

Behind him was a hundred-meter cliff, and the stones under his feet were crumbling as he stepped back.

Ji Yuntang's eyes darkened. If this continued, the two children would surely die by his hand.

Zhu Mian's death didn't matter, but the children were still so young and innocent.

While the officials kept Zhu Mian distracted, Ji Yuntang took out a small sniper rifle from her space.

To avoid drawing attention, she fitted a silencer to it.

No one knew that Ji Yuntang had been an outstanding sniper during her time in the military.

Even her superiors said she had a natural gift for it.

But she was more into medicine and didn't pursue sniping further.

Ji Yuntang lay on a tree branch, the dense leaves hiding her small figure, making it hard for Pei Zhiyi and Wang Sheng to spot her from below.

Besides, the bullet could pass through a body, so she wasn't worried about being exposed.

"Pfft!"

A soft whoosh, and the birds in the forest scattered in all directions.

The next second, the officials saw Zhu Mian scream and fall to the ground, with a thumb-sized hole in his shoulder that gushed blood.

Blood spurted out like a fountain.

But it wasn't over.

Three arrows flew toward Zhu Mian. One grazed his face, leaving a bloody cut.

Another struck his arm, purposely avoiding vital points.

The last one hit him square in the thigh.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Zhu Mian screamed in agony, his piercing cries echoing throughout the forest.

The sudden arrows spooked the officials; they looked around but couldn't find the archer.

Realizing that none of the arrows were aimed at them, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Someone quickly reacted and pinned Zhu Mian to the ground, prying the two children from his grasp.

On examination, Zhu Mian had two arrows—one in his arm and one in his leg. Plus a bloody hole in his shoulder.

They naturally assumed the hole was from an arrow too.

Although Zhu Mian was seriously injured, the wounds had all missed his vital spots, so he would not die so quickly.

With that done, Ji Yuntang put away the sniper rifle and jumped down from the tree.

Pei Zhiyi immediately came over and asked, "Princess Ye, I just seemed to hear a scream. Did something happen to the children?"

Ji Yuntang shook her head and said calmly, "No, the children were rescued by the officials, and Zhu Mian was also caught by them."

"There's nothing more to do here. Let's go back!"

Pei Zhiyi was slightly surprised. Just a moment ago, the officials were still confronting Zhu Mian, yet they had captured him that quickly?

She felt that something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint what it was, so she followed Ji Yuntang back to the capital in a daze.

Before leaving, Ji Yuntang gave Pei Zhiyi another set of skincare products.

She immediately put all the troublesome matters behind her and showered Ji Yuntang with endless praise, making Ji Yuntang blush.

After this commotion, Wanzhuang Tower's business turned a misfortune into a blessing, and its popularity increased significantly.

Meanwhile, at Huayang Temple, about five miles outside the capital.

Today, Consort Li was lavishly dressed and arrived early with Jian Lan to wait for Prince Nanxiao.

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