Melgor was a sweet idiot, but that was referring to how he trusted others too easily. It did not mean that he was really stupid.
On the journey thus far, he had thought about many things. The first time was when Ren Xiaosu saved him just before the Flame Pillar spell was cast, and the second time was when he saved him just before the arrow shot by a steel bow nearly hit him.
How powerful was a steel bow? He could roughly figure it out just by looking at Qian Weining’s serious but tearful expression.
That arrow was deeply embedded into the ground. If it had hit him, it would probably have pierced through his body.
In the face of such a weapon, even sorcery would be ineffective if he did not guard against it carefully. After all, sorcerers did not have that quick a reaction time!
However, it was as though Ren Xiaosu could always predict the future and save him from a deadly situation before anything happened to him.
It might not prove anything if it were only a one-off. But since it kept happening, Melgor had to think about it carefully.
The first incident he had to think about was when Ren Xiaosu was bound by his Earth Bind spell. At that time, he had not displayed such extraordinary battle awareness as he did now!
Was it because Melgor had acted too quickly that Ren Xiaosu could not react in time? No.
Since Melgor was not the determining factor, it must be Ren Xiaosu.
Thinking back on everything that happened in the past, Melgor always lamented how Ren Xiaosu did not panic even though he was being hunted down by others. He also lamented how his steward liked to brag that no one in the entire Kingdom of Sorcerers was a match for him. His bragging was so bad it seemed like he almost believed it himself.
But if he were to assume that the other party was not bragging?
Wouldn’t that be a little terrifying?!
Melgor found it rather unacceptable. In his mind, this should clearly be an inspiring story filled with fighting spirit and growth. As a junior sorcerer, he should be the one leading his steward to the pinnacle of his life.
But in the blink of an eye, that harmonious picture suddenly turned to horror!
Melgor kept close to the carriage to avoid the arrows while spying on Ren Xiaosu out of the corners of his eyes. However, he realized Ren Xiaosu was still not flustered in the face of an enemy attack of this intensity.
He asked in a low voice, “Then what should we do now?”
“What else can we do?” Ren Xiaosu chuckled and said, “I was already planning to take you away from the trade caravan tonight. I was still thinking about how to distract Qian Weining, but someone actually turned up and helped. However, I don’t really want to leave anymore. You, stay here obediently and wait for my instructions.”
The reason why Ren Xiaosu did not want to leave was that Qian Weining’s group was quite useful for him to test out his sorcery.
Moreover, the other party was already trying to make use of Mel, so he wouldn’t have to feel bad for making use of them.
“OK,” Melgor agreed and said, “Then do you think Qian Weining and his men can defeat the enemy?”
“Of course they can.” Ren Xiaosu said, “There’s only about a 100 of them while Qian Weining has more than 400 people on his side. The strength of the two sides is completely one-sided. So this group of attackers must be here to kill you. It’s just that their plan didn’t take into consideration a conflict with Qian Weining’s plan.”
“But I saw Qian Weining and his men crying nonstop. If even the commander is crying, what hope is there left?” Melgor muttered.
“What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t you still have me?” Ren Xiaosu comforted him.
This time, Melgor did not chide Ren Xiaosu for bragging.
At this moment, Qian Weining felt that he was really unlucky. Tears kept flowing out of his eyes and blurred his vision.
If he wanted to observe the enemy’s movements out there clearly, he had to keep wiping away his tears. Wasn’t this hindering his skill in archery?
At some point, Qian Weining even wondered if he was indeed feeling a tinge of sadness for being abandoned by the clan. Was that why he kept crying nonstop?!
But no matter how hard he tried to adjust his emotions, he could not stop his tears from flowing.
The group of men outside were firing their arrows extremely fast. It was obvious at first sight that they were elite sharpshooters of the cavalry. As a cataphract brigade, they really could not compare to the other party in archery.
Moreover, their enemy was hiding in the shadows while they were out in the open. The campfires at the camp exposed their every move to their opponent.
One of the guards said, “Sir, why don’t we put out the campfires first? Otherwise, we can only react if the enemy keeps us in their sights like this.”
There were only about 20 guards who had been hit by the “I wish you all happiness” spell, so the remaining guards still had their mobility unaffected.
Qian Weining wiped away his tears and said, “No, our camp houses nearly a 1,000 of us, and there are more than 40 campfires around. By the time we extinguish them all, we’ll already have been shot to death by the enemy!”
“Then what should we do?” The guard said, “Li Yuxiao said he saw some figures moving outside. He thinks some of them might have gone around to the east side. Our defensive strength over there is a little weak, so we’d have to send more troops over. However, the enemy’s arrows have pinned us down over here on the west side, so we can’t move at all.”
Qian Weining took a deep breath. “I guess it’s all up to me now.”
These words stunned the guards. They saw Qian Weining suddenly close his eyes and touch his longbow next to him.
Someone wanted to say something, but they heard Qian Weining shushing them to stop them from talking. Furthermore, Vice President Qian’s ears were even twitching.
The guards were shocked. They had been following Qian Weining for many years, but they did not realize their paladin knight commander could actually use his ears to distinguish positions!
A moment later, Qian Weining seemed to have located the enemy’s position with his eyes closed. He decisively darted out from behind the carriage and fired an arrow in the direction he had determined!
An instant later, the scream of an enemy rang out in the darkness!
The guards were all shocked. When Qian Weining closed his eyes, nobody really placed much hope in him. They only felt he was trying his luck.
Who would have expected the arrow would actually hit its target!
“Sir, why have you been hiding this skill for over a decade?” A guard said in surprise, “You’ve never revealed it before!”
Nearby, Qian Weining’s trusted aide said, “Commander used to lead the charge into enemy lines, so why would he need to turn to archery?”
The group looked at Qian Weining in admiration. Qian Weining closed his eyes and said slowly, “Actually, I’ve also just realized that I have this skill…. Alright, I’ll deal with this group of archers. All of you, go and reinforce the east side!”
The enemy’s suppressive arrow fire on the outer perimeter had already weakened greatly. The guards ran east with reverence for Qian Weining. Everyone regarded Vice President Qian as a peerless expert in their hearts.
Only Ren Xiaosu looked at Qian Weining angrily. The arrow that guy had shot with his eyes closed was way off-target. Even Old Xu was nearly unable to catch the arrow with its agility!
Ren Xiaosu suddenly thought of something. Since he intended to let Melgor head the Prosperous Northwest’s branch, why should he help Qian Weining gain a good reputation instead of raising Melgor’s reputation directly?
Ren Xiaosu looked at Melgor. “I’ll point you in a direction and you just focus on casting your Fireball, got it?”
Melgor said awkwardly, “I can’t see where the enemy is. Besides, my Fireball spell is too weak.”
Ren Xiaosu said in annoyance, “You just concentrate on casting Fireball. Don’t worry, it’ll definitely hit the target!”
When Ren Xiaosu said that, Melgor suddenly looked at him in shock. Then he looked at Qian Weining in shock as well. It was as though he had a eureka moment and figured out a lot of things!
