Chapter 119: Tamon, Trapped in His Own Web

The young lad stepped back, curling his lip in a sneer. "What kind of nonsense etiquette is that? Let me tell you the truth: I saw through your schemes long ago. I won't play games with you anymore—I am determined to take the Liao Kingdom!"

As he spoke, Chu Junhan gripped his sword. With a sharp metallic ring, the blade left its scabbard, pointing straight at the stunned, brawny man before him. "Men!" he barked. "Escort the monarch of the Liao Kingdom to our camp as our guest!"

"Yes!" seven or eight soldiers shouted in unison, rushing forward with spears leveled.

Tamon threw his head back and laughed, staring at Chu Junhan with bloodthirsty eyes. He spat on the ground in disdain and hissed, "You little whelp, I underestimated you. But it won't be so easy to capture me!"

With that, the brawny man moved with the agility of a leopard. In a few swift leaps, he deftly dodged the soldiers and bolted toward his horse.

"No! He’s going for his mount! Fire!" Chu Junhan swung his sword, but the man had already vaulted into the saddle.

The air whistled as a volley of arrows flew toward Tamon. He spurred his horse forward, weaving left and right with frantic speed to evade the lethal rain.

Chu Junhan snatched a bow from an archer, his focus narrowing as he locked his sharp gaze onto the man ahead. Resting an arrow against the string, he pulled it back until it formed a full moon.

His small hand released the string, and the arrow hissed through the air like a silver serpent, lunging toward the rider.

In the distance, the brawny man let out a muffled groan. He nearly tumbled from his saddle, swaying unsteadily as his horse carried him further away.

"General Chu is truly formidable!" The soldiers had all witnessed the strike, and they looked at Chu Junhan with fanatical admiration.

"Tamon, you rogue! Today I return to you the arrow you shot at my father!" The young lad stared ferociously at the man on the horse. He murmured this to himself before handing the bow back to the soldier.

Yingdie, appearing from nowhere, trailed behind Chu Junhan. She whispered, "It was too easy on him. The arrow that struck the master was coated in deadly poison. Our young master is a gentleman of honor, so he wouldn't—"

Chu Junhan glanced at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Who said I didn't coat it in poison?"

"Ah?" Yingdie’s eyes widened. She had watched clearly—the young lady had grabbed the bow and fired instantly. When could she have possibly applied poison?

Could it have been coated beforehand?

All poisons have specific properties, and they are usually applied two hours before a siege. Unless the young lady had calculated everything... The girl in iron-blue armor felt her expression shift through a myriad of emotions, her face a mask of astonishment.

As the young lady grew older, her ability to plan for the future had grown by leaps and bounds! No, that wasn't it! The young lady had been different from other children since she was little!

With this thought, Yingdie gazed at the young lad’s back and hurried to catch up.

***

Inside the royal palace of the Liao capital, eunuchs scurried to and fro. A group of ministers knelt outside the main hall, their heads bowed and their hearts heavy with sorrow. Even the early spring sunlight felt cold, as if a layer of frost would settle upon anyone it touched.

One physician after another entered the hall. Each time one emerged, the ministers looked on with desperate anticipation, only to watch the physicians shake their heads and heave heavy sighs, departing with leaden steps without uttering a word.

Avugan Tamon had dominated the Liao region for decades and cultivated countless confidants, yet he had no children of his own. The vast, grand palace felt hollow and desolate.

"Water..."

A palace maid looked toward the bed, her voice trembling with excitement. "Your Majesty! The King has awakened!"

Hearing this, the ministers scrambled to their knees and rushed inside, prostrating themselves before the dragon bed. "Your Majesty!" they cried out in agitation.

Tamon turned his head to look at the blurred figures before the bed, his lips parched. "I, Avugan Tamon, have been wise all my life. Who would have thought I would fall into the hands of a mere whelp? Truly, I have spun my own cocoon, trapped by my own undoing!"