3389 Eye opening

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Following that were two more violent coughs of blood. Afterward, he slumped weakly against Old Zhong, gasping for breath. He let out a hoarse groan from his throat but couldn't utter a single word.

Qi Fang's eyes were now filled with hatred and fear as he stared at the young Crown Princess in front of him.

His gaze burned with undisguised fury.

Old Zhong finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "What are you people from the Mu family doing? We agreed this would be a friendly match. How could you injure our young master like this?"

The young Crown Princess looked at them expressionlessly. She frowned slightly at the shouting Old Zhong, then finally replied after a long pause, "Didn't you use immobilization talismans and explosive fire charms just now?"

"You can use them, but I can't?"

"Only you're allowed to win, but I'm not?"

The three sharp questions struck, leaving Old Zhong at a loss for words. He stood awkwardly on the martial stage, holding up Qi Fang, unable to reply for a long time.

Qiao Mu glared at him in clear displeasure. "Do you still want to continue the match?"

She had discovered these people's talisman techniques were rather weak. This so-called third-ranked talisman master of the Qi family couldn't even compare to the skill level she had at age ten…

A talisman master? What a joke!

"A little girl with quite the arrogant mouth."

A bald middle-aged man with an oval face stepped out from the Qi family's group, his eyes filled with mocking coldness as he looked at Qiao Mu. "I am Qi Lu. I'd be honored to spar with you…"

Before Qi Lu could finish his sentence, the little stoic girl darted forward at lightning speed—so fast that it was nearly impossible to track her movements.

"Teleportation Talisman."

Several of the Mu family members, including Mu Jingfeng, watched as the little girl appeared behind Qi Lu in an instant, eyes lighting up in astonishment.

So this was a teleportation talisman? Everyone was awestruck.

This was the first time the Mu family had seen such a talisman in action. It was one they had only ever read about in ancient texts—a lost art to them.

Now…

As the crowd stared in amazement, Qiao Mu had already maneuvered herself directly in front of Qi Lu.

With a flick of her five fingers, she clamped tightly onto his neck.

Qi Lu froze for a moment, then started coughing hoarsely, shock spreading in his eyes as he stared at Qiao Mu in disbelief.

"You—!"

Before he could finish, Qiao Mu's grip tightened. Qi Lu felt his throat bones begin to crack under the pressure, his eyes now filled with panic.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, a sharp sound tore through the air beside their ears.

A cold iron arrow, forged from refined steel, broke through the void like thunder crashing through the moonlight, flying straight toward Qiao Mu.

In a split second, Mo Lian had already flashed in front of Qiao Mu, summoning a circle of fire spiritual energy in his palm to firmly catch the speeding arrow in midair, producing a buzzing metallic hum.

No one knew how the Crown Prince had managed to arrive at the young Crown Princess's side so quickly.

Everyone only felt their eyes blur for a moment, and the next thing they knew, the Crown Prince—who had been sitting at the banquet area—was suddenly beside his consort, blocking the deadly arrow.

Qiao Mu frowned as she looked at the unexpected arrow, tugged lightly on Mo Lian's sleeve, and pointed at the arrowhead. "Looks like there's a message attached."

Mo Lian narrowed his eyes slightly, broke the arrow shaft in half, and retrieved the fluttering letter tied to it.