Li Yun's longsword was like a dragon, weaving through the glint of snow and blood as he cut down man after man.
But he was deep behind enemy lines, and a protracted battle was not to his advantage. Amid the chaos, a Xiongnu master archer, hidden in the shadows, spotted an opening and loosed an arrow like a falling star. Li Yun had just parried Helian Jue's scimitar; his momentum was spent, and he hadn't yet recovered. With a dull THUMP, the arrowhead bit viciously into his right shoulder blade. The force of the impact sent him stumbling forward.
Excruciating pain shot through him, and the right side of his body went numb. Seeing his chance, Helian Kun swung his blade with a savage grin. In the nick of time, a Shadow Guard threw himself in the way, taking the full force of the blow with his back. Blood sprayed across Li Yun's face.
