Chapter 31

Murmur Feiyan angrily shouted, "Where do you think you're running to!" She leaped into the air, lightly touching the railing with her toes, and her lithe body soared upwards again. She performed three consecutive front flips, and upon landing, she kicked a black-clad knight off his black steed, seized the horse, and galloped off in the direction of Mo Shaolin's escape at full speed.

Hu Xiaotian admitted that Murmur Feiyan's series of flips were a sight to behold, but he couldn't help but think that her mind was not to be praised. Clearly, she could have handled the situation more skillfully and perfectly, yet she chose the most difficult method. He thought, do women in this era really dislike using their brains? Must they always resort to violence to solve problems?

At that moment, the stable hand in the horse corral slowly climbed onto a mud-covered horse. Due to the mud, the horse's original color was unrecognizable, matching the stable hand's mud-covered clothes. The stable hand raised his whip and shouted, "Go!" His voice was full of vigor. The horse lifted its head and took large strides, galloping directly towards Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian sensed the danger. Li Jinhao and Shao Yijiao were still on the other side of the corral. Seeing the stable hand galloping towards Hu Xiaotian, they immediately felt the danger. Li Jinhao pulled a post from the ground and, with all his might, threw it at the stable hand. The post, as thick as a thigh, flew like an arrow, aiming for the stable hand's back.

The stable hand did not even turn around. He flicked his whip, which flashed like lightning and struck the post. With a crack, the post was sent flying, spinning towards Li Jinhao and Shao Yijiao. They hurriedly crouched down as the post whizzed over their heads and crashed into the corral, breaking it. The force of the whip was astonishing. The horses in the corral, seeing the gap in the fence, rushed out one after another.

Shao Yijiao had just gotten up when he was knocked down by a horse. Li Jinhao fared no better, dodging left and right, trying to avoid the stampede.

People around them, seeing the horses galloping out, scattered in all directions. Hu Xiaotian took advantage of the chaos to escape with the crowd. The stable hand shouted, "Where do you think you're going?" He flicked his whip, which wrapped around Hu Xiaotian's right leg like a snake. With a pull, Hu Xiaotian lost his balance and fell to the ground. Before he could get up, the stable hand galloped past, dragging Hu Xiaotian through the mud with the whip.

Hu Xiaotian was extremely frustrated. They had been distracted by Mo Shaolin, who used their focus to lure Murmur Feiyan away, while the seemingly ordinary stable hand took the opportunity to attack. Their true target was himself.

As Hu Xiaotian was dragged by the whip, he remained calm and pulled out a dagger from his waist, trying to cut the whip wrapped around his leg.

Liang Dazhuang and the other three servants had been waiting at the spot. Seeing a knight galloping towards them with a person dragged by the whip, they recognized their young master, Hu Xiaotian.

The servants, realizing the danger, hurriedly picked up their weapons and rushed forward to intercept the knight.

The knight coldly snorted and flicked his whip, lifting Hu Xiaotian off the ground. Hu Xiaotian's body flew into the air, and he dropped his dagger, covering his head in fear, thinking, "I'm done for!"

The whip released Hu Xiaotian's leg, but his body continued to fly towards the knight, who caught him and tapped his chest. Hu Xiaotian immediately felt numb all over, realizing he had been struck by a pressure point. He was laid across the horse's back, and the knight's whip flew around, making a continuous cracking sound.

Liang Dazhuang and the other three servants were struck by the whip before they could get close to the horse, falling to the ground. The knight shouted, and the horse accelerated, leaping over a carriage and escaping the servants' pursuit, galloping south down the street.

Hu Xiaotian lay on the horse's back, his body shaking with the horse's movements. Unfortunately, his limbs were completely numb and unresponsive. Fortunately, he was still conscious, thinking how audacious these bandits were to dare to kidnap him in broad daylight, right in front of Murmur Feiyan.

Suddenly, a delicate voice shouted, and it was Murmur Feiyan, who realized she had been tricked. She turned back, gripping the reins in one hand and raising her sword in the other, her eyes filled with intense killing intent. She had chased Mo Shaolin for a short distance when Hu Xiaotian was kidnapped. Realizing the trap, she immediately abandoned the pursuit and turned to rescue Hu Xiaotian.

The knight's mud-covered horse, though thin, ran as fast as the wind with two people on its back. Murmur Feiyan pursued them closely, and they entered Xizhao Street, the longest street in Kangdu, known as the Ten-Li Long Street.

The clear sky suddenly turned dark with heavy clouds, and a bright, twisting lightning bolt shot through the clouds, followed by a loud thunderclap.

On the right side of the long street, a figure leaped from rooftop to rooftop, finally stopping and drawing a long bow from behind. The bow, made of ox horn, bamboo, and animal glue, was five feet and three inches long, with a draw strength of over two hundred pounds.

The two-foot-long arrow, made of birch wood with a steel tip, glinted in the dark, stormy sky. Rain began to pour down, enveloping the world. Mo Shaolin stood on the eaves of a building, like a statue of iron, his bow drawn and arrow ready to be released.

Amid the sound of rain and wind, the sound of galloping hooves grew closer.

The knight's horse, now clean from the rain, galloped through the storm like a white lightning bolt. Though the horse was magnificent, it was burdened with two adult men, and its pace had slowed after the long run.

Murmur Feiyan's eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes, filled with a cold, sharp gaze, pierced through the rain, aiming at the knight's back.

The knight, without turning, judged from the hoofbeats that they were getting closer. He shouted, "Go!" like a thunderclap in the stormy sky.

At the same moment, Mo Shaolin's lips twitched, and he released the arrow. It shot through the rain, piercing the heavy clouds, its steel tip glinting in the darkness, drawing a straight and beautiful trajectory in the air. The rain, in contrast to the arrow's speed, seemed to slow down, creating a heart-stirring and cruel beauty in the dim light.

A blue lightning bolt split the sky, and the arrow's tip reflected the blinding light, just three feet from Murmur Feiyan's chest.

With a swift swing, her cold sword blade struck the arrow's tip, and sparks flew from the collision.

The second arrow was already heading for Murmur Feiyan's neck. She leaned back, and at the last moment, opened her mouth and bit the arrow shaft.

The third arrow, aimed at the black horse under Murmur Feiyan, hit it at a forty-five-degree angle from the side, piercing its right eye and deeply entering its brain. The black horse let out a piercing cry and collapsed, leaving two trails of blood on the rain-washed cobblestone road.

Murmur Feiyan, in the moment the horse was hit, leaped into the air, flying five yards like an eagle diving for its prey, and plunged through the rain, her sword aimed at the knight's neck.

The knight had to pull the reins, and the white horse, forced to stop at high speed, reared up, throwing Hu Xiaotian off. He hit the ground hard, almost losing consciousness, but he was still paralyzed and lay motionless.

The knight swung his whip, which whistled through the rain, and it met the sword, wrapping around it. He tried to pull the sword from Murmur Feiyan's hand.

Murmur Feiyan used his pull to launch herself at the knight, merging with her sword, like a sharp blade, aiming for his chest and abdomen.

The knight, seeing the danger, had to abandon his whip and roll off the horse to avoid Murmur Feiyan's fatal strike.

Murmur Feiyan seized the white horse, flicked the reins, and galloped towards Hu Xiaotian, determined to save him first.