Chapter 25

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liang Xiao took off running. The Hu family attendants, seeing this, shouted angrily and split into two groups to surround Liang Xiao.

The young archer, however, remained motionless, a smile on his face as he stood off against Lei Bei.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lei Bei's eyes.

Liang Xiao did not pay attention to the sparks flying between Lei Bei and the young archer. He knew that today's show had been completely hijacked, and it was best for him, the nominal protagonist, to make a quick exit to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Hearing the furious curses of the Hu family attendants behind him, he did not hesitate to dash down the escape route he had chosen.

This path seemed unremarkable, just a bit steep, and one could walk carefully on it. However, if one moved too quickly, it became dangerous and one could easily fall. More importantly, Liang Xiao had Li Niu dig several pits along this path.

Grave robbing was just a cover; digging the pits was the real goal.

These pits were dug at carefully selected spots by Liang Xiao. Without prior preparation, it was difficult to avoid them in a hurry. The Hu family attendants, seeing Liang Xiao leap and run swiftly, never suspected the pits. They were afraid Liang Xiao would escape, so they shouted loudly and pursued him relentlessly.

An expert can tell at a glance. As soon as the Hu family attendants started, many people noticed something odd. They were not only agile and ran quickly but also drew their weapons, as if they intended to kill Liang Xiao.

This went beyond most people's expectations and enraged the young men. They thought it was just a duel between Hu Lai and Liang Xiao, a competition among the youth. They never imagined that after Hu Lai lost, he would resort to such tactics, sending his attendants to chase and kill Liang Xiao.

This violated the unwritten rules of the young men. A one-on-one duel was a fair fight. Sending attendants to attack was bullying and taking advantage of one's position. Not only were the young men from the Southwest Gang indignant, but even those from the Northwest Gang felt ashamed. Some stomped their feet and cursed, while others rushed over to help Liang Xiao intercept the Hu family attendants.

Standing up for justice and helping those in need is a basic principle of chivalry and a standard that the young men always upheld.

For a moment, curses and foul language echoed across Jin Kui Mountain, and countless figures chased from different directions to support Liang Xiao.

However, these young men, though brave, could not change the situation. First, they started too late, and second, the Hu family attendants were much faster. Just as they started, some Hu family attendants had already caught up to Liang Xiao. Seeing a man raise his long sword to stab Liang Xiao from behind, several young men cried out in alarm.

"Liang Xiao, be careful—"

"Scoundrel, dare to kill in secret—"

Hearing the footsteps behind him getting closer, Liang Xiao was also startled. Without hesitation, he spotted a prepared trap, took two quick steps, and kicked off the slope to gain momentum and suddenly turned.

He had practiced this route many times, knowing exactly where to turn and when to be cautious. The Hu family attendants behind him did not know this. The man at the front tried to follow Liang Xiao's turn but reacted too slowly, and with a cry of "Oh no," he stumbled and fell, landing on the ground with a mouth full of dirt, his long sword flying away.

The young men, seeing this, felt relieved and cheered loudly.

Before the cheers had died down, another Hu family attendant stepped into a pit, and with a crisp "snap," his calf broke, and he screamed in pain.

The young men, seeing this, were even more delighted, cheering and encouraging as they chased.

"Liang Xiao, well done!"

"Heaven has eyes, let these shameless dogs fall to their deaths."

"Liang Xiao, run faster, more are catching up."

Liang Xiao did not dare to slack off, holding his breath and sprinting with all his might. Relying on his familiarity with the terrain, he managed to shake off several approaching Hu family attendants and ran down the mountain in one breath.

In the short distance of a hundred steps, at least four Hu family attendants had become rolling tumbleweeds, their faces bruised and swollen, looking utterly miserable. Each time a Hu family attendant fell, it sparked a wave of excited cheers from the young men, turning the original duel into a thrilling performance of Liang Xiao's escape.

A young man in fine clothes, standing on the hillside, watched Liang Xiao's agile escape and could not help but clap and cheer.

Lei Bei and the young archer, hearing the cheers, were very surprised and abandoned their standoff to watch from the hillside.

Hu Lai, with a bloody face, limped over with the help of two attendants. Seeing Liang Xiao had already run down the mountain, he cursed furiously: "Scoundrel, chase him, chase him." He turned to the young archer and shouted, "Feng Ji, shoot him, shoot him."

Feng Ji frowned, gripped his bow tightly, but did not shoot, only watching the two Hu family attendants who were about to catch up with Liang Xiao.

Liang Xiao used every trick he knew but still could not shake off all the pursuers. Two Hu family attendants caught up to him, one on each side, closing in. As they got closer, Liang Xiao was in grave danger, and the onlookers shouted in alarm.

"Liang Xiao, run faster!"

"Hu family dogs, don't bully the weak, have the guts to fight me one-on-one!"

"Oh no, Liang Xiao is in danger!"

Even Lei Bei became tense, gripping his sword scabbard and holding his breath.

The young man in fine clothes covered his mouth, eyes wide, his pale face turning red.

Under the concerned gazes of the crowd, Liang Xiao dodged and weaved, shouting, "Uncle Zhongli, save me!"

As he shouted, Zhongli Qi arrived, softly calling out and charging forward with a punch. The two Hu family attendants were taken by surprise and could not react in time, being hit directly and flying to the side. One rolled several steps away, and the other fell to the ground, clutching his chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Xiao, go first," Zhongli Qi shouted, advancing against the tide and charging up the mountain.

Seeing Liang Xiao safely break through the encirclement, the onlookers breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if Liang Xiao were their comrade and his successful escape was their victory.

The young man in fine clothes also breathed a long sigh of relief and chuckled softly. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. There were hidden reinforcements. Jiangdu is indeed a place of a hundred battles; even a young man from a village understands military strategy, with such meticulous planning. Hey, do you think this path might also have been tampered with?"

An attendant beside him said, "It seems he had already chosen his escape route, planning carefully before acting."

"True. But for a mere duel, using so much cunning, isn't it overkill, like using a cow to kill a chicken?"

"Not necessarily," a middle-aged attendant said. "I don't think this duel is as simple as it seems."

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