Chapter 295: [Horse Race] (Part 2)

"Chase!" Hu Xiaotian made a snap decision and, together with Princess Anping, pursued in the direction of Qiqi. Just after they had chased a short distance, rain began to fall; a torrential downpour poured from the overcast sky, blurring the surroundings in an instant. Distant mountains, rivers, and trees seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye. The rain poured nonstop, as if thousands of threads were stitching heaven and earth together.

Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping quickly lost their way, worried they might become separated, so they had to slow their horses. The white mare ridden by Princess Anping drooped its head, clearly frightened by the sudden storm, while Hu Xiaotian's ugly gray horse showed no fear at all, head held high and spirited. Hu Xiaotian loudly suggested to Princess Anping: "Why don't we head back first, gather more help, then come look for the little princess…?" His voice was broken by the wind and rain.

Princess Anping raised a hand to shield her face from the rain; her whole body was soaked, her alluring curves outlined in the storm. She shook her head firmly and said: "They… seeing that we haven't returned… will surely come looking for us… or should we keep searching… I'm worried something might have happened to Qiqi."

Unable to dissuade her, Hu Xiaotian yielded to her wish. A ditch appeared ahead; he pulled the reins and his gray horse leapt across. Princess Anping followed, intending to do the same, but the white mare, terrified by the storm, lost its footing, lurched badly, and plunged into the ditch. Its right foreleg emitted a sharp crack—it had unexpectedly fractured.

The white mare let out a mournful whinny and collapsed to the ground. Princess Anping's delicate body was thrown from the saddle, landing hard in the mud. Hu Xiaotian hastily dismounted, still holding the reins with one hand, fearing the gray horse might bolt, and rushed to her side, reaching out his hand.

Princess Anping, covered in mud, placed her soiled little hand into Hu Xiaotian's, hoping to use his strength to rise, but the fall had been hard. She couldn't get up on the first try. Hu Xiaotian stepped closer, concerned, and asked: "Are you all right?"

Princess Anping exhaled, shook her head, grabbed Hu Xiaotian's hand again, and finally managed to stand. Looking at the white mare lying on the ground, whinnying in pain, she judged it could not get up and continue. Hu Xiaotian first mounted his horse, then bent down, hooked his arm around her slender waist, and lifted her onto the saddle behind him.

Princess Anping sat behind him, clutching his waistband with both hands. Hu Xiaotian asked: "Shall we go back?"

At this moment Princess Anping had finally recovered her strength. She shook her head and said: "Let's go find Qiqi. Leave the white mare here; if they find it, they'll follow."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and shouted, "Hold on tight!" He flicked the reins: "Giddyap!" The gray horse bore the two forward at a gallop. At first Princess Anping merely gripped his waistband, but as the gray horse's speed increased, she had to wrap her arms around his torso. Though the wind and rain were fierce, Hu Xiaotian's broad frame shielded her from much of it.

After riding another five li or so, Hu Xiaotian finally spotted fresh hoofprints on the muddy grass. Following them forward, he reached the edge of the imperial horse farm in just a few steps. Ahead lay a gap as wide as three zhang, caused by a large tree blown outside the fence by the strong wind. As the trunk fell, it knocked down part of the fence, and the hoofprints led straight to the breach. Hu Xiaotian slowed his horse; the prints ended at the gap. He looked left and right—no hoofprints anywhere—and hesitated whether to press on.

Princess Anping said: "Let's go out and see."

Stepping out meant leaving the imperial horse farm's grounds, which was why Hu Xiaotian hesitated. Princess Anping, worried about Qiqi's safety, urged him onward. The gray horse crossed the fallen fence and soon found the hoofprints outside, winding forward continuously.

Hu Xiaotian frowned. The startled black horse had actually taken Qiqi out through this gap and escaped the imperial horse farm. His concerns far outweighed Princess Anping's; as a lowly eunuch of the Directorate of Imperial Gardens, he had little standing. Moreover, he had come this time at the invitation of Fan Zongxi. Although taking the princess out of the farm was to chase Qiqi, others might not see it that way and could even suspect his motives.

Princess Anping evidently guessed his worries and whispered: "Just keep pursuing; I'll explain things later."

Hu Xiaotian could only nod. The rain showed no sign of letting up, and being unfamiliar with the terrain, he deliberately slowed the horse, pursuing for about three li ahead, where a valley mouth appeared, the hoofprints leading straight into it.

Before entering the valley, Hu Xiaotian glanced back toward Red Mountain Horse Farm; the farm was shrouded in misty rain, and with his eyesight he could not make out its outline.

The gray horse slowed its pace; the valley entrance was no flat plain but a downward slope, the originally rugged path now mired in mud. Hu Xiaotian reined in the horse and told Princess Anping: "We can only go forward on foot."

Princess Anping nodded, and with Hu Xiaotian's help she dismounted; Hu Xiaotian then jumped to the ground. He patted the gray horse's haunches, intending to tether it to a tree, but worried that beasts might lurk in the valley, he stroked its long ears and said: "Little Gray, if you're willing to wait, stay here for me; if not, go back on your own to fetch help."

The gray horse let out a loud snort, as if it understood Hu Xiaotian's meaning.

Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping followed the valley's narrow trail, searching ahead, but the hoofprints turned before the rocky outcrop and then vanished. Princess Anping took a few steps, slipped suddenly, cried out, and nearly tumbled down the slope—fortunately Hu Xiaotian reached out in time and grabbed her arm.

Hu Xiaotian wiped rain from his face, stared ahead, and saw no hoofprints around; more than a zhang ahead there was no path at all. He stepped forward cautiously, looked, and discovered a valley within a valley.

Princess Anping followed him to the edge of the slope, looked down, and saw the lower valley shrouded in rain‑mist, obscuring everything below and making its depth impossible to gauge. Hu Xiaotian shouted loudly: "Qiqi!" Not out of disrespect, but to avoid drawing unnecessary trouble.

His voice echoed in the valley, but no one answered for a long time.

Princess Anping could not help but feel frantic, her voice trembling: "Could Qiqi have fallen down?"

Hu Xiaotian remained silent, but given that the hoofprints had disappeared here, it was quite possible. He told Princess Anping: "We don't know how deep this valley is; we're unfamiliar with the terrain, and the rain is pouring. All we can do is go back first to get help."

Princess Anping, however, showed uncommon stubbornness: "If you want to go back, go by yourself; I'll stay here."

Hu Xiaotian felt a headache coming on; it was the first time he had seen Princess Anping display such firmness. In the distance, the gray horse's whinny rang out, as if startled by something. He whispered: "Is someone coming?"

A look of relief appeared on Princess Anping's face; she also believed it must be the people from the horse farm following their hoofprints.

Seven figures appeared on the mountain road behind them. Hu Xiaotian waved to get their attention, but as they drew nearer and their outlines grew clearer, he realized that all seven were masked—the central figure wore a ferocious bronze mask, while the other six had their faces covered in black cloth.

An ominous feeling settled over Hu Xiaotian's heart; Princess Anping also sensed that something was wrong, and, nervous, she instinctively grabbed his arm. Hu Xiaotian whispered: "Run!"

Although they knew they should flee, there was no retreat behind them—just a zhang away lay the valley. Hu Xiaotian took Princess Anping's hand and stepped backward step by step, already standing on the valley's edge.

The warrior wearing the bronze mask had already placed his gloved hand on the hilt; clang! clang! clang… almost simultaneously they drew their swords, the dense rain striking the cold blades and splashing upward into a misty, eerie blade‑light.

Hu Xiaotian pressed his lips together. Although he had received ten years of inner strength from Quan De'an and had learned the Mysterious Abyss Yin Wind Claw, he did not truly know his own power, nor was he confident he could face seven warriors at once. Even if he were, with Princess Anping beside him he would not risk it unless he could guarantee her safety. A gust of autumn wind blew through, dispersing the valley's mist. Hu Xiaotian noticed that about five zhang below, a pine tree jutted from the cliff face, its roots gripping a protruding rock that could serve as a foothold. His hand instinctively tightened around Princess Anping's fair wrist, and he whispered low: "Do you see that tree?"

Princess Anping lowered her beautiful gaze; after the autumn wind passed, the mist at the valley mouth gathered again, making the pine tree flicker in and out of view. She nodded. Yet seeing the scene below, her heart trembled with fear once more. She looked back at Hu Xiaotian, who gave her a warm smile that miraculously melted her anxiety.

Seven warriors have already spread out in an attacking formation; the attack is imminent. A powerful killing aura emanates from them, spreading outward, and their mighty momentum forces the rain and mist to surge outward like rolling waves.

Hu Xiaotian's gaze fell upon the face of the central warrior; the ferocious bronze mask almost completely covered his opponent's visage, and a gloomy gaze shot out from the mask's openings. Although they were about five zhang apart, Hu Xiaotian clearly felt the opponent's unmasked intense killing intent. He seized Princess Anping's wrist and suddenly turned, leaping down into the valley. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for Recommendation tickets and Monthly Ticket; your support is my greatest motivation.)