Chapter 61: Chapter Twenty‑Four: [Do Not Enter the Forest] (Part 2)

Murong Feiyan also flew down from the old pine, landed steadily on the saddle, turned the horse's head, clamped her legs around the warhorse's belly, and said to Hu Xiaotian, "First get out of the woods, then we'll talk!" Hu Xiaotian spurred his horse into a mad gallop; since it was a matter of life and death, he held nothing back, and the horse ran faster and faster—something he would never dare to do in ordinary times.

Murong Feiyan closely followed behind; a cold arrow came from behind, she drew her sword and deflected left and right, covering Hu Xiaotian's retreat, knocking away the arrows aimed at him. Fortunately, these bandits' archery was poor—ten out of ** were aimed elsewhere.

The servants saw they were just about to run out of the woods, then they realized the young master was still inside; looking back, they saw Hu Xiaotian galloping madly, coming toward them from outside the woods, and Liang Da Zhuang shouted, "Young master! Run fast!"

Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth at the servants, secretly fuming, waiting until he escaped danger to settle accounts with these bastards, damn it… Just as he was about to flee the forest, a horse‑tripping rope suddenly sprang up from the ground. Snowflake Grey only thought about galloping, didn't notice the change under its feet, got caught by the rope, instantly lost its front hooves, neighed, and collapsed to the ground. Hu Xiaotian, due to inertia, flew into the air, this guy spread his arms like a jet plane and dove toward the ground. After landing flat, he slid forward for a full five zhang.

The four servants stared dumbfounded; Liang Da Zhuang still didn't forget to flatter and fawn: "Young master! What a fine move—Plucking Goose from Flat Sand!" After a moment's stupor, they realized they should go to meet him, but before they'd taken two steps, they saw dozens of people pour out from the woods on either side, dressed in garish colors, their faces smeared with black soot, each shouting as they charged at Hu Xiaotian.

Seeing this scene, the servants were frightened and dared not advance; the enemy simply had too many people—even if they charged forward, they'd only be sending themselves to death. Even then, Liang Da Zhuang still didn't forget to curry favor: "Young master, don't panic, I'll come save you…" His voice was loud enough, but his feet didn't move forward at all; instead, he retreated quite a distance.

Hu Xiaotian took a nasty fall, landing in a messy heap, but his mind was clear; he heard Liang Da Zhuang's shout loud and clear, and saw the fellow shouting while backing off. Damn it, x, I'll settle accounts with you later.

Seeing dozens of brandishing swords, spears, staves, and forks, their momentum surging like a rising tide as they lunged at him, Hu Xiaotian was terrified out of his wits; at that moment, fleeing was the best strategy, but where could he escape to? As for escape skills, he truly fell short of his four servants.

Just as Hu Xiaotian panicked helplessly, Murong Feiyan galloped up on horseback, flicked her sword to deflect an arrow shooting from the side, and shouted loudly, "Mount up!"

Hu Xiaotian saw Murong Feiyan ride up close, squeezed his eyes hard, and thought that with his riding skill, trying to leap onto a horse galloping at full speed was as difficult as climbing Mount Everest.

In the blink of an eye, Murong Feiyan was already before him; she switched her sword to her left hand, reached out with her right to grab Hu Xiaotian's right hand, and yanked him upward. Hu Xiaotian jumped at the same time, using her pulling force to soar up like riding clouds and mist. It was clearly an overzealous jump—he almost missed the horse and would have landed on the opposite side, but thanks to Murong Feiyan pulling back, this guy didn't miss his mark and barely landed behind her. He clung tightly to her slender waist with both hands, exerting all his strength—almost breaking her delicate waist.

Murong Feiyan furrowed her brows, thinking, "This guy is taking advantage to cop a feel"—she absolutely was wronging Hu Xiaotian; at a life‑or‑death juncture, who has time for such thoughts? Her long sword flashed up and down, knocking away several arrows aimed at them.

Ahead, another horse‑tripping rope sprang up; the divine black horse leapt over it, carrying Murong Feiyan and Hu Xiaotian safely out of the woods. Hu Xiaotian was now drenched in cold sweat from fright; at the critical moment, one still had to rely on the People's Police—those servants were utterly unreliable.

Murong Feiyan quickly caught up with the four servants; seeing Hu Xiaotian rescued, Liang Da Zhuang was overjoyed, and they slowed their pace. Murong Feiyan told Hu Xiaotian, "Dismount, I'll go back and fight!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Forget it! As long as no one's hurt, that's fine!"

"Get down!" Murong Feiyan's attitude was extremely firm, as if she would push him down if he refused to dismount.

Hu Xiaotian could only swing down from the horse; the moment he dismounted, Murong Feiyan turned the horse's head and charged again at the bandits.

Hu Xiaotian watched as dozens, even hundreds of bandits surged toward them like a tide, stamping his feet in anxiety—this Little Miss Murong is always brave but reckless; we're outnumbered, we can't afford a prolonged fight!

Murong Feiyan's voice drifted from ahead: "You go first to a safe place and wait for me!"

The safe place was just to run back; Liang Da Zhuang said, "Young master, I'll protect you first…" Before he could finish, Hu Xiaotian slammed a fierce punch into his nose, making the fellow's snot and tears stream out; covering his nose, he wailed, "Young master…" Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth and said, "This is settling old and new scores together! Plucking Goose from Flat Sand, fall on your grandpa!"

Murong Feiyan charged into the bandits' formation alone, like a wisp of black smoke appearing suddenly; wherever she went, none could stand against her. The bandits never expected to face such a formidable opponent—before her, not a single one could withstand even a single exchange. It's also thanks to her mercy that she didn't take any lives; her sword flashed up and down, basically just stabbing them and then withdrawing immediately. Overawed by her presence, the bandits simply scattered to both sides.

Murong Feiyan's target was a burly black‑clad man in the crowd, who sat on a black horse under his crotch and brandished a thick wolf‑tooth club. Seeing Murong Feiyan arrive like a dust‑trailing spear, unstoppable as she charged toward him, his eyes flashed with a hint of coldness as he watched his men begin to flee; if this continued, they'd soon face utter defeat. He had no choice but to steel himself, pull the rein, clamp his legs around the horse's belly, and lunge toward her. When they were still about three zhang apart, he raised his wolf‑tooth club high and, with a whoosh, swept it at Murong Feiyan's chest.

Murong Feiyan leaned back, her delicate frame almost flush against the horse's back; her long sword flowed out like autumn waters, seemingly lightly slicing the man's shoulder. The black‑clad brute grunted in pain, his shoulder blazing, and his wolf‑tooth club slipped from his grasp, landing with a thud and digging a pit in the ground. One move decided the outcome—their martial gap was huge, which is why Murong Feiyan dared to plunge into the enemy ranks; she was nothing like the reckless bravery Hu Xiaotian imagined. Facing this rabble, taking their leader's head was as easy as reaching into a bag, and she felt fully confident.

Murong Feiyan's second sword followed close behind, viciously stabbing the black horse's hindquarters—first shoot the horse, then capture the leader; her aim was simply to seize this bandit chief.

The black horse, in pain, let out a long neigh that tore through the night; the agony made it leap wildly, and the burly black‑clad man was flung heavily from its back. Before he could scramble to his feet, Murong Feiyan wheeled her horse back, her icy blade thrusting straight at his throat; the tip halted a fraction—one fen—from his skin, and her cold eyes locked onto him.

The black‑clad man's body went rigid, unmoving, though his Adam's apple bobbed up and down from tension. Murong Feiyan flicked her sword— a soft hiss— and lifted the black cloth covering his face. Though he had prepared thoroughly, masking his features and smearing his skin with soot, she instantly recognized him: he was the eldest son of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport Tang Wen Zheng, Tang Tiehan.

Murong Feiyan and her little sister Tang Qingxuan were close friends from the inner chambers, so she was quite familiar with the Tang siblings; seeing this burly black‑clad man in the crowd, she instantly recognized his build, and noticing he was the gang's leader, she decided to stage a solo capture of the bandit chief.

Tang Tiehan realized his black veil had been lifted, panicked, and hastily covered his face, looking every bit the guilty thief.

Murong Feiyan shook her head, bit her lip, made an instant decision, and said softly, "Leave—don't let me see you again."

Tang Tiehan knew Murong Feiyan had surely recognized him; he understood her character of separating public from private, never expecting her to spare him despite her mercy. He scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state; the entourage he'd brought, though numerous, had few truly loyal followers—most had already fled in disarray, seven‑seven‑eight‑eight, and even those who remained hid far off in the woods, just watching the spectacle.

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