Chapter 32: Pursuit

Bang~

Drive! Drive!

Just as the battle on the mountain was in full swing, at the mid‑slope of Shaoshi Mountain a carriage, bathed in moonlight, sped down the mountain path toward the foot of the mountain.

The carriage had just turned a bend,

in less than a quarter of an hour, the once‑quiet bend

"Swoosh" sounded,

a gray shadow flashed by at speed.

The gray shadow, after passing the bend, suddenly halted at the cliff edge and looked down the mountain path.

Upon seeing the speeding carriage, it immediately set off again, racing along the path without pause to chase the carriage.

Drive! Drive!

Thief, stop running!

The prized horse, being spirited, showed faint signs of further acceleration even as it galloped without ceasing.

Drive! Drive!

In a few breaths, the hoofbeats grew louder, and finally a group of riders appeared at the end of the path, continuing to charge forward at speed.

"Miss Han! Hold the scriptures first! If those behind chase, Niu Ben, block them! This horse is spirited; Miss Han, stay in the carriage and descend with it; there will be reinforcements below!"

Meanwhile,

Niu Ben, seeing this, felt his tense heart relax instantly, and shouted loudly toward the approaching men:

He knew the situation was urgent; though unaware of what had happened, it was clear now that a clash with Shaolin Temple had occurred.

Earlier this afternoon, the internal palm poison in her body had just been cleared, and her weakened body had only begun to recover after an afternoon of rest.

He, while driving the carriage, occasionally glanced toward the rear of the vehicle, observing the situation behind.

Niu Ben, who was driving the carriage, dared not pause even for a moment.

Upon hearing Niu Ben's words, she did not immediately consider right or wrong; she knew Niu Dingtian valued those scriptures greatly, otherwise he would not have specifically instructed Niu Ben before parting.

When the distant figure remained in relentless pursuit, another whip crack was heard, and the speed increased again.

Niu Ben frantically shook the reins, his whole body brimming with tension, ready to leap from the carriage for a gamble.

Seeing the pursuer behind the carriage draw ever nearer, Niu Ben, having prepared for the worst, tore a bundle tied to his back and tossed it into the carriage, then turned his head and shouted at Han Xiao Ying inside the carriage.

"Young Master Niu Ben, rest assured! No need to worry about me!"

Just as Niu Ben was about to leap from the carriage, a rapid succession of hoofbeats came from ahead.

Hearing this, Han Xiao Ying inside the carriage, aware of the urgency, clutched the scriptures tightly and shouted at Niu Ben outside the carriage.

Drive!

At the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, more than twenty heavily‑armed men in black appeared, each wielding weapons, their horses equipped with long bows, and they raced up the mountain path.

A coarse, hoarse shout rang from behind, and the gray shadow drew ever closer to the carriage.

"Niu Qing! The manor lord commands! Intercept those coming from behind the carriage!"

Having said that, they continued to drive at speed, slipping past Niu Qing and the others in the blink of an eye, heading down the mountain and gradually disappearing into the path.

Nock arrow!

Release!

Leading the group, Niu Qing, hearing Niu Ben's shout, did not hesitate and raised his hand to order against the gray shadow rushing toward them.

As soon as the command was given, a volley of arrow rain whistled toward the gray shadow, shooting past it.

The gray shadow surged forward, about to catch the carriage, when a shout rang from the opposite side; as the shout faded, a barrage of arrow rain surged toward it.

From the powerful whoosh of the arrow rain, it was clear the attackers were no ordinary soldiers, and the gray shadow dared not be careless.

Its body vaulted into the air, flipping; both arms gathered internal energy, the long robe swished with a sharp rush, and in two rounds it deflected the arrow rain to the side.

Then the gray shadow landed, palms together, standing in the road, not advancing easily.

Its clothing showed only a single tear.

Looking at its face, it was unmistakably the scripture guardian from the second floor of the Scripture Repository,

the hemp‑robed old monk!

"Amitabha! All donors, quickly clear the road; this old monk does not wish to cause needless casualties!"

The hemp‑robed old monk, seeing the carriage vanish again, grew uneasy about the possible loss of the scriptures; his usually tranquil Buddhist heart rippled, and his tone grew considerably heavier.

Niu Qing and the others, mounted on horses, stood ten zhang away, neither advancing nor speaking; the group merely nocked arrows, forming a strict formation, awaiting.

Niu Qing knew the monk's martial prowess was profound; it was not that he refused to engage, but if they closed in, the monk might forcefully bypass them and continue the chase, which they might not be able to stop.

At present, the most important thing was to buy time.

Seeing the others unmoved, the hemp‑robed old monk no longer hesitated, raising his palm force to lunge forward.

Draw bow! Release!

Niu Qing decisively ordered, and another volley of arrow rain pierced the air in unison.

The hemp‑robed old monk gathered his energy, swinging his sleeves; the two sleeves opened and closed, the wind from them striking the incoming arrow rain as if solid, a few "clap" sounds, and the arrows were scattered to the ground.

Continue! Release!

Niu Qing continued to command, sending another volley of arrow rain.

Seeing the hemp‑robed old monk charging ever closer, and their arrows nearly exhausted, Niu Qing decisively shouted:

"Twenty men, retreat to the lower ground in batches to block! The rest, follow me and charge forward!"

Yes!

A rear group of riders, upon receiving the order, swiftly spurred their horses down the mountain; the remaining seven of Niu Qing drew their swords, spurred their horses, and charged straight ahead.

The hemp‑robed old monk's sleeves opened and closed left and right, rushing directly into the formation of the seven; Niu Qing instantly felt the wind from the monk's sleeves as solid, and each sword strike powered by internal energy rang against it, making the blade clang.

As soon as the old monk exchanged a few moves, he realized this band of thieves were no ordinary hands; although they were all young, each had blades that pressed hard, and their martial skill and strength were clearly above that of the Shaolin Temple's warrior monks.

He held back his strikes, unwilling to kill, but the opponents were fearless of death, exchanging blows that risked their lives.

For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate!

The longer the stalemate lasted, the more anxious the old monk grew.

In his desperation, the hemp-clad old monk unleashed his full-force Diamond Vajra Palm without mercy, striking out continuously; after three "puff" sounds from the three men before him, they spat blood and collapsed, unable to rise.

Seeing this, Niu Qing and his four companions showed no hesitation whatsoever, continuing to fight to the death.

The old monk then thrust out three more palms, his overwhelming palm force striking toward those behind him.

"Puff"

Another three spat blood, flew toward the cliff edge, and lost consciousness.

Seeing only Niu Qing left, the hemp-clad old monk struck again with a palm straight at his face; Niu Qing raised his blade to block, but felt an overwhelming force surge toward his wrist, shaking his longsword loose so it flew from his hand.

Seeing his sword fly from his hand, Niu Qing lashed out with a Splitting Sky Palm toward the old monk; the old monk met it with a full-force palm, shaking Niu Qing so that blood sprayed from his mouth and his body slammed into the cliff wall before collapsing, unable to rise.

"Amitabha!"

The hemp-clad old monk lifted his foot and continued the pursuit down the mountain.

(End of chapter)