Chapter 171

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Qianqian walked forward briskly with a heart full of joy, reached out to take the reins Yue Yi handed over, then gently stroked Xiao Hong's head.

Feeling her master's affection, Xiao Hong was beside herself with excitement, snorting happily, as if telling Qianqian of her longing for her.

Seeing this, An Wang's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile, then without any hesitation he vaulted onto his horse and shouted loudly, "Follow me!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he clamped his legs against the horse's flanks, and the steed beneath him shot forward like an arrow from a bow. However, unlike before, this time he did not let the horse run at full gallop, but deliberately controlled the speed, clearly keeping Qianqian behind him in mind.

On Qianqian's side, hearing An Wang's call, she likewise vaulted onto her horse without the slightest hesitation.

Do not be fooled by her usual delicate and gentle demeanor; over these years she has not neglected practicing her horsemanship. At this moment, she gripped the reins tightly, gave the horse's belly a light kick, and Xiao Hong beneath her followed close behind like a red whirlwind.

Thus, two figures, one black and one red, raced toward the distance swift as wind and lightning, and soon vanished from people's sight.

The two rode southwest, their steeds galloping like lightning. As time passed, the surrounding scenery grew increasingly desolate and silent, hardly a soul in sight. An Wang gradually slowed his pace, and the originally flat, broad road now became rugged and uneven.

Finally, An Wang reined in his horse to a slow stop; seeing this, Qianqian hurriedly pulled her own mount to a halt. The two dismounted together and led their horses into a nearby forest. This forest lay in a low-lying area, trees lush and verdant, appearing quite secluded and mysterious.

After they tethered the horses to sturdy tree trunks, the two steeds leisurely grazed on the grass. Because this place was remote, deep in the mountains and old forests, rarely visited by people, the surroundings were so quiet only the rustle of wind through leaves and occasional bird calls could be heard.

Qianqian looked around, her face full of puzzlement, and asked, "Father, there doesn't seem to be anything here. What did we come all this way for?"

An Wang smiled slightly and replied with confidence, "Don't rush, a surprise for you right away!" With that, he suddenly stretched out an arm, encircled Qianqian's slender waist, and executed peerless lightness skill, leaping into the air.

In the blink of an eye, father and daughter threaded through the air light as birds, and after several successive rises and falls landed steadily before a dense bamboo grove.

An Wang released the hand holding Qianqian and said softly, "The terrain here is complex, walking is not easy; with lightness skill one can move freely.

After we return, you must seize the time to practice lightness skill well. Back in the day, your royal father mastered this art in just two short days."

At this moment Qianqian had long been stunned speechless by the astonishing lightness skill her father had just displayed, unable to utter a word for a long while.

Just as An Wang brought Qianqian along executing lightness skill, Qianqian only felt the scenery beside her recede like lightning; in the flash of wind and lightning it seemed time itself had been left behind.

And An Wang was like a descending immortal; his toes needed only to touch the ground lightly, and his whole person shot straight upward like an arrow from a bow.

Gazing at this miraculous scene before her, Qianqian's mind raced: if she too could possess such consummate lightness skill, wouldn't she be able to leap onto rooftops effortlessly, even soar freely in the air like a bird!

At this very moment, her mind was completely occupied by the two words "lightness skill"; her every thought was on how to master this peerless art.

Just as Qianqian was immersed in boundless yearning for lightness skill, An Wang suddenly waved a hand gently before her eyes and asked softly, "What are you thinking about so intently?"

Interrupted, Qianqian snapped back to her senses, her face glowing with excitement and anticipation, and replied eagerly, "I was thinking about lightness skill! After we go back I'll definitely practice hard!" Hearing this, An Wang nodded in satisfaction, expressing approval, then said, "All right, let's continue forward."

At this point Qianqian shifted her gaze from An Wang to the large expanse of dense bamboo grove ahead. She saw the bamboo grove lush and verdant, tall and straight, but strangely, there seemed to be no obvious path for passage.

Fortunately, An Wang had already led the way with practiced ease; he first walked briskly to the left side of the first row of bamboo, then accurately passed straight through at the second bamboo stalk.

Astonishingly, when An Wang touched that bamboo stalk, it instantly turned into an illusory shadow, letting him pass through without any obstruction.

Immediately after, An Wang nimbly circled to the middle of the second row of bamboo, and likewise easily passed through at the fifth stalk.

In this manner, An Wang proceeded through the bamboo grove in an orderly fashion, each time precisely finding those bamboo stalks that seemed real but were actually illusory as passages.

Qianqian followed closely behind An Wang step by step, her eyes full of curiosity and amazement. She carefully imitated An Wang's movements while closely observing these strange bamboo stalks around her, secretly pondering the mystery within.

Thus the two passed the third row, the fourth row... until they reached the front of the tenth row of bamboo.

Finally, after successfully traversing this mysterious bamboo grove, Qianqian could no longer contain her curiosity and asked An Wang, "Father, are all the bamboo here fake?"

At this moment An Wang finally explained, "Not so. In fact, each row has only a single stalk that is counterfeit. This was specially arranged by a formation master this king invited."

Hearing this, Qianqian exclaimed in admiration, "Wow! That formation master is incredibly amazing! I want to learn too!" Her gaze, full of envy and longing, fixed straight on An Wang.

However, An Wang shook his head slightly and said earnestly to Qianqian, "Qianqian, formations are not that easy to master.

They are not only profound and difficult to understand, but also require a large amount of time and energy to research. Given your current situation, it is more proper to learn lightness skill well first. After all, biting off more than you can chew."

Hearing An Wang's words, although Qianqian still felt some reluctance in her heart, she also understood his reasoning. So she temporarily dismissed the idea of learning formations immediately and continued following An Wang forward.

Before long, they arrived before a two-story small building. The entire house's tone was quite cold, giving a mysterious and secluded feeling.

Strangely, no guards were to be seen at the entrance, and the main gate was tightly shut. An Wang walked up and, following some specific pattern, knocked lightly on the door.

After An Wang finished knocking, he waited a moment, and the tightly shut door began to slowly open. First to come into view was a white-haired elder. Seeing this person, An Wang hurriedly called out, "Liu Shu!"