In such a wild forest, there suddenly appeared a troop of cavalries, who were marching in perfect order and at the same pace. It could be seen that they had been under extremely strict training. Perhaps they had no good intention at all.
Soon Leng Wu came and led three horses from the other side and saw the dust from afar.
This might be the preparation arranged by Sima Ray. It seemed that he had made up his mind not to let the three people return to the camp. However, if the ambush was so obvious, there must be something wrong with it.
Suddenly Leng Changxi seemed to see something with his sharp, cold eyes. He let go of Qin Yunuan’s hands, stepped on the branch with the silver spear made of black iron on his back in the direction of the cavalry, as fast as thunder and lightning.
Qin Yunuan thought that Leng Changxi was going to fight alone, but he kept the long spear on his back and stepped forward unarmed. The dust raised by cavalry dissipated. They stopped. From a distance, it could be seen that the cavalry leader dismounted suddenly. He bowed his fists to Leng Changxi rather respectfully and shouted, “My greetings, General Leng. I’m Jiang Hua, lieutenant of the Leng Army.”
Qin Yunuan’s heart experienced an earthquake. She stepped forward with Leng Wu and saw that the about 1,000 soldiers coming orderly were all the Leng Army, who dressed up and were high-spirited. She hadn’t thought that those people came fast than her imagination. Now Leng Changxi’s position in the black-armored army of West Xia was just stable. With the help of the Leng Army, he would be like a tiger with wings.
“Good,” Leng Changxi showed a trace of satisfaction on his handsome face. He raised his head slightly to observe the Leng Army, which had once endured humiliation and scattered everywhere after Sima Ray took over Qi but was gathered again now.
On the other hand, Sima Ray, who was deep in the valley far away, soon heard the news. He was riding on a full-grown red horse, with his armor shining in the half-translucent sunset. Raising his head, he looked a little arrogant but mostly confident, “That’s good. It’s capable for Leng Changxi to gather the Leng Army again. However, in the past, he was forced to run away in a hurry and leave Qi. What can he do with remnants of the defeated army? Now he still needs to rely on soldiers of West Xia. As long as the relationship between them is broken, what can he do?”
Qiu Murong was riding a horse beside Sima Ray. His four disciples, whose tongues had been cut out, were being helped into a carriage behind them. They were all favored and cared for by Qiu Murong. He would certainly revenge.
“Your Royal Highness, don’t let down your guard,” Qiu Murong said thoughtfully, “Leng Changxi is cunning, cruel, and crafty. We must figure out a way to kill him in one blow.”
Sima Ray looked back at Qiu Murong weakly, “Don’t you have a seventeen-year-old daughter? I remember that she is able to control others through her martial arts.”
Qiu Murong’s body suddenly became stiff. According to Sima Ray’s words, he might want to use his daughter…
No. He could never let his daughter take risks. Qiu Murong forced a smile, “The rumors outside are too ridiculous. Controlling others? No, but my little girl can just read people’s faces ever since her childhood.”
“I don’t care,” Sima Ray looked ahead. He seemed to see that after his victory over Leng Changxi, the whole world became his. Of course, Qin Yunuan would also belong to him, “Use pigeons to send letters. Qiu Shuihan must appear in front of me in three days.”
“Your Royal Highness,” Qiu Murong was so excited that he almost got down on his knees to beg Sima Ray. He commanded the Moon Sect for only a few years, but he had already asked the Moon Sect to do those dirty things in order to survive under Sima Ray’s power politics. He had already paid enough.
“Otherwise, I won’t give you the antidote,” Sima Ray’s tone was cold all the time, “You know that too. Even though Leng Changxi didn’t cut down your disciples’ tongues, they would also die because the poison hidden under the tongues came into effect. Leng Changxi actually saved their lives by taking away their tongues. You, however, won’t be so lucky.”
After Sima Ray finished his words, he raised his head, pulled on the reins, and rode the horse away.
Yunlong Valley was not large. It was the horrible legend of wild monkeys that scared many people away. Tuoba Wuyu destroyed wild monkeys’ dens at one time. Although he didn’t kill all the wild monkeys because of Leng Changxi’s prevention, the rest beasts didn’t dare to attack suddenly. What was more, with Qin Yunuan’s assistance, Leng Changxi wouldn’t be afraid of them.
The army marched forward at the original speed. Leng Changxi rode on a tall, purplish-red horse. Although it was not as clever and sensible as Zhuifeng, it could run as fast as the wind. During these days, Qin Yunuan had clearly improved her riding skills under the guidance of Leng Changxi. She changed her horse to another female one, which was taller but tamer, and followed Leng Changxi. Leng Wu, Leng Shuang, and Yuanyang were protecting respectively by their masters’ sides. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Ting Xue and Maner were still in the group of medical women, walking slowly in the second half of the team.
When they were about to reach the entrance of the valley, the atmosphere became tense. Leng Changxi ordered the whole army to slow down by gesture and pulled Qin Yunuan behind him subconsciously.
The wind came out from the valley outside. In the front, there were two opposite cliffs, narrow and steep. They squeezed the road into the width that could allow two carriages passing at one time like the slot canyon. There was no vegetation around but bare yellow earth and dark brown rocks. And there seemed to be a layer of mist on the opposite side. All was white, like the scene in the regions south of the River. It was hard to see anything clearly.
“What do you smell?” Leng Changxi stared at what was happening ahead. Using the inner Qi all over his body, he could clearly feel that someone was moving fast outside. However, in such a heavy fog, one should be more careful when walking. Who would go on a rampage in the fog at such a running speed?
Qin Yunuan closed her eyes, trying to catch every kind of odor in the air with her keen sense of smell, “There is the smell of cosmetics.” Just when Qin Yunuan finished her words, a scream of “Help!” came from the white fog.
At that moment, a woman with disheveled hair wearing bright red gauze clothing and a white cloak came from the white fog like a flying goddess. Her bright red gauze clothing rose high like a butterfly dancing fiercely in the rain. Gradually, several men riding three tall horses and wearing sackcloth chased up. Their hands were all holding machetes. The leading one was the most arrogant, “Darling, it’s your blessing that our king has a crush on you. Isn’t it good for you to follow us back to be mistress of the fort?”
“Human trafficking?” Tuoba Wuyu was angry. Pulling the reins, he prepared to go forward, but he was stopped by Leng Changxi’s words, “Don’t move. Wait until we figure out what happens.”
Tuoba Wuyu was in a daze. Seeing Leng Changxi’s determined eyes, he felt that it was improper to move. Although he was sitting on the horse, he looked a little unwilling and impatient.
“General Tuoba, think first. It’s so far away from the town. The woman is so gorgeously dressed, yet so discomfited, so she must have escaped from a musical office or her home and trekked all the way to the valley. But these three men on horseback are all strong. Why can’t the men on horseback catch up with the weak woman who has run all the way up the mountain?” Qin Yunuan explained to Tuoba Wuyu with a smile.
Tuoba Wuyu took a tumble. However, seeing ahead, the woman had suddenly stepped on the corner of her dress and had fallen heavily to the ground. There was a large cut on her white wrist. What was more terrible was that there was a sharp rock on the place where the fall had taken place, which cut straight into the woman’s face. Her beautiful face at once became a bloody mess.
With just one glance, the three men took the hint and said, “The face is ruined. The king won’t like it anymore. Kill her.”
Finishing his words, the man began to wave the long knife in his hand, which was sparkling cold lights. Just when the blade would cut towards the woman’s neck, suddenly, a purple shadow hurt the wrist of the man waving the long knife with several movements. The pain forced him to let go of the long knife. The blade fell to the ground. Leng Shuang, who had attacked the man, stood in front of him coldly, “Three men bully a woman. How can you be men?”
“Bitch, you dare to attack me secretly?” the wounded man was apparently not convinced. When he was about to teach Leng Shuang a good lesson, Leng Wu had already made a move. His thick arm directly pulled the man’s hand back, “Sir, treating women should be gentler.”
“All right. Leng Wu, bring her here,” Leng Changxi took a glance at the bloody face of the woman in red, confirming that the cut on her face was real, and turning to the three men, “You only have three people, but I have two hundred thousand people. If you are wise, you should leave as soon as possible.”
The three men looked at each other as if they were really scared, but they still answered to save their faces, “A powerful dragon cannot crush a snake in its old haunts. Sooner or later, we’ll let you suffer.”
Leng Changxi nodded slightly, “OK. I’ll wait.”
At that time, Leng Wu had brought the injured woman in red to Leng Changxi. She was small, exquisite, and graceful. Her long hair flowed down like a waterfall, which made those young men all of a sudden had a boiling passion. Despite the blood on her face, judging from the woman’s features, she was indeed a beauty with curved eyebrows, eyes like evening stars, a high nose, and pink lips. Adding her sexy and easy dressing exposing some of her breasts, although she was a little too beautiful, this lady seemed to reveal a kind of pure lovely temperament.
“My name is Shuihan. I was forced to enter the imperial music office as an official prostitute because my father had been put into prison for he had been framed by some evil people. I escaped because I didn’t want to sell my body. I want to return to my hometown, but I never thought that I would meet robbers outside the valley. General, if you didn’t save me, perhaps I’ve lost my virginity by now.” Not only was the woman beautiful, but her voice was also as sweet and attractive as honey. Every word she said was enough to steal away people’s souls.
Tuoba Wuyu had already forgotten Qin Yunuan’s previous warning. He just kept staring at the woman named Shuihan and sighed, “What a kind and innocent lady you are! It’s still very far away from the town. General Leng, what about bringing the woman with us on the way?”
