Jinting Han people

Chapter 73: Running (4k)

Although no one knows why Shi Chao is here, the impact behind it is undoubtedly bad, which means that more and more people are rushing here.

Time is urgent and Liu Xian must escape immediately.

He whispered to Luzhu, "Hold me tight!"

Luzhu murmured "hmm" softly, and her hot upper body pressed against Liu Xian's back, leaving no gap at all.

At this point, Liu Xian no longer hesitated. He pulled the reins, passed Shi Chao without saying a word, and ran onto the road in the rain.

Having already been exposed, it was completely unrealistic to continue hiding and lurking. It was better to hurry and take the fastest shortcut to escape from Jingu Garden. This was the right way.

However, this also brought up a new problem. If he truly wanted to flee, he couldn't simply reunite with Liu Cong, Zu Ti, and the others. While there would be more people after reuniting, a hundred or so men would have a good chance of breaking through the encirclement. On the other hand, having more people meant more targets, and Shi Chong would definitely not lose sight of them.

Although it might be impossible to do anything to Liu Xian and the others in the short term, as long as they were able to catch a few of them and torture the identities of the masterminds out, Liu Xian would be finished.

Liu Cong, Zu Ti, Afule and others could run away, but Liu Xian's entire family was in Luoyang and they definitely could not escape.

The only sensible thing to do now is for Liu Xian to find a way to get rid of the pursuers first, and then go to Heyang to meet up after he is safe.

Sure enough, after riding his horse madly for no more than a few dozen steps in the rain, Shi Chao's angry shouts were heard behind him, and then people came over one after another, holding lanterns and swords in the rain, like will-o'-the-wisp fires on bone phosphorus, suddenly lit up in the darkness, and then slowly and widely surrounded Liu Xian from all directions.

Amid the heavy rain, Liu Xian kept wiping the rain from his eyes, constantly estimating the number of people approaching from all directions, and the most likely escape route.

The first people to approach were two knights. They shouted at Liu Xian angrily and tried to attack him from both sides in an attempt to force Liu Xian to stop.

Seeing this, Liu Xian didn't rush to spur his horse, but instead slightly tightened his grip, waiting for the two to gradually close the distance. When they were about seven or eight feet apart, Liu Xian suddenly changed speed, darting to the left. His left hand suddenly drew out the Zhaowu Sword, and with an incredibly swift downward slash, the knight, with a muffled groan, was gutted.

Before the knight on the right could react, Liu Xian had already changed direction, threw the sword in his left hand into his right hand, and like a poisonous snake coming out of a hole, he pierced the knight's throat with the sword.

The first man's blood spurted out, spattering half of Liu Xian's body. He made a hoarse sound but couldn't scream, and Luzhu felt a little bit of warmth on her face. She looked at this scene in surprise, but saw Liu Xian pull out his long sword from the second man's neck, and then slashed the back of the neck of the man on the left, ending his suffering completely.

Liu Xian wiped the blood off the Zhaowu sword, continued to observe the movements around him, then wiped the sword blade on his leg in the dark, and then continued to spur his horse to speed up.

The two horses beside him, which had lost their masters, slowly stopped. The new knights caught up with them. When they saw the two headless bodies still sitting upright on the horses, they were all terrified: What swift swords! What superb swordsmanship!

This idea made them dare not move forward rashly, but just follow not far behind, pretending to be thinking carefully.

But Liu Xian didn't relax; instead, his nerves grew even tighter. Even though the threat was gone, this pursuit was like training a hawk; if he showed even the slightest sign of fatigue, they would pounce.

We must get rid of them! Liu Xian made up his mind and said to Lu Zhu, "Lower your head, lie flat, and don't make a sound even if it hurts!"

After saying this, he glanced around, confirmed his direction, and immediately rode into the forest. This was a completely desperate move, and after rushing into the woods, he barely slowed down. The slender and fragile branches and leaves swept over him like flying whips, lashing Liu Xian repeatedly, causing unbearable pain and even tearing his clothes.

Liu Xian's only way to alleviate the situation was to draw his Zhaowu Sword and slash left and right, trying to slash away as many of the iron-like branches as possible. This did alleviate the situation somewhat, but even so, his body still bore many more bloodstains.

But at the same time, his strategy worked. The strong wind was still whistling in his ears, but the sound of horse hooves behind him gradually disappeared. It seemed that he was the only one riding a horse in the jungle. The pursuers could not maintain their original speed in the forest and were gradually left behind by Liu Xian.

Did he escape successfully? Liu Xian asked himself this question as he identified the direction and dodged left and right. Although he wanted to relax emotionally, his rationality kept caressing his neck, telling him that there were still several dangerous obstacles ahead.

Although he had managed to escape his pursuers in the two previous pursuits, Jingu Garden was so vast that he'd planned to take the quickest shortcut, but in reality, he'd been forced to slow down. A quarter of an hour had already passed, and the news had probably reached Shi Chong. If he'd reacted immediately and pursued him with all his might, his men would probably already be on their way.

Which direction should I go? To leave the garden, besides the main gate, there are only two directions: southeast and northeast. Calculating the time, Liu Cong and Zu Ti should not have left yet. I have no choice but to head towards the dense forest in the southeast.

But having no choice often means that the other party has more ways than you do.

Finally, after spending about a quarter of an hour, Liu Xian once again crossed the apricot forest. The drizzle of rain once again pelted down on him, and Luzhu was shivering slightly behind him. Liu Xian then remembered that there was another beautiful woman behind him. He looked back. Luzhu's face was pale, her lips were tightly pursed, and even her eyes were closed like a female rabbit. The jade arm around Liu Xian's waist was also scratched with red marks. It was obvious that she was afraid and in pain after crossing all this way, but she did as he instructed and endured it without making a sound.

Liu Xian patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, there's still one last leg to go, just rush through it."

Hearing this, Luzhu opened her eyes and looked at Liu Xian deeply: Liu Xian was covered in blood at this time, and the smell of blood was so strong that it was unimaginable. Moreover, in the dark night, his eyes were flashing with black light, and his image was as terrifying as Asura. But the magical thing was that Luzhu only felt reliable and relieved. Even though she was still cold in the rain, the trembling of her body disappeared strangely.

Luzhu hummed softly and said in a low voice, "I believe you, sir."

Liu Xian smiled, then turned around, let out a long breath, and continued to whip his horse forward.

The rain had grown lighter. Where it had initially been overwhelming and continuous, it was now just a trickle, with a tendency to turn into a drizzle. The dark clouds overhead had thinned out at some point, and the faint outline of the moon could be seen. The night was no longer as pitch black as before, where one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. Now one could vaguely see a hundred paces away.

However, such a short rainstorm still had a great impact on the road. Except for a few stone roads, most of the dirt roads had become wet and muddy, and Liu Xian had to slow down.

Strangely, Liu Xian's journey was very smooth on this road, and he did not encounter Shi Chong's pursuers.

But Liu Xian didn't dare to let his guard down. If his position was really misjudged, that would be fine. But if it was another situation, it would be a life-threatening situation to break through the siege.

Soon, he saw Shi Chong's arrangement, which was exactly what he least wanted to see:

When he was still more than a hundred feet away from the ginkgo forest, Liu Xian saw scattered lights in the distance.

Judging by their numbers, there were about twenty of them, spread out several feet apart, each equipped with a horse. It was like a net, seemingly scattered and careless, but in reality, it could gather at any moment and, if they spotted Liu Xian, they could completely surround him. Liu Xian breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed a bloody battle was unavoidable.

He paused briefly, wiping the Zhaowu Sword with his sleeve. Actually, tonight was Liu Xian's first time killing someone in his life, and within just two quarters of an hour, he had killed three people in quick succession. One of them was a renowned sword master in Jingchu, and the other two were clearly skilled fighters as well.

Liu Xian's heart was filled with turmoil, but strangely, his mind was remarkably clear, as if detached from his emotions. While mourning the tragic plight of the dead, he was also pondering another matter: After drinking so much blood, was the Zhaowu Sword's edge still sharp? If the battle continued, how many bones could it sustain?
The answers are not optimistic.

Fortunately, perhaps because they had received orders not to accidentally harm Lu Zhu, none of the guards used the crossbows they had for the robbery. Otherwise, if they had surrounded him and shot him from a distance, Liu Xian would have been killed instantly. Now that he could still fight hand-to-hand, he had a chance to escape.

Liu Xian started riding his horse again, and at this time, the knights also discovered him.

"Stop! Stop!" This group of people also started riding their horses, shouting at Liu Xian while encircling him and gradually forming an arc on the grass. It was obvious that they wanted to use the advantage of numbers to gradually form an encirclement and compress his range of activities.

If they succeeded, Liu Xian would be helpless, but he certainly wouldn't sit still and wait for death. In such a situation, only a true hero could have a chance of survival.

Without hesitation, he charged towards the person in the middle, almost in a straight line. If the two collided head-on, the result would be instant death.

The opposing knight was startled. He had been prepared for a swordfight, but unexpectedly, the other side chose a mutually assured destruction strategy, catching him off guard. He subconsciously tried to swerve his horse, revealing a flaw to Liu Xian.

Liu Xian chopped with his sword, but to his surprise, when the Zhaowu sword cut into the enemy's body, he felt a hard and dull sensation. It was obvious that the sword tip did not penetrate the flesh, but hit a layer of defense.

Based on the touch and the tinkling sound of the sword, Liu Xian thought to himself: This man must be wearing chain mail from the Western Regions!
Unlike heavy armor such as Ming Guang Armor and Liangdang Armor, chain mail is light and breathable, extremely small and not easy to detect. Although its defensive power is far inferior to ordinary heavy armor, it is enough to save lives in this life-and-death moment.

Under the protection of the chain mail, this fatal sword turned into a heavy hammer, knocking the enemy off his horse, splashing water on the ground and accompanied by a slight groan, obviously he fell hard.

But this wasn't the effect Liu Xian wanted. In a one-on-many situation, only rapid killing could undermine the enemy's morale and strength. But if these people were all wearing chain mail, Liu Xian's idea of establishing his authority through killing and intimidating the others would become impossible.

Sure enough, the knights who surrounded him were stunned for a moment, but when they saw that the injured person was not seriously injured, they immediately became more confident and accelerated to encircle Liu Xian.

Liu Xian had only two options for resistance: either chop off the enemy's sword-wielding hand or pierce his throat with his sword. However, the enemy only had to defend his head, while Liu Xian had to protect Lu Zhu behind him. This wasn't a fair fight at all, and even the most skilled swordsman would have struggled to win in such a situation.

At this time, two more knights approached. They were very proud and relied on the chain mail they were wearing. Without taking too much protection, they swung their swords directly at Liu Xian.

Seeing this, Liu Xian also became ruthless. He first slashed hard, repelling the sword on his right. Then, facing the sword on his left, he displayed astonishing agility, swaying slightly to avoid the attack, and unexpectedly punched the opponent's sword guard. He pulled hard, and at the same time, the longsword in his right hand swung feintly. The opponent dodged in the cold light of the sword, and the longsword in his hand was snatched away by Liu Xian.

Liu Xian waved his hand and threw the sword he had snatched. It flew as fast as lightning, and a flash of fire burst out in front of the chain mail. It penetrated the armor and went through the chest!

The knight who was stabbed by the sword looked at his chest with a face full of disbelief, but his body was no longer under his control. He fell straight to the ground, and blood flowed out like a spring.

The other knights were immediately frightened and were struggling over whether to continue forward.

At this time, someone said, "Don't be afraid. No matter how skilled he is with the sword, he's still just a human! Humans will become short of breath and exhausted. Let's keep fighting him for a while. I'm not afraid he won't fall!"

This sentence hit the nail on the head. In fact, after this period of high-intensity fighting, Liu Xian was indeed showing signs of fatigue. After the previous throw, his left arm felt a little weak.

We can't fight any longer, we must leave immediately!

Liu Xian didn't wait for them to react. Taking advantage of the small gap he had created, he immediately rushed towards the ginkgo forest. After he rode his horse for dozens of steps, the remaining knights finally woke up from their dream and followed closely.

But this time, Liu Xian couldn't escape them as he had before. Not only were these knights clad in chain mail, allowing them to roam freely in the forest, but they were also riding fine horses worth hundreds of thousands of gold, each with the same horsepower as the blue-maned steed Liu Xian rode. The two sides couldn't close the gap at all. If the chase continued like this, until both horses were exhausted, Liu Xian would have no hope of escape.

Can he still break out? In this pessimistic situation, Liu Xian began to think again, but after pondering for a while, he had to admit that he had indeed been forced into a desperate situation.

But this is understandable, because his prior plan was not thorough, and mistakes were inevitable if there were omissions.

But for him, the cost of making a mistake was too high.

Liu Xian did not give up. He always felt that things could still turn around. Although this idea might be blind, there would be no turning around if he gave up.

The rain stopped at some point, and moonlight began to stream down, creating a demarcation between light and shadow in the ginkgo trees. In this clear glow, Liu Xian strained to look forward, searching for an unknown path forward.

Just as they were about to walk out of the woods, a pitch-black horse came galloping on the plain on the right. It was like a gust of black wind, effortlessly closing the distance of more than a hundred steps between the two horses, and was running neck and neck with Liu Xian, causing Lu Zhu to exclaim.

"Hey? Where did this young lady come from? She's so pretty!"

Who is it? Liu Xian looked back and saw a Jiehu boy, half a head shorter than him, sitting on a black dragon horse that was as majestic as a dragon.

A Fule said to Liu Xian, "Hey, do you want to try this fast horse?"

He grinned, revealing a very smug smile.

Shi Chong's knights passed through the ginkgo forest. Under the bright moonlight, they immediately searched the plain for the figure of the man in black. However, what they didn't expect was that Liu Xian, who was originally not far away from them, suddenly changed his horse to another one in just a few breaths after leaving the forest.

The dragon horse galloped, its hooves so fast it seemed to soar. The muddy ground was unaffected, and even the moonlight couldn't leave its hoofprints. The knights tried to catch up, but soon realized in despair that it was an impossible task. They could only watch helplessly as the figures of Liu Xian and the others turned into ink marks, quickly disappearing in the moonlit night after the rain.

　Please vote! Please subscribe! Please support me! Your support is my motivation to update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)