After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The firelight at that moment was so dazzling in the night.

Feng Yu and Shen Shou, along with a few others riding intact horses, were horrified.

Xu Tianji, who was running ahead, was taken aback by the sudden ambush that appeared in the woods on his right.

Seeing these men suddenly throw their spears, causing the cavalry behind them to fall over, he was even more enraged. He was about to pull on the reins and turn around to kill the ambushers.

But then he heard a gunshot like a thunderclap from a clear sky. He turned his head abruptly, instinctively feeling that the gun was aimed at him, who was running at the front.

A gust of wind whistled past my ear.

The lead bullet was aimed neither at him nor at his horse.

Instead, he headed straight for Shen Shou, who was a step behind him!

Shen Shou grabbed the horse's mane with his right hand and lay prone on the horse.

He gripped the dagger with his left hand and pressed it against Ning Baixuan's back.

He gritted his teeth.

Because he had to carry two people, the horse he was riding was the most durable among all the horses, and there was no dry food or anything like that on the horse.

When he was being chased all the way, he was worried that the horse wouldn't be able to hold on, but the horse proved to be very strong and carried him all the way here.

He remained in the middle of the cavalry, only one body length behind Xu Tianji, which is why the surprise attack launched by those servants earlier failed to reach him.

Shen Shou was both happy and angry. He was about to switch horses with Feng Yu, so that Feng Yu could take Ning Baixuan with Xu Tianji to find the Right Protector, while he would ride back and attack.

Just then, he heard gunshots and saw the musket, which was no more than twenty feet away, spitting fire.

There seems to be no time interval.

Hearing the gunshot, seeing the flames, and the lead bullet hitting the horse beneath him all seemed to happen at the same time.

Shen Shou felt a numbness in the back of his head.

The horse's head visibly tilted back.

Blood blossomed between the horse's eyebrows.

Scalding hot horse blood splattered onto Shen Shou's face and into his eyes.

It was only at this moment that Shen Shou realized that the other party's gun was aimed at him!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a chill ran down his spine, and the lifeless horse lurched forward, sending Shen Shou's body flying into the air.

He relaxed completely, his eyes widening in shock!

Just then, a loud shout rang out from ahead.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!"

The distance of less than twenty zhang was covered in an instant. Shen Shou's mind went blank in mid-air. Hearing the angry shouts, he looked ahead and saw the gun-wielding youth roaring and running forward.

Xu Tianji, Feng Yu, and the others drew their weapons. The young man ducked to dodge a slash from Xu Tianji and charged at them!

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

The boy left a trail of footprints in the sand.

He lunged forward with a sudden lunge.

Blood splattered everywhere in the air, and the boy, drenched in blood, jumped up and hugged another person who had also flown in from horseback!

Shen Shou was flying backwards in the air, unable to put any weight on his limbs, his face pale. Only then did he realize... the person the young man was holding... was none other than Ning Baixuan, whose hands and feet were completely bound!

Li Erlai's face was contorted, and he tightly hugged Ning Nan's body with both hands. The huge impact made him bite his teeth until they bled!

"Bang bang bang!"

After taking a few steps back to dissipate the force, Li Erlai, carrying Ning Nan, collapsed to the ground with a thud!

Warm horse blood splashed on his face, and some of it seeped into his mouth through his teeth, tasting both fishy and sweet.

"puff!"

His lungs were struck by Ning Nan's flying body, and he cried out "Ah!" before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Fortunately, this was a sandy beach, which relieved some of the force when it fell.

"Whoosh!"

He struggled to turn to the side, pulled a sharp knife from the leather bag on his side, and tried to cut the rope binding his elder brother. His elder brother had a black cloth bag over his head, but he simply didn't have the strength to lift the bag off first.

The hissing sound of the rope sawing continued.

"go back!"

Xu Tianji gripped the reins with his left hand and held a ring-pommel sword in his right, veins bulging on his forehead, as he roared.

Feng Yu and his riders, who had rushed over, also roared.

under the moonlight.

The four riders reined in their horses, which neighed incessantly.

Xu Tianji and his companions broke out in a cold sweat, completely unprepared for the fact that Ning Baixuan had been snatched away so easily! They turned and spurred their horses, intending to fight their way back.

He turned around.

Then they saw Shen Shou howling in pain on the ground.

Xu Tianji glanced over and saw that Shen Shou's left leg was bent at an unbelievable angle. He knew that when he was thrown from the horse, Shen Shou had landed carelessly and his left lower leg was broken.

"Capture Ning Baixuan!" Xu Tianji roared and slammed the back of his sword against his horse.

The sound of horses' hooves clattered as they sped up.

After running about ten feet, Xu Tianji saw the figure lying on top of the gun-wielding youth loosen its grip, and his eyes sharpened. Feng Yu roared, "He's cutting Ning Baixuan's ropes!"

The four riders were moving too fast, and at this moment they were about thirty feet away from Ning Baixuan.

"Slap!" Xu Tianji slapped the horse's back again.

The crowd rushed back ten paces, and the man had already freed one hand from the rope.

Xu Tianji shouted to the rider on his left, "Zhao Laoqian! Block the road up the mountain, don't let him escape!"

"Good!" Zhao Laoqian roared, spurring his horse and heading towards the foot of the mountain.

The crowd ran back twenty feet.

The figure completely untied the ropes, lifted the black cloth bag over his head, and removed the wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth.

After galloping for twenty zhang, the horse finally picked up speed.

Xu Tianji brandished his sword and roared, "Ning Baixuan, get down! Or I'll take your head!"

He wielded a horizontal ring-pommel sword.

The horses galloped like thunder.

He rushed straight towards the figure who was swaying as he stood up!

The figure's limbs seemed somewhat stiff.

He was holding the knife that the boy with the gun had used to cut the rope in his right hand.

He was holding a broken rope in his left hand and was wrapping it around his right hand, which was holding a knife.

Seeing this, Xu Tianji was filled with lingering fear in the blink of an eye.

If the Right Protector hadn't arranged for that cavalry to provide backup, and the archer and the spear-wielding youth had attacked from both sides, Ning Baixuan might have truly been captured by them tonight!

Xu Tianji gritted his teeth, the wind whistling past his ears, and flicked his wrist at the ring-pommel sword.

Unlike Feng Yu, he knew about the Right Protector's plan. The opportunity was fleeting, and they needed to capture Ning Baixuan as soon as possible and then leave on horseback.

"Crouch down!"

Xu Tianji roared at the figure who had overestimated himself and picked up a knife.

The word "down" had just left his mouth.

Xu Tianji's horse came within a zhang of Ning Baixuan. His face hardened, and he raised his knife, thinking that if this man did not dodge or dared to swing his knife to block, he would cut off the man's hand.

Cutting off an arm could lead to blood loss and death, but cutting off the palm might not.

The sharp blade of the ring-pommel sword gleamed with a silvery sheen under the moonlight.

It was at this moment.

Xu Tianji saw the man reach into his robes with his left hand.

Then, swing it forward again!

For an instant.

Xu Tianji's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Sand!" he exclaimed.

Before their eyes, a cloud of dust and sand shot toward the men and horses!

"Hiss!"

Xu Tianji quickly lowered his head and bent down on his horse, closing his eyes to dodge the sand. However, most of the sand was aimed at the horse. The horse's eyes were stung by the sand, and it paused, blinking its eyes.

It was at this moment.

Ning Nan pressed his left hand against his right wrist, his right hand already bound with a rope for a sharp knife used to slaughter pigs.

He suddenly crouched down, aimed at the horse's leg, gritted his teeth, and slashed down with his knife!

"Hiss!"