Chapter 291 - 283: Falling off the Cliff
Chapter 291: Chapter 283: Falling off the Cliff
After a series of CLANGS from arrows being deflected, the sounds of fighting erupted from outside. It seemed the ambushers hiding in the small grove had finally emerged.
She quietly crawled to the carriage opening and peeked out, just in time to see Hu Feng kick a masked man in black to the ground. As he fell hard, the wind tore the mask mostly from his face.
Bai Zhi saw his face clearly—a very familiar face. ’Isn’t that the henchman who was bullying A Wu the other day?’
’So, the people ambushing us today are Boss Qian’s men? And Boss Qian is Lord Gu’s brother-in-law?’
’Hah—Meng Nan had only just left, and he’s already making his move on me, unable to wait even a moment. It looks like he really does see Qingyuan Town as the personal backyard of the Qian and Gu families.’
Just then, another arrow whistled through the air, aimed straight at Bai Zhi. She jerked back instantly, narrowly dodging the fatal shot. The arrow grazed her hair and flew past, plunging directly into the horse’s rump.
The horse was already spooked by the sudden battle, but it hadn’t dared to bolt without a command from its master’s reins. Now, with an arrow piercing its rump, it let out a long neigh and took off at a dead run.
Hu Feng had just dispatched two of the henchmen and was about to head into the woods to drag out the archer who kept firing from the shadows. But just then, the carriage bolted, and Zhi was still inside.
He immediately broke into a sprint, chasing after the carriage.
The horse galloped like a mad thing along the field path. Bai Zhi tried to grab the reins, but the carriage was jolting so violently that she was thrown about inside, rolling from side to side. She couldn’t take a single step forward, let alone reach the reins.
The mountain path ahead grew steeper and more treacherous. If the wild jolting continued, the carriage would soon fall apart, and she and the vehicle would likely plunge off a cliff together.
Pushing himself to the limit, Hu Feng finally caught up to the carriage. To the helpless and panicked Bai Zhi, he appeared like a deity descending from the heavens, stretching a hand out to her. "Quick, come here."
The moment she saw him, the panic and fear in her heart vanished without a trace. She knew that as long as he was there, she would be safe. As long as he was there, she had nothing to fear.
She reached for his hand, and he grasped it tightly. He pulled her forcefully against his chest, wrapped one arm around her slender waist, and with a great leap, jumped from the out-of-control, runaway carriage.
However, fate was not so kind. The very moment he leaped from the carriage with her in his arms, dozens of massive boulders suddenly began to tumble down the mountainside, crashing down right at them.
Hu Feng held Bai Zhi close, weaving and dodging between the constantly falling boulders. The mountain path was narrow. When an enormous rock hurtled down toward their heads, Hu Feng had no choice but to leap, taking Bai Zhi with him, off the side of the mountain slope, with no idea how far they would fall.
Pressed against his chest with her eyes squeezed shut, all she could hear was the wind roaring in her ears as she and Hu Feng plummeted downward.
Hu Feng drove his longsword into the cliff face to slow their descent.
Just as they were about to hit the ground, he used the last of his strength to twist his body, putting her on top of him and making himself her human shield.
With a muffled THUD, his body crashed heavily onto the ground. She, however, lay in his arms completely unharmed.
She opened the eyes she had been keeping squeezed shut and saw Hu Feng lying on the ground, his own eyes closed. She, meanwhile, was cradled safely in his arms.
She scrambled off him and gently shook his body. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?"
Hu Feng didn’t answer, his eyes remaining tightly shut.