Ambush

Everyone rested, Shen Jingchuan, having already noticed Lin Qingyao's expression earlier, raised his hand and called out, "Qingyao, come here."

Lin Qingyao was slightly startled by the sound and slowly walked over. Her face was mostly covered by a veil under her helmet. She stood quietly with her eyes downcast, unsure of how to address Shen Jingchuan, so she simply remained silent.

Shen Jingchuan took out a bright red, plump apple from his pocket, which had been nurtured for a long time in the Ring's space, and handed it to her:

"Here, feed Treading Snow. It's the gentlest, much more obedient than Little Black."

Lin Qingyao held the apple, suppressing her urge to eat it, and carefully offered it to Treading Snow's lips. The horse sniffed it repeatedly, its Adam's apple bobbing slightly, clearly very eager, yet it took a half step back, refusing to open its mouth.

Seeing this, Shen Jingchuan chuckled softly, leaned down to Treading Snow's ear, and spoke very softly, as if talking to someone:

"Treading Snow Xue, this is my future wife. We'll be married in a few days, and then we'll be family. Eat what she feeds you. Later, let her ride you. Don't throw a tantrum, understand?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Treading Snow actually leaned forward, opened her mouth, and snatched the apple from Lin Qingyao's hand, crunching it with relish.

Lin Qingyao's eyes lit up instantly, a hint of surprise even through her veil. She looked up at him, her voice soft. "What did you say to her? She actually ate it!"

Shen Jingchuan smiled and took out four more apples, giving her two. Lin Qingyao took one in each hand and then fed them to Treading Snow, Treading Snow ate them with great joy.

Big Black and Little Black, standing nearby, became unhappy and came over, snorting and neighing softly. Shen Jingchuan turned around and chuckled, handing each of them one horse, and only then did the two horses settle down.

After Treading Snow finished eating, Shen Jingchuan tilted his head and said, "Try touching its neck; once it recognizes you, it won't run away."

Lin Qingyao took a deep breath, and boldly reached out her hand, her fingertips gently touching the black mane of Treading Snow. The horse did not flinch, but simply flicked its tail slowly and stood quietly.

"Do you dare to try riding a horse?" Shen Jingchuan asked again.

Lin Qingyao nodded, and subconsciously was about to leap up when a warm hand suddenly covered her lower back.

Shen Jingchuan stood behind her, his hands firmly gripping her waist. With a little effort, he gently lifted her up and placed her steadily on the horse's back.

Although those two large hands were covered by armor, they felt incredibly hot. Lin Qingyao's body stiffened abruptly, her ears burning, and her hands gripping the reins trembled slightly. The masculine aura of her future husband emanated from behind her, and for a moment she even forgot to breathe.

Shen Jingchuan turned around and mounted Big Black, saying gently, "Come on, I'll run a lap with you. It's very stable to run on the Treading Snow, you won't fall."

Lin Qingyao nodded excitedly, looking eager to try.

Before Shen Jingchuan could give any instructions, Treading Snow carried Lin Qingyao and slowly followed Big Black onto the official road, gradually moving away from the crowd resting at the teahouse. Little Black, with its glossy mane swishing, followed behind the two horses at a leisurely pace.

"Hold on tight, and start running," Shen Jingchuan said calmly, turning his head slightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two horses quickened their pace, turning from a slow walk to a gallop, like two black gusts of wind rushing forward along the official road.

This was the first time Lin Qingyao had ever ridden such a magnificent and tall horse. Its field of vision was much higher than that of ordinary mounts, and although the wind whistled past her ears, it moved with exceptional stability.

Her heart was pounding, and she was so excited that she almost shouted it out, but when she caught a glimpse of Shen Jingchuan beside her, she forced herself to suppress her joy, gripped the reins tightly, and let the wind lift the corners of her veil and sweep it across her face.

After running for about two miles, Shen Jingchuan tightened the reins slightly, and the two horses gradually slowed down, returning to a leisurely pace.

The late autumn sun was no longer as scorching as in the height of summer, shining brightly on the official road. The two rode side by side, slowly moving forward. Half of the yellow leaves on the poplar trees by the roadside were fallen, swirling down in the wind. All around, there was only the sound of horses' hooves lightly treading on the dust.

The two weren't in a hurry to wait for the rest of the group, so they just strolled along at their own pace. Neither of them spoke much along the way, only occasionally glancing at each other. Their unspoken feelings were conveyed in their eyes, which was more comforting than any sweet words.

After walking another four or five miles, the official road turned into a mountain valley, where the trees on both sides became denser and the sunlight became dimmer.

As he was walking, Shen Jingchuan suddenly heard a gust of wind whistling past his ear. Since transmigrating, and having often consumed spiritual objects nurtured by the space, his five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people, and his reactions were extremely fast. He immediately leaned down and pressed himself against the horse's back, and a sharp arrow whistled past the back of his head.

Immediately following was a dozen arrows that came flying from the woods on both sides. With no way to dodge, he was hit by an arrow in the shoulder and one in the side. Fortunately, his armor was tough, and with two muffled thuds, the arrows bounced off without him being injured at all.

"Enemy attack! Put down your armor and charge forward with me!" Shen Jingchuan shouted in a low voice, showing no intention of turning back. He steered his horse forward along the official road—getting out of the range of arrows was the best strategy.

Caught off guard by the attack, Lin Qingyao's heart tightened, but she remained calm. She drew her short sword and urged Treading Snow to follow closely behind him.

They hadn't gone far when more than twenty riders appeared on the official road ahead, all fully armored and standing in the middle of the road.

Shen Jingchuan didn't slow down at all; instead, he spurred his horse, Big Black, even faster. At the same time, he grabbed the tiger-head gold-inlaid spear, gripped it firmly with both hands, and charged straight at the opposite side. Seeing this, the opponents also spurred their horses, raising their weapons to charge at him.

At this moment, another twenty or thirty men in black rushed out from the woods on both sides, each carrying a long knife. They abandoned their bows and arrows and surrounded the official road, instantly forming a pincer attack.

A rider charged straight at them with his sword raised, but Shen Jingchuan shrugged and thrust his spear forward, the tip piercing the man's chest with precision. With a slight exertion of his arm, he knocked the man off his horse.

Big Black charged straight into the enemy ranks, and Shen Jingchuan quickly withdrew his spear. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the iron mace at the end of the spear slammed down on an enemy wielding a sword to his right.

The man's knife slashed at Shen Jingchuan's shoulder first, but Shen Jingchuan neither dodged nor evaded. With a crisp clang, the blade was violently deflected by the armor.

Almost simultaneously, the iron dart slammed heavily into the man's chest. With a cracking sound, the man spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, falling off his horse.

Using the recoil from the iron mace striking his chest, Shen Jingchuan twisted his wrist, causing the spear to spring back, its tip instantly straightening and pointing directly at the two remaining enemy riders.

The man in the lead swung his sword to meet him head-on, but before the weapon could even leave the ground, Shen Jingchuan's spear struck like a venomous snake, arriving first despite being behind.

His hand speed was extremely fast; the tip of his spear precisely aimed at the man's throat, piercing it with a soft thud. The man didn't even have time to scream before he slumped off his horse.

Another rider beside him followed closely, slashing diagonally with his sword. Shen Jingchuan flicked his spear tip, and in the instant he withdrew his spear and turned his hand back, he horizontally blocked the incoming blade with the shaft of his spear. With a clang, sparks flew everywhere.

In the instant the two horses passed each other, he twisted his waist, and his entire spear swept out with a strong wind, the copper grip of the spearhead striking the man's back heavily.

With a sharp crack, the mirror on his back shattered, and the man was thrown forward, collapsing onto the horse's back, spitting blood onto the horse's mane.

In that brief moment of charging, Shen Jingchuan had already broken through all the enemy cavalry blocking his path.

Lin Qingyao rode closely behind him, gripping her short sword tightly, but the enemies on both sides were either knocked down or sent flying by Shen Jingchuan's spear, leaving her no chance to even get close.

She followed closely behind, traversing the Treading Snow without shedding a drop of blood. Little Black neighed and followed closely behind, its four hooves flying, as it charged out of the encirclement along with the two dark figures in front.