(That's all for today, six thousand words.)
Chen Ping'an carried the girl on his shoulder and ran for his life, somehow even faster than when he had climbed the mountain earlier, like a Flower Thief who had snatched away an untouched young maiden. Ning Yao had suffered serious internal injuries and was jolted painfully by the ride, but she could not spare a thought for dignity. If the Old Ape landed another punch on them now, she and Chen Ping'an would truly die as a pair.
Sweat covered Ning Yao's forehead as she asked, "How did you survive? None of those stones hit you? How did you know the Old Ape's backup move was aimed at you rather than me?"
After firing off that string of questions, Ning Yao suddenly came to her senses. "Forget that for now. While the Old Ape needs to catch his breath, run as far as you can! I've had that sword keep it entangled as much as possible, but I doubt it can hold out much longer."
The straw-sandaled youth nodded lightly. His strides flew, and he wove through the large and small alleys with practiced familiarity, like a fish slipping along the bottom of a stream.
After putting the little street on the town's western side far behind them, Chen Ping'an did not slow down. He took a moment to explain in a low voice, "Earlier, over by Mud Bottle Alley, I tricked the Old Ape onto the roof of a ruined house, then he fell into a pit. Afterward, I secretly tossed a little broken tile onto the roof beside the hole. Sure enough, the Old Ape thought I'd carelessly given away my footsteps. He suddenly smashed out a roof tile, punching straight through the wall and the neighboring roof together. It