Silver light flashed into view.
Before they had even seen a trace of the enemy, one of their brothers' heads flew up, severed cleanly from his body.
These Black Riders were all the personal guards of Lu Qingming, Governor of Yun Province—brothers who had followed him through countless campaigns and entrusted their lives to one another. Every one of them could take on a hundred men alone. They were iron-blooded elites specially selected and trained for Lu Qingming by the Lu family from within the army.
The incident had come without warning. The first brother's head had just been cut off, while the mounts of the second and third brothers had already raised their iron hooves. The momentum of the herd had formed, and they were about to charge toward the headless corpse with the force of dead wood swept away before a storm.
Yet no one knew what awaited them ahead.
A pit of blades? An arrow formation? Or an ambush by countless experts?
"Whoa!"
Yue Feilong shouted sharply. With his left hand, he hauled on the reins and forcibly pulled back the charging horse. His right hand had already drawn the Xifeng Saber from his waist. Holding the blade horizontally, he abruptly blocked Lu Qingming's horse.
At the same time, Li Ping'an made the same move as Yue Feilong. With his saber held across his body and his horse standing firm, he used his flesh and blood to shield Lu Qingming from the other side.
Yue Feilong and Li Ping'an were the two protectors at Lu Qingming's side. Usually, they joked and bickered without a shred of dignity. But whenever their master faced danger, they were willing to sacrifice themselves and fight to the death.
Their very existence was for the purpose of taking blades for him.
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