The Rout

Nie Zeng still remembered the green-eyed little girl, Tie Linglong. She was overbearing and rude; the first time they met, she had slashed him across the chest. The wound hadn't been deep, but it had taken months to heal completely. Then, when the Dragon King had ordered them all to take Hu Shining as their master, she had been the only one to sneak away.

It had happened in the summer two years ago. Back then, Nie Zeng had possessed nothing but the courage to face death and mediocre saber skills. Now he was Hu Shining's most prized disciple. No one could just casually slash him anymore.

Chu Nanping was a good person, but that was all. During their days of training as assassins, he had rarely spoken to anyone. He insisted on using a sword instead of a saber, and though he was highly skilled, he had few friends.

In short, Nie Zeng didn't like either of them.

The prisoner he had captured absolutely wasn't going to be snatched away by people he disliked.

A large number of soldiers came surging over. Nie Zeng leaped onto the camp palisade and gave chase to the two "robbers" with all his might. Arrows flew at him from behind, but he only sped up to dodge them, without turning to parry.

Both people ahead had excellent Lightness Skill. Chu Nanping ran swiftly even with someone slung over his shoulder, while Tie Linglong was like a nimble young colt, bounding great distances with every leap and not caring in the least whether her landing spot was dangerous.

I'm no worse than you two. Nie Zeng steeled himself, determined to prove that the length of time one spent learning one's craft didn't determine how skilled one became.

Tie Linglong abruptly stopped and struck with