Green Wind Colt

"From this official road, heading west for two hundred li, lies the renowned Cloud Glow Mountain Range. This mountain range stretches over a thousand li, spanning both Quanzhou and Yun Province. If we can enter those mountains, our chances of escape will greatly increase." Shi Mu replied without hesitation.

"Cloud Glow Mountain would indeed be a good place for us to flee. But it's still a long way off—I wonder if the Jin Family will catch us on the way? After all, I've heard those great clans raise spirit steeds, far beyond what our two ordinary horses can match." Zhong Xiu's eyes lit up as she asked.

"There's no helping that. Though I left Feng City with you right after the incident, giving us about half a day's head start, I can't say for sure whether we'll make it into Cloud Glow Mountain before they catch up. We can only try our hardest. Miss Zhong, hold on tight. I'll push the horses a little faster, and hope they can last the remaining hundred li." Shi Mu said gravely.

Hearing this, Zhong Xiu, though still worried, hurriedly lowered the curtain and sat back down in the carriage.

The next moment, Shi Mu's whip cracked sharply across the two horses' flanks. Both black steeds neighed and surged forward, their speed increasing by another notch.

Before long, the gray carriage became a black dot on the official road, eventually vanishing at the horizon.

At the same time, at Feng City's West Gate, a carriage covered entirely in black cloth emerged from the city.

Pulling the carriage were three strange horses, their bodies fiery red and their manes as lush as blazing flames—these were the Flame Chasing Colts, quite famous among spirit steeds. It was said these colts had violent tempers; they could serve as mounts traveling a thousand li a day, and if riled, could even spit fire to harm enemies—truly rare.

At the front of the carriage sat a coachman in blue clothes, wielding a pitch-black, gleaming whip. Behind the carriage rode three knights on similarly red strange horses.

One of them, with a long face and short beard, wore an expression of deep grief—it was Fifth Master Jin. The other two: one in a yellow cloth shirt, with pointed ears and a monkey-like face, about four feet tall, crouching on his horse like a large macaque; the other was exceptionally tall, clad in a silver robe, with eagle-sharp, piercing eyes.

The three riders and the carriage all seemed to be in a frantic rush, flying out of the West Gate like the wind without a moment's pause.

But not far out, the monkey-like man would dismount, briefly examine some fresh wheel tracks on the road, then remount and continue galloping.

"Fifth Master Jin has already set out with the Hound and Eagle hands! Good. Then we'll depart from the North Gate as well. By taking a slight detour, we can catch up to Shi Mu before them. Blood Hounds and Green-Headed Eagles may be good at tracking, but how can they compare to Thousand Mile Fragrance? We've already placed Thousand Mile Fragrance on Shi Mu's carriage." Near the North Gate, a dozen or so knights had long been waiting. The leader, a man in brocade robes, laughed heartily upon hearing his servant's report.

"Third Uncle, if we catch Shi Mu before the Jin Family this time, you have to let me break his legs myself first." A brash, arrogant youth in the group said, rubbing his fists eagerly.

This group was none other than Wu Tong, the third son of the Wu Family, and Wu Hua, the one originally betrothed to Zhong Xiu.

As luck would have it, the Wu Family had planned to wait until after the Martial Academy tests to send someone to seize Zhong Xiu from Shi Mu. They had been secretly monitoring the manor where Shi Mu stayed, so they naturally learned of Jin Tian's accidental death at Shi Mu's hands at the first opportunity.

Thus, the Wu Family, which had previously harbored some caution about Shi Mu's identity, now felt completely at ease. They immediately formed a pursuit team led by Wu Tong, aiming to snatch Zhong Xiu back before the Jin Family could.

As for Wu Hua being in the group, that was his own request.

The Wu Family knights rode specially bred spirit steeds, each one entirely cyan with an unusually glossy coat, faintly shrouded in a layer of cyan light—these were the famous Green Wind Colts, another renowned type of spirit steed.

It was said these colts carried some bloodline of the Wind Fox; when running at full speed, wind would spontaneously form beneath their hooves, making them one of the fastest spirit steeds.

This was why the Wu Family was confident they could block Shi Mu before the Jin Family arrived.

Before long, the Wu Family knights swarmed out of the North Gate, took a shortcut, and soon overtook the Jin Family group, charging straight after Shi Mu's escape route.

By this time, most other forces in Feng City had also learned of Jin Tian's accidental death at Shi Mu's hands. Though many were surprised, the matter soon faded like ripples in a pond, drowned out by various discussions about the Martial Academy tests.

Half a day later.

The sky had darkened. The gray carriage continued its mad dash along the official road, but its speed had gradually slowed.

On either side of the road, faint hills and small mountains loomed indistinctly in the night, eerily silent.

Shi Mu's face was grim as he kept swinging his whip, but the two black horses only panted out hot breath, unable to increase their speed by even a fraction.

"Brother Shi, this won't do. The horses have run for so long, they're nearly exhausted. We need to let them rest a little." Zhong Xiu's voice came from inside the carriage.

"I know the horses are failing, but every moment we linger, we risk the pursuers catching up." Shi Mu replied with a bitter smile.

"But even if you beat the horses to death now, it won't help. Let's rest a bit, let them eat something before we continue." Zhong Xiu urged again.

"You have a point. I do have other tricks, but they've truly reached their limit. Let's rest in that grove for half an hour and have something to eat ourselves." Shi Mu looked at the two black horses, drenched in sweat, and nodded in agreement.

He then pulled the reins, turning the two black horses off the official road toward a nearby patch of woods.

But it seemed they had both underestimated the true speed of legendary spirit steeds.

Just as Shi Mu untied the reins from the two black horses and helped Zhong Xiu down from the carriage, they suddenly heard thunderous hoofbeats from the official road not far away, along with wild, unrestrained laughter.

"Haha, the Scent-Seeking Insect is reacting! They're right up ahead!"

"Hey, after we capture Shi Mu, make sure to wait for me—I want to do it myself."

This group came fast; even as they spoke, the hoofbeats drew much closer.

"Damn, the pursuers are here. Run!" Shi Mu's face changed in alarm and fury. Without a second thought, he grabbed Zhong Xiu around the waist and dashed straight into the woods.

The pursuers were, of course, the Wu Family knights on their Green Wind Colts.

Relying on their steeds, which were even faster than the Flame Chasing Colts, and the scent of Thousand Mile Fragrance, they had caught up to Shi Mu in barely half a day.

(It snowed today, and my weak body caught a cold again—my head aches terribly!)