Forest Chase

A moment later, the group of Wu Family riders charged to the edge of the woods.

At the front, a middle-aged man with triangular eyes held a sandalwood box in his hands. Inside was a pink insect resembling a longhorn beetle, its wings vibrating as it emitted a low hum.

"So they really did come here." The crowd parted as a forty-something man in brocade robes stepped forward. After sizing up the abandoned gray carriage and two black horses, he let out a cold laugh.

It was none other than Wu Tong, the third son of the Wu Family.

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's chase them—we can't let them get away!" The arrogant youth behind the brocade-robed man spoke up, overjoyed.

"Heh, no rush. The two of them have been in that carriage for quite a while, so they've both caught the scent of the Thousand Mile Fragrance. It'll last at least a full night. With that much time, are we really afraid of catching a mere Martial Disciple? You two stay here with Hua'er to watch the horses. The rest of you, come with me." Wu Tong chuckled, then pointed at two of his men with a gesture.

The two men immediately bowed in acknowledgment.

The others drew various weapons and swarmed into the woods behind the man carrying the wooden box.

Though these riders were all only Martial Disciples, each moved with agile steps, clearly possessing decent martial skills.

Wu Tong gave a few more instructions to the arrogant youth before unhurriedly stepping into the darkness himself.

Half an hour later, deep in the woods.

Shi Mu was still running, carrying the young girl horizontally in his arms. His outer clothes had long been torn to shreds by branches and vines, leaving dense bloody scratches across his arms and legs.

He paid them no mind, instead veering sharply every so often to change direction.

The girl curled most of her body into Shi Mu's chest, her arms wrapped around his neck, her face slightly flushed as she remained silent.

In the dim night, with such intimate contact, her soft body and the faint fragrance emanating from it exuded an indescribable allure.

But at this moment, Shi Mu had no attention to spare for such pleasures. Relying on his keen eyesight, he desperately sought easier paths, his figure darting like a leopard.

Suddenly, he spun around and hid behind a large tree. After taking a deep breath, he tilted his head slightly to listen.

Zhong Xiu lifted her delicate face from his chest, her eyes glimmering as she stared at Shi Mu's unusually grave expression. For a moment, she seemed lost in thought.

But before long, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from behind, faintly mixed with low curses.

Shi Mu's expression shifted. Without a word, he turned and resumed running with the girl in his arms.

"Just as I thought. They must have some special tracking method—otherwise, there's no way they'd keep catching up so accurately in these woods. Brother Shi, put me down and save yourself. Without me holding you back, you might still have a chance to escape." Zhong Xiu, jolted back to reality by the sounds, spoke in a low voice.

"Miss Zhong, say no more. I may not be a hero or a good man, but I would never abandon a woman or child. Besides, Uncle Zhong entrusted you to me with his own lips before he died." Shi Mu replied without hesitation.

"But—"

"No buts! With my strength and stamina, carrying you isn't much of a burden. I could run all night without issue. Let's see if these pursuers have the same endurance to keep following." Shi Mu said with surprising calm.

"Alright, I won't say another word. At worst, little sister will live or die alongside Brother Shi."

Hearing this, the young girl's eyes flickered as she gazed at Shi Mu's face, then she spoke softly, tightening her arms around his neck.

But Shi Mu had no time to dwell on her words. His running steps suddenly came to a halt.

The trees ahead had grown sparse, and in the distance, a wide expanse of grassland was faintly visible.

In his rush, he had reached the edge of the woods.

Changing direction now was clearly too late.

Zhong Xiu saw this, yet felt oddly calm, without a trace of fear.

"It seems I can't avoid a fight now. Miss Zhong, hold on tight!"

Shi Mu said in a low, grim voice to the girl in his arms.

"Mm."

She responded with a soft, nasal hum.

Shi Mu then moved, dashing to a large tree. With a flick of his arms, he climbed like an ape, carrying the girl swiftly up to a fork in the branches about three or four zhang high.

After making sure she was holding tightly to the branch, he quickly instructed:

"Wait for me here. If I can drive off the pursuers, I'll come back for you."

With that, Shi Mu let out a "whoosh" as he jumped straight down from the tree and turned back, charging into the depths of the woods from which he had come.

Zhong Xiu, half-leaning against the branch on the tree fork, stared blankly at the spot where Shi Mu had disappeared. Her face was unusually pale, and the blue birthmark on her forehead seemed faint and elusive in the night, lending her an indescribable, delicate beauty.

After dashing back a considerable distance, Shi Mu narrowed his eyes. He suddenly dropped to one knee behind a tall bush, reached back with one hand, and steadily pulled the large purple bow from his back.

Several hundred zhang ahead, over a dozen figures were running toward his position.

These Wu Family riders naturally had no idea that someone could see them so clearly in the pitch-black night from such a distance. Instead, they were desperately closing in.

After more than an hour of relentless pursuit through the woods, most of these Wu Family riders were just as ragged as Shi Mu, their clothes in disarray, and some were even panting heavily.

Shi Mu sighed inwardly at the pity of it.

If he hadn't been driven to the edge of the woods, a little more running would likely have shaken off most of the pursuers.

As this thought crossed his mind, he let out a "swish" as he pulled a long arrow from the leather quiver on his back and nocked it to the bow with practiced ease.

"The Scent-Seeking Insect is reacting strongly again—they're just ahead!" someone exclaimed after a moment. The Wu Family riders, who had been sprinting, immediately slowed their pace.

But then another voice, tinged with dissatisfaction, rang out:

"Reacting again? Hu Lao'er, could the Scent-Seeking Insect be wrong? Every time you say the kid is up ahead, we chase after him and find no one. If we keep running like this, I'm afraid the brothers won't be able to hold out."

"Hmph, even if we're all wrong, the Scent-Seeking Insect wouldn't be. The reason we haven't caught him before is that he's too slippery, and you lot are too slow. But it looks like he can't run anymore this time. Just go ahead and grab him. It'd be best to get it done before Master Tong arrives. Otherwise, after chasing this long, he might lose his temper." The triangular-eyed man holding the wooden box replied bluntly.

(Sigh, Wang Yu's cold is getting worse, and my throat is swollen. I can only manage one chapter today.)