Hu Xiaotian killed Yang Daoyuan with a single slash, but he did not stop there. Before the enemy warriors could swarm him, he stripped the Armored Vest off the wretch in a few deft motions, picked up Yang Daoyuan's head, and leaped onto the Flying Owl's back.
Carrying Hu Xiaotian, the Flying Owl let out a commanding screech and climbed sharply upward.
Hundreds of warriors rushing over below aimed into the sky and fired. The Flying Owl beat its wings, batting away the arrows. Many flew back into the enemy camp, bringing an unbroken chorus of screams as more than a dozen warriors were struck by the falling arrowheads. By the time they organized a second volley, the Flying Owl and Hu Xiaotian had vanished into the night sky. Its flying speed was truly enough to shock the world.
Holding Yang Daoyuan's head, Hu Xiaotian saw it clearly in the moonlight and burst into laughter.
The Flying Owl screeched repeatedly as though joining in his laughter. Hu Xiaotian frowned at the sound. "Brother Owl, oh, Brother Owl, that voice of yours really isn't very refined. Don't frighten the children in the middle of the night. Even frightening the flowers and grass would be bad."
The Flying Owl suddenly dipped, startling Hu Xiaotian into clamping his legs around it. The creature was growing cleverer and cleverer; it seemed to understand everything he said. Hu Xiaotian inspected the Golden Armor he had stripped from Yang Daoyuan's corpse. This was good stuff. Of course, he already had inner armor made from Seven-Star Sea Snake skin to protect himself, but with so many beloved women, he did not have enough Armored Vests to go around. He would give this suit to Huo Shengnan when he returned. She commanded troops all day and sometimes had