"After her!" Hu Xiaotian made the decision at once and rode after Qiqi with Princess Anping. They had barely covered any distance when rain began to fall. A torrential downpour slanted out of the dark, overcast sky, blurring everything around them in an instant. The distant mountains, rivers, and trees seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye. The rain poured down relentlessly, like a thousand needles trailing ten thousand threads, stitching heaven and earth tightly together.
Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping soon lost their bearings. Afraid of getting separated, they had no choice but to slow their horses. The white horse beneath Princess Anping hung its head, plainly terrified by the sudden storm. By contrast, Hu Xiaotian's ugly gray horse showed not the slightest fear of the wind and rain. It held its head high, full of vigor. Hu Xiaotian shouted a suggestion to Princess Anping. "Why don't we go back first and get more people to help us find the Little Princess..." The wind and rain broke his voice into fragments.
Princess Anping held one hand over her brow to shield herself from the storm. She was soaked through, and the alluring curves of her delicate body stood out beneath her wet clothes. She shook her head firmly. "They... when they see we haven't returned... they'll come looking for us... let's keep searching... I'm worried something will happen to Qiqi..."
Unable to persuade her, Hu Xiaotian could only do as she wished. A gully appeared ahead. He lifted the reins, and the gray horse leaped across it. Princess Anping followed, intending to do the same, but the white horse had been scared out of its wits by the storm. Its movement went badly awry, and it jumped straight into the ditch. A sharp crack rang out from