Seeing that both passengers in the carriage were unharmed, Zhou Mo swiftly released the reins and rolled away. He had barely left his spot when a Loess Pillar crashed down with overwhelming force, leveling the fissure that had just opened.
Hu Xiaotian shielded Long Xiyue with one hand and Tang Qingxuan with the other. The three raised their heads amid the swirling dust, and Hu Xiaotian whistled. Little Gray immediately galloped over. Hu Xiaotian handed the reins to Tang Qingxuan, who swung into the saddle, then helped Long Xiyue onto the horse. He drew the Black-Gold Saber and stood guard beside them.
Suddenly, battle cries rang out through the clouds of dust. Arrows flew from every direction toward the party, which was still in disarray. They swarmed like locusts, and within moments, dozens of men had been struck and fallen.
Zhou Mo and Hu Xiaotian covered Princess Anping and Tang Qingxuan as they retreated behind an earthen wall. Several of their warriors also fell back toward them. Relying on their familiarity with the terrain, the ambushers attacked from cover on all sides, throwing the party into utter confusion. Dozens had already been killed or wounded before they could even get a clear look at their enemies.
Zhan Peng sprinted forward, dodging successive volleys of arrows while stripping a quiver from a dead warrior. Then he climbed a Loess Pillar like a nimble ape, seeking the ambushers' hiding places from above. He bent his bow and nocked his arrows. Not one missed its mark, and he shot down more than ten of the enemies surrounding them.
Zhou Mo charged ahead like a cannonball leaving the barrel and slammed his broad back into a Loess Pillar. Under his tremendous impact, the pillar collapsed with a thunderous crash, burying more than ten bandits