Someone in the crowd shouted, "Beat him!" More than a dozen Black Miao men charged menacingly at Hu Xiaotian. He really had been wronged: all along, he had intended to stay out of it and watch from the sidelines. Unfortunately, he had an impulsive companion like Murong Feiyan, who had rushed in to right a wrong before she even understood the situation. Worse still, she had tossed him a bundle, clearly intent on dragging him into the mire with her.
Under the circumstances, Hu Xiaotian had no way of staying out of it. The Black Miao men could not have cared less whether he was involved. Convinced he was Murong Feiyan's accomplice, they drew the weapons hanging at their waists and pursued him ferociously. He was indeed her companion, but he had never meant to interfere with their bride-snatching. Knowing that explanations would be useless, he turned and ran. After a few steps, he realized that his pursuers were not dwindling; their numbers were actually growing. The reason was easy to find: the Black Miao woman in red followed him like his shadow, fleeing right alongside him. Naturally, he had become the target of every arrow.
In the distance, Murong Feiyan was already fighting several Black Miao men. She had underestimated their strength and was locked in a fierce struggle with five of them. From the look of things, she would not be able to break away and rescue Hu Xiaotian anytime soon. His only choice was to run like mad. The Black Miao woman was every bit as fast as he was. A fork appeared ahead, and an idea struck him. Panting, he told her, "You go left, I'll go right. We'll have a better chance of escaping if we split up." His real intention was to shake her