The man fell backward, blood flowing from the back of his neck, staining the ground red.
Wu Shuangren continued to draw the bowstring at an extremely fast speed, and the second and third arrows followed closely behind, each one aimed at the brightest part of the fire.
Several people at the back of the line were hit by arrows one after another, and screams and shouts of alarm erupted at the same time!
The entire team was like a beehive that had been poked open; the firelight flickered wildly, and figures fled in panic.
The archers in the group arrived a while later, picked up their crossbows, and fired arrows in the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves came.
Arrows flew through the night wind, but because it was night and the horses were moving very fast, not a single arrow hit Wu Shuangren and the others. The rain of arrows chased after them and fell into the mud behind them.
After firing a volley of arrows, Wu Shuangren turned his horse around, circling back to create distance and get out of range of the archers in the column.
After the thirteen riders ran in an arc, they moved back to the flank of the column and began a new round of rapid fire.
Wu Shuangren used [Match for One Person] to lock onto his target from afar, drew his bow, and shot down an archer with one arrow, then struck a horse in the rump with another. The horse, in pain, neighed and bolted wildly through the ranks...
The thirteen riders galloped back and forth a hundred paces away, like a pack of wolves roaming outside the firelight, ready to pounce and tear off a piece of flesh at the opportune moment!
How many people came?
"Only a dozen or so riders!"
"Fuck your mother, you dare to talk back with such a small group of people!"
"Brothers, follow me and fight your way out!"
Someone in the group shouted and cursed.
A moment later, more than thirty riders charged out from the ranks.
These were mostly Mount Liang men, all skilled on horseback. They rode in groups of three or five, shouting various curses, chasing after Wu Shuangren and his men, their hooves kicking up mud and splashing it everywhere.
"Withdraw!"
Xu Jing shouted, and everyone turned their horses and fled.
Wu Shuangren lay on Azure Fire's back, reached into his quiver and pulled out an arrow, then turned sharply and aimed at what was behind him.
He drew his bow with incredible speed; before he could even fully straighten up, the arrow was already flying.
[Match for One Person] allows him to hit the target almost every time, but if the target is a martial artist with decent skills, and the opponent reacts quickly enough, they can dodge or block the incoming arrows.
Therefore, Wu Shuangren did not shoot directly at the person; he aimed at the horse beneath the target.
Whoosh--
The first arrow struck the horse that was chasing the fiercest rider squarely in the chest, causing the horse to stumble and throw its rider off its back.
Wu Shuangren two arrows in quick succession. The man had just landed and hadn't even regained his footing when the second arrow flew in and pierced his throat!
Xu Jing and the others also turned around on horseback and shot arrows, but their accuracy was not as good as Wu Shuangren's.
Xu Jing to hit one person, but the arrow was deflected by the opponent's weapon.
Wu Shuangren arrows in succession, always shooting at the horse first and then the man.
Almost every arrow he fired brought down the horse first, followed by a second arrow that took the man's life.
The bowstring twangs like thunder, and the arrow never misses its mark!
When the warriors on horseback lose their balance and fall, most of them are unable to react in time and cannot block the second arrow.
The Mount Liang men who chased after them were no better riders than Wu Shuangren, Xu Jing, and the others, and they couldn't catch up with the people in front of them for a long time.
They intentionally wanted to circle around to the right rear of Wu Shuangren and the others, making it easier to launch a counterattack with arrows.
When riding a horse, it is difficult for an archer to shoot straight ahead because the horse's head can easily block the shot, and the recoiling bowstring can also injure the horse's head.
In typical mounted archery, riders shoot to their left because most people hold the bow with their left hand and draw the string with their right. This posture leaves a large portion of the right side as a blind spot when shooting from horseback. (Note 1)
If you can't shoot with both hands, then the direction of mounted archery can only be fixed within a range slightly to the left.
Most of the Mount Liang warriors who fought their way out of the enemy camp were not ambidextrous.
Xu Jing his rich experience, led the way, always keeping everyone positioned to the right front of the enemy behind them.
In this way, the Mount Liang cavalry could only take the beating and could not retaliate.
After Wu Shuangren shot down six riders in succession, the remaining men finally panicked. Some reined in their horses and slowed down, while others simply turned and fled.
"Chase!"
Xu Jing maintained control of the pace of the mounted archery. Seeing the enemies behind him turning their horses around and fleeing, he immediately led his men back.
The fleeing Mount Liang cavalry also adopted Xu Jing's tactics, keeping themselves positioned to the right front of Xu Jing and his men at all times.
But what they didn't expect was that everyone, including Wu Shuangren, would use both hands!
Xu Jing and his eleven archers need no introduction; they had practiced horse archery since childhood and were truly elite riders, capable of serving as top-notch scouts for the border army.
As for Wu Shuangren, although he was not skilled at using both hands, he became proficient at locking onto enemies with [Match for One Person] after receiving a temporary enhancement!
Wu Shuangren and his men pursued while firing arrows, and of the thirty-odd riders from Mount Liang, less than ten eventually escaped back.
The entire procession had come to a complete stop. The monks on the outer perimeter raised their shields, and some even pushed out carts, tilting them to stand upright as 'walls'.
Wu Shuangren and his group did not approach, remaining on the perimeter, preparing to begin a new round of harassment.
Light cavalry against infantry is the most unbeatable tactic!
Soon, a dozen or so riders charged out from the ranks, fast and urgent, like arrows hurtling towards them!
The leader was Liang An, who was wearing light armor. He was not good at riding and archery, and the dozen or so warrior monks who charged out with him were also not good at riding and archery.
This time they didn't shoot arrows; instead Liang An, who was at the forefront and carrying a sword, lightly slashed at the horse's rump with his sword.
His warhorse charged forward at breakneck speed, as if it had gone mad!
The same was true of the others; a deafening clatter of hooves swept in like muffled thunder.
"You all leave!"
Wu Shuangren called out to Xu Jing.
Without hesitation, Xu Jing immediately led his eleven riders away.
Wu Shuangren leaped from Azure Fire's back to Thunder Treader's back, turned his horse around, and rode Thunder Treader alone to face the dozen or so riders who were charging at him!
Azure Fire excels at long-range attacks, so Wu Shuangren rode Azure Fire the entire time after leaving Yi Prefecture City.
Thunder Treader has the strongest explosive power for short-distance sprints, so he switched to Thunder Treader at this moment.
He sped along, the night wind filling the gaps between his nails, and soon Thunder Treader reached his maximum speed!
Facing the enemy head-on, Wu Shuangren set down his bow, picked up his longsword from the saddle, and lowered the blade as it rose and fell with the horse's hooves.
Under the moonlight, the blade reflected a cold light.
Liang An was at the forefront. He saw that only one person turned around and attacked, and he was overjoyed.
But when he got closer, he saw the long sword in Wu Shuangren's hand and his expression changed immediately.
Wu Shuangren?
How dare they bring only a dozen or so men to hunt us down?!
The two riders crossed paths in a split second; Liang An's twin swords were not as long as his long-handled broadsword, so he could only defend passively.
The long-handled sword whistled as it slashed down, and Liang An raised his twin swords to parry.
Bang!
As the sparks exploded, Liang An felt his arms go numb and almost dropped his knife.
The two riders passed each other, and Wu Shuangren was already facing the rider behind Liang An. With a flash of light, the spear in the hand of the warrior monk on horseback was smashed away, and he fell off his horse.
The next moment, Wu Shuangren swung his blade to the left to deflect the incoming spear, then swiftly swung it upwards, severing the spearman's arm and spear together!
In the blink of an eye, he fought four people in succession, killing two of them!
After recognizing Wu Shuangren, Liang An dared not fight anymore. After all, even Lin Qian was no match for him, and he himself was not good at mounted combat, so he was no match for him either.
"Withdraw--"
He lay prone on his horse and shouted loudly, then turned his horse around and retreated.
The other monks also guessed Wu Shuangren's identity, and their will to fight vanished, so they all retreated.
Wu Shuangren immediately turned his horse around and gave chase, shooting arrows as he went.
He shot down four more horses and killed three warrior monks.
The monk who hadn't been killed by the arrow ultimately couldn't escape; Wu Shuangren, who was chasing after him on horseback, chopped off his head with a single blow!
Wu Shuangren reined in his horse and stopped a hundred paces away.
Xu Jing and the others caught up from behind and stood together with Wu Shuangren in a line.
"It's Wu Shuangren!"
Liang An, who had escaped back to the group, relayed the news to Lin Qian and the others.
Ciwen had also come over at this time and was discussing countermeasures with several of the Mount Liang leaders.
"If he keeps shooting arrows like this from the outside, we won't be able to continue our journey."
Liang An looked at Ciwen, "Abbot, we must find a way to kill this man!"
Ciwen remained expressionless and said, word by word, "This brat is arrogant. The four of us will join forces and kill him."
Lin Qian remained silent.
Zhigang glanced at Lin Qian, then at Ciwen, and said, "I think it's a good idea. If we don't eliminate this man, we won't be able to return to Rong Province in peace. With him guarding Yi Prefecture City, he'll become a major threat to Mount Liang sooner or later!"
Liang An immediately said, "Alright, then the four of us will join forces and kill him!"
Lin Qian finally couldn't hold back any longer. "You are all renowned masters in the martial arts world, and now you actually want to join forces to kill an eighteen-year-old youth?"
Liang An looked at him and said coldly, "Instructor Lin, Mount Liang has already risen in rebellion. What is there left to the Jianghu? We are all soldiers fighting on the battlefield now, and in battle, we will stop at nothing!"
"..."
Lin Qian remained silent.
A moment later, the four men rode off on horseback.
"They came out together!"
Xu Jing said.
"Walk!"
Wu Shuangren gave a signal, and everyone immediately turned their horses around and retreated.
Wu Shuangren glanced back, hung the twelve-strength red bow back on the side of his horse, and drew the twenty-strength Startled Tiger Bow with a backhand.
He deliberately stayed at the back, keeping his horse slow, waiting for the four riders who were chasing him to get closer and closer.
They were about a hundred paces apart.
Wu Shuangren turned around on horseback, and [Match for One Person] locked onto Zhigang first. His blood and qi were boiling, and they poured into his limbs like a tide, causing his back and arm muscles to swell at the same time.
He drew his bow, nocked a heavy arrow, and the first arrow flew away.
The heavy arrow pierced the wind, shooting towards Zhigang's face like a black line.
Almost as soon as Wu Shuangren drew his bow and aimed, Zhigang sensed something.
Upon reaching the First Rate level, martial artists become even more acute in their sense of danger!
Zhigang swung his staff in front of him with one hand, deflecting the heavy arrow that was shot at him. The arrow was quite powerful, and it sparked a few flecks upon impact.
The second arrow came, Zhigang once again swung his staff to deflect it accurately.
After three arrows, the fourth arrow was shot at his warhorse.
The first three arrows were too fast and too heavy. Each time Zhigang parried a heavy arrow, he was slightly affected. In addition, he was wielding his weapon with one hand, which made him slower than usual. Therefore, he did not have time to block the fourth arrow, and his warhorse was pierced through the abdomen by an arrow!
The warhorse neighed and collapsed forward, forcing Zhigang to leap off its back.
Ahead, Wu Shuangren immediately changed direction and fired a heavy arrow at Lin Qian.
Seeing a dark shadow shooting towards him, Lin Qian swept his silver spear, the tip of the spear colliding with the arrow shaft, causing a hum and the arrow to bounce off.
He wielded the gun with one hand, yet he perfectly deflected every heavy arrow fired by Wu Shuangren!