The two of them trained and disciplined the militiamen according to the items and daily requirements listed by Wu Shuangren, and also communicated with Wu Shuangren regularly to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Wu Dongrong was holding a package containing shoes made by Xu Nanzhi.
He summoned a militiaman named Wang Zhu, who was honest, reliable, and a good horseman.
"Zhuzi, take this to West River Market and give it to Militia Commander Wu."
Wu Dongrong handed over the package, saying, "I'm leaving today."
"Yes."
Wang Zhu took the package with both hands, turned to fetch the horse, then stopped, turned back, and said hesitantly, "Sir, there's something I need to ask you—"
"Explain."
Sun Yong went to West River Market to deliver a message the day before yesterday, and hasn't returned yet.
Wang Zhu scratched his head. "He should have been back yesterday evening."
After Wu Shuangren occupied West River Market, regular communication was established between Bo County and West River Market. Usually, it was once every five days, with the militiamen delivering the messages setting off on the same day and returning the next day without delay. Sun Yong and Wang Zhu were two messengers who specialized in this route. They knew the way well and were fast on horseback, so they never made a mistake.
When did you leave the day before yesterday?
"We set off very early in the morning, before dawn."
"Did he take the main road or the side road?"
"The official road, that's what we used to do. It's easy and fast."
Wu Dongrong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Go and call Li Quan and Zhao Laosi here."
Li Quan and Zhao Laosi used to be bodyguards for the Mo Family and were quite skilled. Later, at Mo Zhenglin's behest, they both joined the local militia.
Both of them knew how to ride horses. They had accompanied Wu Dongrong when he led more than 700 new recruits to West River Market.
The two men arrived quickly and stood in front of Wu Dongrong, waiting for instructions.
"You two ride fast horses to West River Market."
Wu Dongrong's tone was more somber than usual, "Before we left, I led you along the side road, not the main road. When you get to West River Market, immediately check if Sun Yong has delivered any messages in the past two days. If you don't see Sun Yong in West River Market, then something has happened, and you must immediately report to Militia Commander Wu, understand?"
The two nodded. "Understood!"
They turned and hurried toward the stables, soon riding away.
Wu Dongrong stood under the shade of the canopy, watching the two figures leave, feeling a vague unease in his heart.
Wang Zhu was still holding the package containing the shoes.
"Sir, what about this package...?"
Wu Dongrong then realized that the package hadn't been delivered yet.
"Let's leave it for now and talk about it after we've confirmed Sun Yong's situation."
On the official road.
The moment the rain of arrows poured out, Wu Shuangren had already drawn his Fish-Dragon Saber.
This time, to conceal their identities, neither he nor Xu Yu brought their Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), because it would be too conspicuous.
Wu Shuangren carried the Fish-Dragon Saber, Xu Yu carried a simple broadsword. Neither of them wore full leather armor; they only wore a leather armor underneath their clothes to protect their torsos.
Wu Shuangren flicked his wrist, the blade flashing and weaving a net in front of him. Three arrows aimed at his torso were deflected by the blade, while the other two grazed his shoulders and lower back, their arrowheads tearing through his clothes before bouncing off his leather armor.
Xu Yu didn't have such skillful swordsmanship; he swung his sword entirely on instinct, relying on speed and strength to deflect the incoming arrows!
However, the primary target of this volley of arrows was not the two individuals.
Almost simultaneously, two arrows struck the neck of Wu Shuangren. The horse let out a shrill neigh, its front hooves left the ground, and its entire body fell backward, with blood gushing from the arrow holes in its neck!
The horse crashed to the ground, but Wu Shuangren jumped away in time to avoid being crushed.
On the other side, Xu Yu's horse was also hit by arrows. Three arrows pierced the horse's belly almost simultaneously, and the horse knelt down. Xu Yu dismounted before it completely collapsed.
"Go into the woods!"
Wu Shuangren shouted, leading Xu Yu as they charged into the locust grove on the right.
Soon, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from ahead.
At least several dozen riders!
The horses' hooves pounded the muddy ground with a dull thud, like thunder. Someone shouted, someone drew their bow; arrows grazed the figures of the two men and struck tree trunks with a resounding thud!
After rushing into the locust grove, Wu Shuangren quickly glanced at the surrounding terrain, and his heart sank.
The trees were widely spaced, the shrubs were sparse, and the ground was relatively flat, without steep slopes or gullies. This place was clearly a carefully chosen ambush site by the enemy.
A skilled rider can easily ride through the woods at almost no speed!
'Are they from the Mist Hidden Temple, or from the Zhang Clan?'
How did the enemy know I would leave West River Market for Bo County today?
'Is there a mole?'
In a flash, many thoughts raced through Wu Shuangren's mind.
The sound of pursuing horses' hooves grew ever closer!
Wu Shuangren took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
He knew he couldn't escape. Even with his Internal Skill, human power couldn't match the strength of a horse. Even First Rate martial artist could outrun a horse in a short sprint, but their endurance over a long distance was unlikely to surpass that of a warhorse.
"Prepare to steal their horses!"
Wu Shuangren quickly made a decision and whispered to Xu Yu.
Unable to come up with a brilliant plan in a short time, Wu Shuangren's plan was to seize the horses first, and then find an opportunity to break through.
The two stopped running and hid behind a thick locust tree. Just as they were hidden, three riders roared past them. The riders on horseback drew their bows and nocked arrows, their eyes sharp as eagles!
Wu Shuangren locked onto one of the individuals in the [Match for One Person] list. The Traits appeared, and a vibrant green light swirled above his head. A warm current surged through his body, flowing to every limb and bone.
With his Internal Skill enhanced, Wu Shuangren emerged from behind the tree, forcefully pushing off the trunk with his left foot, and launched himself forward like an arrow!
The rider on horseback almost instinctively fired an arrow, which grazed Wu Shuangren's cheek. Without hesitation, he leaped to the side of the rider's horse, his Fish-Dragon Saber slashing upwards, the blade cutting into the rider's right arm as he drew his bow, severing the arm.
Before the rider could even scream, Wu Shuangren had already swiftly slashed him off his horse. Turning around, he grabbed the reins, flipped himself back onto the horse, and the whole action was completed in one fluid motion!
Whoosh--
An arrow grazed Wu Shuangren's scalp, as a third rider seized the opportunity to shoot an arrow at Wu Shuangren, who had just taken the horse!
Wu Shuangren had already switched his target [Match for One Person] when he leaped onto his horse, so he dodged the arrow in time.
The horse he had stolen still had a spare bow and arrow hanging from its saddle. He immediately grabbed the bow, took an arrow, nocked it, aimed at the target, and fired.
The entire action was completed in the blink of an eye, with an arrow striking the enemy's warhorse and forcing it to stop!
Xu Yu on the other side was Xu Yu more aggressive. He pounced like a tiger, grabbed the rider's waist with one hand, forcibly pulled the other off the horse, ran a few steps, leaped up, and jumped back onto the horse.
"Walk!"
Wu Shuangren spurred his horse forward, with Xu Yu close behind.
But the problem was immediately apparent.
Wu Shuangren had already honed his horsemanship with the help of the Traits; he controlled the horse with his legs, and his body swayed naturally with the rise and fall of the horse's back. He could skillfully adjust his direction to avoid trees when riding through the forest, but Xu Yu could not.
Xu Yu has only been learning to ride a horse for a month, and without the aid of Traits like "[Match for One Person]", he cannot reach Wu Shuangren's level.
Running laps on the training ground and riding a horse through the woods are two completely different things. Xu Yu's body felt stiff on the horse's back. The reins were pulled too tight, and he couldn't adjust his direction in time, so his speed quickly slowed down.
Seeing that more enemies were closing in on horseback, Xu Yu shouted to Wu Shuangren in front of him:
"Big brother, don't worry about me, you go first!"
Before he could finish speaking, the pursuers had already surrounded him from both sides.
Five riders circled around from the left, while four blocked their path from the right. The sound of hooves echoed through the woods, rustling down fallen leaves. These riders were all clad in full leather armor, possessed superb horsemanship, and coordinated perfectly with each other. They did not rush to engage in hand-to-hand combat but instead continuously tightened their encirclement, firing arrows at Xu Yu.
Xu Yu was forced to dismount and dodge, otherwise he would be a sitting duck!
Seeing Xu Yu dismount to dodge, two riders attacked from both sides simultaneously. One rider swung his sword at his neck, while the other thrust his spear at his waist.
Xu Yu tilted his head back to dodge the first slash, and used his backhand to parry the second spear, but the immense force of the spear still caused him to lose his balance.
Before he could adjust, the third rider charged from the front. This rider held an iron spear, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the dappled shadows of the trees. Taking advantage of the speed of his horse's charge, he thrust the spear forward.
The spear tip pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound!
The rider's internal Internal Skill was only around the Sixth Rank, but with the help of his warhorse's charge, the thrust he made was enough to threaten Xu Yu!
In his haste, Xu Yu could only manage a quick step to dodge, his blade striking the tip of the iron spear.
Clang--
The spear tip grazed Xu Yu's ribs, tearing through his leather armor, and the immense impact caused him to stagger backward.
The enemy seized the opportunity to fire arrows. Xu Yu dodged two arrows, but was still hit in the back!
Fortunately, the leather armor provided protection, so the arrow didn't penetrate too deeply into the flesh.
Ahead, Wu Shuangren turned around and saw this scene. He immediately reined in his horse, turned it around without hesitation, squeezed its flanks with both legs, and charged back towards Xu Yu's direction!
During the sprint, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow again.
[Match for One Person] Locks onto the outermost rider who is drawing his bow and aiming at Xu Yu.
The bowstring twanged, and the arrow flew out.
Whoosh!
The arrow pierced through the foliage and struck the rider squarely in the throat!
Before the rider could release his bow, he was thrown from his horse and crashed heavily to the ground.
Shooting an arrow while mounted and shooting one while standing firmly on flat ground are two completely different levels of difficulty!
For the past month Xu Yu, while Xu Yu was practicing riding skills, Wu Shuangren was practicing mounted archery. Even with the assistance of [Match for One Person], he was still only at the beginner level.
But now, with the enhancement of the Traits, his mounted archery skills have reached a high level!
Without pausing after the first arrow, Wu Shuangren fired the second arrow in quick succession.
However, the rider who was targeted this time reacted quickly, suddenly lowering his body and pressing himself against the horse's back. The arrow grazed the back of his head, taking only a few strands of hair.
Wu Shuangren was not surprised by this, and simply continued to draw his bow and shoot arrows.
[Match for One Person] can guarantee his victory, but only if he uses his full potential instead of limiting himself. He is clearly best at close combat, but he only wants to shoot arrows from a distance.
Therefore, it is impossible to defeat all enemies with archery skills alone, unless archery is Wu Shuangren's strongest skill.
Several arrows were fired in quick succession, and another rider was shot down, closing the distance between the two sides.
Wu Shuangren threw away his bow and arrows and drew his Fish-Dragon Saber.
A rider wielding a scimitar charged at him!
The two riders passed each other, their blades clashing and sending sparks flying.
Clang--
Wu Shuangren deflected his opponent's scimitar, then thrust his Fish-Dragon Saber forward, using the momentum of his warhorse to easily sever his opponent's head.
A head flew off, and blood drew an arc in the air.
Before Wu Shuangren adjust, a second rider charged from the right, his spear propelled by the horse's momentum, aiming straight for Wu Shuangren's face!
Wu Shuangren did not parry. Just as the spear tip was about to touch his face, he flipped off the horse to the right, hooked his left leg on the saddle, and his body was almost touching the ground. The spear grazed his head and missed.
At the same time, the Fish-Dragon Saber slashed out, the blade striking the enemy horse's hind leg. The horse let out a miserable whinny, its front legs buckled to the ground, and the rider on its back was thrown off by the momentum!
Two encounters, two riders fall!
Wu Shuangren rushed to Xu Yu's side and reined in his warhorse.
The remaining riders also reined in their horses, which trotted about restlessly and snorted uneasily.
There were more than a dozen riders surrounding the two men, and more riders were on their way!
Wu Shuangren sat on horseback, holding the Fish-Dragon Saber in his hand, blood dripping down the blade's spine.
"Big brother, don't worry about me, let's go!!"