Shi Fang’s horse wasn’t an ordinary one. Although it couldn’t compare to those rare and valuable flying magical artifacts or flying boats that required a large amount of spiritual stones to operate, its running speed was definitely much faster than an ordinary horse.

At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about being caught by the beast horde chasing behind them.

Mi Lu quickly made a decision and climbed off the cart as fast as he could.

He grabbed the blanket covering him, along with the magical artifacts scattered on the ground, and stuffed them all into his storage pouch. Then, he scooped up Hulü Yan, blanket and all, and swiftly boarded Shi Fang’s carriage.

The step of the carriage was high, and while Mi Lu could have easily gotten on by himself, it was a different story when he was holding Hulü Yan. It was difficult.

Fortunately, a few slender arms reached out from inside the carriage and pulled him up.

With the help of Ni Wenhui and the others, Mi Lu got into the carriage. As he gasped for breath, he heard a desperate scream from outside: “What about me?!”

Mi Lu suddenly remembered that there was still Wei Sheng. He turned to look back.

Wei Sheng was tightly bound from head to toe with the Immortal Binding Rope, making it impossible for him to get on the carriage.

He was practically like an ant on a hot pan, frantically bouncing around outside the carriage. His reddened eyes glared at Mi Lu. “Aren’t you going to untie this Immortal Binding Rope? How am I supposed to get up otherwise?”

Mi Lu reached out and pulled off the Immortal Binding Rope that was restraining Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng quickly climbed into the carriage and sat down.

Seeing that everyone was on board, Shi Fang whipped the reins with a snap, urging the horse forward.

The horse neighed loudly and took off at full speed, pulling the carriage along as it raced across the dusty wasteland. Due to the rapid pace, the carriage swayed wildly from side to side.

What wasn’t a very large carriage now held six people, making the once spacious interior suddenly feel cramped. Those seated together found themselves practically leg to leg and hand to hand.

Since men and women sat separately, Ni Wenhui and the other two girls sat on one side, while Mi Lu, holding Hulü Yan, and Wei Sheng sat on the other.

Wei Sheng was still fuming after being left behind by Mi Lu earlier. He was so angry that his head spun, and he desperately wanted to settle the score with Mi Lu and Hulü Yan right there and then.

But he knew that it was only wishful thinking.

Not only was he currently no match for Mi Lu and Hulü Yan, but Shi Fang and the others were also present. Shi Fang had been accepted into the Tai Sheng Sect, which was no pushover. If it turned out that Hulü Yan had some other value, then their Medical Hall would have one more rival competing for Hulü Yan.

After thinking it over, Wei Sheng had no choice but to swallow his overwhelming fury.

In the end, his body trembled slightly, his face becoming dangerously dark.

Ni Wenhui and the others were startled by Wei Sheng’s ominous expression, but they didn’t dare ask questions. Instead, they all turned their gazes toward Mi Lu, who was adjusting Hulü Yan’s sleeping posture.

In terms of looks alone, Mi Lu was much more attractive than Wei Sheng and seemed like a nicer person too.

As for the person in Mi Lu’s arms, from their angle, they could only see the cascade of long, black hair and one hand peeking out from under the blanket.

Everything else was hidden beneath the blanket.

Ni Wenhui, who was sitting directly across from Mi Lu, lowered her gaze slightly, her eyes landing on the hand that lightly brushed against the hem of her skirt.

What a beautiful hand.

And so fair.

Ni Wenhui thought to herself that this hand was more delicate and lovely than any girl’s hand she had ever seen. They say you can tell a lot about a person by their hands, and she couldn’t help but wonder what sort of stunning beauty the owner of this hand must be.

Just as she finished her thought, Mi Lu’s grateful voice came from across her: “Thank you very much for your help, young ladies. I can’t thank you enough. Without the three of you, we might have all died here tonight!”

Ni Wenhui smiled politely behind her veil and was about to respond when Jing Tao, sitting next to her, nudged her with her elbow.

Understanding Jing Tao’s meaning, Ni Wenhui cleared her throat and swallowed the words she had been about to say.

Soon, Jing Tao responded in a different tone, “It was just a small gesture of help. Young master, there’s no need to be so formal.”

Yu Ying added, “But the direction we’re headed is completely opposite to that of the Medical Hall. If I remember correctly, the Medical Hall is in Jiu Yao County, right?”

“Yes.” Mi Lu nodded before continuing, “Right now, staying alive is the priority. Once we’ve lost the beast horde, I’ll trouble you to drop us off anywhere convenient.”

Yu Ying agreed with a simple nod.

After that, silence fell over them.

For a while, the only sounds were the rumbling of the carriage and the pounding of the horse’s hooves outside.

The beast horde was still hot on their heels, and the vibrations from the ground were growing stronger, shaking the carriage even more. Shi Fang had no choice but to lash the horse faster.

As the carriage sped up, it swayed even more violently from side to side.

Mi Lu, worried that Hulü Yan would end up squishing the girls sitting across from him, did his best to gather Hulü Yan’s arms and legs into his lap.

He couldn’t help but sneak a couple of glances at the girls across from him.

Was it just his imagination?

He felt like the girl’s clothing and demeanor were familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

Maybe he had seen her before.

But since she, like the other two, wore a veil over her face and had her hair covered by a thin blanket, with only a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes visible, there was no way to be sure.

Still, Mi Lu didn’t dwell on it. Other than Wei Sheng and the leader of the Medical Hall, everyone else was unimportant right now.

He quietly averted his gaze.

At that moment, Ni Wenhui couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer and asked in a low voice, “Young master, is the girl in your arms unwell?”

Before Mi Lu could answer, Wei Sheng let out a snicker. “Girl? He’s no girl. He’s just a guy with all the right parts.”

“What?” Not only Ni Wenhui, but even Jing Tao and Yu Ying looked shocked.

But before they could process their surprise, they quickly realized that Wei Sheng’s words had been rather crude.

In an instant, the three girls’ faces turned bright red.

Fortunately, their veils hid their embarrassment, so they didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing the awkward expressions on their faces.

Mi Lu hadn’t expected Ni Wenhui to mistake Hulü Yan for a girl. Though amused, he quickly came up with an explanation: “My junior brother was poisoned by a beast. Although his life isn’t in danger, he doesn’t wake up often. We have no choice but to return to our sect to get help for him.”

Wei Sheng snorted derisively. “Yeah, right.”

That excuse was so flimsy, no one would buy it.

“Poisoned?” Jing Tao furrowed her brow. “A beast’s poison must be treated as soon as possible, or it could still be life-threatening.”

Mi Lu sighed. “Exactly, which is why we’re in such a hurry to return to our sect.”

“I see.” Ni Wenhui felt a surge of sympathy and said compassionately, “If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Mi Lu smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

Wei Sheng was speechless.

Seriously? These three girls seemed so sharp, but they believed a total stranger’s story just like that?

His excitement at watching the drama unfold was immediately deflated, and he was left feeling thoroughly frustrated. He simply slumped back in his seat and watched Mi Lu’s performance in silence.

Then, in the next moment, the entire carriage lurched, and a terrified neigh came from the horse outside.

Mi Lu was startled by the sudden jolt and almost dropped Hulü Yan.

The carriage was shaking so violently now that none of them could maintain their balance.

Jing Tao and Yu Ying hurriedly shielded Ni Wenhui, and Jing Tao shouted, “Shi Fang! What’s going on?”

“Damn it!” Shi Fang’s cursing voice came from outside, breathless. “There’s another group of beasts ahead—it looks like… Eight-Eyed Chickens!”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud crash on the roof of the carriage.

Something had landed heavily on top of it.

The next moment, whatever it was had smashed a large hole through the roof, and the sound of wings flapping filled the air. The gusts of wind it created were so strong that it felt like Mi Lu was going to be blown right out of the carriage.

Before Mi Lu could even look up at the culprit, he heard Shi Fang shout, “Jump out of the carriage!”

Jing Tao and Yu Ying were the first to help Ni Wenhui leap from the carriage, and Mi Lu followed with Hulü Yan in his arms. Wei Sheng was the last to jump out.

His heart pounded wildly—he knew this was his chance.

It seemed like even the heavens were helping him!

He jumped off the carriage, intending to escape in the chaos, but before he could, something tightened around him—the Immortal Binding Rope had been thrown over him by Mi Lu once again, wrapping him up tightly.

Wei Sheng lost his balance and fell flat on the ground. Struggling like a wriggling worm, his eyes glared at Mi Lu, so red they looked like they might bleed. “Mi! Lu!”

Mi Lu looked down at him coldly. “Don’t blame me. I’m just eliminating future problems.”

Wei Sheng yelled angrily, “You’re going to get me killed!”

Mi Lu’s expression remained indifferent. “If you escape, I’ll be the one who dies.”

Hearing this, Wei Sheng’s body shook, and his mouth gaped open, but no words came out.

He had always thought Mi Lu was just a spoiled and naive young master, someone who had never experienced the harsh realities of life and still believed in the good in everyone—even Hulü Yan, despite his identity, and despite almost taking advantage of Mi Lu, hadn’t been abandoned or killed by him.

But now, it seemed he had been the naive one all along.

When it came down to it, this young master was far colder and more ruthless than anyone else he had ever known.

The others didn’t have time to care about what was happening between Mi Lu and Wei Sheng. They were already surrounded by two groups of beasts.

One group was the Red Fire Wolves that had chased them for over a hundred miles, and the other was the Eight-Eyed Chickens that had been drawn by the commotion. Together, there were thirty to forty beasts!

All of them stared menacingly at the small group of humans in the middle. Their red or green eyes flickered in the thick darkness, glowing with greedy intent.

The Red Fire Wolves were of the fire element, while the Eight-Eyed Chickens were of the water element, and they usually couldn’t stand each other. But tonight, for the first time in history, they seemed to have reached an agreement—to deal with the humans first.

The Red Fire Wolves unleashed fiery red attacks, while the Eight-Eyed Chickens fired off waves of blue water. Their combined assault rained down on the humans in a chaotic storm of fire and water.

The air crackled with dangerous energy.

The group in the middle scrambled to dodge the attacks.

Jing Tao instructed Yu Ying to protect Ni Wenhui, then summoned her life-bound sword, shouting as she charged forward alongside Shi Fang.

Yu Ying quickly formed hand seals and chanted under her breath.

Soon, a layer of pale golden light began to materialize in the turbulent air. The protective shield started weak, but it grew thicker and stronger with each passing second.

Ni Wenhui waved for Mi Lu to join them. “Come inside, quickly!”

Mi Lu, carrying Hulü Yan, hurried into the protective shield. After setting Hulü Yan down, he went back to drag Wei Sheng inside as well.

Ni Wenhui glanced at Wei Sheng lying on the ground, her expression hesitant as if she wanted to ask something, but in the end, she held her tongue.

Author’s Note:

Hulü Yan: Sorry, I ate too much. Need time to digest. (：з」∠)