Huo Qizhou somehow produced a dagger. With a flip of his wrist, he parried an arrow that came flying straight at them. The arrow turned into a streak of light and plunged obliquely into the ground.
When Shi Muyuan was about to land, she stepped on the long hem of her dress and failed to steady herself. Her body fell backward, and her hand tightly grasped Huo Qizhou's sleeve robe, dragging him back several steps as well.
Shi Muyuan landed on the ground, still in a panic. Suddenly, she was grabbed by someone.
"Ah! Help! Not again!"
Just as Huo Qizhou had fended off an assassin, he heard the scream. Turning his head, he saw Shi Muyuan being grabbed onto a horse's back and taken away. His eyes turned cold, and he cursed under his breath, "Damn it."
Looking back, he saw cavalrymen riding out of the city. He took a few steps and leaped onto a horse, quickly replacing the rider. Then he chased after the figure of the assassin who had captured Shi Muyuan.
The soldiers also rushed forward to stop the other assassins.
The assassin was eager to escape, so the horse galloped at full speed. Shi Muyuan lay prone on the horse's back, her chest and abdomen aching from the jolts, and tears streaming down her face.
She didn't know how long they had been running. Looking at the assassin's hand constantly whipping the reins in front of her, she made up her mind.
Anyway, she was going to suffer. Maybe if she fell off the horse now, the reinforcements would arrive in time. If she was easily taken away by the assassin, things might get even worse.
Death wasn't certain. If they wanted her dead, they could have given her a quick knife, so there was no need to drag her along as a burden while fleeing.
Shi Muyuan managed to grab the assassin's hand and took a hard bite.
The assassin cried out in pain, and his hand flailed, startling the horse. Both the assassin and the horse tumbled to the ground, and Shi Muyuan was no exception. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to come. But the next second, she was caught by a pair of strong hands.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Huo Qizhou's cold, dark, and fierce eyes, looking so domineering.
But at that moment, she felt a sense of security. It was an inexplicable trust. Although he didn't like her, she was sure he wouldn't let her die.
Huo Qizhou, who had a horse, had been closely following them. As they were chasing, the assassin suddenly shouted and fell off the horse. Huo Qizhou leaped into the air and caught the falling Shi Muyuan.
The two spun in the air, dodging several cold arrows. Their black and white robes seemed to outline a beautiful landscape painting in the air.
After the assassin landed, he quickly shot out several sleeve arrows. But seeing they all missed, he turned to run. However, he was pinned down by a flying dagger.
After Huo Qizhou put Shi Muyuan down, he drew out the long sword on the horse's back and waved it. The dazzling sword light shot up into the sky, like a silver dragon exuding a majestic aura.
In just a few moves, the assassin was subdued. Huo Qizhou used the tip of his sword to lift the black cloth on the assassin's face and then placed the sharp blade on the assassin's neck. "Speak! Who sent you?"
The assassin swallowed the blood welling up in his mouth and said nothing.
"Damn it! He's going to take poison!"
Shi Muyuan covered her stomach and managed to stand up. Seeing that something was wrong with the assassin, she shouted. Sure enough, the next second, the assassin rolled his eyes and died.
It was the first time she had seen a dead person, so she was a little scared. She timidly moved closer to Huo Qizhou, just like after watching a horror movie, feeling safer with someone around.
"How did you know?" Huo Qizhou didn't seem surprised at all. He sheathed his long sword and looked at her.
"This... I guessed. Isn't it usually like this?" She couldn't very well say that's how it was always shown on TV dramas.
"You knew he was going to take poison. Why didn't you stop him?" Shi Muyuan countered.
"There's no need to take a burden with us. There will surely be a live one left at the city gate."
"What if there isn't?"
"There's no what if." Huo Qizhou squatted down, pulled out the dagger stuck in the assassin's body, wiped it clean, and put it back into its sheath. Then he searched the body for clues.
Shi Muyuan pouted, annoyed at not getting the upper hand. He was so confident. She hoped he'd be proven wrong.
She noticed a pattern behind the assassin's ear. She said to Huo Qizhou impatiently, "Hey, there's something behind the assassin's ear."
Huo Qizhou paused, then turned the body over to check. Sure enough, he saw a tattoo in the shape of a dart. He made a judgment in his mind.
Just as he was about to stand up, a small hand suddenly pressed on his shoulder, pushing him down. Shi Muyuan covered her stomach and squatted down, grimacing in pain.
"Aren't you scared now?" Huo Qizhou frowned, brushed her hand away, and stood up without hesitation.
Shi Muyuan snorted in her heart. Who cared about him? But when she saw the dead body in front of her, she still felt a bit scared. She brazenly grabbed the corner of Huo Qizhou's robe and rummaged through the body with her fingertips.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for something valuable."
"Does Her Majesty the Empress Dowager lack anything? Taking things from a dead person."
"The palace surely doesn't lack anything, but I do now."
The assassin had taken her on a wild ride. She didn't believe there was any way for her to find the way back now. Moreover, the arrows they had dodged had injured the horse, and the assassin's horse had also fallen to the ground. As the sky was getting darker, there was nowhere to go.
Besides, she had eaten very little in the morning in her hurry to leave. After this ordeal, her stomach was hurting badly. She really wanted to find a place to rest and eat something.
She rummaged through and found a small pouch. There wasn't much silver in it, but it was better than nothing. She had brought few hairpins today and couldn't exchange them for money. She felt sorry for her gilded hand warmer. It could have bought her a good meal and a comfortable journey back to the capital. Or she could have just run away and lived a carefree life.
Huo Qizhou gave her a disdainful look. "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager can rest assured. There's no need to judge me with a petty mind. It's getting late. We'd better set off earlier. Maybe we can still find a place to stay. And those assassins were after you. Maybe more will come after us. We have to take a detour."
Huo Qizhou looked around. They were in a forest outside the city. There was no village in sight in front, and there would surely be pursuers behind. It seemed they could only hide for a while and then find a chance to get out.
Shi Muyuan didn't object. She stood up, holding onto the corner of Huo Qizhou's robe. The tearing pain in her chest and abdomen made her break out in a cold sweat. The lipstick on her lips had long faded, and her small face was deathly pale, looking extremely frightening.
Huo Qizhou thought she was just shaken up from the ride on the horse and hadn't recovered yet. He casually broke a thick wooden stick from a tree for her to lean on and walked in front to find the way.
Huo Qizhou remembered a deserted temple and led the way. Shi Muyuan managed to follow him and finally arrived. She even admired herself for being so tough.
It was already cold in the forest, and it got even colder at night. It had snowed the day before, and without the hand warmer, Shi Muyuan was shivering with cold, huddled in her fox fur cloak.
Seeing her like this, Huo Qizhou still had a bit of a conscience and built a fire next to her to keep her warm.
"Huo Qizhou, if I die from the pain, will you be happy?" Shi Muyuan suddenly asked, but no one answered her.
The man calmly threw more wood into the fire, not even looking at her.