Ling Xiao gave a faint smile and said, "I’m afraid you’ve really got the wrong person. You came here because you heard the Second Prince was sending people, right? You’ve been played! If you don’t believe me, send someone to ask around. They took the people away yesterday!"

The pupils under the Knight Leader’s mask contracted. The killing intent around him subsided as he gestured for a subordinate, whispered a few words, and sent him away. Before long, the subordinate ran back, his face pale, and said a few words to the Knight Leader. The Knight Leader furiously stomped his stirrup, and the warhorse beneath him shifted its hooves restlessly.

"Hmph, to know so many details... you must be no saint yourself!"

The Knight Leader pointed his Knight’s Lance at Ling Xiao again. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the ordinary-looking, dark-skinned boy suddenly magnify before his eyes!

Horrified, he had just started to raise his Knight’s Lance when a thunderous blow landed on his face!

Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through his nose. Snot and tears streamed down his face; it was a miserable feeling he had never experienced before in his life.

Ling Xiao’s punch had caved in the Knight Leader’s mask, knocking him off his horse. One of his feet was still caught in the stirrup! Ling Xiao reached out, yanked the man’s body free, then gripped his throat tightly and said in a low voice, "Tell your men to drop their weapons and get the hell off their horses!"

"You dar—" The Knight Leader only managed one word before he felt his throat tighten, the sensation of suffocation overwhelming him. His face turned purple and he flailed his arms and legs. The nearby attendants didn’t dare approach, terrified that the dark-skinned boy would go berserk and crush their leader’s throat.

Ling Xiao loosened his grip slightly. The Knight Leader’s throat sounded like a bellows, making a few wheezing noises as he greedily sucked in a few breaths of air. Then he waved at the men behind him! The several hundred Knights immediately put away their heavy crossbows and jumped down from their horses.

Ling Xiao glanced at Ye Wen Ni and asked, "Is everyone here?"

Ye Wen Ni glanced at the boy called Little Dog. Little Dog tore his terrified gaze away from Ling Xiao and nodded. "We’re all here."

Ling Xiao asked again, "Do you all know how to ride?"

All the children nodded in unison, which surprised Ling Xiao a little. Ye Wen Ni explained softly, "He trained them in all these things!"

Ling Xiao couldn’t help but be secretly shocked. ’The Southern King really is formidable! Who knows how many more places like this he has, all capable of cultivating various kinds of talent for him.’

"Have your men fall back five hundred meters! No... have them fall back until I can’t see them anymore!"

Ling Xiao whispered in the Knight Leader’s ear, "You can say you ran into... an expert from the Sword Sect... under the Second Prince. Heh, consider this information a gift from me. It’ll keep you from losing your post when you get back!"

The Knight was startled and asked in a low voice, "Is what you’re saying true?"

Ling Xiao gave a cold smile. "Go back and ask your master. Just mention the Tier Five Magical Beast that went missing on the long street last year. He’ll understand!"

The Knight Leader fell silent for a moment before ordering his men to obey Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao glanced at Little Dog, gestured to the heavy crossbows on the ground outside the courtyard wall, and said, "One for each of you! The rest... destroy them! One warhorse for each of you. As for the rest, drive them away!"

"You..." The Knight Leader hadn’t expected Ling Xiao to be so ruthless, completely cutting off their means of pursuit.

Ling Xiao sneered, "Don’t think that just because I gave you a piece of information, we’re on the same side! I’m not killing you today simply because I don’t feel like it!"

"Let’s go!"

Ling Xiao held the Knight Leader as he spurred his horse, riding more than ten li out of the west gate of Wutang Town before finally setting the man down. He then said to him, "Go back and tell your master... he’s a far cry from the Southern King!" With that, he pulled on the reins. The warhorse reared up on its two front legs before landing again with a long neigh and galloping away!

Among the thirty-some riders, the youngest child was only seven or eight and couldn’t even reach the stirrups, yet they rode with a practiced form. It was clear they had no shortage of such training in their daily lives!

Just then, a cry echoed from the sky. Everyone looked up. The children stared in horror at a gigantic, eagle-like bird with snow-white feathers circling in the air before flying off in one direction!

Ling Xiao snorted coldly and said to Ye Wen Ni, "They took a side road, and they’re in a carriage! In less than half a day, we’ll be able to catch up! When we do, you and Yisha will look after these children. Clown and I are more than enough to take care of that group!"

Ye Wen Ni and Yisha nodded, but they were both puzzled. ’Clown can’t talk, so how does Ling Xiao know all these details?’

The children, one and all, watched Ling Xiao riding at the very front, their eyes filled with adoration. Little Dog led his horse over to Ye Wen Ni and asked quietly, "Sister Yezi, that man... is he your boyfriend?"

Although Ye Wen Ni was in disguise, her face still flushed slightly as she said, "You’re just a kid, what do you know? Don’t talk nonsense!"

Little Dog didn’t seem to mind, saying, "He might be a bit ugly, but he sure looks capable! Hmph, if some useless guy wants to marry our Big Sister, he’ll have to get through us first! I guess he’s so-so, but I wonder where he’s taking us."

A smile on her face, Ye Wen Ni playfully scolded, "You little mutt, you sure have a lot of opinions! Wherever Big Sister goes, you just follow! Why ask so many questions?"

"Big Sister, do you think he can rescue Sister Xiaoyu and the others?" Little Dog said with a worried expression. "Those guys who came yesterday all looked like sex-starved fiends. Dammit, we really can’t let Sister Xiaoyu fall into their hands!"

Ye Wen Ni glanced at Little Dog. ’This kid only pretended to be civilized for a moment before reverting to his true self. Growing up in this kind of environment, every single one of them is sharp as a tack. If they lack anything, it’s only that they haven’t seen the wider world. If these children were given enough room to grow, every one of them could definitely hold their own in the future!’

Ye Wen Ni sighed. The ones still in the compound were all apprentices who hadn’t officially "graduated." They were all extremely malleable children. Many who had already left had probably long since blended into the world. Even if she found them, they probably wouldn’t believe her. Perhaps some had already earned the Southern King’s approval!

Ye Wen Ni didn’t answer Little Dog’s question. She had great faith in Ling Xiao. She believed that even in the most desperate situation, as long as he was there, there would be hope!

Ling Xiao spurred his horse onward, taking the lead and gradually leaving the others behind. Clown had already used their spiritual link to tell Ling Xiao everything he needed to know. It was high noon, and the sun overhead was so warm and comforting it made one feel lazy.

Clown sent a warning from the air. The group was twenty li away.

Ling Xiao flicked his finger through the air, and several tents and some food appeared on the ground. He then spurred his horse and rode off.

When Ye Wen Ni caught up, she reined in her horse and ordered, "Rest here!"

Yisha watched the direction Ling Xiao had gone with some worry. "Brother... he won’t be in danger, will he?"

Ye Wen Ni said calmly, "What we need to do is... trust him! And support him!"

...

When he was still one li away, the enemy scouts had already spotted his rapidly approaching horse and warned their companions. But Ling Xiao’s horse was simply too fast! The warhorse itself was a top-grade steed, and in Ling Xiao’s hands, it was able to unleash its full potential!

Just as a man hopes to serve an enlightened lord, a warhorse also wishes for a good master who can allow it to display its full strength!

Ling Xiao rode his horse, dragging the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword behind him. A long trail of blood-red Sword Qi, like fresh blood, hissed from the blade!

He quickly caught up to the fleeing scout. A flash of red light, a bloody gash appeared on the scout’s neck, and he instantly fell to the ground. It was only long after Ling Xiao’s warhorse had passed that blood began to gush from the scout’s wound.

The warhorse beneath him seemed to sense the boiling blood in Ling Xiao’s veins. It let out a wild, high-pitched neigh and charged like the wind toward a convoy ahead. The people there had watched Ling Xiao kill the scout and were utterly terrified! Then they saw the horse Ling Xiao was riding. One couldn’t help but shout, "It’s the Crown Prince’s men! Dammit, how did they get here so fast!"

As Ling Xiao charged forward, a powerful aura erupted from an enemy carriage. A middle-aged man holding a gleaming treasure sword leaped into the air, pausing to look down on Ling Xiao with an arrogant expression. He pointed his sword and said, "What little brat is this, seeking death?!"

Ling Xiao didn’t waste a single word. He sat steady as a mountain on his horse, coldly watching the man in mid-air. An immense pressure from his Spiritual Power crashed down on him. The Demon Sword Master in the air instantly let out a great roar as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His expression immediately faltered, and his body began to fall. Ling Xiao’s warhorse surged forward, and a flash of blood-red light... erupted in the air!

Without even making a single move, the Demon Sword Master was already a corpse!

"Ah!"

The remaining men were scared out of their wits and fled in all directions! 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A shrill cry came from the sky, and a white shadow flashed like lightning! In a matter of moments, Ling Xiao and clown had slaughtered all twenty-some men.

At that moment, more than twenty girls emerged from the carriages. The oldest were seventeen or eighteen, and the youngest were fourteen or fifteen. They were all exceptionally beautiful, with a refined air, and carried themselves with grace.

One of them, a young woman who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, wore a white dress. Her skin was fairer than snow, and she had an oval face, with slender, willow-leaf eyebrows that looked as if they were painted on. She had beautiful waist-length hair and a pair of starry eyes as black as ink. There wasn’t much panic in her gaze. She stared at Ling Xiao for a moment and asked softly, "May I ask, who are you, big brother?"

Ling Xiao nodded at her. "Ye Wen Ni is still behind. Come with me to meet her."

"Ah, you’re a friend of Ye Zi!" the young woman said in pleasant surprise. "That’s wonderful! I never thought Ye Zi would have a friend as powerful as you. The man you just killed with a single sword strike was a Second Rank Demon Sword Master!"

Ling Xiao gave a faint smile and said, "Let’s go."

Ye Zi and the others had just finished setting up their tents when they saw a group of people approaching from ahead. The children immediately mounted their horses to greet them. When they were reunited, everyone was naturally overcome with excitement.

Ye Wen Ni gazed at Ling Xiao with her limpid, autumn-water eyes and said, "Thank you!" (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters. Support the author and support genuine reading!)