sinovels Chapter 117 Can't Ride a Horse
Chapter 117 Can't Ride a Horse
Just then, a soft sound came from deep within the bamboo forest—like a branch breaking, or like someone crushing the dead leaves on the ground.
Jiang Xun felt a chill and turned to leave.
But as soon as he turned around, a figure emerged from behind the bamboo grove.
Under the moonlight, the man was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a curved sword hanging at his waist. His face was cold and hard, and his eyes were gloomy—it was the young city lord, Helian Jun.
"Who?" The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling coldness, like a blade pressed against your back.
Jiang Xun didn't answer, and ran away.
Helian Jun reacted extremely quickly, catching up almost the instant he turned around.
His lightness skill was not weak; in a few leaps, he caught up with Jiang Xun and struck out with a palm.
The palm strike whistled, carrying a chilling internal force, heading straight for Jiang Xun's back.
Jiang Xun had no choice but to rely on his internal strength to take the blow head-on.
"Bang!"
The two palms clashed together, producing a dull, loud thud, like two stones colliding.
Helian Jun was forced back three steps, and the blue bricks beneath his feet shattered.
Jiang Xun also swayed, his arm feeling numb.
Taking advantage of the situation, he pushed off with his feet, unleashing the full power of the Azure Lotus Divine Speed, and disappeared into the night in a few leaps, like a drop of ink merging into darkness.
Behind him, Helian Jun stood still, watching his retreating figure with a gloomy expression, but he showed no intention of continuing to chase.
"Such profound internal strength..." He looked down at his palm, which was slightly numb, and a trace of blood seeped from the base of his thumb.
Jiang Xun climbed over the wall back to his courtyard, went inside, took off his night clothes and stuffed them under the bed, changed into his original clothes, and lay down on the bed.
My heart was pounding like a drum, but my breathing had calmed down.
He had already prepared his explanation when Helian Jun came to search the place, but strangely, there was no movement outside.
There were no footsteps, no knocking, not even a dog barking.
The entire city lord's mansion was as quiet as if nothing had happened.
Did Helian Jun not come after us?
Or did he simply fail to see himself clearly?
No, with his skills and eyesight, it's impossible that he didn't notice anything.
Jiang Xun lay on the bed, staring at Cheng Chen above his head. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
After a long time, there was still no movement outside.
Jiang Xun finally couldn't hold on any longer; his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, before dawn, Jiang Xun was woken up by a knock on the door.
"Young Master Jiang, it's time to depart." The voice of a servant from the City Lord's Mansion came from outside the door, respectful but not allowing for delay.
Jiang Xun rubbed his eyes and sat up.
The sky outside the window was still dark, with only a sliver of gray-white showing through the eastern horizon, like a thin line barely cutting through the night.
He quickly washed up, put on his thick cloth clothes, and wore a sheepskin vest over them before going out.
In the courtyard of the east wing, everyone had already arrived.
Chen Lei stood under the corridor, dressed in a dark blue outfit with a gray squirrel fur coat over it. A long sword hung at his waist, and his hair was neatly tied up, making him look energetic.
Ye Qingying changed into a moon-white, narrow-sleeved riding outfit, her hair tied into a long braid hanging down her back, losing some of her ethereal beauty but gaining more of a neat and capable air.
Tuoba Feng leaned against a pillar, expressionless, with his eyes closed as if he were asleep, as if everything around him was irrelevant.
Xiao Rui stood on the other side, dressed in a dark gray brocade robe, with a jade-inlaid longsword hanging at his waist. He smiled and nodded to Chen Lei, exuding elegance.
"Everyone's here." Huang Hu walked over from the direction of the main hall, followed by several servants carrying bundles and food boxes. "Let's go."
The group passed through the main hall and exited through the back door of the city lord's mansion.
Outside the back gate was a narrow alley, with a dozen horses parked at the entrance and a squad of guards in black.
The personal guards sent by Helian Quan were led by Sun Xing, the man with a scar on his face.
"Gentlemen, please mount your horses." Sun Xing gestured.
Chen Lei mounted his horse with swift and fluid movements.
Ye Qingying also mounted the horse, her movements light and graceful, like a leaf landing on the horse's back.
Xiao Rui's mounting posture was even more fluid and graceful. He touched the stirrup with his toes and sat steadily on the horse, clearly showing that he had grown up on horseback.
Only Jiang Xun stood there, staring blankly at the tall horse.
The horse was taller than him, with a glossy coat, white breath coming out of its nostrils, and its hooves pawing the ground twice, making a "clop-clop" sound.
Jiang Xun swallowed hard, his mind racing with just one thought—how do I get up there?
"Young Master Jiang?" Sun Xing looked at him, his eyes filled with a hint of confusion.
"Um..." Jiang Xun scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, "I've never ridden a horse before."
The alleyway fell silent for a moment.
Someone chuckled softly, then quickly stifled it, leaving only a short "hiss".
Tuoba Feng walked over expressionlessly and glanced at Jiang Xun.
"Ride with me on one horse."
He mounted his horse swiftly and decisively, then reached out his hand to Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun hesitated for a moment, then grasped that hand.
Tuoba Feng's hands were cold but strong, and he pulled him up.
The horse's back was much higher than he had imagined, and it swayed a bit when he sat on it. He quickly grabbed Tuoba Feng's clothes, his five fingers clenching tightly.
"Don't hold on so tightly," Tuoba Feng's voice came from ahead. "You won't fall."
"I'm scared," Jiang Xun said honestly, his voice a little strained.
Tuoba Feng didn't say anything more, but spurred his horse, and the horse started to trot.
Jiang Xun swayed suddenly and quickly grabbed his clothes, this time gripping them even tighter until her knuckles turned white.
After leaving Shuofeng City, we headed west.
There was still a road at the beginning, although it was bumpy and uneven, at least you could tell it was a road.
After walking for a long time, the road turned into a gravel beach, where the horse's hooves made a clattering sound and slipped every now and then, making Jiang Xun's heart jump.
After walking for another half a day, the pebble beach turned into a wasteland.
The endless gray-yellow stretched to the horizon, merging with the gray-white sky, making it impossible to distinguish where the ground ended and the sky began, as if someone had wiped it with a dirty rag, leaving no color behind.
The wind is getting stronger.
The winds in the North are different from those in the Central Plains.
The wind in the Central Plains is soft, blowing on your face like a woman's hand, carrying a damp mist.
The wind in the North is harsh, like a dull knife, cutting your face bit by bit, without drawing blood, but it hurts terribly.
Jiang Xun lowered the ear flaps of his felt hat, turned up the collar of his sheepskin vest, and huddled behind Tuoba Feng, trying to block as much as he could.
Huang Hu didn't say how far the destination was, but led the way in silence, showing no intention of stopping.
As evening fell, leaden-gray clouds rolled in on the horizon, hanging low like a dirty cotton blanket covering our heads.
Huang Hu looked up and frowned. "It's going to snow soon," he said. "Hurry up, there's a sheltered place ahead."
The team sped up.
Jiang Xun sat behind Tuoba Feng, feeling dizzy and nauseous from the jostling.
He gritted his teeth and remained silent, secretly vowing: when I get back, I will learn to ride a horse no matter what.