Chapter 76

The sound of a crossbow piercing the air rang out from behind, followed by the muffled thud of a sharp blade entering flesh. At that moment, the figure carrying Mu Yulu, who was running at full speed, suddenly stopped, and the hand around her waist tightened even more, almost crushing her bones.

A suppressed groan, accompanied by a tremor of intense pain, came from above her head, and Mu Yulu raised her head in horror.

Sanzhou Jinse was hit by an arrow.

Whether the arrow was poisoned or not, it pierced straight into San Zhou Jinse's left side in the back of his heart, the fletching still trembling slightly. Dark red blood quickly seeped down the shaft, soon staining his white robes.

“You…” Mu Yulu looked up at him, her voice stuck in her throat.

"It's alright." He reassured her, enduring the excruciating pain, and continued to lead her through the horde of swords and people, carving a bloody path.

However, the excruciating pain from the crossbow bolts clearly affected his movements. Each time he parried a hail of arrows, he was accompanied by the pain of his muscles tearing. More blood gushed from the wounds on his shoulders and back, winding down his arms and staining his sword-wielding hand red.

The short distance seemed incredibly long at that moment. After navigating through the clash of swords for an unknown amount of time, the two finally arrived at the tightly closed gate of the Prince's mansion.

"Go open the door!" At this moment, Sanzhou Jinse released his arm around Mu Yulu and shielded her behind him. He then turned his back to her, protecting her from the rain of arrows.

Mu Yulu staggered forward, almost collapsing in front of the two heavy doors. The doors were locked, and the hardwood bolts were incredibly heavy, far beyond what a woman like her could push. But without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed the cold, smooth bolts and pushed them to one side with all her might.

The heavy wood creaked against the door socket, and she didn't dare waste a second. She pushed the latch all the way to the end in one go, then lunged forward and slammed her shoulder into the heavy door on the right.

The blinding sunlight poured in with the sound of the door opening, and she stood in the sunlight, calling out the name of Sanzhou Jinse loudly.

Sanzhou Jinse turned to look at her, and after a moment of stunned silence, she picked her up again and spun around with her as they rushed out the door.

Arrows rained down from behind as he carried her away for a short distance. The hard, cold stone steps pressed against his waist, causing him to wince in pain, but he still didn't let go. The arm around her tightened instinctively the moment they landed, trying to cushion her fall.

They finally escaped from the palace.

However, the road outside the door is not smooth.

On the wide bluestone street in front of the Prince's Mansion, many outer guards were galloping towards him on horseback, their hooves making a crisp, rapid clattering sound as they pounded the stone slabs.

There were too many pursuers, and arrows rained down from behind. It was clearly unrealistic to think that he could leave with Mu Yulu by relying solely on his lightness skill.

At the critical moment, Sanzhou Jinse's gaze swept across the chaotic street, and she led Mu Yulu to the nearest luxurious car that was leaning against the side of the road.

There are many guests attending the banquet today. The carriage in front of us is quite decorated, but there is no one on the carriage shaft and the curtain is half-lifted. Obviously, some high-ranking official saw that the situation was not right and abandoned the carriage and fled after it overturned.

The cart was being pulled by a fairly robust chestnut horse, which was currently pawing the ground and snorting restlessly.

Upon approaching the carriage, Sanzhou Jinse was the first to grab the carriage shaft, flip herself onto the horse, and use the momentum of the leap to right the carriage.

Then he reached out to Mu Yulu, pulled her onto the carriage, and quickly supported her back and waist with a careful force, half-supporting and half-pushing her into the carriage.

With the pursuers closing in behind him, he grabbed the whip from beside the carriage shaft and lashed it hard at the frightened chestnut horse.

The chestnut horse let out a long neigh and dragged the carriage madly toward the city gate.

The pursuers behind them continued to fire arrows; several powerful crossbow bolts embedded themselves in the rear wall of the carriage, while an even more powerful one whistled past the edge of the canopy, creating a strong gust of wind that made the curtains flap loudly.

Mu Yulu was afraid that the cold arrows would pierce through the carriage wall and pin her to the ground, so she dared not lean against the carriage wall. She could only hold firmly to the carriage door and kneel in the middle of the carriage.

Through the gap in the carriage curtain, she saw the back of Sanzhou Jinse driving the car.

Unexpectedly, his driving skills were so proficient. Although the two of them were fleeing for their lives, and unlike Mu Yulu, he was not protected by the carriage and was exposed to arrows, he still managed to drive the carriage steadily. Mu Yulu inside the carriage did not even feel much of a bump.

Arrows rained down from behind, but he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, never turning around. With his right hand, he swung his sword to deflect the arrows, while with his left wrist, he subtly flicked and guided the reins, causing the galloping carriage to deviate almost imperceptibly from its course, dodging most of the stray arrows.

Soon the carriage rushed onto the bustling street, where there were many vendors and pedestrians. In order to avoid accidentally injuring civilians, the pursuers could not continue firing arrows and had to put away their longbows to continue the chase.

This gave the two a chance to catch their breath.

After a while, the outline of the tall city gate finally came into view. The guards at the city gate had obviously received the warning from the Prince's Palace. Dozens of armored guards were on high alert and raised their spears to form a chevaux-de-frise.

"The Prince's Palace is apprehending a wanted criminal! Close the city gates! Stop them!" The head guard, who was relentlessly pursuing them, shouted hoarsely.

The city gate guards responded in unison, and the massive city gate slowly closed inward. Once this gate was closed, it wouldn't be something Mu Yulu could force open with her shoulder.

Without the slightest hesitation, Sanzhou Jinse tightened his grip on the reins, causing the chestnut horse to neigh loudly and the carriage to hurtle towards the closing gap in the city gate.

The carriage rushed toward a tiny gap, about three feet wide, that had appeared on one side of the barricade as the guards moved. There, spear tips were pointed everywhere, and the city gate guards were raising their guns, trying to stop them.

Just as the carriage was about to collide with the spearhead, Sanzhou Jinse suddenly moved.

His blood-stained white robes billowed from the carriage shaft like a ghost. With a light touch of his toes on the galloping horse's back, he slipped ahead of the carriage and gracefully disappeared into the gaps in the hail of bullets.

The next second, a clear sword cry resounded through the city gate passageway. A flash of sword light appeared, like a splash of flowing moonlight. The sword tip struck the tips of several spears that were thrusting towards them with lightning precision.

The several spears, imbued with immense force, were deflected upwards by his force, revealing fatal gaps below.

The result was obvious. In the blink of an eye, the city gate guards wielding spears and the strongmen pushing the city gate fell to his sword.

Sanzhou Jinse seized this fleeting opportunity, lightly touched the slippery bluestone ground of the passageway with her toes, leaped back onto the carriage shaft, and regained control of the reins.

The galloping carriage, like threading a needle, scraped against the inner wall of the city gate, hugging the hinges, and finally burst out of the passageway in a terrifying manner.

Only when the carriage reached the wide official road did Mu Yulu finally relax and let out a long sigh of relief.

However, they were far from safe at this point; their real escape had only just begun.

More and more pursuers were closing in, kicking up clouds of dust.

On this wide official road, their carriage had nowhere to hide and became easy targets for the archers behind them.

When a cold arrow grazed Mu Yulu's cheek and embedded itself in the carriage wall, she finally couldn't help but let out a scream.

No one knew what kind of orders Mu Qinhan had given, but the pursuers behind them seemed determined to fight to the death, as if they would relentlessly chase them to the ends of the earth.

The chestnut horse pulling the cart was already showing signs of fatigue; this couldn't go on.

As Sanzhou Jinse drove the carriage, he observed the surrounding environment, and finally his gaze settled on the lush mountain on the right side of the official road.

The moment his gaze settled on the mountain, he tugged at the reins, flicking his wrist to send the galloping carriage tracing a graceful arc along the official road before hurtling straight toward the winding path at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as they entered the mountains, the carriage began to shake violently. The mountain road was rugged and bumpy, almost throwing Mu Yulu out of the carriage.

The pursuers behind them hadn't expected them to go into the mountains, and they all stopped at the foot of the mountain, seemingly waiting for Mu Qinhan's next order.

The mountain roads are complex, and the mountain is quite high and very steep. If we continue to chase like this, there is a high possibility that an accident will happen in the mountains.

San Zhou Jinse is dead, but if Mu Yulu is accidentally injured by someone's sword, they will have no way to explain to the prince.

Taking advantage of the hesitation of the pursuers behind her, Sanzhou Jinse drove the carriage deeper into the mountains and forests.

The mountain road wound its way uphill, the forest growing denser. They continued their ascent without stopping, and soon after, with great difficulty, they reached a slightly gentler bend halfway up the mountain.

Here the forest is denser, and a narrower, more secluded side path branches off diagonally from the mountain path, leading into the deeper part of the forest.

The carriage slowly came to a stop at this moment.

Mu Yulu poked her head out of the carriage: "What's wrong? Can't the horse move?"

Sanzhou Jinse turned to look at her, and their eyes met. The next second, Mu Yulu suddenly said something very inappropriate: "I just realized that you're not wearing a mask today?"

The wind howled through the woods, accompanied by the clatter of hooves from the pursuing soldiers behind them.

Judging from the sound of the horses' hooves, they had obviously received Mu Qinhan's orders again and divided their forces to prepare to encircle and attack the mountain.

At this moment, Sanzhou Jinse smiled at her: "I'm not wearing a mask, so you can see my expression clearly."

His smile was more beautiful than the flowers and trees on the mountain, gentle yet tinged with longing, his tender gaze melting away all his aloofness.

Mu Yulu was somewhat stunned.

The next second he bent down and led Mu Yulu out of the carriage, raised his whip and pointed to the side road, "I will continue up the mountain to distract the pursuers behind us, you go down the mountain through this path."

Mu Yulu then realized why he had risked venturing into the mountains; it turned out that this was his plan from the beginning. Before she could refuse, she heard him continue, "Their target is you, so you don't need to worry about me. I have a way to escape."