Chapter 100 Too Strong a Presence

"drive--"

A graceful figure rode past on horseback down the long street.

Ignoring the stinging wind on her face, Jiang Zhi gripped the reins tightly until her knuckles turned white.

Judging from the time the army set off, by the time she arrived, the guards might have already made their move.

She cracked the whip hard, wanting the horse to go faster.

Qingxing thought she wasn't good at horseback riding, but in her previous life, after following Xiao Xuanyou, she had secretly practiced with him to make it easier to escape.

It's enough for traveling.

Suddenly, a child chasing a ball with a candied hawthorn stick ran out from the street corner and rushed straight in front of her horse, startling Jiang Zhi.

"Whoa—" She pulled the reins with all her might, and the horse reared up in fright, its front hooves kicking wildly in the air. It barely managed to get past the terrified child and spun wildly in place, trying to throw the person off its back.

Jiang Zhi struggled to control the frightened horse, but her hand was cut by the reins due to excessive force, and blood gushed out instantly.

In her excruciating pain, she could no longer hold on. Her body went limp, and she was thrown off the horse, landing heavily on the ground with a throbbing pain in her ankle.

When she looked up, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she watched helplessly as the horse's hooves were about to trample her!

If you were trampled by a runaway horse, you would either die or be maimed.

At this critical moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared like lightning, one hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her away, while the other hand held a knife and plunged it viciously into the neck of the frightened horse.

Blood splattered everywhere; a single blow killed him.

The startled horse fell lifeless and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Jiang Zhi's heart was pounding in her throat; she was still reeling from the near-death experience.

A low, cold voice came from beside me, "You rode your horse recklessly in the street and injured someone. Do you know your crime?"

The man was dressed in a black robe with a flowing hem, the hem intricately embroidered with python patterns that gleamed with a cold golden light in the sunlight. He slowly wiped the blood from the blade before looking down at her.

But after seeing her face clearly, he froze, then silently sheathed the embroidered spring knife in his hand.

"Why are you in such a hurry? If I hadn't been leading the team and happened to be passing by, you might already be dead under the hooves of a horse."

Jiang Zhi came to her senses and recognized that the person who had saved her from under the horse's hooves was Lu Yuan. "Thank you for your help, Lord Lu."

She tried to get up, but the pain in her ankle made her hiss and fall back to the ground.

Lu Yuan caught her, "You haven't answered me yet, what are you in such a hurry to do?"

"What are you going to do?" Jiang Zhi looked around blankly before remembering that her horse had been killed by Lu Yuan. How could she chase after Xie Qi now?

She grabbed Lu Yuan's sleeve, "Lord Lu, do you have a horse? Lend it to me quickly, or it will be too late."

Lu Yuan looked down and saw her hands gripping his sleeve. Her once slender, jade-like fingers were now covered in blood and grime, indicating that she was seriously injured.

He frowned and gestured to his men behind him.

Yu Jun immediately understood and led Wuli over. "We have horses, of course we have horses. Our boss's Wuli can travel a thousand miles a day, chasing the wind and lightning. You can't find a horse faster than it in the entire capital."

Lu Yuan took the wound medicine and gauze from Yu Jun, and deftly treated the bloodstains and wounds on Jiang Zhi's hand. "Where are you going? I'll give you a ride."

With her hands and feet injured and looking disheveled, how could she possibly ride a horse?

Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up immediately.

Lu Yuan's horsemanship is definitely superior to his; if he were to escort him, the task would be much easier.

She didn't stand on ceremony, "Alright, I'll trouble you, Lord Lu, to escort me out of the city. I need to find Xie Qi."

Before Lu Yuan could speak, Yu Jun couldn't help but speak up, "Miss Jiang, how could you let my boss take you to find other men?"

Despite the pain in her body, Jiang Zhi's gaze was cold and stern. "I have important business to discuss with Xie Qi. It is of great importance, and I hope Lord Lu will assist me."

"good."

Without a word, Lu Yuan mounted his horse, bent down and pulled her onto his lap, easily placing her on the horse's back.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll take care of things at the company." Yu Jun winked at Lu Yuan, her expression meaningful.

Lu Yuan gave him a cold glance, spurred his horse, and the black horse galloped away like lightning.

"Make way! The Imperial Guards are conducting an investigation. All bystanders, please make way!" Upon receiving the message, the Imperial Guards along the route began clearing the way.

Before the people along the street could react to what was happening, they saw a dark figure carrying two people speeding past and disappearing at the city gate.

After leaving the city, there were far fewer people on the road. Lu Yuan looked down at the person in his arms.

Because she had just fallen off the horse, her hair was a bit messy, her clothes were covered in dust, and her skirt was torn in several places and stained with blood.

What urgent matter could she possibly have that required her to chase after someone out of the city at this time?

Jiang Zhi felt a little dizzy from the jolting on the horse.

With her hand injured and her ankle sprained, she was unable to maintain her balance on horseback. She could only shrink herself into Lu Yuan's arms as much as possible, using his arms to steady herself.

"Lord Lu, please hurry up, don't worry about me."

"Can your body handle it?" Lu Yuan's voice was carried away by the wind.

"OK."

"Okay, you're injured and have nowhere to put your weight, so I'll have to hold you up. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Jiang Zhi nodded very slightly.

Lu Yuan leaned forward, pressing his entire body against Jiang Zhi's back without leaving any gap, his arm passing through her side, gripping the reins and tightly encircling her waist.

Jiang Zhi could hear his steady heartbeat, which pounded against her thin back through her clothes.

Lu Yuan bent his legs slightly, his knees pressing against the outside of her knees with just the right amount of pressure.

"Relax, your body is so stiff, it will be sore all over in no time."

Jiang Zhi knew he was right.

But now it's beyond her control.

Thinking back to that time at Prince Su's residence, their posture was much more intimate than it is now.

Jiang Zhi could only try to soften her body and let herself nestle into Lu Yuan's arms.

Now it was Lu Yuan's turn to lose his composure.

He gripped the reins, controlling the black horse, his thoughts drifting back to that day on the bed in the Prince Su's mansion.

She was drunk, which caused his usually proud self-control to crumble, leaving him confused and disoriented.

Lu Yuan's face stiffened, the veins on his hand gripping the reins bulged, and his breathing became heavy and labored.

Jiang Zhi also sensed it.