The sound of horse hooves shattered the original tranquility of the official road.
But at this moment, Shang Ruyi could only hear her own heartbeat, pounding like a war drum, as if it were about to break through her chest.
Even amidst the chaos in her mind, she was keenly aware of one thing: these horse bandits were definitely not ordinary bandits. They were lying in wait here, ready for her wedding procession, waiting to capture her!
As for their purpose—
While vigorously waving the whip in her hand, the rushing wind urged the galloping horse beneath her to speed up even more. Simultaneously, she lay her entire upper body flat against the horse’s back. Gradually, she couldn’t hear the shouts and cries of pursuit anymore. Looking back, she saw the barbarians in the dust kicked up by the horse hooves, relentlessly chasing her like a pack of wolves hunting their prey.
They had grown up on horseback, their riding skills were exceptional, naturally far beyond her own ability.
It wouldn’t be long before they’d catch up to her!
Realizing this, Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth and fiercely clamped the horse’s belly, struggling to spur the horse onward. Unfortunately, even so, the barbarians were closing in, close enough that she could hear their sneering laughter, close enough that they could reach out and yank her off the horse.
"Run faster! Run faster!"
She no longer knew whether she was pleading with the horse or praying to the heavens; she only knew that at this moment, she could not give up!
Then, suddenly, an explosion sounded in her ears.
Immediately, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her back, forcing a piercing scream from her:
The bandit right behind her had whipped her!
The pain made her vision go black, nearly causing her to fall off the horse. She gritted her teeth and looked back, only to see the towering barbarian sneering, his whip raised, eyes red with menace locked onto her back, about to strike again.
In a panic, Shang Ruyi instinctively yanked off her veil and threw it at him with all her might.
The bandit, surprised that this little woman not only managed to stay on the horse after being whipped but also had the presence of mind to fight back, was caught off guard when the veil hit his face. In pain, he cursed angrily, "Damn it, when I catch you—"
The rest was understood without needing to be spoken.
As he spoke, the bandit already swung his whip again, aiming another fierce strike at Shang Ruyi.
With quick reflexes, she clung to the horse’s neck, her body leaning sharply to the left!
The whip barely grazed her shoulder!
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she watched as the whip landed heavily on the horse’s back, causing the animal to rear up painfully with a piercing neigh.
Unprepared, Shang Ruyi was flung up and fell heavily to the ground!
The fall blurred her vision and nearly broke her bones. She rolled several times before stopping, and when she looked up, she saw the bandit’s eyes filled with vicious intent, charging toward her.
Her mind blank, she couldn’t even close her eyes in fear.
But at that very instant, a rapid clatter of hooves suddenly sounded from behind!
Someone... was coming!
At this moment, Shang Ruyi couldn’t distinguish between fear or hope; instinctively, she turned to look, only to hear the wind whistle as a dark figure, like a flash of lightning, swept over her head!