“Wah wah…” The little boy cried as if his heart were breaking.

“Shut up!” Chen Hong’s hand at his throat tightened a few degrees.

The boy immediately couldn’t make a sound, his face instantly flushing red.

“Chen Hong, let go!” Qiao Mu shouted, catching up again to ride alongside Chen Hong.

Chen Hong turned her head and stared at Qiao Mu.

“One stick of incense’s time — did you hear me clearly?” She snorted coldly before loosening her grip.

The boy coughed heavily twice, his breathing finally growing a little smoother.

Once Qiao Mu confirmed he was alright, her gaze returned to Chen Hong.

“Chen Hong, the child is innocent. Whatever anger you have, you can take it out on me.”

Time — there still wasn’t enough of it!

Otherwise Qiao Mu wouldn’t have bothered exchanging another word with Chen Hong; she knew this woman’s character all too well — a life, in her eyes, meant no more than an ant.

“Fine!” Chen Hong smiled faintly.

Her speed was still very fast, but with Qiao Mu’s interference, it had undeniably slowed somewhat without her even realizing it.

“Since you want so badly to save him, how about cutting off both your arms?” Chen Hong raised an eyebrow. “If you cut off both arms, I’ll let him go!”

“Lunatic!” Qiao Mu shot her a disdainful glare.

As long as the speed kept dropping, that was exactly the result she wanted.

“Setting aside whether you’d actually let him go after I cut off my arms — I don’t even know this child. Why would I cut off my arms for him?”

Not wanting to give Chen Hong the chance to speak, Qiao Mu continued before Chen Hong could respond, “Chen Hong, name another condition!”

“All I want is to complete my mission. Once the mission’s done, it’s good for you, good for me too.”

“Money — do you want money? Gold, silver, or something else?”

Qiao Mu felt utterly wretched saying this; even she thought herself foolish for it.

Trying to bargain with someone devoid of humanity — there was no one more idiotic than her in this world.

“Chen Hong!” Qiao Mu grew angry before Chen Hong could.

“What would it take for you to let him go?”

Just a little more time for Xing Zizhou — perhaps that would be enough.

Chen Hong and Qiao Mu didn’t even know each other; Chen Hong had assumed Qiao Mu was some aloof, cold-blooded assassin, but she hadn’t expected this…

“Tch!” She swept a disdainful glance at Qiao Mu.

“Chen Hong, what do you mean by this? Hurry up and let him go, and I won’t chase you anymore!” Qiao Mu took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully.

“Weren’t you planning to go seek refuge with Mao Zhongcai? We can settle things properly then.”

“Right now I have to bring the boy back, or I really won’t be able to explain myself to Jiu’er.”

Chen Hong stared fixedly at Qiao Mu without blinking; Qiao Mu boldly met her gaze in return, fearless.

Suddenly, Chen Hong’s brow furrowed, and she turned to look back.

Seeing how many people had disappeared, she instantly understood why Qiao Mu had changed her tune.

“You…” Chen Hong snorted coldly and yanked the reins tight.

“I’ll say this one last time — this is the final stick of incense’s time. If you’re not at least a mile away, I’ll silence him immediately!”

Without giving Qiao Mu any chance to speak, she spurred her horse and rode off.

Qiao Mu let out a faint sigh and slowly came to a stop.

She suddenly slowed her pace, and the brothers behind her had no choice but to slow down as well.

“Miss Qiao, aren’t we chasing anymore?” one brother asked, watching the retreating figure, his eyes burning with fury.

“Chen Hong demands we stay at least a mile away before she’ll release him, otherwise…”

Qiao Mu didn’t finish her sentence.

She stopped in her tracks and looked around at both sides.

Now everything depended on Xing Zizhou — she didn’t even know if they’d make it in time.

“Miss Qiao, all we can do now is see whether Lord Xing can successfully intercept Chen Hong.” The brother sighed as well.

Qiao Mu frowned, and after a moment, turned back.

“Watch closely — once you’ve confirmed you’re about a mile from Chen Hong, chase after her immediately.”

“Miss Qiao, are you going to—” The brother looked at her, his thick brows knitting together.

“It’s fine, just do as we’ve instructed.” Qiao Mu dropped a single line, turned, and headed toward the mountain range on the right.

Beside Songjiang, the mountains stretched thick and crisscrossed — anyone unfamiliar with the terrain could easily get lost.

The brother watched Qiao Mu for a moment, then waved his hand.

Two brothers moved forward at once, coming to flank him on either side.

“Go and follow Miss Qiao, make sure she’s safe,” said the brother in front.

“Yes.” The two brothers nodded in unison and rode off on their horses.

The brother who remained didn’t dare press forward for now.

A mile’s distance — the chances of catching up again were slim, but for now, all that could be done was wait.

Chen Hong sped forward for a long while, and seeing the great mountain blocking the way not far ahead, a look of joy finally crossed her face.

The boy in her arms suddenly burst into tears again — she’d lost count of how many times this had happened.

Chen Hong glanced down, killing intent flashing across her eyes.

“Cry again and I’ll cut out your tongue!”

The boy immediately clamped both hands over his mouth, forcing himself to endure in silence, tears streaming down in large drops.

Once he quieted, Chen Hong paid him no more mind.

Just as she was about to enter the mountain gorge, she suddenly yanked the boy up and hurled him with force into the woods off to the side.

As long as she got past the canyon and cut the chain bridge, she could shake off her pursuers.

Long Jiu’er — this debt, she would repay without fail.

The boy’s body went light as he plummeted downward, and unable to hold back any longer, he screamed out, “Ah—”

Chen Hong paid no heed at all to whether the child lived or died — after throwing him aside, she and her horse had already ridden far off.

The boy was tossed away, just like that, without mercy.

Xing Zizhou and the others had arrived ahead of time, lying in ambush in the forest.

The chain bridge lay just ahead — they could more or less guess Chen Hong’s intentions.

Fortunately, they had guessed correctly.

Chen Hong casually flung the boy up and threw him away.

The brothers who saw it immediately lunged forward to save him.

In that critical instant, the brother closest to the boy used his own body to cushion the fall beneath him, reducing the injury the child would suffer.

Chen Hong hadn’t paid attention to her surroundings just now, and only after passing through did she realize there were people nearby.

She didn’t dwell on it and immediately gripped the reins tight: “Hyah!”

The steed’s speed picked up once more.

By the time Xing Zizhou rushed over, he saw the two of them lying on the grass.

At the time, seeing there was no way to avoid it in time, the brother had simply flipped his body, letting his back scrape across the grass.

Fortunately, he’d managed to catch the little boy in time.

“How is it?” Xing Zizhou rushed over.

Saving the child came first! Even if Chen Hong escaped today, she couldn’t run forever.

“I’m fine.” The brother took a deep breath and stood, holding the boy who had fainted from fright.

The back of his clothes was torn open in a large gash, a patch of vivid red.

Xing Zizhou went over and checked the boy’s breath: “He’s only fainted.”

“Lord Xing, go on and keep chasing her. I’ll take the boy back alone,” the brother said, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

His own injury didn’t matter — at least he’d saved a life.

“Good.” Xing Zizhou gently patted his shoulder and turned aside.

“I’m fine.” The brother turned aside too, not letting Xing Zizhou notice the wound on his back.

“Lord Xing, hurry — we can’t let this woman escape!”