The coachman had been thrown clear earlier, letting out an “Aiyo!” cry of pain before falling silent—most likely he had passed out.

In the instant the carriage was pulled over, Chen Da Chang also flew out with the momentum. Over these years, Feng Miao Jun had quietly passed on to him insights learned from martial arts books, a benefit of being in her service. As a result, Chen Da Chang’s skills had advanced rapidly. He remained calm in the face of danger, using his toes to push off against the horse’s flank and leap away, rolling twice on the ground before standing up and rushing toward the carriage: “Young Miss!”

The incident happened suddenly, with the carriage compartment in complete disarray. Feng Miao Jun tightened her hands, her fingertips releasing force that pierced through the compartment’s cushioned wall, penetrating three-tenths into the wood. She curled her body and protected her vital areas, her spiritual energy flowing endlessly, helping her anchor herself within the carriage to counter the momentum.

Miao Feng Xian, already wounded, couldn’t help but grunt in pain from the violent impact. The guard coughed up blood as he rose to help him, but Miao Feng Xian kicked open the carriage roof, leaped out first, and picked up the weapons scattered on the ground: “Protect her.”

Feng Miao Jun wasn’t injured, though her beautiful hair had come loose during the tumble, making her look somewhat disheveled. The guard helped her out through the opening: “Where is the young lady hurt?”

Feng Miao Jun shook her head. The carriage was a mess, and neither man had time to notice her earlier actions.

Miao Feng Xian stood his ground, staring at what lay ahead with wolf-like intensity. There, four figures slowly emerged from the darkness—three black-clothed men with faces covered by black cloths, while the one in front had no coverings at all, not even clothes.

He was very tall, towering over Miao Feng Xian by two heads, with an even more massive and imposing physique. The clouds obscuring the night sky had just drifted away, and moonlight poured down, illuminating him.

Feng Miao Jun instinctively stepped back.

Though able to walk upright, this creature was not human! Its body was covered with gray fur about an inch long, looking like a gorilla, with a long tail behind, yet it had a human face!

This face had fine eyebrows and eyes, appearing somewhat delicate—completely mismatched with its body. However, Feng Miao Jun noticed it had discarded an iron chain from its arm, revealing it was responsible for pulling over the carriage.

How powerful was the momentum of four galloping horses? That this creature could counter it with brute strength was terrifying to contemplate.

Miao Feng Xian spat at him: “Huang Qiu Wei, so Yunyai sent a dog like you!”

This monster even had a name? Feng Miao Jun looked at it with curiosity, now understanding it was Yunyai’s subordinate.

She had seen such a demon in ancient books, called a “xingxing,” possessing immense strength, running faster than fine steeds, with astonishingly keen smell. It seemed that although Miao Feng Xian and his servant had escaped their ambush, they couldn’t evade its nose and were tracked down. Mo Ti Zhun had once said that demons weren’t all hidden in deep mountains and vast marshes—some chose to enter the world, which proved true. Of course, being in this realm meant unavoidable worldly entanglements, like this xingxing serving under Wei’s State Master.

It smiled, even revealing a set of neat white teeth, speaking human language: “Why struggle in vain? I’ll give you a quick end!”

Miao Feng Xian glanced at Feng Miao Jun, then said in a deep voice: “Take your young miss and leave quickly.” —This was certainly directed at Chen Da Chang. Then he turned to the monster and said, “Let her go. This matter has nothing to do with her; I hijacked her carriage.”

Huang Qiu Wei uttered a “Heh” but said no more, charging toward Miao Feng Xian. When stationary, he stood on two feet, but once running, he abandoned human form—his heavy limbs pounding the ground with thunderous impact, generating the momentum of a locomotive!

Miao Feng Xian was wounded and unwilling to confront him head-on. By the narrowest margin, he dodged sideways, thrusting his long blade toward the creature’s ribs.

Unexpectedly, the monster simultaneously swerved, suddenly rushing to the side of the carriage, lifting it along with the horses, and hurling it toward the retreating Feng Miao Jun and her servant.

Miao Feng Xian roared in anger, wanting to rescue them but having no time. He could only raise his blade to hack at the demon. Fortunately, Chen Da Chang heard the forceful wind behind him and decisively grabbed Feng Miao Jun, leaping sideways several zhang away.

The carriage barely grazed his waist before crashing to the ground.

Only Chen Da Chang knew that his young miss had suddenly become light as cotton; otherwise, carrying several dozen jin, he could never have leaped so nimbly.

Feng Miao Jun also felt her scalp tingle. If hit by the carriage, her modest cultivation would be utterly inadequate—she’d be smashed to a pulp in half a second. At this moment, she very much wanted to shout at that monster, “Kill me, and your State Master won’t live either.” But this would be meaningless, and the three black-clothed men were already giving chase, so she decisively stopped and ordered Chen Da Chang: “Help them fight the enemy.”

If the pursuers had ignored them, Feng Miao Jun might have prioritized retreat, as Miao Feng Xian was severely wounded and the monster appeared formidable. She didn’t want to fight unprepared. But since the enemy intended to kill all witnesses, she now had no choice but to align with Miao Feng Xian.

Miao Feng Xian looked at her apologetically: “I’ll find a chance to help you escape.”

Feng Miao Jun could see that he usually relied on physical strength, but now, severely wounded and fighting this giant beast, he was being suppressed at every turn. She gave him a withering look—wasn’t she the one being implicated? She had been sitting in her carriage when disaster fell from the sky.

Miao’s guard had already engaged one black-clothed man, while Chen Da Chang shielded her and fought two opponents. Upon engaging, they were secretly alarmed—even these masked men in black moved with agile, ethereal grace, obviously all elites. Especially one of those fighting Chen Da Chang—his weapon emanated inch-long dark energy, clearly also a cultivator. He wanted to quickly dispatch this master and servant, then return to help Huang Qiu Wei.

Feng Miao Jun heard the wind and thunder sounds emanating from this man’s sword and understood Chen Da Chang would have difficulty handling him. She lightly tapped twice on her loyal servant’s back, then screamed and turned to run.

She was a delicate young girl, appearing to flee in panic beyond Chen Da Chang’s protection, yet she ran remarkably fast. The dense forest was just three zhang away, and one of the two black-clothed men immediately split off to chase her.

For Chen Da Chang, the pressure instantly decreased.

In the darkness, as Feng Miao Jun’s skirt disappeared, the black-clothed man reached the forest edge and plunged in.

At this moment, Miao Feng Xian tossed out a wooden statue which, upon hitting the ground, transformed with a “bang” into a warrior almost as tall as the monster, covered in green armor and matching its bulk. It immediately grappled with Huang Qiu Wei.

With it keeping the monster occupied, Miao Feng Xian moved to rescue Feng Miao Jun but saw her servant Chen Da Chang urgently waving his hand during a lull in the battle, desperately pointing at the xingxing.

Was he saying the young lady didn’t need his rescue, and he should focus on the monster? Miao Feng Xian paused, somewhat reassured, and returned to battle with the creature.

Within the forest, all was eerily quiet, without a sound.