When Feng Jiu’er and Jiu Qing set out again the next day, their luck didn’t seem to be very good — they actually ran into thick fog.

Mist swirled, enveloping the entire dense forest; visibility was extremely poor, and even Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser didn’t dare move too quickly.

Though Jiu’er’s ankle had already been set back into place, she still couldn’t walk, so Jiu Qing kept her riding with him on Wind Chaser.

Strangely enough, Moon Chaser stayed close behind Wind Chaser the whole time, like an obedient attendant.

It was hard to connect this docile demeanor with the frenzied horse from the day before.

It seemed Wind Chaser had given it quite a lesson — one it clearly hadn’t dared to forget yet!

“Jiu Qing, the fog ahead doesn’t look unusual, but something about it feels off. In a moment, be sure to hold your breath.”

For a martial artist, holding one’s breath for a while wasn’t particularly difficult — but it seemed she’d forgotten something.

“What about you?” Jiu Qing asked in a hoarse voice.

Feng Jiu’er froze for a moment before finally realizing — she had no internal energy left at all now.

Honestly, even now she still hadn’t fully come to terms with having lost her martial arts!

“Take an antidote pill first — it should ward off most miasmas.” Feng Jiu’er pulled out two antidote pills, swallowed one herself, and tossed the other back to the man behind her.

Jiu Qing caught it and casually tossed it into his mouth. “Hold on tight, I’m going to push through.”

“But visibility is so low, won’t it be…”

Before Feng Jiu’er could finish speaking, the wind roared suddenly in her ears. She had no choice but to bury her head in the front of Jiu Qing’s robe, which he’d pulled open, close her eyes, and grip his belt tightly.

Wind Chaser moved at tremendous speed, and even within the fog, it seemed able to see the path ahead clearly.

They tore forward like a bolt of lightning; Feng Jiu’er genuinely feared the horse would slam headfirst into a tree trunk — at this speed, even if it didn’t kill them, it would surely leave them gravely injured.

But Wind Chaser could somehow see every obstacle clearly, dodging each one with ease.

Even Moon Chaser behind them kept pace the whole way, utterly unafraid of whatever lay ahead.

In fact, even with Wind Chaser running that fast, Moon Chaser grew more and more excited, several times overtaking Wind Chaser — who was carrying both riders — as if provoking him.

But Wind Chaser was like a calm, composed young man, utterly unmoved by Moon Chaser’s provocations.

No matter how fast Moon Chaser ran, it simply kept to its own pace, advancing steadily.

This manner really resembled the Ninth Imperial Uncle… Ugh, why on earth was she thinking of the Ninth Imperial Uncle again, out of nowhere?

Wind Chaser’s temperament was truly likable!

The mist in the forest turned out to be just ordinary moisture, formed by poor weather, with none of the toxins Jiu’er had worried about.

Still, she could sense that something about Jiu Qing’s manner had changed; she wanted to ask whether they’d run into another ambush, but Wind Chaser moved too fast — before she could fully get the words out, they were scattered completely by the roaring wind.

The fog still hadn’t lifted, but soon, even Feng Jiu’er sensed something amiss behind them.

It turned out a group of people was pursuing them from behind, while another group blocked the way ahead.

With a whoosh, a cold arrow shot out from some unknown direction.

With no internal energy left, Feng Jiu’er could only rely on her trained instincts to sense that the arrow had come from the left.

In such fog, she wasn’t sure whether Jiu Qing could sense it, so instinctively she threw her arm across his neck, wanting to block it for him.

There was a clang — the arrow had indeed been knocked down by Jiu Qing.

But this gesture of Feng Jiu’er’s clearly displeased Jiu Qing — with a tightening of his arm, he yanked her arm down off his neck.

The force was rather strong — it really hurt!

She didn’t know whether he disliked being touched by a woman, or disliked her trying to be clever, but at a moment like this, Feng Jiu’er had genuinely just wanted to help.

Wind Chaser kept charging forward, but after several dozen strides, it suddenly turned and dashed off in another direction.

“Moon Chaser…” Feng Jiu’er wanted to call out, but Wind Chaser was running too fast — her voice couldn’t carry at all.

Moon Chaser, following close behind Wind Chaser, reacted with a speed that completely exceeded Feng Jiu’er’s expectations.

The instant Wind Chaser changed direction, Moon Chaser immediately caught up.

Could it be that there was some form of communication between the two animals that she simply didn’t know about?

This pair, Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser, were truly in sync.

Normally Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser’s speed was indeed not slow, but with the thick fog blanketing everything, Wind Chaser was running noticeably slower than usual today.

What made things worse was that the people they’d run into today were likely the bandits who had long held sway over these mountain forests.

In the thick fog, these figures moved like ghosts, their pace astonishingly swift, like a gale.

Suddenly, someone let out a howl. The moment Feng Jiu’er heard it, a chill ran through her heart.

He was calling wolves! Could there be a wolf pack nearby?

In such wild, desolate mountains and forests, a wolf pack wouldn’t be strange at all — but encountering one in this thick fog would be quite troublesome.

Suddenly, Wind Chaser came to a stop.

Feng Jiu’er turned back from within Jiu Qing’s arms, and sure enough, saw pairs of faintly visible eyes glinting within the fog.

Wolves’ eyes — in an environment this hard to see in, this was precisely when they could put their abilities to best use.

“Jiu Qing…” Feng Jiu’er took a deep breath and said quietly, “They’re only after money. If, in a moment, we… can’t hold them off, don’t force a fight. You go ahead — let Mu Mu bring money to ransom me back.”

The bandits really were only after money, but yesterday’s sudden incident had carelessly separated them from the main group, and they didn’t have much silver on them.

If she had the misfortune of falling into the bandits’ hands, she believed she could at least talk them into sparing her life.

But Jiu Qing was different — a man like him, if captured, would surely be doomed.

“You want me to abandon you and go find another man to save you?”

“Huh?” What was this feeling? Why did he sound so domineeringly displeased?

Feng Jiu’er was a little baffled again — she couldn’t help feeling that this kind of overbearing tone felt strangely familiar.

“Jiu Qing…”

“Shut up.” To think she’d ask him to abandon her and find another man to save her — did this girl have so little confidence in him?

The faint warmth of the night before instantly turned into displeasure. So she trusted Mu Mu that much?

“Um…” Feng Jiu’er still wanted to say something, but sensing the chilling, intense cold emanating from Jiu Qing, she immediately bit her lip and didn’t dare make another sound.

But for him to leave alone would surely be easy; bringing her along would make it far more difficult.

Especially with her ankle still injured — she could barely even walk.

“Jiu Qing,” Feng Jiu’er tugged at the front of his robe. It wasn’t that she wanted to test his patience — it was that the problem now was genuinely serious.

“With me along, I’m afraid…”

Suddenly, Jiu Qing scooped her up in his arms and leapt straight off Wind Chaser’s back.

Wind Chaser kept galloping forward without pausing at all, with Moon Chaser still close behind.

And the wolves up ahead seemed not to notice the two who had slipped away, their howls echoing everywhere as they chased after Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser instead.