A moment later, Poison Scorpion plopped down on the ground, panting. He couldn't walk any further.
Dizzy, drained of energy, and with an aching lower back, he decided to rest for a while before moving on.
He collapsed into the grass by the official road, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
Three quarters of an hour later, Poison Scorpion's eyes snapped open.
His neck was drenched in sweat, and his heart was pounding.
He had dreamed of stepping into thin air and plunging down a bottomless cliff. The surroundings were pitch-black, and he couldn't even see the ground. It was truly terrifying.
Upon sitting up, he found the pain in his lower back had worsened; needless to say, he had definitely injured a bone.
After struggling forward for half a quarter of an hour, Poison Scorpion stopped with a dark expression. His heart was filled with not only frustration but also burning anger.
At this pace, let alone reaching Suining City today, he might not even make it in tomorrow.
Neigh— A horse's snort came from the woods.
Poison Scorpion turned his head to look. Through the gaps between the tree trunks, he could faintly see a horse's tail swishing, and it seemed there was a carriage as well.
The thought of being able to ride in a carriage lifted Poison Scorpion's spirits.
Approaching, he discovered five horses and a carriage tied to a tree trunk. Judging from the carriage's decorations, it definitely belonged to a wealthy family.
In the past, Poison Scorpion would have absolutely waited for the owners to return to rob and kill them, but right now, he only wanted to steal the carriage.
To prevent anyone from chasing him, he killed all five of the other horses tied to the trees before leaving.
Gusts of wind quickly scattered the scent of blood.
Six miles away, halfway up the mountain, Xuetuan, who was hiding in the bushes with Song Anhao, suddenly stood up and looked down the mountain.
Its nose twitched as it faintly caught the scent of blood, and the pupils of its pale blue tiger eyes involuntarily narrowed into slits.
Not far away, a sika deer turned around and fled.
Seeing his feathered arrow miss its mark, Song Anhao puffed up his cheeks and glared at Xuetuan.
Why did you stand up all of a sudden? The deer ran away.
He had waited so long for them to enter his shooting range, and this sudden startle ruined everything.
Xuetuan bit his clothes and dragged him backward. Seeing that his clothes were about to tear, Song Anhao crouched down in confusion and held its tiger head.
What's wrong?
Awoo~ Xuetuan raised its head and roared toward the bottom of the mountain.
Yao Ying, who had been following along but was not allowed to help, guessed, Could it be that a wild beast is approaching, and Xuetuan senses danger?
Song Anhao's eyes lit up. If it can make Xuetuan scared, it must be a tiger.
Yao Ying closed his mouth, wishing he could swallow his words.
If it really is a tiger, the six of us probably can't defeat it. Young Master, let's head back. You're already amazing for hunting down two rabbits.
It wasn't that they couldn't fight it, but with Song Anhao around, they didn't want to take the risk.
A guard standing nearby nodded in agreement. We've been out long enough. We should head back immediately.
Awoo~ Xuetuan was still calling out, and after roaring, it went to tug at Song Anhao again.
Seeing that he was slow to react, it simply let go and ran down the mountain by itself.
Xuetuan— Song Anhao immediately grew anxious and sprinted after it.
Yao Ying and the others hurriedly followed.
The horses collapsed on the ground, the grass stained with blood—sweating profusely, Song Anhao felt his entire body turn ice-cold.
The five guards turned pale with grim expressions. Yao Ying stepped in front of Song Anhao, using his body to block his view.
Unclenching his fists, Song Anhao reached out and pushed Yao Ying aside, saying in a firm tone, Move out of the way.
Meeting his calm and stubborn gaze, Yao Ying hesitated for a long time before finally stepping aside.
After finishing their inspection, a guard said, Their throats were slit with a single strike. This is definitely the work of a professional killer.
The other two guards searched the surroundings. The carriage is gone.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately realized why the culprit had killed the horses—they didn't want anyone to give chase.
Awoo~ Xuetuan let out a long roar and turned its head, signaling for Song Anhao to follow.
