Chapter - 446 Will the Encounter While Lion-slaying Cause a Calamity? (2)

Two people sharing a ride went down the mountain. They traveled along the main road, turning slightly to the east to avoid meeting Wang Baobao. After walking for a while, they turned toward a small pathway. They were feeling slightly relieved, since they thought that even if Wang Baobao dispatched some people to pursue, they would not easily find this small and remote pathway. They will have more chance of escaping when the sky turned dark and they entered deeper into the mountain.

While riding leisurely, suddenly they heard hoof beats from behind; a pair of riders galloped near. Zhao Min's countenance sank; she tightened her hold on Zhang Wuji's waist while saying, "My Gege comes very quick. It's just our cruel fate, in the end we can't escape from his cruel hands. Wuji Gege, let me go home with him. I am going to ask Father earnestly that we will see each other again later. As eternal and unchanging as the universe, let us not fail each other."

With a bitter smile Zhang Wuji said, "Your honorable brother might not necessarily be willing to let me go."

Just as he was saying that, the riders had come within several dozens 'zhang's behind them. Zhao Min held the rein to let the riders pass. She pulled her dagger out, thinking that if they had a chance, they would escape, but if her brother had made up his mind to kill Zhang Wuji, then the two of them would die together. However, when the two riders came near, they did not even slow down. They were wearing Mongolian soldiers' uniform. They galloped passed them, giving them only a quick glance, and continued forward.

Zhao Min had just mused, "Thank Heaven and thank the Earth. Turned out they are only two low-ranking soldiers, not our pursuers." When she saw those two Yuan soldiers held their reins to slow down their horses, talked to each other, and suddenly turned their horses around and returned toward the two of them.

One of them, a full-bearded Yuan soldier, shouted, "Audacious barbarians! Where did you steal these two good horses from?"

As she heard the tone of his voice, Zhao Min understood that they coveted the pair of steeds given by her father. The horses of the Ruyang Prince were naturally divine steeds, with golden stirrups and silver reins, extraordinarily magnificent and expensive ornaments. The Mongolians loved horses like they loved life itself, so when they saw a pair of excellent horses, how could their hearts be not moved?

Zhao Min thought, "Although these two horses were given by Father, but if these two wicked thieves want to seize them by force, we'd better let them go." She spoke in Mongolian, "Which General's subordinates are you? Why do you dare to be so impolite to me?"

That Mongolian soldier was startled. "Who are you, Miss?" he asked. He saw that these two were wearing expensive looking clothes, the horses they were riding were no small matters either; and now she was speaking fluent Mongolian. He did not dare to be careless.

"I am General Waerl Puche's daughter," Zhao Min said, "This is my brother. We met some robbers along the way and are injured."

The two Mongolian soldiers exchanged a glance, suddenly they laughed loudly. The bearded soldier said in loud voice, "One can't escape, two will not live. We might as well kill these two babies." Unsheathing his saber, he charged forward.

Zhao Min was alarmed. "What are you doing?" she asked, "I'll tell the General and have the two of you pulled by four horses." Execution by pulling by four horses was Mongolian army's capital punishment, in which the lawbreaker's limbs were tied to four horses. As the signal was given, a long whip cracked, the four horses would run to different directions at once, tearing the convict into four parts. It was the cruelest punishment.

The full-bearded Mongolian soldier laughed menacingly. "Waerl Puche was unable to defeat the Ming Cult army," he said, "He randomly executed his subordinates, venting his anger to us, his soldiers. Yesterday the army revolted and chopped your father to be meat sauce. Nothing can be better than to bump into you, two puppies, in here." While saying that, he raised his saber, ready to chop down.

Zhao Min jerked the rein, her horse leaped forward to evade. The soldier pursued to kill. The other Yuan soldier called out, "Don't kill this young girl who is pretty-as-a-flower. We can have fun with her first."

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" the bearded soldier replied.

Zhao Mi had an idea so she jumped down the horse and ran to the side. The two Mongolian soldiers immediately dismounted their horses to chase her.

"Aiyo!" Zhao Min screamed, while falling down to the ground. The bearded solder pounced on her, reaching out to grab her back. Zhao Min's elbow struck backward and hit the vital acupoint on his chest. The bearded soldier grunted and fell on the spot. The other Yuan soldier did not see clearly what had happened to him, he continued his pounce toward her. Zhao Min repeated her trick earlier and struck his acupoint too.

Normally, she would be able to do these two strikes effortlessly, but this time she had to exert her entire strength that her head was soaked in cold sweat, and she felt as if all her strength was drained out. Propping herself against the ground, she stood up, and then helped Zhang Wuji dismount the horse. With the dagger in her hand she shouted, "Dog thieves! You have defied your superior. Do you want to live or not?"

Because their acupoints were sealed, the two Yuan soldiers felt their upper bodies were numb; they were unable to move their hands. Their lower parts still had feeling, but they were unbearably sore and ache all over. They expected Zhao Min to kill them, so they were surprised when they heard that she seemingly wanted to give them an opportunity to live. "Miss, have mercy!" they hastily said, "Xiao Ren really were not the ones who harmed General Waerl Puche."

"All right," Zhao Min said, "I will spare your lives as long as you do what I say."

The two Yuan soldiers did not care how difficult the matter she was going to tell them to do, they complied immediately, "We'll do it! We'll do it!"

Zhao Min pointed toward her own horses and said, "You two must ride these two horses quickly to the east. Within a day and a night, you must cover 300 'li's; the faster the better. You must not fail."

The two soldiers looked at each other in confusion. They did not expect her instruction to be this trivial. They thought she must mean the opposite of what she was saying.

"Miss," the bearded soldier said, "Even if Xiao Ren have enormous courage, we will not dare to ride on Miss' horses …"

"This is important," Zhao Min cut him off, "If anybody asks you along the way, you must say that you bought these pair of steeds at the market. You must never mention us two people's appearances. Do you understand?"

The two Mongolian soldiers were still half believing and half doubting, but Zhao Min repeatedly urged them. They thought that even if she was playing a trick, going away was certainly better than being killed by her dagger. Therefore, step-by-step they slowly walked away from her, and then turned around and jumped onto the saddles.

The Mongolians grew up on horseback. For them, riding a horse was as easy as walking. Although their limbs were still stiff, they were able to drive the horses forward. They were afraid Zhao Min gave them the order out of temporary confusion and would regret her decision, so after a few dozens of 'zhang's, they squeezed the horse with their legs and they sped away as fast as they could.

"This is a very good idea," Zhang Wuji said, "If your Gege's men see these horses, they must think that we are going east. Where are we going actually?"