Chapter 36: Husband, Save Me
“Boom boom boom~”
On the land, both groups were sprinting at full speed.
The people from Hou Village ahead were fleeing desperately, extremely disheveled.
Behind them, Li Xiao led more than twenty cavalrymen, splitting into left and right flanks, quickly encircling the people from Hou Village on both sides.
“Swish~”
Accompanied by a shrill whistle of an arrow, a guard at the rear of the Hou Village group let out a scream in an instant.
“Ah~”
The arrow pierced straight through his chest, and his body heavily tumbled off the horse.
Seeing this, the people from Hou Village became even more shocked and furious.
“Third Uncle~”
Hou Tiancai let out a loud roar, his face twisted in rage. The man who had just been shot off his horse was one of his uncles, also a member of the Hou Family.
“Damn it, who the hell are they?”
Hou Tiancai was extremely furious inside, completely baffled as to why these people were pursuing and killing him for no reason.
Moreover, they were striking with such ruthless intent, clearly aiming to take lives.
“Swish~”
The whistle of a second arrow rang out. To the fleeing crowd, it was like the devil’s roar.
Sure enough, another scream followed, and a second Hou Village cavalryman was shot off his horse.
“There’s a divine archer among them,” someone shouted in terror.
Two consecutive arrows had all hit their targets in the back—this was definitely not luck.
“Damn it, I’ll cut you all into a thousand pieces.” Hou Tiancai growled angrily.
Though his tone was arrogant, the tremor in his voice betrayed his inner fear.
He could only keep comforting himself and the others: “Push harder, Hou Village is just ahead.”
“We’ll be safe once we’re home.”
But at that moment, Hou Tiancai heard a cry: “Husband, wait for me~”
Looking back, he realized Huang Xiuer had unknowingly fallen behind.
“Useless,” Hou Tiancai fumed inwardly.
Though he had long known her riding skills were mediocre, he hadn’t expected her to falter at a time like this.
She couldn’t even control a single horse?
“Hurry up!” Hou Tiancai roared.
But in the next second, his peripheral vision caught the pursuers behind.
He saw the divine archer drawing his bow again, preparing to claim the next life.
Seeing this, Hou Tiancai was utterly terrified.
How could he dare stop to wait for Huang Xiuer?
“Swish~”
A third shrill sound rang out, this time accompanied by the neighing of a horse.
Immediately after, Huang Xiuer’s terrified scream: “Ah~”
“Husband, save me~”
Looking back, he saw Huang Xiuer’s war horse had fallen to the ground, and due to her lack of experience, one of her legs was pinned underneath.
Seeing this, Hou Tiancai grew extremely anxious and even more furious at Huang Xiuer for always causing trouble at critical moments.
But he couldn’t just ignore her.
So he ordered one of his guards: “Go save her quickly.”
The guard, though unwilling, had no choice.
The situation in Hou Village was different from other villages; the Hou Family held absolute authority there.
Even the farmlands outside all belonged to the Hou Family; these outsiders were merely their tenant farmers.
So if Hou Tiancai or his wife met with misfortune, not only would they die, but their family members would be implicated too.
Thus, the guard gritted his teeth, stopped his horse, and turned back to rescue Huang Xiuer.
But just as he was about to reach her side, Li Xiao’s arrow struck again.
It shot the guard straight off his horse.
“Damn it.”
Seeing this, Hou Tiancai’s expression turned savage in an instant.
His eyes blazed with hatred, as if he wanted to devour Li Xiao alive.
The choice was back in his hands: on one side, his wife pleading desperately for rescue; on the other, enemies charging forward with murderous intent.
What should he do?
“Boom boom boom boom~”
The thundering hooves of more than twenty Hexi Cavalry echoed across the land, each step like a ticking drumbeat urging Hou Tiancai to decide quickly.
At this moment, his head was sweating profusely from anxiety.
But in the next second, as another guard beside him was shot by Li Xiao and screamed while tumbling off his horse.
Hou Tiancai no longer needed to choose.
He turned and fled directly.
“Husband~”
At this moment, Huang Xiuer stood stunned in place, tears slowly streaming down.
Watching Hou Tiancai’s departing back, her heart turned ice-cold.
Even the pain in her leg pinned under the war horse seemed unfelt.
Heartbroken.
“Boom boom boom boom~”
The sound of galloping war horses grew louder; Li Xiao and his more than twenty cavalrymen soon reached Huang Xiuer’s side.
“Whoa whoa whoa~”
Li Xiao signaled everyone to stop.
Seeing the outline of Hou Village clearly in the distance, Li Xiao felt helpless too.
On the vast grassland, catching up to another group wasn’t easy; it required prolonged pursuit.
“What a pity,” Li Xiao muttered to himself.
He had planned to capture Hou Tiancai, the young village master, to lure more people from Hou Village out for a battle on the grassland.
The guy had run too fast.
Li Xiao had even deliberately shot his wife’s horse to lure him back to rescue her.
But he hadn’t expected the guy to be so ruthless.
He could abandon his wife just like that.
“Fuck, do you think you’re Emperor Gaozu of Han?”
“But I’m not the Hegemon-King of Chu,” Li Xiao thought to himself.
The Hegemon-King of Chu upheld righteousness and treated Liu Bang’s wife with courtesy, but not everyone was so noble.
Li Xiao’s gaze involuntarily turned to the woman lying on the ground.
Very beautiful.
Her skin was fair and smooth, unlike that of a grassland woman; her figure was slender, exuding the charm of a mature woman.
Especially those peach-blossom eyes, glistening with misty tears, making them all the more tempting.
“A young wife.”
Li Xiao hadn’t wanted to take out his frustration on a woman, but the next steps required her cooperation.
So, Li Xiao dismounted and walked to her, saying firmly: “I’ll get you out.”
With that, Li Xiao grabbed the rear of the injured war horse and flipped it over.
At this moment, Huang Xiuer was still dazed and confused, surrounded alone by a group of fierce pursuers; her heart was filled with extreme fear.
But when she looked closely at Li Xiao, she realized he was actually a very handsome youth.
Huang Xiuer couldn’t help but relax a little.
But in the next second, she felt her body lifted into the air.
“Ahhh~ Put me down~”
“Help~”
Huang Xiuer screamed in terror, only then realizing she had been scooped up horizontally by Li Xiao in mid-air.
The young cavalrymen around immediately erupted in excited shouts; some even whistled.
“Ooooh~”
“Hahaha~”
“Da Long Ge is awesome~”
The term “awesome” was something Li Xiao had taught them.
These youths rode their horses, bows in hand, circling excitedly around Li Xiao and her to express their thrill.
Nothing excited these Northern Frontier men more than a woman.
They got excited over women they snatched themselves.
They got even more excited when Li Xiao snatched a woman.
At this moment, the most terrified was Huang Xiuer, surrounded by a pack of ferocious enemies; she felt like she had fallen into a wolf’s den.
Tears streamed down nonstop as she struggled and screamed for help.
But in the next second, Li Xiao tossed her forcibly onto the horse’s back and slapped her buttocks.
He growled fiercely: “Don’t move, or I’ll strip all your clothes off.”
Hearing this, Huang Xiuer froze in fear, not daring to struggle anymore, obediently lying on the horse’s back in an extremely humiliating position.
Then, Li Xiao leaped onto the horse and said to his men: “Let’s go say hello to the young village master of Hou.”
“We snatched his wife; we can’t just leave without a word, right?”
“Go thank the young village master of Hou.”
After that, his men burst into laughter.
Whooping and hollering, they charged toward Hou Village.
“Young village master, they’re coming!”
After Hou Tiancai returned to Hou Village, before he could catch his breath, he heard his subordinate shout.
“Bastards.”
Hou Tiancai gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.
Seeing the cavalry approaching in the distance, he hurriedly sent someone to notify his grandfather.
He wanted to rally men to charge out, snatch his wife back, and cut this bunch to pieces, making them regret being born.
By now, Li Xiao had arrived outside Hou Village, stopping about a hundred meters from the wall.
“Hou Tiancai, see who’s in my arms?”
Li Xiao shouted loudly at Hou Tiancai.
By now, people had gathered behind the wall; upon close inspection, they saw the woman in Li Xiao’s arms was Huang Xiuer?
So, they all turned to look at Hou Tiancai simultaneously, their faces showing undisguised shock and sympathy.
“Asshole.”
At this moment, Hou Tiancai’s eyes were bloodshot, breathing heavily.
Watching his own wife held in another man’s arms right before his eyes was a naked humiliation.
“Release my wife, or I’ll make you regret being born,” Hou Tiancai shouted with a savage face.
Li Xiao just smirked indifferently and kept taunting: “I’ll send her back tomorrow.”
This pulled the hatred to maximum.
The crowd behind the wall erupted in uproar.
Hou Tiancai’s face turned green; he had always been the favored son of heaven, but this was the first time he was publicly humiliated.
And it was such a great disgrace.
“Bitch, why don’t you just die?”
Hou Tiancai was so furious he nearly fainted, roaring and cursing at Huang Xiuer.
He seemed to blame all his humiliation on her.
Huang Xiuer, who was struggling and resisting, felt like she had fallen into an ice cave upon hearing this; her heart was utterly bitter and cold.
Her struggling weakened, tears flowing again.
Li Xiao saw his goal achieved, and time was about up.
Lingering longer would be trouble once the people inside Hou Village assembled.
So, without further tormenting the woman, he laughed loudly at Hou Tiancai: “Don’t worry, she won’t die.”
“I’ll take good care of her.”
With that, Li Xiao called to his men: “Let’s go. Tonight, the boss enters the bridal chamber—no one leaves sober.”
Watching Li Xiao and the others’ receding backs, Hou Tiancai nearly spat blood.
Unable to suppress his inner rage and shame, he roared to the sky: “Pursue them.”
“Cut them all to pieces for me.”
