Chapter 39: Husband, Save Me~

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Across the vast earth, two groups were racing at a frantic pace.

Ahead, the members of the Hou Stronghold fled desperately, looking thoroughly wretched and panicked.

Behind them, Li Xiao led more than twenty cavalrymen, splitting into left and right flanks as they rapidly closed in to encircle the fleeing men.

"Whoosh—"

Accompanied by a piercing whistle of the wind, a guard bringing up the rear of the Hou Stronghold's party let out a miserable shriek.

"Ah—!"

An arrow pierced directly through his chest, and his body plunged heavily from his horse!

Seeing this, the expressions of the Hou Stronghold members turned even more alarmed and furious.

"Third Uncle!"

Hou Tiancai roared at the top of his lungs, his face twisted in savage anger. The man just shot from his horse was his paternal uncle, a blood relative of the Hou family!

"Damn it, who on earth are they?"

Hou Tiancai was consumed by rage and utter confusion, completely unable to understand why these people were pursuing and hunting them down without any apparent reason.

Moreover, they were striking with such ruthless lethality, clearly intending to take lives from the very beginning.

"Whoosh—"

The whistle of a second arrow rang out. To the desperate fugitives fleeing for their lives, it sounded precisely like the howling of demons.

Sure enough, another wretched cry echoed as a second Hou Stronghold horseman was shot out of the saddle!

"There's an expert archer among them!" someone screamed in terror.

Hitting consecutive targets squarely in the back from a distance was absolute proof that this was no mere stroke of luck.

"Damn it, I'll hack you all into a thousand pieces!" Hou Tiancai growled in a low, furious roar.

Though his words sounded arrogant, the tremor in his voice completely betrayed his inner panic.

He had no choice but to continuously comfort himself and the others: "Push harder! The stronghold is just ahead."

"Once we're home, we'll be safe!"

Right at that moment, however, Hou Tiancai heard a desperate cry: "Husband, wait for me—!"

Looking back, he discovered that Huang Xiuer had somehow fallen behind without him noticing.

"Utterly useless," Hou Tiancai's heart burned with frenzied fury.

Though he had known Huang Xiuer's horsemanship was merely mediocre, he never expected her to fall apart at a critical moment like this.

Could she not even control a single horse?

"Can't you hurry up?!" Hou Tiancai roared angrily.

Yet in the very next second, his peripheral vision caught sight of the pursuers closing in behind.

That lethal archer had once again drawn his bow, notching an arrow to harvest yet another life.

At this sight, Hou Tiancai was scared nearly out of his wits.

How could he possibly dare to stop and wait for Huang Xiuer now?

"Whoosh—"

A third piercing sound tore through the air, though this time it was followed by the frantic neighing of a horse.

Immediately after came Huang Xiuer's terrified scream: "Ah—!"

"Husband, save me—!"

Looking back, he saw that Huang Xiuer's warhorse had tumbled to the ground, and due to her lack of experience, one of her legs was trapped directly beneath the beast's heavy body.

Seeing this, Hou Tiancai felt a rush of frantic anxiety, compounded by intense anger that Huang Xiuer always managed to cause trouble at the most crucial moments.

Yet he could not simply ignore her either.

Gritting his teeth, he ordered one of his guards: "Go back and save her!"

Hearing this, the guard naturally felt extreme reluctance in his heart, but he had no other choice.

The situation in the Hou Stronghold was somewhat different from other villages; the Hou family held absolute, unquestioned authority there.

Even the surrounding farmland outside belonged entirely to the Hous, and these outsiders of different surnames were merely tenant farmers beholden to the family.

Therefore, if anything happened to Hou Tiancai and his wife, not only would he himself die, but his entire family would be implicated and executed as well.

Thus, the guard had no choice but to brace himself, rein in his horse, and turn back to rescue Huang Xiuer.

However, just as he was about to reach her side, Li Xiao's arrow flew once more.

It struck the guard squarely, sending him tumbling from his saddle!

"Damn it!"

At this sight, Hou Tiancai's expression twisted into something truly ferocious.

His eyes spliting with rage, he glared at Li Xiao as if he wanted to devour him alive.

The agonizing choice was thrust back into his hands: on one side was his wife, weeping and begging for her life, while on the other was the murderous enemy, rushing toward him like a tidal wave.

How was he to choose?

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—!"

The thunderous hoofbeats of more than twenty Hexi cavalry shook the earth. Every single impact sounded like the beats of a timing drum, urging Hou Tiancai to make a decision instantly.

In that fraction of a second, sweat poured from his temples in sheer panic.

Yet in the next moment, as yet another of his guards was struck by Li Xiao's arrow, screaming as he fell from his horse,

Hou Tiancai no longer needed to choose.

He whipped his horse around and fled straight ahead—!

"Husband—!"

At that moment, Huang Xiuer froze in place, tears streaming slowly down her face.

Watching the retreating back of Hou Tiancai as he abandoned her, her heart turned completely hollow and icy.

Even the searing pain from her leg being crushed beneath the horse seemed to vanish entirely.

Utter heartbreak!

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—!"

The sound of pounding hooves grew deafeningly close as Li Xiao and his twenty-odd cavalrymen finally arrived beside Huang Xiuer.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—!"

Li Xiao signaled for the troop to halt.

Noticing that the outer walls of the Hou Stronghold in the distance were already clearly visible, Li Xiao felt a tinge of genuine regret.

Across the vast, open grasslands, catching up to a fleeing group was no simple feat; it required a prolonged and exhausting chase.

"What a pity," Li Xiao muttered inwardly.

His original intention had been to capture Hou Tiancai, the young master of the stronghold, and use him as bait to lure more of the stronghold's forces out for an open-field battle on the plains!

Yet this fellow ran far too fast.

Li Xiao had even intentionally shot the horse belonging to the man's wife, hoping to lure him back into a rescue attempt.

Never had he imagined that this coward was cold-blooded enough to abandon his own wife without a second thought.

"Damn it, do you think you're Emperor Gaozu of Han?"

"Well, I certainly am no Hegemon of Chu!" Li Xiao thought to himself with a smirk.

The Hegemon of Chu had adhered to a code of chivalry and treated Liu Bang's wife with utmost courtesy, but not everyone in this world was blessed with such noble restraint.

Li Xiao's gaze inevitably shifted toward the woman lying upon the ground.

She was remarkably pretty.

Her skin was fair, tender, and smooth, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the rugged women of the grasslands. Her figure was slender and graceful, fully exuding the alluring charm of a mature woman.

Especially those peach-blossom eyes, moistened by the hazy veil of tears, making them look all the more tempting and inviting.

"A gorgeous young matron, indeed."

Li Xiao had originally not intended to vent his frustrations on a mere woman, but his next steps required the cooperation of this very person.

Therefore, Li Xiao dismounted swiftly, walked right up to the woman, and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument: "I'll get you out of there."

With that, Li Xiao grabbed the flank of the injured warhorse and heaved with all his might, flipping the heavy animal right off her leg.

Meanwhile, Huang Xiuer remained dazed and bewildered, surrounded on all sides by a pack of fierce, murderous pursuers, her heart gripped by extreme terror.

Yet when she managed to catch a clear glimpse of Li Xiao's appearance, she was surprised to find that he was actually a strikingly handsome young man.

Huang Xiuer involuntarily relaxed just a fraction.

However, in the very next second, she felt her entire body lift off the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah—! Put me down—!"

"Help—!"

Huang Xiuer screamed in sheer panic as she realized she had been hoisted horizontally into mid-air in Li Xiao's arms.

The surrounding young cavalrymen instantly erupted into enthusiastic cheers, and several even let out wolf whistles!

"Ooh-ooh-ooh—!"

"Hahahaha—!"

"Big Brother Dalong is truly badass!"

The slang term "badass" was something Li Xiao had taught them himself!

These young riders, sitting atop their horses with bows in hand, galloped in circles around Li Xiao and the woman, using their boisterous commotion to express their boundless excitement.

Nothing could stir the blood and excitement of these northern frontier lads quite like women!

Capturing women of their own made them excited!

Watching Li Xiao capture a woman made them even more ecstatic!

At this moment, the one experiencing absolute terror was Huang Xiuer. Surrounded by a circle of ferocious-looking enemies, she felt as though she had fallen directly into a den of wolves.

Tears poured down her cheeks like rain as she struggled frantically, screaming at the top of her lungs for help!

Yet in the next instant, she was hoisted roughly and tossed across the saddle of a horse, followed by a sharp smack directly across her backside.

Li Xiao growled fiercely, "Stop thrashing about, or I'll strip every stitch of clothing from your body!"

Hearing this threat, Huang Xiuer was terrified into instant obedience, not daring to move a single muscle as she sprawled awkwardly across the horse's back in a posture of extreme humiliation.

Immediately afterward, Li Xiao vaulted into the saddle behind her and shouted to his men: "Let's go, time to pay a courtesy call to the young master of the Hou Stronghold!"

"We've gone ahead and borrowed someone's wife, it wouldn't do to leave without a proper farewell, right?"

"Let's go thank Young Master Hou!"

At his words, the younger men burst into roaring laughter, howling wildly as they galloped toward the Hou Stronghold.

"Young Master, the enemies are charging right back at us—!"

Just as Hou Tiancai had returned to the safety of the stronghold and barely caught his breath, a subordinate rushed up to report.

"Bastards—!"

Hou Tiancai gnashed his teeth, cursing in a low, venomous voice.

Watching the cavalrymen rapidly closing the distance outside, he hurriedly dispatched men to summon his grandfather.

He was determined to rally a force and charge right back out, not only to rescue his wife, but to hack this band of miscreants into a thousand pieces and make them regret ever setting foot in this world.

By this time, Li Xiao had already reined in his horse outside the Hou Stronghold, halting roughly a hundred meters from the parapet walls.

"Hou Tiancai, take a good look at who I'm holding in my arms!"

Li Xiao called out in a loud, resonant voice toward the battlements.

A crowd had already gathered behind the stone walls. When they peered down closely, they were shocked to discover that the woman held firmly in Li Xiao's embrace was none other than Huang Xiuer!

At once, every single person turned their gaze toward Hou Tiancai, their faces etched with unmistakable shock and profound sympathy.

"Scumbag—!"

In that instant, Hou Tiancai's eyes turned bloodshot as he breathed heavily, his chest heaving with rage.

Watching his own wife held tightly in the arms of another man was an act of raw, unadulterated humiliation.

"Let my wife go, or I swear I will make you regret the day you were born!" Hou Tiancai roared with a distorted, savage expression.

Li Xiao, however, merely chuckled with utter indifference, deliberately twisting the knife to stoke the flames of his fury: "Your wife is exceptionally tender and soft, I like her a great deal!"

"Lend her to me for the night, and I'll send her back to you tomorrow!"

To drive the point home, he deliberately slid his hand inside the collar of her tunic, giving it a deliberately provocative rub.

This single stunt completely maxed out the enmity gauge.

A wave of uproar rippled through the crowd gathered behind the parapet.

Hou Tiancai's face turned literally green. From childhood onward, he had always regarded himself as a favored son of heaven, yet this was the very first time he had ever been subjected to such public degradation.

And what a disgraceful, humiliating insult it was!

"Vile slut, why don't you just go die!"

Driven to the brink of fainting from sheer fury, Hou Tiancai roared out curses at Huang Xiuer in a frenzy of rage.

It seemed he was eagerly shifting the blame for his own public humiliation entirely onto Huang Xiuer's head.

Meanwhile, Huang Xiuer, who had been struggling and resisting up until that moment, felt as though she had been plunged straight into a frozen abyss upon hearing those words. Her heart grew achingly cold and desolate.

The strength in her struggling limbs slowly ebbed away, and fresh tears quietly spilled from her eyes.

Seeing that his objective had been fully achieved—and realizing that time was running out—

If he lingered any longer and allowed the Hou Stronghold to gather its forces, withdrawing safely would become a troublesome chore.

Therefore, without continuing to torment the woman further, Li Xiao laughed heartily at Hou Tiancai and shouted, "Rest assured, she won't die."

"I'll take very good care of her!"

With that, Li Xiao waved to his men and called out, "Let's move! Tonight your boss is entering the bridal chamber, drinks on me for everyone until we're thoroughly drunk—!"

Watching Li Xiao and his men retreat into the distance, Hou Tiancai felt as though he might cough up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Unable to suppress the raging fury and humiliation churning within his chest any longer, he threw his head back and roared toward the sky:

"Pursue them—!"

"Hacked them all to pieces—!!!"