A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 16 The Sound of Horses' Hooves and a New Journey

Wanru and Huanmo stood in the temple, their hearts tightening as they heard the approaching sound of horses' hooves.

Wanru instinctively moved closer to Huanmo, clutching the now-dull bead tightly in her hand, as if it could still offer some protection at this crucial moment. Her eyes revealed worry and vigilance, and she kept wondering, "Who could be coming? Is it those greedy soldiers who came after us again, or is it someone else? Whoever it is, they probably won't let us go easily."

Huanmo's expression was equally solemn. He shielded Wanru behind him, his eyes fixed on the temple gate, as if trying to see through it to the outside world. "No matter who comes, we must be careful. We absolutely cannot let them ruin our plan to find clues in the Misty Forest," Huanmo said in a low voice, his words filled with determination.

The sound of hooves grew louder and louder, so loud that the ground seemed to tremble slightly. Before long, a group of knights in armor appeared outside the temple. They reined in their horses, which neighed loudly and kicked up a cloud of dust.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a stern face. His gaze swept across the temple grounds like lightning, finally settling on the temple gate. "Listen up, you inside! Come out and surrender now, or don't blame this general for being impolite!" he shouted, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

Wanru and Huanmo exchanged a glance, both inwardly groaning. It was truly one problem after another; they had just escaped the threat of the flying beasts, and now they had encountered this group of soldiers of unknown origin.

"What should we do? Huanmo, if we go out now, we're likely to be in grave danger," Wanru said anxiously in a low voice. Her palms were sweaty, and the beads almost slipped off her hands.

Huanmo frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Let's see how things go first. Maybe they're not coming for us, but just passing by." Although he said this, he knew in his heart that the possibility was extremely slim.

Just as they hesitated, the general outside seemed to have grown impatient. He waved his hand, and several soldiers dismounted and walked toward the temple, clearly preparing to force their way in.

Seeing this, Huanmo knew he could no longer sit idly by and wait for his death. He looked around the temple, searching for possible escape routes or weapons he could use to defend himself. However, apart from some old tables and chairs and the wooden stick he had used to prop open the door, there was nothing else usable in the abandoned temple.

Wanru was also anxiously thinking of a solution when her gaze suddenly fell on a small window at the back of the temple. The window wasn't big, but it was just big enough for one person to pass through.

"Huanmo, look there! We might be able to escape through that window," Wanru said urgently, pointing to the small window.

Huanmo followed Wanru's finger, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes. "Okay, you go out from there first, I'll hold them off for a while." Huanmo said, picking up a wooden stick from the ground and walking towards the door, preparing to deal with the soldiers who were about to break in.

Although Wanru was reluctant to leave Huanmo alone to face the danger, she knew there was no better way at the moment. She gritted her teeth and ran towards the small window.

Just as Wanru was struggling to climb out of the window, the soldiers had already broken through the temple gates. Huanmo brandished a wooden stick and fought with the soldiers at the front. Although he had not fully recovered, he was using all his strength to protect Wanru, and for a moment he was also at a stalemate with the soldiers.

Wanru finally managed to climb out of the window. Ignoring her scrapes and bruises, she turned and shouted into the temple, "Huanmo, come out quickly!"

Huanmo felt a warmth in his heart when he heard Wanru's call, but he was currently entangled by several soldiers and could not break free for the time being.

Just then, the general entered the temple and saw Huanmo fighting desperately. He sneered, "Hmph, you think you can stop this general? Take him down!"

With the general's order, more soldiers poured into the temple, and Huanmo gradually found himself unable to hold them off.

Wanru stood anxiously outside the window, looking around for a way to help Huanmo. Suddenly, she saw an unattended horse not far away, its reins dragging on the ground.

Wanru's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking twice, she ran towards the horse. She grabbed the reins, struggled to climb onto its back, and then urged the horse to gallop towards the temple.

"Huanmo, I'm here to save you!" Wanru shouted as she rode her horse into the temple and charged toward the soldiers surrounding Huanmo.

The soldiers were startled by Wanru's sudden action and quickly made way for her. Huanmo seized the opportunity to break free from the soldiers' pursuit and ran towards Wanru.

"Hurry up and get on!" Wanru reached out her hand, and Huanmo grabbed it. With Wanru's help, he climbed onto the horse's back.

"Giddy up!" Wanru shouted, spurring her horse towards the outside of the temple. The soldiers came to their senses and tried to give chase, but it was too late. They could only watch helplessly as Wanru and Huanmo rode away into the distance.

Wanru and Huanmo rode their horses at full speed for a long time, only slowing down when they were sure no one was chasing them.

"Phew...that was close, I almost got caught again." Wanru said, panting heavily, still shaken.

Huanmo also looked exhausted, but as he looked at Wanru, his eyes were filled with gratitude and love. "Thanks to you, Wanru, if you hadn't appeared in time, I'm afraid I would have..."

Wanru gently shook her head. "We're in this together, so of course we should support each other. Let's hurry and head towards the Misty Forest; time is of the essence."

Huanmo nodded, and the two rode their horses northward toward the mysterious misty forest.

Along the way, they endured wind and rain, sleeping in the open and experiencing many hardships and dangers. Sometimes they encountered storms and rain, and could only take shelter in caves; sometimes they encountered steep mountain paths, and had to dismount and walk; sometimes they encountered hungry wild animals, and had to deal with them carefully to avoid becoming their meal.

But no matter what difficulties they encountered, Wanru and Huanmo encouraged and supported each other, and never gave up their determination to go to the Misty Forest.

Finally, after a long trek, they saw a hazy mist in the distance, which covered a vast forest and looked mysterious and dangerous.

"That must be the Misty Forest," Wanru said, pointing ahead with a mixture of anticipation and worry in her eyes.

Huanmo looked at the mist, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. "Yes, that should be it. We need to be careful; who knows how many dangers are lurking in there."

They rode their horses slowly towards the misty forest. As soon as they entered the edge of the mist, they felt a chill rush towards them, and everything around them became blurry.

Just as they were cautiously preparing to venture deeper into the forest, suddenly, a sinister laugh echoed from the mist, a laugh that seemed to come from the deepest hell, sending chills down their spines.