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墨書 Inktalez
The dim light allowed Luzi to vaguely see the path ahead, but he felt even more exhausted than the galloping Seven Star Black Steed beneath him. Just as he worried about not slipping and falling off the cliff, he felt the Black Steed suddenly leap into the air.
The sound of wind in his ears became ethereal, lacking any real sensation. This emptiness of nature was what he was experiencing; there was no sense of sound carrying around him.
Luzi was particularly sensitive to this kind of sound because he had once flown with Chuchu on the Wooden Kite and experienced it firsthand. The near-fall that almost left him with chronic leg pain was something he could never forget.
He remembered that the Wooden Kite had wings. When did the Black Steed grow wings? Luzi must have been disoriented, as this thought flashed away as his awareness returned. He quickly looked down and realized that beneath the horse's belly was already a sea of clouds.
Just as Zhao General Zhou Zhi caught up, he saw the Qin General leap across to the opposite cliff. Gripping the reins tightly, he urged his horse forward, hoping to follow closely and reach the ridge on the other side.
When the warhorse noticed the suddenly appearing bottomless cliff ahead, it immediately realized it was about to jump beyond its limits. It quickly straightened its front legs and lowered its hind legs for an emergency stop. Fortunately, the warhorse reacted in time, sliding to a halt at the edge of the rocky precipice.
Once the warhorse stood upright away from the edge of the Cliff, both it and Zhou Zhi exhaled deeply at the same time. The horse snorted loudly, reminding its master how close they had come to falling!
The limits of jumping were driven by a moment of heated impulse; whether they could make it depended solely on that breath. If they gave up midway for any reason, gathering momentum again would be impossible.
Zhou Zhi saw that the Qin Army Commander, who had successfully completed his jump, did not leave but instead stood sideways on his horse on the opposite side. He finally realized that this pursuit had ended in failure. Frustrated, he reached for his quiver only to find that all his crossbow bolts had been used up along the way.
When Seven Star Black Steed leaped, Luzi hadn’t seen that there was a fractured mountain ridge ahead. By the time he realized the warhorse was airborne, he could only passively lean against the saddle to minimize resistance against the wind. In that instant, Luzi felt as if he had returned to soaring above the mountains on the Wooden Kite.
Master Lu Chu, who piloted the wooden bird, had once told Chuchu that to make the Wooden Kite fly higher and farther, one must find ways to reduce wind resistance.
Luzi wasn’t concerned about flying to the Moon Palace; what he wanted to know most was how to land safely. If they flew like this for days and nights, they would surely be worn out by the wind. Even if he truly wanted to go to the Moon Palace, at least he should fly back first to prepare some food and drinking water! So he asked irritably what would happen if they didn’t reduce wind resistance.
Flight Instructor Chuchu wanted to make sure this new flying student remembered the consequences of excessive wind resistance. With a sudden pull on the control stick, the wooden wings of Wooden Kite began to twist. Suddenly losing its gliding ability, Wooden Kite lost lift and came to a halt in mid-air.
Just moments ago, they were trying to slow down and land, and now it seemed they had to figure out how to get the big bird flying again!
Sitting behind Wooden Kite, Lu Zichao looked at the lush mountains below and reached up to grab his hat that was hanging in mid-air. Then, as Wooden Kite began to plummet straight down, he felt a violent roll as if the world was turning upside down, finally crashing into a forest...
After a jolt, Luzi realized that Black Steed had landed safely. He secretly rejoiced that it was more stable than the last landing but felt something sharp stab at his heart. He quickly shifted his focus and leaned over to look down at Cliff.
When Luzi heard the urgent Hoofbeats approaching from across, he saw that Zhao General had failed in his pursuit. This confirmed his safety because that guy could never jump over!
With his mind completely at ease, Lu Zi reached for an arrow and couldn't help but laugh heartily. “General Zhou! I have no vendetta against you for your father’s death nor any grudge over a wife; why must you press me so hard!? I think we should call it a day! If you want to fight, let’s arrange our troops after Dawn!”
Initially planning to throw the spear hanging from his saddle, Zhou Zhi suddenly understood that he had been overthinking things. Ignoring the main force of Zhao Army, he had foolishly followed the Qin Army Commander into the deep mountains! He quickly took the opportunity to step down and loudly responded that they would part ways for now and fight again tomorrow. After saying this, he turned his horse and hurried back along the path they came.
Having just fled at full speed, they were now far from the battlefield. The escaped Luzi quietly waited for the disappearance of Zhao General into the woods before looking around. Realizing he was already lost, he lacked the courage to leap across the ravine again; what he needed most was to find a high point.
Climbing high would allow him to find suitable reference points. As long as he found these, he could discern directions and then locate where his own Army was stationed.
The recently jumped Seven Star Black Steed was clearly running out of energy, snorting loudly as white mist escaped its nostrils. Seeing this, Luzi quickly dismounted and removed the saddle with his apprentice to reduce weight. What should have been simple actions took him a long time due to stiff fingers.
Feeling as if his whole body was about to fall apart, Luzi tossed the saddle aside and struggled to take off his Sword, leaning it against the saddle. Then he sat down heavily on the ground, gasping for breath and not wanting to stand up again.
As his mind completely relaxed, a cold mountain breeze rushed in through the gaps in his leather armor. The inner lining, already soaked with sweat, clung to him, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body.
Intending to find some dry branches to start a fire, Luzi instinctively reached for his waist, only to feel empty hands. Looking down, he realized that the small pouch containing his fire starter had long since disappeared. It seemed likely that it had been lost while dodging arrows along the way; otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to find it.
In the freezing cold, falling asleep here could mean never waking up again. The urgent task was to leave this place quickly and find somewhere to rest. Determined, Lu Ziran allowed his warhorse to rest a bit longer before getting up to secure his sword.
Luzi lifted the saddle onto the horse's back, fastening the straps while explaining the current situation to the Seven Star Black Steed. It was not wise to linger here; they needed to find a place to rest. If they could locate a village or something similar, they could trade for some beans to eat.
The intelligent Black Steed seemed to understand, snorting in agreement with his master's suggestion. Proudly fluffing its coat, it reminded the human, who had long lost the ability to survive in nature, that it was still capable. With such a thick coat, even if it rained now, it could sleep without worry.
Although Luzi had been riding horses since childhood, he had never realized that humans and animals could communicate with each other. This was his first time noticing that the Black Steed seemed to be showing off, as if it were about to speak human language. He couldn't help but be taken aback and reached out to check if its forehead felt feverish.
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