With a deep rumble, the ground suddenly shuddered. The two pursuing factions, locked in a fierce engagement between their commanders, paid no heed to the tremor rippling through the main street. Yun Yao, who had secretly ascended above the city gate, suddenly swooped back down.

"Brother Zhao, trouble! Outside—there are so many horses!"

Horses! Bandits. Bad news—the horse thieves are attacking the city! We’d heard chatter about them for days but hadn't seen these outlaws, nor even witnessed what horses looked like in this world. To run into them now, amidst this chaos, meant things were about to get much livelier.

I gestured toward a small, dark alley across the street. "Don't kill the gate guards yet. Let them deal with the horse thieves. We'll hide in there for a bit and wait for the main factions to sort out their battle."

Even if we broke through the gate now, it would be pointless. In the gloom, Yun Yao couldn't see clearly, but she estimated at least two hundred horsemen. The five of us thrown into the midst of two hundred charging horses—even with ten laser guns, survival wouldn't be guaranteed. Besides, if we seize the gate only to lose it, wouldn't we just doom the citizens of Feiying Prefecture? Better to wait until they repel the bandits first.

The gate guards had also heard the drumming of hooves. They were too preoccupied to spare men to watch us now. Many of them had already witnessed the brutality of the horse thieves. If the bandits breached the city, a massacre would surely follow. These soldiers all had families within the walls, so every man scrambled onto the ramparts, preparing for a fight to the death.

With the guards no longer focused on us, we slipped easily into the small alley across the street and concealed ourselves. By then, someone had reported the forward situation to Wu Rong and Cai Hua. Hearing that the horse thieves had bypassed both Feiyu and Feihe counties to strike directly at the provincial capital, they were so terrified they almost collapsed on the spot.

However, they quickly regained their composure. Wu Rong spat, "Old dog Cai, I’ll settle accounts with you after I repel these bandits. You conspired to harm my wife! I will demand justice from the Emperor for this. And you plotted to frame Doctor Zhao, intending the princess to die from her illness—how will you explain that to His Majesty?"

Cai Hua knew that the matter of the flower had been a foolish attempt at flattery. Being caught red-handed this time would be a complicated mess, especially with the sudden appearance of an imperial edict. Yet, Cai Hua’s eyes narrowed. He stuck to the firm ground that Wu Rong harbored a murderer; he was acting according to the law, so he didn't feel intimidated.

"Hmph! If that flower was poisonous, why didn't it kill anyone else? Was your wife somehow special? You let a murderer escape—you worry more about how you'll explain that to the Emperor!"

At this moment, an aide stepped forward to admonish the two men. If they let the horse thieves into the city, the Emperor himself might not spare them. Getting back to serious business was paramount. The two of them realized this and fell silent, immediately ordering their retainers to rush toward the city gate.

Both factions had numerous retainers, well-equipped with weapons. Moreover, they were already close to the gate. Thus, before the horse thieves could even reach the walls, the retainers had assumed defensive positions. This development greatly puzzled the bandits. They intended a surprise attack on Feiying Prefecture, yet as soon as they neared the gate, they were met with a flood of lanterns, torches, and arrows flying like water, seemingly without cost. More than a dozen horses were struck down immediately, causing their charge to falter.

The bandit leader let out a sharp whistle, immediately commanding his subordinates to reform their lines even as they charged forward. Since their element of surprise was gone, and a long-distance raid couldn't end without a result, he decided on a forceful assault on the gate. Once the cavalry broke into the city, the few remaining guards would be insignificant.

Holding Yun Yao, I flew stealthily above the city gate to scout. Yun Yao whispered, "These cavalry are coming in too fiercely; I fear that thin wooden gate won't hold."

I replied, "The technology here is too backward. To forge thicker, stronger gates, one needs sharp tools. But the Shuangcheng Kingdom can't even mint its own currency; how can we expect them to possess advanced gate-making techniques?"

"If the city falls, it will be disastrous. We need to evacuate quickly. I can fly each of you out of Feiying Prefecture, leaving those pursuers scratching their heads, wondering how we vanished," Yun Yao said.

"Zhou Ni and Linglong are easy enough. I am even easier..."

Yun Yao, sharp as ever, immediately detected the jealousy in my tone. She feigned indignation, "Hmph, you are even more conservative than the men here! Do you not want me to even touch another man's finger?"

Recalling the night I watched Yun Yao dance, and how that effeminate young man took every opportunity to touch her, I genuinely felt angry. Seeing my silence and displeased expression, Yun Yao quickly hastened to appease me with a careful smile, "Don't be angry, Brother Zhao. I know you care about me. Brother Daliwan is hardly a stranger; besides, he just saved my life moments ago."

I huffed, "I wasn't talking about him."

"Then who are you talking about? I don't know any other men here," Yun Yao said, growing genuinely uneasy as she saw my jealousy.

I reminded her, "That boy who played my part during the dance that night?"

Yun Yao suddenly burst out laughing. "You stingy husband! So you were jealous of her? She’s a girl! If she were a boy, would I dare dance so intimately with her? Even if she wanted to, I wouldn't have taken her! Her body belongs only to you. If you don't believe me, go check the troupe."

Damn it, it was a woman after all! Not only had I worried for nothing, but I’d also earned the title of being stingy. I stammered, "Oh, is that so... Look, they’re charging the gate!"

Yun Yao wrapped her arms around my neck and secretly kissed me.

"Brother Zhao, I know you worry about me and care for me. I'm not angry; in fact, I'm quite pleased."

Feeling guilty, I dared not bring it up again. "Let's find a safe place. You figure out how to get Linglong and Zhou Ni out. As for me and Daliwan, getting out ourselves won't be a problem."

Though worried about me, Yun Yao did not argue with my proposal. However, neither of us had time to search for a safe place; the battle beneath us had already exploded. This was our first time witnessing war in this world, and for a moment, we were utterly captivated.

Before the horse thieves reached the base of the walls, the defenders on the ramparts began loosing arrows. There were no rolling logs or heavy stones as expected, just continuous rain of wooden shafts. Since they were just wood arrows, the cost was minimal, but their killing power was limited, and their range short. Even if they pierced a horse or a bandit, unless they hit a vital spot, they wouldn't kill immediately.

The bandits charged through the hail of arrows and began desperately ramming the gate with their galloping horses. Those horses seemed utterly oblivious to their own lives, charging forward one after another even as their comrades were smashed to pulp. This spoke volumes about the sheer ferocity of the people and horses of the Wanma Kingdom.

Horse thieves thrown from their mounts drew their sabers and started hacking at the gate with loud thuds. The gate, already none too sturdy, was on the verge of collapse. Governor Wu on the battlements roared, and the arrow-fire intensified significantly. Simultaneously, another squad was dispatched to move logs to brace the gate.

The bandit leader saw that the first wave was contained, and the element of surprise was lost, so he signaled a withdrawal. Soon, the bandits pulled back, leaving behind a dozen dead horses, retreating outside the range of the defensive arrows. The two forces settled into a temporary standoff, and by this time, the sky was starting to lighten.

Ma Yongliang of the Military Administration Department arrived with two Qianhuzhang (commanders of a thousand households), having received the urgent message, and took control of the city defenses. The actual personnel under these two commanders totaled less than a thousand, who had to be split between two gates. The horse thieves outside seemed only to be a vanguard. After the initial charge, although they lost over thirty men, the sound of hooves rumbled in the distance, and soon nearly three hundred more horsemen arrived. Such a force had rarely been seen during the years Feiying Prefecture had stood against the Wanma Kingdom.

These bandits were in no hurry for a second attack. Instead, they left a small contingent to guard the gate and deployed the majority of their force into the woods outside the city to chop down trees. Yun Yao watched, puzzled, and asked me, "What are they doing?"

Seeing the sky growing brighter—remaining airborne would make us targets for both sides—I said, "Never mind them. Now that it's daylight, we can't stay in the air long. Besides, I’m uneasy leaving the three women inside the city. Let’s go."

Yun Yao suddenly pointed into the distance. "Brother Zhao, look there. What is that small cluster of bandits doing? Why aren't they joining the main force?"

We were high in the sky, granting us exceptional long-distance vision. With the sky just beginning to pale, the distant scenery was quite clear. We saw seven horses concealed in a low-lying area a considerable distance behind the main bandit body, with a circle of people gathered around them.

I scrutinized the terrain carefully, then said to Yun Yao, "Let's go take a look."

Yun Yao looked up at the sky anxiously. "Brother Zhao, it's daylight now. Didn't you say it would be easy for people on the ground to spot us in the air? What if they shoot arrows at us? We'd be in danger."

I replied, "How can you catch the tiger's cub if you don't enter the tiger's lair? If we want to reach Feiyu County quickly, we'll have to rely on those seven horses."

Yun Yao brightened. "So, Brother Zhao, you plan to steal their horses for mounts?"

"Of course. Since they separated from the main troop, that low-lying area is very concealed—a perfect time to strike. Without mounts, forcing the three of you to run alongside me, I'd feel terrible."

Yun Yao playfully nipped my nose. "And you said there was nothing between you and Linglong! You care about her so much."

I laughed. "She’s just a little girl whose development is just beginning. I prefer the mature types like you two."

Slowly approaching the perimeter guarded by that small group of bandits, neither Yun Yao nor I dared to speak. Fortunately, the sky was still somewhat dim, and these men were exhausted from riding all night, leaving them with no inclination to watch the sky. In truth, they never imagined two people hovering above them.

"It looks like they are guarding prisoners," I whispered after clearly discerning the layout of the group.

Yun Yao confirmed, "Yes, seven bandits in total. The six squatting on the ground seem to be their captives. These people are so cruel; they even capture children that young."

The child Yun Yao referred to was a richly dressed youth in the circle. He maintained a remarkably proud and stubborn posture, standing tall among the bandits with an unyielding expression. By his age, he couldn't be much older than Linglong. I speculated, "The younger the slave, the more valuable they are when sold. I’ll take on five of them, and you handle two. We must try not to startle the horses, or the main force ahead will easily detect us."

Yun Yao refused, "I'll take three, and you take four. Don't underestimate me. I recently attended a marksmanship training class; otherwise, I couldn't have shot so accurately tonight! Haha, I also learned to ride a horse. I never thought I’d use all that knowledge now. The ancients were right: versatility is never a burden."

I wouldn't get caught up arguing with Yun Yao over this. I nodded my agreement. Attacking from the air could indeed be surprisingly effective, but the problem was that we needed to split up to attack the seven encircled bandits simultaneously. Thus, we quietly retreated some distance, landed in the jungle, and then slowly crept back toward the makeshift prison camp.

We exchanged a signal and separated. I knew the intense heat of a laser gun's beam could sometimes pierce through three people. Of course, these seven bandits wouldn't be foolish enough to line up for us. However, with two points defining a line, as long as we avoided harming the six captives, a maximum of three shots should neutralize the four bandits assigned to me. This accounted for the possibility that the first shot kills two bandits, and we might need one shot per remaining person resisting; if lucky, two shots might solve the whole group.

Yun Yao crouched in the grass on the other side and gave me an "OK" signal. I quietly aimed at two bandits and fired the first shot. Immediately following my laser beam, Yun Yao saw it and fired hers too. These two shots struck two bandits squarely in the head. The laser beam pierced the first bandit's head and entered the second’s. The four men crumpled to the ground without even a chance to cry out.

The remaining three bandits immediately sensed something was wrong, but just as they raised their sabers, the second volley arrived. Thump, thump—two more fell to the ground. Success had come too easily, and Yun Yao and I were both extremely excited. Unexpectedly, the last bandit reacted with lightning speed. Seeing this silent, uncanny weapon, he threw himself onto the ground, rolling into the cluster of six captives, grabbing the youth and holding his saber to the young man's throat, ready to scream an alarm.

Who knew that the youth possessed such quick reflexes? Seeing six bandits suddenly collapse in moments, he was already prepared. Before the bandit holding him could stabilize, the youth drove his elbow back forcefully, striking the bandit square in the chest. He then rolled on the ground to evade the bandit’s sharp saber.

Struck unexpectedly in the chest, the bandit choked back the cry that had risen to his throat. His chest tight, he tumbled to the ground, rolled, and scrambled up again, brandishing his saber and slashing at the youth. Because the distance was so close and the youth had just rolled, he was completely defenseless against the attack. It seemed his life was about to end under the saber.

The captives who had been crouching on the ground finally realized what was happening. One, whose beard was slightly longer, leaped in front of the youth to block the strike. Just as blood seemed ready to fly and his life was about to end on the spot, the bandit’s eyes widened in shock, his saber-wielding arm slowly slackened, and then he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, unable to move an inch.

With one shot neutralizing the last resisting bandit, Yun Yao and I rushed forward to secure the seven horses. Only then did we have time to closely examine the horses. They looked much like horses from Earth, but Yun Yao was the first to spot a difference. She gently tugged my sleeve, gesturing toward the abdomen of one horse.

I looked and laughed. It was a mare. On Earth, a mare’s udders were beneath the rear abdomen, but this mare’s teats were located on the front abdomen, seemingly identical to a human's. However, thanks to my journey six thousand years ago, I had encountered many Man-Faced Horses, creatures with great similarity to these horses, capable even of mating with humans. Therefore, seeing this now didn't strike me as particularly astonishing.

The man who shielded the youth stepped forward. "Are you sent by the Court to rescue us?" Due to the early light and the rapid succession of the shooting, the captives, having been squatting, hadn't seen the laser beams. Though the deaths of the bandits were bizarre, they didn't have time to investigate closely.

I took two horses by the reins, one in each hand. "What Court-sent officials? We are fugitives wanted by the Court. You are free now; disperse."

Yun Yao led the other three horses over to me. "I'll go back first to fetch Linglong, then you can watch the horses while I return."

"Good. Be quick, be careful of stray arrows, and fly as high as possible."

Yun Yao and I had been speaking in fluent Chinese, which the captives couldn't understand. But when they clearly saw Yun Yao's stunning beauty, they were all amazed. When Yun Yao suddenly ascended into the air, they immediately prostrated themselves, murmuring prayers. Even the formerly defiant, richly dressed youth bowed low.

I gathered the seven horses, watching the people devoutly worshipping the flying Yun Yao, and couldn't help but feel amused. In this technologically backward era, people couldn't even conceive of flight. Anything that flew was intensely revered. Yun Yao was likely being treated as a Bird Goddess right now.

The youth bowed again. "It turns out the Fairy Sister descended to save Ma Xiaoma Dada! In the future, this younger brother will surely burn incense day and night to thank Sister for saving my life."

I tethered the horses to a nearby tree, then approached and asked, "Hey, you are Ma Xiaoda? Do people here like the name Dada?" Looking at Ma Xiaoda's features, he bore a slight resemblance to that other Dada. Their names were similar too—could he be his son? But naming conventions here seemed rather loose; perhaps they weren't related.

The five men who had been squatting on the ground saw that they were safe now; the panic in their expressions had vanished. They stood straighter, looking as if they alone mattered in the world, save for Ma Xiaoda. A younger man spoke up, "What kind of rustic brute dares to address our young master so casually? Is that a name you can utter?"

The youth, however, did not appreciate this defense. He waved his sleeve. "Bai Shi, stand aside! It was this Elder Brother and the Fairy Sister just now who saved me. How dare you treat your saviors this way? Hmph!"

Bai Shi and the others hadn't actually seen how the bandits died so suddenly. Seeing Yun Yao fly, they assumed the immortal maiden had used magic to save them. Now, carefully examining the seven dead bandits, they saw that each had a hole drilled through their skull.

They had never heard of or seen death by such means. A hole through the skull without any visible weapon, and furthermore, no blood or brains spilled out—this was unprecedented. Therefore, the one who flew away must have been the immortal maiden, and this man before them was undoubtedly the Immortal Brother.