About an hour later, there was a slight sound of hoofbeats.
"Brother Chang..." After entering the valley, Ma Xiyun found that there was no sign of anyone, and his voice stopped abruptly.
He shouted a few more times and quickly circled the valley.
Sima Chang confirmed that he was the only one and was about to respond, but Wang Qi'an shook his head to stop him.
"There are people outside the valley." Wang Qian's voice was like a mosquito buzzing in his ears.
Ma Xiyun wandered back and forth for a while, then suddenly let out a low whistle.
Several human figures "swished" in from outside the valley.
Seven mercenaries, two red and five yellow, appeared at the bottom of the valley.
Three of them were the old man with double hooks and the two injured men in yellow that he met today.
"They escaped?" The old man in red with double hooks asked doubtfully.
"This matter is puzzling. They have no reason to doubt me." Ma Xiyun did not answer and said thoughtfully.
"If you and I had worked together today, they would have become prisoners. The Marquis also said that he wanted to win people's trust, so I sacrificed a captain in vain." The old man in red said in a very dissatisfied tone.
"We have killed many subordinates, and one captain was killed with one shot, but you still despise him so much. No wonder you made miscalculations from Lingnan to here." Ma Xiyun looked directly at the old man with double hooks and said sarcastically.
"I never do anything I'm not sure of. Since I can't see through Wang Qi'an, I won't take risks," he added.
"The Marquis is stalling for time and waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Coupled with the terrain of this valley, this plan is indeed foolproof." Another middle-aged man in red said at this time.
"Huh, you're afraid that I won't wait for you to come and take your credit!" The old man with double hooks was dissatisfied with him for helping Ma Xiyun speak and snorted angrily.
"What are you going to do next, Lord Marquis?" The middle-aged man ignored him and turned to Ma Xiyun and asked politely.
Ma Xiyun did not answer him, but raised his head and glanced back and forth on the three mountain walls.
"This mountain wall is so high and steep that even a martial arts expert would find it difficult to climb it. I don't know what the Marquis is looking at. Do you think they will hide on it?" The middle-aged man in red followed Ma Xiyun's gaze and asked curiously.
Sima Jing thought they had discovered her and almost screamed. Fortunately, Wang Qi'an covered her lips in time.
Sima Jing's cheeks instantly became hot.
"People can get up, but how can horses get up? Let's go, they won't hide here. Let the people below pay attention to the hoof marks of the fast horses. They will not escape far." After Ma Xiyun finished speaking, he turned around and left first.
"Don't worry, I thought of this a long time ago and will cover up all traces when I come back." Wang Qi'an said to Sima brother and sister.
After everyone left the valley and heard the sound of hooves disappearing, Wang Qi'an said softly: "I'll go down to investigate first."
Sima Chang nodded in agreement.
"Be careful!" Sima Jing blurted out.
It seemed that Ma Xiyun really believed that they were not in the valley, and the group of people disappeared without a trace.
Fortunately, the place where the horses were hidden was not discovered. When the three people sneaked in, the horses were quietly grazing.
"This time I was gullible and almost harmed everyone." Sima Chang blamed himself.
"Ma Xiyun will never join forces with the Mosasaurus Gang for no reason. I'm afraid this Marquis is not what the outside world thinks and has no thoughts about the court." Wang Qi'an said.
Without Ma Xiyun to lead the way, the three of them could only figure out the general direction and slowly and cautiously headed towards the Chu-Wu border.
The border here is a wilderness area with rolling hills and dense forests. If Sima Chang had not been to Changsha twice and still had vague memories, the three of them would have been lost long ago.
"That's right, as long as you climb over this arc slope, you will see a plain, and you will soon be in the territory of Nanwu."
Along the way, Sima Chang rarely showed an excited smile.
"There was no trace along the way. It seems that Ma Xiyun misjudged the direction." Wang Qi'an said with rare ease.
"Are we safe in Nanwu?" Sima Jing asked with a tired look on her face.
"The situation is always better than staying in Ma Xiyun's Chu land. If the girl persists for a while, she can find a place to rest after entering Wu."
A pampered girl from an aristocratic family, escaping from Lingnan and trekking here, I am afraid she has suffered a lot.
Wang Qi An was sympathetic and comforted.
After the three people took a short rest at the bottom of the slope, they slowly rode up the slope.
"Brother Chang arrived nearly half an hour later than I expected, which makes it easier for me to wait."
As soon as he appeared on the top of the slope, Ma Xiyun's voice rang out.
The three of them were suddenly shocked, and the horse that was suddenly reined in couldn't help but neigh.
Two phalanxes of hundreds of armored soldiers were deployed at the foot of the slope, and the flags whistled in the wind. In the dark night, it was faintly visible that the big word "吉" was written on them.
A dozen blue mercenary soldiers were in front of the formation, led by five yellow war captains.
Further forward were Ma Xiyun, the old man in red with double hooks, and another middle-aged man in red with a round face.
"Looking at the flag, it is Liuyang City Guard Ji'an's army. It seems that what Ma Xiyun said about seconding troops is true, but it is not to stop the Mosasaurus Gang, but to deal with us." Sima Chang said bitterly.
"Brother Chang and Miss Jing can live in the Marquis Mansion for a while as they wish. In view of their acquaintance in the past, I will treat them warmly."
"As for this prince, I have no right to deal with him."
Ma Xiyun has regarded them as caged birds that he can manipulate at will.
"Ma Xiyun, it was Sima Chang who regarded you as a cherished friend because my eyes were covered with dust. I betrayed my friend to survive and lived in poverty. Isn't this what I, a descendant of the Sima Mansion, did!" Sima Chang reprimanded with disdain.
"Under the flat ground, there is no possibility for us to escape. If we retreat to the mountains we came from, there may be a glimmer of hope." Wang Qi'an said in a low voice.
"Okay, let's go." Sima Chang also made a decision immediately.
The three of them quickly turned their horses around, rushed down the hillside, and fled toward the dense forest.
"Chase, save the woman's life." Seeing this, Ma Xiyun shouted loudly and took the lead, rushing uphill.
Wang Qi'an and the three of them ran left and right in the dense forest, jumping up and down in the hills and ravines, and the pursuers were always clinging to them.
Suddenly, Sima Jing exclaimed. Her horse stumbled on something, knelt down on its front hooves, and threw it into the air.
Wang Qi'an, who was closely following her, leaped up from his saddle, caught Sima Jing with one hand, and instantly fell back onto the galloping horse. All the movements were completed in a flash of lightning.
There was no danger, and the lingering fear had just subsided. When Sima Jing realized that her delicate body was pressed against Wang Qi'an's chest, her heart beat faster than before.
Wang Qi'an was eager to obey the authority, and he could no longer avoid the suspicion of men and women.
The three of them hurriedly followed the path and came to a winding mountain range.
A steep and dangerous mountain peak towered in front of us, and there was no way to escape.
"Abandon your horse and go up the mountain!" Wang Qi'an shouted.
He took the lead and took Sima Jing with him, stepping on the rocks from a flat place and flying up. Sima Chang heard the words and left his saddle, following closely behind.
The three of them settled into a secure position on the mountainside.
At this time, Ma Xiyun and others rushed to the foot of the mountain one after another, arranged their troops, and gradually formed an encirclement.
