Without wasting another breath, she took off again, her light steps tapping swiftly against stone and soil. Relying on Qinggong (lightness skill), she vaulted over thorny hedges and skirted narrow tree trunks, her figure weaving fluidly through the forest path. Though her training was incomplete and her movements lacked refinement, speed was more important than grace.
Behind her, the shouts of assassins grew louder. She could sense at least seven of them closing in.
Meanwhile, Xiang Long Wei and the leader of the assassins had already engaged in a fierce battle. His wooden sword met the assassin's steel blade with a dull thud, the force nearly jarring it from his grip.
The leader, unfooled by their earlier ploy, had long since sent some assassins to pursue Mei Liang. Only a handful remained with him now—more than enough, in his mind, to take down an injured prince.
