Section 3 Aqiu

The valley of dusk silence.

The red sun hovers above the ridge, and the afterglow shines through the dense forest, giving the trees and branches a mysterious yellow. It has been peaceful since ancient times, and only the cheerful cry of the grouse courting and the murmuring of the mountain stream after heavy rain occasionally break this eternal tranquility.

But at this moment, a particularly sad voice was echoing in the valley. "Help!

The wolves lingered under the trees, refusing to leave. Hunters who are familiar with this beast know that the wolf is an animal with incredible cunning and patience. They can chase their prey for tens of miles, and they can wait for days and nights in an area suitable for ambush without moving.

Their target is a human in a tree. From time to time, wolves try to jump up and bite prey in trees. The branches were so high that the wolf's attempts could not succeed. But this behavior can still make the girl in the tree scream in fright.

The girl was dressed in clothes that a mountain girl would never wear. She wore a long lace skirt - the kind of thing was expensive and out of place. She wore a pure white dress with a straight neckline to her neck. Whether it is a dress or a skirt, the material is very exquisite, and the parts that are intact are so smooth that they almost shine.

But the girl's appearance did not look good at all. She was still young, one might even say young, but at the moment she was pale, frightened, and looked tired. Her dress was stained with sweat, blood, and stains, and her cloak was torn, exposing her left arm. There was a deep wound cut from a twig on his arm, and blood was oozing from it.

"Help......" The girl hugged the branch and cried out for help in despair.

But there are no villages, no hunters, no forest watchers. There is no passing business travel. And it's getting dark.

The wolves suddenly let out a commotion. Together, the cunning animals turned their heads to look into the distance, as if something had appeared there. This action is so consistent that the panicked girl also notices the abnormality.

The forest was suddenly dead silent. The girl looked in the direction of the wolf gaze, as if she saw a dark shadow covering the ground, flying over the trunks and leaves. She shuddered involuntarily. The wolves let out a hurried, whistle-like shrill howl. The birds fled from under the leaves, chirping like sirens.

A figure appeared at the top of a hillside not far away. Although they were far away, they could still tell that it was a man on horseback.

"Help!" the girl let out a cry of almost joy when the rescuer appeared. "Help me, sir!" she even forgot that wolves were very dangerous for a solo traveler. Even a seasoned hunter would not dare to fight a whole pack of wolves alone.

But the man immediately rushed at him, drawing his sword as he charged. Horses waded through the stream, causing a splash. The wolves were frightened. Wailing and fleeing. They moved quickly, running away along the gaps between the bushes and the trees, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the dim forest.

"It's all right. The stranger spun around, and when he was sure that all the wolves had escaped, he came under the tree. The girl lost her hand while trying to climb down the tree, and the whole person fell. But the stranger was quick and caught her in time and took her in his arms.

"Thank you...... Kind sir. The girl's face blushed, and her voice became as soft as a gnat.

The stranger put her down, and now she finally had a chance to look at each other. The strange man was young, probably in his twenties, with an angular, stern and serious face. If he keeps a straight face, he should have a momentum that is not angry but mighty. But at the moment, the smile on the corner of his mouth made him look quite amiable, not indifferent at all. He wears a set of leather clothes, which are the choice of long-distance travelers, and people do not know whether they are high or low. But he carried a long sword and rode a tall horse - a horse that could move normally in front of the wolves and was not afraid. Only well-blooded, well-trained war horses can do this. In general, only nobles could own such horses.

However, the stranger carried his clothes and weapons without any coat of arms. From this point of view, even if he is a nobleman, he is not local.

"Little girl, what's your name, why are you here?" the stranger didn't care, the girl looked him up and down. His gaze only lingered on the girl's elaborate clothes for a moment, and then immediately looked away.

"My name is ...... Chewie. I was attacked by wolves, my mount was frightened, and I got separated from my companions. Kind sir, who are you?"

"My name is Ashrufat. "The stranger introduces himself. "I'm not a local, I'm just passing through. ”

"Aqiu, where is your companion? I can take you there if I can. ”

“...... After we were separated, I didn't know where they were. I don't know how to tell the direction of the road......"

"So, where were you going?"

"I was going to Berleon, where one of my elders lives. And I'm going to visit him. ”

"Boleon...... I remember going that way, and there was still a long way to go. But I don't have anything to do to send you there. Come on. He stretched out his hand to invite, but Aqiu did not refuse, got on his horse, and sat sideways in the saddle. She noticed that although the horse of Ashrufat was tall and handsome, the saddle was very shabby. The two appear to be incongruous.

In the blink of an eye, it was already dark. In such a barren mountain and wilderness, it is easy to get lost at night, so you should stay and camp at this time. But Ashrufat seemed to be able to discern direction in the dark, and he drove his horse at will, without the slightest intention of stopping. His confidence was not without cause, for under his control, the big black horse went uphill through the forest, fast and steady, and was not hindered by the night in the slightest.

And Ashrufat gently hugged Ah Qiu's soft waist, so that she didn't have the slightest risk of falling.

"Lady Ashrufat, may I ask you, are you a nobleman?"

"Nobles? But you don't have to call me 'sir', just call me Ashrufat. ”

"I guess it'???"

"I once received the title of nobility from a certain king. It's just that time has passed, and I guess no one will admit it. Ha Lu Ha. ”

"So, Lord Ashrufat, what are you doing here, since you have been given the title of noble, you should serve a lord. ”

"I'm just wandering around right now. Because no one needs me to serve him. Ashrufat shrugged his shoulders, as if to express his regret.

"Aqiu, do you need to rest? If we travel overnight, then we will be in Boleon in the afternoon. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to get there until the day after tomorrow. ”

"No...... I can travel at night. The girl's eagerness to answer made people never misunderstand.

But having said that, her body couldn't support her determination. Although it was inevitable that she would be bumpy immediately, the irresistible sleepiness eroded her spirit little by little. She was not a person who had been rigorously trained, and after a long period of travel, she was already tired. Coupled with the fact that she was attacked by wolves today, she was physically and mentally exhausted, and unconsciously, she was drowsy, and her body leaned against Ashrufat's chest.

"Ah Qiu, Ah Qiu......" She heard someone whisper in her ear.

"No...... ......" she replied dreamily, but for the next moment, an instinctive fear overwhelmed all sleepiness. The girl opened her eyes and saw everything in front of her.

It was early in the morning, and they were now on a relatively empty flat field. A group of men, dressed in rudimentary leather armor and armed with spears, surrounded them.

The men were filthy and poorly dressed in leather armor and had no helmets, and they looked more like bandits than soldiers.

Ashrufat stopped his horses and sat calmly on his horses to confront them, but his sword was already in his hand.

"Aha, it looks like Lao Tzu is coming to work. A man with a bushy beard shouted in delight.

"Boy, you come down for me. This woman, we're going to decide!"

"It seems ......," Ashruphat began. "I don't know you before, isn't it too much to ask for such a request? besides, this is not my slave girl, but a free man. ”

One, two, three...... VII. VII...... Seven people, too many. In a state of panic, Aqiu clung to Ashrufat's hand. "Your Excellency...... Please, don't give me to them......" she pleaded in a low voice. But she also knew that things were not good. None of the men and horses wore armor, and there were seven of them.

"Don't be ignorant! This woman's head is worth a duke's title and a province fief in Paro!" roared the bearded man. "Acquaintances, leave the woman to stay away from the uncle!"

"Then I can't let it out!" replied Ashrufat coldly.

"Look for death!on, brothers!"

Ashrufat's body did not move, but the war horse under his crotch jumped forward. The two bandits who had sneaked around behind him were no threat now, and the bandits on either side of him were caught off guard and couldn't stop him. Now there was only one bearded man in front of him.

Only a well-trained soldier could not be afraid of a galloping horse. It turns out that the beard is not the former. He hastily retreated towards the slash, hoping to avoid the front of the warhorse for a while, but there was too much space here. There was no dangerous terrain for him to hide.

The shadow of the war horse swept by the side of his body, and the sword broke through the air. The beard let out a terrible scream, and his whole body fell to the ground like a broken bag.

"Master, I suggest you have to eliminate these guys. Failure to do so will add unnecessary risk. "In my head, Carrie's suggestion sounded

"Ah Qiu, you come down first, it seems that I have some small episodes that must be completed. Ashrufat sent the maiden off his horse with one hand. When Qiu realized that the lower end of her skirt was stained with blood from her beard, she collapsed to the ground.

The remaining bandits finally showed a certain level of combat literacy. They knew that they would not be able to escape from the horses if they were separated, so they gathered together and rushed towards this side with their spears drawn.