Chapter 1951: Killer Is Horse

"Don't shoot! Charge forward!" the leader roared, throwing his bow and arrows to the ground. Continuing to shoot would surely lead to their demise; it was better to charge and engage in close combat.

With a rustle, the remaining men, hearing the command, grabbed their weapons, ceased their hiding, and sprang out.

Upon seeing the figures that emerged, the leader's heart twisted in agony. He had brought over thirty men to ambush this Third Young Master, expecting an easy kill against a 'good-for-nothing'—a simple and pleasant task. Yet, to his dismay... after a volley of arrows, fewer than eight remained, including himself. What was worse, two of them had arrows embedded in their heads, stumbling precariously and seemingly on the verge of death.

"Damn it!" he cursed. Had he known it would be so difficult to kill, he never would have accepted the contract or engaged in this business. They were mountain bandits from outside the city. This afternoon, someone had offered them a substantial sum in divine coins to carry out a killing. They had assumed it would be a trivial matter, easily resolved with arrows. Yet, incredibly, not a single arrow had found its mark! What a ridiculous turn of events!

"Mince everyone, both inside and outside that carriage!" he snarled, his anger growing with each thought.

Instantly, the remaining seven men surged towards the carriage in unison.

"If you intend to harm my Young Master, you'll have to step over my corpse first!" Elder Yi bellowed, just as he prepared to leap from the carriage. But while he was swift, the magnificent steed pulling the carriage was swifter still. Seemingly enraged by the barrage of arrows, the horse suddenly surged forward, leaping clean from the shafts. Its powerful body soared more than ten meters through the air, landing directly in front of the seven men (excluding their leader).

Its front hooves landed squarely on the arrows protruding from the heads of the two men, driving the shafts straight through their skulls... They died instantly, without even a chance to cry out.

"What the—" The remaining five men were on the verge of madness. For hardened bandits to have two of their own trampled to death by a horse? It was utterly humiliating to even contemplate!

A short, stout middle-aged man, wielding a long saber, leapt towards the horse, ready to strike. Before he could even close the distance, the steed deftly lashed out with a hoof. With a sound like an egg cracking, the bandit instantly clutched his crotch and collapsed to his knees, his face contorted into a grimace that could curdle milk.

Whoosh! As one man fell, the remaining four rushed forward. The steed, as if anticipating their attack, took two steps back and once again lashed out with its hooves.

Thump! Thump! Two more men instantly clutched their crotches and crumpled to the ground.

"Good grief!" The final two men were beside themselves. Not only were their arrows useless, but this cursed horse had seemingly become a supernatural being!

Their legs trembled, and they no longer dared to resist. They turned to flee, but before they could make their escape, the steed let out a roar and charged directly at them.

Whump! Whump! In the next instant, both men also collapsed to their knees.

The horse then delivered a precise kick to each man kneeling on the ground. In less than two breaths, all eight remaining bandits—everyone but their leader—lay dead, a scene of absolute carnage.

Clatter! The horsewhip slipped from Elder Yi's grasp and fell to the ground; he was utterly dumbfounded.

"Was I just whipping *that* with my horsewhip?" A sudden tightening in his groin, and he no longer dared to retrieve the whip from the ground. What if provoking it further caused it to retaliate with a kick? Though he was old and not particularly useful for procreation, and had no need to sire descendants... he still held fond memories of it, and it was better to have it intact to touch and cherish than shattered!

Elder Yi, still trembling with lingering fear, gazed at the bodies strewn across the ground and the magnificent, proud steed standing imperiously nearby.

He had witnessed the martial prowess of these mountain bandits: some were at Saint Domain Ninefold, and others had even attained Great Saint Onefold... yet they were all summarily kicked to death by a single horse. Was there no justice in this world? No rule of law? When did the horse he had tended to daily become so extraordinarily powerful?

"You..." The leader completely broke down at the sight of the scattered bodies. Just moments ago, he had felt utterly cursed, but witnessing the horse's display, he realized that if a dog possessed such power, it would be anyone's guess who was truly being cursed.

"I, a formidable mountain bandit who has terrorized Xuanjiang City for over a decade, refuse to believe I've been defeated by a mere horse!" he roared, trembling with indignation as he raised his long saber and charged forward.

The steed advanced to meet him.

Before reaching it, the leader's body blurred, transforming into a fleeting phantom as he darted past. In the next instant, he was already beside the carriage. True to a Great Saint Twofold expert, his reaction was extraordinary. The previous assault was merely a feint, a diversion designed to allow him to reach the carriage and assassinate Dan Xiaotian! If this individual died, the mission wouldn't be considered a failure, and their losses could still be recouped... Otherwise, all those men would have truly died for nothing!

"Blast!" Neither Elder Yi nor the steed had anticipated such treachery from this man, who was still intent on killing. They were caught off guard, and by the time they reacted, it was too late to intervene.

The long saber thrust directly towards the carriage window. If it were to penetrate, the Young Master, caught unawares, would most likely be killed instantly.

CRASH! At this critical juncture, the carriage seemed to spring to life, lurching violently upward. One of its wheels slammed down onto the leader's face and began to spin incessantly. Struck by the heavy blow, the leader's blood spurted. As he recoiled, the carriage body swung horizontally, and a shaft whipped across his face.

CRUNCH! Seven or eight of his teeth shattered, and the long saber flew from his grasp.

He stumbled backward, repeatedly. Looking up, he saw the carriage shafts positioned like two arms, poised and ready to strike as soon as he approached.

"Good heavens..." The leader had completely lost his mind. Arrows failing to strike? Fine, some powerful soul masters can alter their trajectory, I'll concede that! A horse suddenly displaying explosive combat power? Perhaps due to bloodline evolution or becoming a beast companion obedient to its master—I can accept that too! But this dilapidated carriage, suddenly leaping about, acting as if it possessed martial arts skills, proclaiming "I'm formidable"... what in the blazes is going on?! How am I supposed to make sense of this? Even if I tried, I couldn't stomach it!

"Retreat!" Knowing that continuing would only lead to more bizarre and unpredictable events, the leader could no longer suppress the despair in his heart. With a flick of his wrist, he crushed a jade talisman.

A bright light flashed, releasing a cloud of smoke and dust that coalesced into a solid wall of energy. As a bandit, one not only needed to be proficient in robbery and murder but, more importantly, in escape. Sometimes, their escape route was prepared even before their attack began. This particular jade talisman had cost him an exorbitant sum, specifically acquired to create a barrier that could even momentarily halt Ancient Saint-level experts, preventing their pursuit.

Having done so, he didn't even glance back. He leaped directly over a high wall to one side, not daring to turn his head, and fled at full speed. He truly didn't dare to look back, terrified that he might see another horse or donkey in pursuit. Being slain by a master was acceptable, but to be killed by a horse or a donkey? That would be an unbearable disgrace!

He wasn't sure if the jade talisman had worked or if the other party simply hadn't given chase. After running at full speed for quite some time with no one pursuing him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it all, this is all that bastard's fault..." When he accepted the mission, the client had assured him it was a trivial matter, an easy kill. He had also made his own inquiries and confirmed that Dan Xiaotian was indeed unremarkable. How could he have possibly foreseen such an outcome? Dan Xiaotian himself wasn't formidable, but... his horse, his carriage—they were incredibly potent! How were they supposed to kill him now?

Soon after, he escaped beyond the city walls and arrived at their prearranged meeting spot. He lit a bonfire and waited for the client to appear! If he didn't get a clear explanation today, he'd lose his mind!

Elder Yi felt as though he had strained himself too much; his jaw hung slack, and he found himself unable to close his mouth for some time. The events he had witnessed this night surpassed anything he had encountered in his entire lifetime. A group of ruthless mountain bandits had set an ambush, and he had been certain of their demise. Yet, to his utter astonishment... their family's magnificent steed and carriage had somehow become sentient, and without him even lifting a finger, their adversaries were completely annihilated... "Good heavens!" he mused. Did it truly need to be this absurd?

While still reeling from shock, he saw the steed, which had just dispatched seven men, return with an expression of profound satisfaction, as if still craving more. It then calmly placed itself back into the shafts, lifted its head, and began to pull the carriage forward with rhythmic thuds.

Elder Yi's hands trembled. Such a ferocious horse... yet it was still pulling the carriage... But even if it did the pulling, he wouldn't dare to drive it!

"Young Master Zhang..." He instinctively turned his head. In truth, he already had an answer forming in his mind. For so many years, the horse and carriage had been perfectly normal, but their sudden transformation could only be attributed to Young Master Zhang!

"We can discuss it back home," Zhang Xuan's calm voice resounded. He had anticipated an ambush, so as soon as he boarded the carriage, he had tamed the horse and awakened the carriage's spirit. In this realm, even ordinary individuals, without cultivation, could reach Saint Domain Ninefold. A superior steed, possessing a physique stronger than humans, would naturally attain the power of a Great Saint Onefold expert upon reaching adulthood. It only appeared somewhat sluggish and unable to comprehend human language because it had never been properly tamed or communicated with. Once tamed and capable of mental communication, wouldn't it obey his every command? Not to mention dispatching a few bandits; if that leader hadn't made such a swift escape, he would likely have suffered a similar, crushing defeat.

"Understood!" Realizing this was a display of Young Master Zhang's abilities, Elder Yi was filled with excitement. He said no more, and the carriage galloped rapidly along the street back towards the Dan family's residence.

The bonfire burned for a considerable time before two figures slowly emerged from the darkness. The foremost was a middle-aged man, the very individual who had assigned him the mission. The other, though masked, revealed through her physique and bearing that she was a woman of considerable beauty.

"Well? Is the mission complete?" the middle-aged man inquired the moment he arrived. This man was none other than Xue Chen, the Chief Swordsmanship Instructor of the City Lord's Mansion! Beside him stood Xue Qin. Originally, there was no need for her to be present for such an affair, but having endured humiliation, she was eager to witness Dan Xiaotian's head—and that of the "Mummy"—with her own eyes. Thus, she had followed, masked.

"Complete? Is *this* what you called a simple mission?" The leader, finally finding an outlet for his pent-up fury, bellowed in outrage.

"What do you mean?" Xue Chen's brow furrowed. "Are you telling me you failed to eliminate a severely wounded man on the verge of death, an old man, and a good-for-nothing?"

"Good-for-nothing, my foot!" the leader snarled through clenched teeth. "All thirty-odd of my brothers are dead! If I hadn't made a swift escape, I would surely have perished too. You *must* compensate me for these losses..."

"All dead?" Xue Qin's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you claiming... that Dan Xiaotian annihilated your entire force? Does he possess such power?"

"It wasn't him..." the leader scoffed.

"If not him, then who was it?" Xue Chen also turned, utterly perplexed. He wouldn't have hired them without prior investigation. These mountain bandits were typically ruthless in their plundering and assassinations, so how could they possibly have failed to kill a single person?

The leader spat a mouthful of thick phlegm, his eyes blazing with hatred: "The one who brought us low... was the horse! No, wait, and the carriage too!"

Xue Chen and Xue Qin stared blankly.