Chapter 109: Black Feather and Red Crown

Disciples of the Dragon Herding Gate were already positioned ahead, ready to capture any stragglers.

Hordes of snakes, summoned by a flute, surged from all directions, creating a horrifying spectacle. Wei Yong's face paled as he mumbled, "What's happening in the capital? All sorts of demons and monsters have appeared. Where are the city's guards?"

Just then, a rumbling sound echoed from the direction of the capital. Qin Mu's heart stirred. He quickly scooped up Hu Ling'er, placed her into his satchel, and whispered, "Retreat!"

Wei Yong quickly retreated. They had only moved back about a hundred paces when they suddenly saw the snake horde become agitated, as if greatly terrified. The frenzied snakes surged towards them. In addition to the snakes, the Dragon Herding Gate disciples were also in a panic, leaping onto the snakes' heads. The enormous snakes moved with astonishing speed, rushing towards Qin Mu and Wei Yong.

"Back to back!" Qin Mu shouted.

Wei Yong, understanding, immediately positioned himself back-to-back with him. He took the sword casket from his back, striking it firmly against the ground. He clasped his hands together, two fingers from each hand pointed, forming a sword art. The sword casket opened, and with a jingling sound, flying swords rose one after another, connecting in sequence, their tips pointing downwards.

Then, with a buzz, the swords separated, forming a rapid, outward-pointing whirlwind around Qin Mu and Wei Yong.

Qin Mu was surprised; Wei Yong's technique was clearly not from the academy. It was far more intricate than the sword arts practiced by academy scholars, likely a family heirloom. Wei Yong had mentioned his family was a prominent clan in Jiangling, and it now seemed he hadn't been exaggerating.

As the snake horde swarmed, Qin Mu's vital qi erupted, manifesting as golden rings around him, both front and back. Streaks of sword light shot from these rings, piercing the surging snakes and the Dragon Herding Gate disciples riding them.

This method, which he had learned from the divine statues in Xianglong City's ancient temple, was akin to a divine ability yet subtly different. Its offensive power was considerable. The large snakes, wounded by the golden sword lights, would veer away from them and swim to the side. The Dragon Herding Gate disciples on the snakes' heads, disrupted by his sword light, had no chance to retaliate.

The people and snakes didn't seem to be attacking them; they appeared to be fleeing for their lives. However, the sheer volume of surging snakes was overwhelming. Even Qin Mu struggled to repel them all. The massive serpents swarmed like a tide, threatening to engulf the two of them.

Wei Yong roared as the flying swords spun rapidly around them, slicing into the surging snake bodies. Sparks crackled and flew, sending huge snake scales scattering. Some large snakes had their flesh torn open, presenting a gruesome sight.

Wei Yong's pressure intensified sharply, and he began to falter. Qin Mu immediately shifted tactics, crossing his palms. His vital qi surged like a mighty river, transforming into a torrent that slammed into the enormous snake bodies. From his satchel, Hu Ling'er also continuously cast spells, conjuring a massive tornado that swept up the snakes.

The pressure on the two humans and one fox intensified. Just then, the rumbling sound grew closer. Giant birds with black feathers and vermillion crests charged through the mountain forest with incredible speed. These colossal birds resembled moving hills, their beaks several yards long. They moved through the forest as easily as if it were tall grass, their sharp claws pulverizing rocks. With a peck, their massive beaks would snatch a large snake and violently thrash it about!

Standing on the birds' backs were five or six soldiers, quivers at their waists and longbows in hand. They continuously drew and fired arrows at the Dragon Herding Gate disciples who were thrown off. Every disciple flung from a snake's head was instantly riddled with arrows.

Their quivers were positioned at their waists, allowing them to nock an arrow with a mere flick of the hand, without needing to reach behind their backs. This enabled extremely rapid firing.

The flock of giant birds charged headlong, scattering the snake horde. Their enormous talons descended, seizing large snakes, piercing deep into their bodies, and tearing the vermillion-crested serpents' skin and flesh to shreds.

The bird flock pursued the snake horde directly toward them. Wei Yong exclaimed with delight, "It's the archer cavalry from the capital guard!"

The bird flock quickly approached them. Several archers spotted Qin Mu and Wei Yong, startled. They swiftly pulled their reins, directing the black-feathered, red-crested birds to steer around them. One shouted, "There are still scholars alive ahead! Everyone be careful not to collide with them!"

With a series of whooshes, large flags, complete with their poles, were shot down from the birds' backs and planted before Qin Mu.

"What skill!"

The soldiers on the birds' backs, witnessing Qin Mu's palm techniques and Wei Yong's sword arts, all cheered, praising, "Scholars who can survive a siege by the Dragon Herding Gate's snakes truly possess remarkable skill!"

The birds charging from behind spotted the flags and immediately veered to either side, bypassing Qin Mu and the others.

A moment later, as the birds and snakes receded into the distance, Qin Mu exhaled with relief. Behind him, Wei Yong retracted his flying swords into their casket and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Qin Mu looked back to see colossal beasts battling in the forest. Giant snakes, resembling dragons, writhed through the trees, creating a terrifying commotion. It was likely Long Jiaonan, the Young Master of the Dragon Herding Gate, engaged in a fierce battle with the archer cavalry.

A moment later, the capital's reinforcements arrived: the Sword Guards. Sword pills ascended into the sky, shining brilliantly, and thousands of flying swords rained down, inflicting heavy casualties on the Dragon Herding Gate. Long Jiaonan retreated with the giant snake. Countless smaller serpents swam onto the massive snake's body, and many Dragon Herding Gate disciples also ascended, landing on it.

The giant snake astonishingly spewed forth a demonic cloud, rising into the air and riding it away. The cloud was thick with lightning. The Sword Guards pursued, their distance from Qin Mu and Wei Yong growing.

"Are there any other scholars who survived?" a voice called out loudly from the forest.

"Yes, we just saw two scholars!"

"Only two scholars?"

Silence followed.

"Where did the ship depart from?"

"It should be Jiangling Commandery, the National Master's hometown..."

"Damn it! The Dragon Herding Gate attacking the scholar ship from Jiangling Commandery was clearly an attempt to undermine the National Master's prestige. And it's also our fault for insufficient defense... Come with me; we'll go see those two scholars."

A moment later, several giant birds arrived, swiftly approaching Qin Mu and the others. A fully armored general dismounted from a bird's back, looked at Qin Mu and Wei Yong, and asked in a booming voice, "Two scholars, do you know how many people were on the ship?"

Qin Mu hadn't counted precisely, so he hesitated, "Around three to five hundred people, perhaps."

The general's eye twitched. "Three to five hundred scholars..."

Wei Yong quickly added, "General, many of the scholars are divine ability practitioners capable of flight. I saw many people flying from the ship; they should have survived."

The general shook his head. "Not one of them survived. They were all devoured by the Dragon Herding Gate's flying snakes in mid-air. You two are the only ones left..."

Wei Yong was startled and looked at Qin Mu. Had Qin Mu not shrewdly thrown him from the ship earlier, he too would have perished there. After Qin Mu tossed him overboard, he led him, walking on the wind, directly towards the forest below. Wei Yong had wondered why Qin Mu didn't just fly, which would have been faster, but he never imagined that every scholar who attempted to fly had died, leaving only the two of them alive.

"Brother Qin, you saved my life! From now on, you are my true brother..."

Hu Ling'er asked in confusion, "Fatty Wei, wasn't your life given to you by your parents?"

Wei Yong quickly interjected, "My second parents, yes, my second parents! Little fox, don't always interrupt. I was about to speak from the heart, and now you've made me forget what I wanted to say!"

The general asked in surprise, "Is your surname Wei? Wei, as in the Wei family of Jiangling?"

Wei Yong nodded. "I am indeed from the Wei family of Jiangling."

The general let out a sigh of relief. "As expected, you are indeed a member of Duke Wei's family. Young Master Wei, the Duke will certainly be pleased to know you are unharmed. And this young man's surname is Qin? Could it be Qin from the capital's Qin family?"

Qin Mu shook his head, smiling. "My surname Qin is not from *that* Qin family in the capital. I am from Lizhou Prefecture."

The general said, "Ah, Lizhou Prefecture. Two scholars, please proceed to the capital as quickly as possible. The Dragon Herding Gate is quite powerful, and there might still be lingering threats. Someone, escort these two scholars into the capital!"

A giant bird approached. The soldier on its back smiled and said, "Two scholars, please mount the bird."

Qin Mu and Wei Yong leaped onto the bird's back, discovering it was very broad, with a wide deck secured to it, providing ample space to stand.

The black-feathered, red-crested giant bird then began to run, speeding towards the capital.

The general let out a sigh of relief and murmured, "Duke Wei is a first-rank official of the imperial court. Thankfully, his family member was unharmed, or my position would have been in jeopardy... And the other young man named Qin, he doesn't know the capital's Qin family? His attire looks quite fine, and his strength is remarkable; only a prominent clan could raise such an outstanding descendant. Could there perhaps be a Qin family in Lizhou Prefecture as well?"