CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 355: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH IN AN INSTANT

Hearing Xiao Yuansui’s words, Shantong’er was stunned. When he looked at Yu Wenye again, a trace of contradiction and entanglement appeared on his face.

But he saw the corner of Yu Wenye’s mouth slightly curl up.

He said, "You don’t have to feel that because you received favors from my wife and my father, you can’t bring yourself to act against me."

"..."

"Nor should you believe that you can kill me."

Shantong’er silently looked at him without speaking, while Xiao Yuansui’s eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a trace of a cold smile.

He suddenly said, "Lao Jiu, do it!"

As soon as the words fell, the innocence and even naivety on Shantong’er’s face suddenly vanished, his expression turned grave and fierce, as if he had become a different person, menacing and brave. He stepped forward, swinging a copper hammer as he charged at Yu Wenye.

At this moment, Yu Wenye frowned slightly.

After all, he was on horseback, while Shantong’er was not, making this an unequal confrontation. If he charged forward on horseback—cavalry has always had the advantage over infantry, a nearly absolute conclusion drawn from countless battles over the centuries. Xiao Yuansui didn’t even provide him with a horse, and yet this child rushed forward like this—could it be due to overconfidence?

But in the next moment, he understood the reason.

Although Shantong’er was not tall and wielded two copper hammers weighing at least a hundred pounds each, his movements were not hindered in the slightest, on the contrary, he charged rapidly like a young bull, arriving in front of Yu Wenye’s horse in the blink of an eye.

He swung his right hand towards the front hooves of the horse,

and judging by the sound of the wind, if this strike were to hit, not only would the hoof be crushed, but the entire horse would likely be knocked down!

Yu Wenye was startled but quickly whistled and shook the reins with urgency.

The Black Cloud Stepping Snow, a battle horse that had been with him for years, was already accustomed to his commands. Hearing the light whistle, it immediately lifted its front hooves and stepped back.

Narrowly avoiding that strike.

The hammer hit the ground heavily, creating a deep pit, but Shantong’er did not panic. Missing with his right hand, the hammer in his left hand was already whooshing towards the other front hoof.

Yu Wenye shook the reins again, and the Black Cloud Stepping Snow hurriedly backed away again.

Another hammer missed its mark.

But as this hammer missed, the other hammer that had been trapped in the deep pit was already swinging again. Shantong’er alternated the swings of his hands, repeatedly targeting the horse’s hooves, while Black Cloud Stepping Snow, following Yu Wenye’s guidance, retreated continuously, managing to dodge five or six hammer strikes.

Just as Yu Wenye urged his horse to retreat step by step, nearly reaching the edge of the open space in front of the grand gate, with a sloping mountain path behind him, Shantong’er shouted loudly, raising both hammers simultaneously for a heavy strike aimed at the middle of Black Cloud Stepping Snow’s front hooves.

There was a loud "clang" amid sharp ringing, forcing the people present to cover their ears.

The loud noise startled the horse, and simultaneously, the two hammers created a deep pit in the ground, while smoke and dust rose into the horse’s eyes. Black Cloud Stepping Snow, startled and in pain, let out a long, pitiful neigh and immediately reared up.

Yu Wenye, having been retreating in a defensive posture on horseback, was caught off guard when the horse reared up suddenly, almost falling off the back of the horse!

In that instant, he braced his waist, clamping his legs tightly against the horse’s belly, and gripped the reins with all his strength, clinging tightly to the horse’s back!

But just then, he suddenly felt the entire body of the horse sag backward.

Shooting a glance with the corner of his eye, he immediately noticed Black Cloud Stepping Snow’s rear hoof had reached the edge of the plain ground, stepping into the air while rearing up, about to topple over backward!

In that fall, not only would he be unseated, he might also be crushed by the horse!

Seeing this, Yu Wenye suddenly released the reins, stepping heavily on the stirrups with both legs as he jumped down!

Black Cloud Stepping Snow let out another long whinny, as if the weight of a thousand pounds suddenly pressed down on its back at that moment, forcibly stopping its backward tilt. It staggered and barely stabilized at the edge of the slope; Yu Wenye, with one forceful step, leapt off the horse’s back, and in the instant that the horse landed, he suddenly swung his knife towards the front—

Shantong’er, young and small as he was, after swinging that strike, could only see the towering horse rearing up in front of him. Before he could react to Black Cloud Stepping Snow’s miraculous landing, he glimpsed a flash of cold light in the swirling dust!