The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 32 - New Territory Always Brings New Troubles

The orange rays of the early morning sun were just beginning to wash over the empty dirt roads as Ru Qiang's group hurriedly exited the inn. 

Feng Yao, still being carried underneath Ru Qiang's arm, raised her eyebrows at the sight of seeing their three horses already secured and patiently waiting outside the stable. Although she knew that Ru Qiang had disappeared earlier to get their horses ready, she was still surprised that he managed to do it all so fast.

As they quickly reached the side of the stable, she suddenly felt her body tilt upright as Ru Qiang plopped her onto the saddle of his black horse. The shift in movement made her blankets unravel and finally allowed her arms freedom to wiggle out of her cocoon. That, along with the feeling of a cool breeze, made her let out a delighted sigh.

"Ahhh, as much as I enjoy the life of a potato, I also quite like having two arms again too~"

Ru Qiang ignored her comment as he turned around and swiftly handed Li Yue a small slip of folded parchment.

"Tell the owners to contact that person for payment of any damages."

"Yes, Young Master."

Feng Yao watched as Li Yue nodded before instantly disappearing from view with the use of his impressive martial arts. Only the slight afterimage of his black guard uniform remained shimmering in the misty air before also quickly vanishing like its owner.

I wonder how skilled Li Yue and Xi'er really are. I'm pretty sure now that they were both deliberately going easy on that man from earlier. Was it to give Ru Qiang enough time to prepare? Or was it for something else?

Speaking of Ru Qiang, Feng Yao couldn't help but also wonder about that technique he used to tie up that man.

What was that spider-like string?

A small tug on the edges of her blankets made her pause in the middle of her thoughts. Glancing in the direction of the pulling, she saw that Ru Qiang's horse had already started to calmly chew on it.

"Um. Ru Qiang? Do you think that we need to return these blankets?"

She turned her head to look behind her shoulder just in time to see Ru Qiang pull out his folded cloak from where he had hidden it in inside of the bag attached to his horse's side. 

As he unfolded the fabric and threw it across his back, the soft blue material fluttered in the air before settling comfortably against its owner's body. Feng Yao watched as his nimble fingers quickly tied it around his neck with the ease of experience, taking no longer than a full second.

"It's fine." He replied, finally glancing up at her. With a smooth movement, he leaped upwards and joined her on his horse while simultaneously grabbing the reins in front of them.

She didn't have time to question him before he lightly tugged on the reins and let out a short, "Hyah!"

Immediately, the horse let go of the blanket and broke into a sudden run, forcing Feng Yao to quickly yank up the cloth before it fell down onto the dirt and became trampled. 

Glancing behind her shoulder, she saw that Li Yue had already returned and was now following them closely on his own horse. Next to him was Xi'er who also was right behind them. 

"Keep yourself covered." Ru Qiang bent down and whispered into her ears. His breath warmed her cold ears for a very brief second before he immediately backed away.

Feng Yao nodded as she pulled the blanket tight around her entire body, covering most of her face from view. She wasn't stupid. 

That man who attacked us was from the jianghu. But Ru Qiang left him alive which could only mean...