I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 390 Maodun successfully escapes pursuit

Although Maodun spurred his horse onward with all his might, his loyal guards, seeing their master in danger, did not hesitate to step forward and intercept Tian Xiaodao and his group. These fearless guards used their own bodies to block the enemy's path, buying Maodun precious time.

In that instant, Tian Xiaodao and his men were astonished to find that despite their best efforts, they could not catch up with Maodun. Although Maodun was young, his horsemanship was exceptionally superb, flowing like clouds and water, leaving Tian Xiaodao and his men far behind.

Tian Xiaodao was extremely anxious. He desperately whipped his horse, trying to close the gap with Maodun. However, no matter how hard he tried, Maodun always managed to skillfully maintain a certain lead.

Time ticked by, and day was gradually replaced by night. The grasslands at night were filled with the unknown and fear, often teeming with wolves, making their journey exceptionally dangerous. Tian Xiaodao knew that continuing to pursue Maodun in such an environment was unwise, but if they gave up now, wouldn't all their previous efforts have been in vain?

Tian Xiaodao was caught in a dilemma. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. On one hand, he worried about encountering a pack of wolves in the dark, endangering his own and his men's lives; on the other hand, he was unwilling to let Maodun escape so easily.

Just as Tian Xiaodao hesitated whether to continue the pursuit, the howling of wolves suddenly echoed in the distance, followed by a pack of ferocious wolves appearing in their field of vision. The wolves' eyes gleamed eerily, glaring at them menacingly. Tian Xiaodao felt a chill run down his spine; he knew that a wolf attack on the grasslands at night was extremely dangerous.

Maodun, sensing the movement of the wolf pack behind him, knew they wouldn't target only one side. He pulled on the reins and stopped. Turning to Tian Xiaodao and the others, he shouted, "Let's put aside our grudges and fight the wolves together, or we'll all die!"

After weighing the options, Tian Xiaodao felt that Maodun's words made sense. Both sides temporarily laid down their weapons, stood back to back, and joined forces to defend against the wolf pack's attack. In the fierce battle, both sides displayed tenacious fighting spirit. Ultimately, the wolf pack was driven back, but both sides suffered considerable casualties.

Just as Tian Xiaodao's men were checking the injuries, Maodun thought to himself, "What a great opportunity!" Without hesitation, he led his two remaining guards and swiftly mounted their horses. The sound of hooves echoed through the night sky as they galloped away like arrows, disappearing into the vast darkness in the blink of an eye.

Tian Xiaodao heard the movements of Maodun and his men, but the darkness of the night severely limited his vision, making it impossible for him to see where they were going. He could only rely on his ears to catch the receding hoofbeats in order to determine the direction of Maodun and his men. However, in the pitch-black night, tracking a target by sound alone was far too dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to losing his way or even meeting with misfortune.

After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly in his mind, Tian Xiaodao finally decided to abandon the idea of ​​pursuing Maodun and his men at night. After all, their main goal was to awaken the people of the grasslands to revolt. Although hunting down Maodun was important, Tian Xiaodao felt it wasn't worth risking his brothers' lives for it.

Time ticked by, the night gradually faded, and the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Tian Xiaodao anxiously awaited daylight, hoping to find Maodun and his companions again. However, as the first rays of dawn touched the earth, Tian Xiaodao discovered that he had completely lost track of Maodun and his men.

At this moment, Maodun was in an extremely dangerous situation. In order to escape the pursuit of Tian Xiaodao and others, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and run desperately in the dark night.

The grassland was pitch black at night, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, but Maodun didn't lose his way. He had lived on this vast grassland since childhood and knew its terrain and environment like the back of his hand. Even without the guidance of moonlight, he could accurately determine the direction to go by intuition.

However, the long run gradually exhausted Maodun's strength. His breathing became rapid, and his legs felt as heavy as lead. But he dared not stop for a moment, for he knew that once Tian Xiaodao and the others caught up with him, endless torment and death awaited him.

At this critical moment of life and death, Maodun had only one belief in his heart: to survive! This belief supported him to keep running forward, even if the road ahead was rugged and even if his body had reached its limit, he would never give up.

And so, under the cover of the pitch-black night, Maodun, with his remaining two guards, successfully shook off Tian Xiaodao and his men.

They galloped on, not daring to stop for a moment. The sound of their hooves echoed in the silent night, startling flocks of birds that were roosting there.

After a two-hour gallop, Maodun finally felt the horses' steps becoming heavy and their breathing increasingly rapid. He knew that these loyal warhorses had reached their limit, and if they continued to run at full speed, they would probably collapse from the strain.

So, Maodun decisively pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a slow stop. He jumped off the horse, looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was no trace of Tian Xiaodao and the others.

By this time, Maodun's clothes were soaked with sweat, and the hair on his forehead was also damp, clinging tightly to his cheeks. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, as if trying to expel all the tension and exhaustion from the journey.

While the horses rested, Modu sat on the grass, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He pondered to himself, who was hunting him? Judging from their attire, they were undoubtedly Xiongnu. But what was going on?

Maodun couldn't help but recall his time leaving the Xiongnu to become a hostage in the Yuezhi. He had thought that by distancing himself from the power struggles within the Xiongnu, he could temporarily escape those open and covert conflicts. However, it now seemed that things were far from simple. Could it be that the new queen still didn't trust him? After all, his position in the Xiongnu was crucial, and even in the Yuezhi, he might still pose a threat to her.

However, Maodun quickly dismissed the idea. He recalled the details of the pursuit; although the men looked and dressed like Xiongnu, their fighting style was somewhat strange. Maodun couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but he felt that their fighting style was very different from the Xiongnu soldiers he usually encountered. This feeling puzzled him greatly, as if these men were not true Xiongnu, but rather of another origin.