Hooked, Even Serena Feng Can Be Cornered

"Are you really the owner of this horse?" Serena Feng was frustrated.

Heavens, the horse Dominic Zhai gave me turns out to be stolen! And now the real owner pops up halfway—no wonder Dominic could get his hands on such a top‑notch horse. Seriously...

Serena Feng was so frustrated she wanted to cry. She still had at least three or four days of travel ahead—she couldn't go without a horse. No matter if this man was the owner or not, she had to keep it.

Watching the way Blackcloud Stallion cozied up to the man, Serena Feng had no doubt he was the real owner. She prided herself on her horse-taming skills, but after seven days with Blackcloud Stallion, she still wasn't as close to it as this man.

That kind of bond can't be built in a short time.

"If it weren't my horse, why do you think it follows me so obediently?" The man reached out, and Blackcloud Stallion licked his hand in a fawning way. Man and horse were inseparable.

Seeing this, Serena knew there was no point arguing. Judging by the man's casual aura, she didn't doubt he was a top expert—if she tried to bribe him, he'd probably catch on instantly.

Force definitely wouldn't work, so she had to try a softer approach. Serena admitted her mistake without hesitation: "Sorry, I didn't know this was your horse. A friend lent it to me—I really need it."

Serena hoped this man would let her borrow the horse a bit longer, seeing she hadn't mistreated it.

"Hmph... Your friend lent you the horse, but you're still involved. You stole it and mistreated it. Since I can't find your friend, I'll take your life as compensation!" Without another word, the man in green thrust his sword straight at Serena.

Serena was already on guard and dodged calmly: "Hey, can't we talk this out? Don't get physical! How did I mistreat your horse? It's perfectly fine." It had eaten better than she had the whole way—if that was abuse, maybe being a horse was better than being human.

"Little White's hooves are burning, its coat is all dusty, and its eyes are bloodshot. Anyone can see it hasn't rested in days. You call this 'fine'? You're lying through your teeth. You Nine Provinces people are so crafty." The man in green had only meant to teach Serena a lesson, but her words made his attacks instantly more ruthless.

"Us Nine Provinces people? What are you then?" Serena scrambled to dodge, but her movements faltered and the man in green's sword sliced open her left shoulder. The force knocked her to the ground.

Hiss... Serena winced in pain, even more annoyed. She was just weighing whether pulling out cash would tip him off when, unexpectedly, the man in green suddenly withdrew his sword and said magnanimously, "Forget it, I won't fight with a woman. Little White was stolen—it's my fault for not watching him."

Damn it... Is the universe just messing with me?

When I don't want to fight, he won't let me go. When I finally make up my mind to take him out, he suddenly lets me off.

Chivalry, my ass. Why couldn't you show some class earlier, instead of waiting until I'd already gotten hurt?

Dominic Zhai stole his horse, so I'm in the wrong. I'll just have to swallow this sword wound.

Serena, face dark and clutching her injured left arm, stood up and tried to reason: "Sir, you've hit me, you've scolded me. Can you lend me your horse for a few days? I really need it."

"Why should I care if you're in a hurry? I don't lend Little White to anyone, let alone your friend who already stole him." The man kept harping on this point, clearly still bitter about the theft—after all, it was admitting he'd been weak enough to lose his horse.

"I know, my friend was wrong to steal your horse. I apologize on his behalf. If you want revenge, I won't stand in your way. From your accent, you're not from the Nine Provinces, are you? Traveling here must be tough. If you lend me your horse, I can help you get a legal identity—make it easier for you to move between countries." Serena guessed, from his speech and their meeting in the wild, that the man had no identity plaque or travel pass; otherwise, he wouldn't be stuck outside the city.

As for his accent? She could only recognize the Capital dialect—everything else was just guesswork.

"Are you serious?" Sure enough, the man was tempted.

Without a plaque or pass, he couldn't enter any city in the Nine Provinces. He might be skilled, but he couldn't just force his way into every single town.

And if he did get in, people would immediately report a stranger to the authorities—unless he stayed hidden forever.

But that would defeat his whole purpose in coming here to study Nine Provinces culture. He needed a real identity, one that would let him enter the city openly.

"Of course I'm serious. Look in my bag—I've got my identity plaque and a nationwide travel pass in there. You know, only people with serious connections can get one of those. I'll put both up as collateral. If you lend me Blackcl—uh, Little White, I'll return him here in twenty days and personally escort you into the city to register your papers."

As for the man's real identity, Serena figured it wasn't her problem. If he was a spy, Dominic Zhai could handle it; if he was an assassin... well, that would be trickier.

But out here in the wilderness, she needed a way to get around.

"Serena Feng? You're from Eastlyn." The man in green worked hard to open her backpack, finally finding the travel pass inside and studying it carefully.

"Yes, I'm from Eastlyn." Serena could tell he'd finally believed her.

Sure enough, as long as the other person wasn't some irredeemable villain, if you showed goodwill, they wouldn't make things too hard for you. Still, this wound was for nothing.

Serena looked at her wounded left shoulder and gave a bitter smile...

The man in green eyed Serena suspiciously, sizing her up. Once he was sure she wasn't scheming, he closed the travel pass and said seriously, "Fine, I'll trust you this once. If you dare trick me, I'll kill you—even if you're a woman. But... I'm not waiting here. I have nothing better to do, so wherever you're headed, I'm coming with you."

"No way. What I need to do isn't for outsiders to know." Serena refused without hesitation.

Even if this man was almost certainly Blackcloud Stallion's real master, she had no idea where he came from. If she invited trouble in, she'd regret it.

"I don't care about your business. My job is just to get you to your destination. I won't hand Little White over unless I come with you. You can always get another plaque and pass made for yourself—leaving yours with me means nothing." The man in green wasn't naive; on the contrary, he was sharp.

"No—I can't take you with me." Serena struggled with the decision. The man had shown up far too conveniently; she couldn't tell if he was friend or foe. If he turned out to be an assassin, she'd be signing her own death warrant—and maybe drag William down with her, too.

"Then forget it. I'm taking Little White and leaving, and you can't stop me. Don't try anything sneaky—I know you've got hidden weapons." The man in green glanced warningly at the spot where Serena kept her handgun.

Serena was silent... Good thing she hadn't drawn her gun—taking a shot at a top expert was way too risky.

The man in green was quite satisfied with Serena's sense. He tossed her backpack aside, took Blackcloud Stallion by the reins, and whistled up at the sky. Suddenly, a massive hunting falcon appeared overhead, circled a few times, then landed on his shoulder...

"A falcon?" Serena's eyes lit up.

"Yes, my falcon." The man didn't even turn around, acting nonchalant—but his eyes were frighteningly bright...

He was waiting—waiting for the woman behind him to give in!

Five...

Four...

Three...