Not worth a damn!

In the remote side of the country, a bunch of riders raising against the dirt as their horses galloped along, side by side in a narrow road. 

Their horses runs so fast that the wind rushes past, as the riders rode bareback, clutching the mane with their right hands while holding the whip in their left, whooping and hollering.

"Halt!" 

One man suddenly shouted at the riders with an extreme authority in his voice.

"Young Master, the terrain is dangerous, we might get ambush!"

The young master that the man called get down from his stallion and look at the surrounding. There were birds flying up as if their places had been disturbed.

"Stay on your guard!"

He said while studying the place.

"Chunli, they're here!"

"What were going to do, Young Master?"

Ma Chunli becomes weary as he studied the place, it was a dangerous spot for them to be held up, while their hunters had the best position. The longer they stayed on that place the more dangerous it is.

"Tell them to retreat and find another way, we will meet them at the inn, in the next town!"

Prince Ching, knew that whoever this people,  they only came to get rid of him. Sending his troops away will lessen the casualties.

"Alright!"

Ma Chunli give them an instruction, through signal. Those soldiers were all elites and personally trained by their master.

"Lets go!" 

The two of them ride back in their horses, but it's not long enough from where they stop, when they saw someone blocking the road.

Again they get down from their horses and checked the person. Ma Chunli asked the man but he did not answer nor moved, and when he pushed him the he man suddenly fell on the ground.

"He's dead!"

Ma Chunli exclaimed.

"I will check—"

"No need! those people were already here, why bother looking? Let them come!"

He said annoyingly.

The Crown Prince had natural beast-like abilities to observed things that others can't. His hearing and eyesight can be said to have, as first to none.

Then a sudden swoop of arrows from the air comes towards them, Prince Ching immediately pushed Ma Chunli in the other side. 

They both fell in the ground, as their horses was frighten by the commotion and leaved them behind.

"Your Highness!" 

Ma Chunli called him, there is no used of concealing their identities when this people already knew them.

"Im fine!" He said coldly.

His flesh was cut open and the blood drips from his arms.

"I think we had mules in our side!"

Ma Chunli said in a matter of fact tone. No one knows about their expedition but how come they were being attack in a right place and a time?

"Since you're already here, why bother hiding like a dog wagging its tail between his legs!"

His voice was loud enough to be heard.

A person laughed heartily as he finally showed up. "You were still as sharp as before!"

"You!"

Ma Chunli stepped forward but Prince Ching blocked him with his arms as he recognized the man in front of him. He's one of the top notch in the martial arts world.

"I guess it's my pleassure seing you, Mr. Long Fie!"

What Tàizǐ meant is that the man had known to retired and went for seclusion for so many years. Now that he suddenly appeared right in front of him. It meant, no joke!

During the laughed one man also appeared from the other side of the road. This person is thin and small, he looks like no more than a pound of meat in him and a slight blew of wind can probably blow him away.

Ma Chunli almost chuckled at his thought, but later, give his admiration towards a man when he noticed that the man appeared with out a noise.

"You're right— I'm eager to see you, as you've made yourself quite famous!"

Said the man that suddenly appeared out of no where.

Prince Ching snort upon hearing what he just said. "I'm not worthy for your compliment—"

"You're wrong it's not a compliment!"

The man's voice was dreadful. He seems like mocking him.

"Unless I could see it in my two eyes!"

As he spoke, six people appeared from the forest. Prince Ching assumed that those people are all his disciples. 

They were eight of them!

Prince Ching  knew the two masters but the other six must be new for he did not recognized them.

If the battle becomes unavoidable, the chance for the two of them is dire, given their numbers and skills.

"I guess you got a big fish to catch and I hate holding you up!"

"The fish is right in front of us!" 

Long fie said arrogantly as if he's confident to take him down.

Prince Ching smirked.

"Then we should not delay any further— I really hate talking to someone who's not even worth my time!"

"Brother Ching really knows how to joke!" 

The thin man laughed and mocked him. This people knew who he is from the very beginning.

It looks like they really underestimated me!

As if he's just a bluff and not even worth mentioning. He called him by his first name and add the word "brother" as an insult to his status, like they were just equal. 

The fact that they're not even close. On the other hand it was only their way to provoke him.

"What I hate the most is trouble!" 

Prince Ching said deviously.

As soon as the word "trouble" come out from his mouth, the man he called Mr. Long Fie was already stubbed with his dagger.

They never seen him with a dagger but yet in a flashed of light, it slashed Mr. Long Fie's throat.

Everyone saw that his dagger cut through the man's throat, Yet no one saw, just how it happened.

Prince Ching was still holding Mr. Long Fie's head before he made a gurgling sound. His mouth suddely open and his tongue come out.

Blood came out from Mr. Long Fie's mouth, as Prince Ching thrust his final blow. It was the time when Mr. Long Fie's head separates from his neck.

His blood splashed in Prince Ching's face as he throws the head ito the thin man's feet, like it was nothing.

He did not even blink when he took Mr. Long Fie's head and the looks of his eyes turn scary that even frightened, Ma Chunli.

Everyone was stunned. No one dares to moved or talked from the shocked. Even Ma Chunli had a trace of both fear and admiration towards his master.

"Save your compliment!"

Prince Ching smirked. He did not wipe the blood in his face to show them that he can also stomach even the filthiest thing.

All of the assassins stood on their ground holding their sword at their waist but dare not to move. They wont take a gumble as their master was still near to his side.

If he could reach Long Fie without getting notice, then it won't be impossible for him to kill their master in an instant.

They just witness before their eyes how ruthless the Crown Prince is. He did not even blink nor hesitate the moment he killed one of the most skilled master in martial art world.

The Crown Prince that they heard from people was the exact opposite of him. It looks like they really underestimated him.

After Prince Ching finished talking. He toosed 10 taels of silver beside the man's head.

"He's not even worth that much—but given he was once an honorable man, that would be enough!"

The sound of his voice becomes dreadful, its enough to make them shiver out of fear.

He whistled through his finger and the big black stallion appeared running towards him.

"Tell your master to show himself and don't forget to send my gift to him!"

He said coldly.

"As for you! you're not even worth a damn!"

He rode in his stallion and kicked it forward, he then stretched his hands for Ma Chunli who stood like a statue. 

Ma Chunli catch his hands and toosed him at his back. The two of them ride stardust, Prince Ching's precious horse.

But it takes only a few steps when the horse starting to jump back and forth and throw both of them in the ground.

Ma chunli's scream echoed through the forest, as he fell upside down in the mud.

"What an idiot!" 

The crown prince muttered loudly as he pulled Chunli's head that stuck in the mud.

Stardust was making an annoying noise out from his nose as if the poor horse was annoyed. He forgot that except him and Princess Ye no one could ever ride him.

Ma Chunli fell upside down as he was not aware that stardust would throw a fit in a very critical situation. Ma Chunli's head was covered with mud and only his blinking eyes could be visible, when he pulled him out of it.

Looking at Ma Chunli's state, Prince Ching could not help himself, but bark with laughters.