He Lan Tianxia

Beneath the majestic Helan Mountains, the grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see. Looking down, the peaks rose and fell, the cliffs towered precariously, and two fiery red steeds galloped across the land, leaping and soaring through the sky. The man on the foremount had clear, bright eyes, a tall and handsome figure, and was exceptionally beautiful. He wore a light blue, luxurious robe, over which a brocade and satin cloak flowed in the wind, giving him a dashing air. The servant on the hindmount was dressed simply, less extravagantly but still remarkably elegant. The two, master and servant, appeared to be traveling, but it was more like a martial arts competition, transforming the vast grasslands into a scene of desert mist and moonlight. Suddenly, a hawk swooped down from the cliff, plunging straight towards the handsome man.

"Master, be careful!" The servant pulled on the reins, spurred his horse forward, and in a flash, his left hand swiftly drew a crescent-shaped blade, its sharp tip aimed straight at the eagle. The eagle let out a mournful cry, its eyes flashing with ferocity, and pressed down on the sword tip, which was about to pierce through it. The handsome man's right hand moved, and a thin rope suddenly shot out, striking the sword tip that had just touched the eagle's feathers. With a flick of his wrist, the sword flew out of his hand with a clang.

"Master?" the servant exclaimed in alarm. "Be careful!"

The eagle's furious talons lashed down at the handsome man's face. In the nick of time, the man executed a move called "Moon Gazing on Horseback," a swift and clean dodge as he dodged the eagle's attack. The eagle let out a cry and circled back to strike. The handsome man's right hand flicked instantly, and a thin rope shot out, a phantom resembling a silver ring enveloping the eagle's feet. Unable to move, the eagle could only flap its wings in the air, glaring fiercely at the handsome man.

The handsome man retrieved a small sachet from beneath the eagle's feet, pulled out a piece of colored paper, unfolded it, and examined it closely. He immediately frowned, his expression strange. A line of neat, small characters appeared on the paper: "Though we lack the wings of a phoenix to fly together, our hearts are connected by a single thread of understanding; meeting you, Junlan, at the edge of the Cliff of Broken Hearts, why then do we fly together like phoenixes?"

"Something's wrong?" The servant looked at the handsome man's strange frowning expression, completely bewildered but dared not ask.

"To the Cliff of Broken Hearts." The handsome man stuffed the colored paper back into his small sachet, his expression instantly returning to its cold and stern state. He removed the silver ring phantom from the eagle's feet, then pulled on the reins, and the Fire Red Hare flew straight away. The eagle screeched once but did not attack the handsome man again; it merely raised its talons and spread its wings to follow the Fire Red Hare as it soared through the sky.

Although the servant didn't know why the handsome man was in such a hurry, he seemed to be rushing back to the palace. Now that he had turned in another direction, he guessed that the man had received some urgent mission. He secretly sweated for the fact that he had almost accidentally killed the eagle earlier. Seeing his master spur his horse and gallop away, he immediately pulled on the reins and followed after him.

The journey to Broken Heart Cliff was about thirty miles, but thanks to the astonishing speed of their two fiery red steeds, they arrived in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The master and servant reined in their horses and looked around. All they could see were ancient, verdant trees, myriad vines, towering cliffs, sheer precipices, and bottomless abysses below.

"What a strategically important location!" the handsome man thought to himself in amazement.

Suddenly, the heavens and earth trembled, the wind and clouds changed color, and a gaping hole appeared in the western sky, from which a multicolored cloud hurtled straight towards the handsome man. Unable to dodge in time, the man could only strike the cloud with all his might. A loud "yikes" was heard from within the cloud as it rolled several times on the ground, and then a net flew out and enveloped it. With a wave of his hand, the handsome man's servant dismounted.

"Master, it's a female assassin." The servant kicked the person inside the net, who then slowly regained consciousness. "She seems to have been knocked unconscious."

"Hmm?" The handsome man's expression remained unchanged, but his brows were furrowed.

"What the hell?" The woman inside the net rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Did I just walk right into a trap?"

A sword suddenly appeared pointed at his nose, and the servant shouted, "Who goes there?"

The woman sized up the two elegantly dressed men before her, then glanced at the two fiery red steeds. Suddenly, she cried out in alarm, "I've time-traveled! I've time-traveled! I've finally time-traveled!"

“Master, she’s a madwoman.” The servant stepped forward and examined her again.

"Return to the manor." The handsome man turned around, reined in his horse, and the fiery red rabbit, with its front hind legs together, let out a neigh and made a 180-degree turn. Just as it was about to take a step, a woman shouted.

"Who is so bold as to trap me?" She paused and added, "Who is so bold as to trap me?" The two Red Hare servants seemed not to hear her and spurred their horses away.

"Hey, you can't treat me like this! I am Murong Junlan's princess."

"..." The handsome man paused, his face darkening. Then a startled cry rang in his ears, "Hey, Potato! You've time-traveled too!" Immediately, a hawk let out a proud cry and flew towards the woman.

Suddenly, the handsome man turned sharply, pulled on the reins, and galloped over in the blink of an eye. He pulled the woman up with his right hand, lifting her up like a rabbit in a cage.

"Damn it, do you really think I'm a rabbit?" the woman struggled incessantly.

The handsome man seemed not to hear him. He tossed the net bag behind him, and the servant caught it gracefully. The poor woman was so dizzy she couldn't tell which way was which. The master and servant resumed their horsemanship competition, only this time with a woman in a net bag and a soaring eagle.