The corpse of the great leader of Erlong Mountain was trampled into bloody mud by warhorses.
A notorious bandit, his body was not even whole in death.
The cavalry launched wave after wave of attacks like a tide.
Sabers swung in circles towards Long Bao and the red-clothed beauty.
Finally.
"Crack......"
Their weapons shattered!
"Pfft, pfft, pfft......"
Long Bao and the red-clothed beauty were also split in half by the cavalry.
The King of Huangzhou's cavalry were all battle-hardened warriors who had survived countless battles, and they broke through the bandit army formation with a single blow.
The stark difference between a regular army and bandits was laid bare.
Thus.
There was no suspense in the battle within the valley.
The bandits who fled into the forest were pursued by the Cang Jian youths; they appeared and disappeared like ghosts, and not a single bandit escaped.
The remaining bandits were pursued by the cavalry, leaving none alive!
"Spare my life!"
A bandit collapsed and knelt on the ground, so terrified that he wet himself. "Sir, I'll tell you the location of the bandit stronghold's treasure vault, spare me!"
"Pfft......"
A Huangzhou cavalryman decapitated him. "His Highness has ordered that none be left alive!"
"The treasure, His Highness will personally lead us to retrieve it!"
At this moment.
Outside on the official road.
The sounds of battle from the valley could be faintly heard.
Suddenly.
Countless snow mists erupted from both sides of the official road, a scene very similar to how the Cang Jian youths had appeared earlier.
However, what leaped out from the snow were not Cang Jian youths, but masked assassins in white.
They were clad in white, wearing white cloaks, holding crossbows, all aiming at the white carriage carrying Xià Tiān.
Shaft after shaft of crossbow bolts, a deep blue, undoubtedly carrying deadly poison.
This was the true trap set for Prince Arid Prefecture.
The poison on these crossbow bolts was instantly fatal upon drawing blood. As long as Xià Tiān was hit by even one, he would die on the spot from poisoning.
Killing intent filled the air.
"Shoot!"
The assassin leader roared, "Prince Arid Prefecture, you dare to kill our Second Saint Emissary, now, go accompany her to the underworld!"
The assassins pulled their triggers.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh......"
Fifty poison-tipped arrows shot towards Xià Tiān's carriage.
Deadly poison, gleaming!
Kill!
Chapter 34: Who Is the Assassin?
Cáng Jiǔ flipped backward, entering the carriage, and shouted urgently, "Your Highness, be careful!"
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh......"
Fifty poisoned arrows pierced the white cloth wrapped around the carriage, like streaks of blue vipers slithering into the carriage.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft......"
The sound of arrows hitting flesh could be heard.
Blood splattered within the carriage, painting dots of plum blossoms on the white cloth, bloody and beautiful.
At this time.
At the rear of the convoy.
Sīmǎ Gē exclaimed in shock, "Young lady, Prince Arid Prefecture's carriage has been shot full of holes, he might be dead… what do we do?"
Sīmǎ Lán smiled calmly, "His Highness won't die so easily!"
"You should protect your young lady first!"
Sīmǎ Gē bit her red lips lightly, "Young lady, his carriage is bleeding!"
Sīmǎ Lán's eyes flashed with a hint of wisdom. "He'll be fine!"
"Sigh......"
Sīmǎ Gē held a sharp sword, blocking in front of Sīmǎ Lán, her small feet stamping. "Miss, how do you know he'll be fine?"
"I just know!"
Sīmǎ Gē was speechless!
But she trusted her eyes… Prince Arid Prefecture must have been shot full of holes!
He was surely as dead as dead could be!
She and her young lady wouldn't have to follow him to that desolate, terrifying, and wicked Great Desolate Continent!
But why… was she feeling a little sad?
What was the reason?
For a moment, her mood was very complicated.
On the other side.
All the white-clothed assassins were Silver-ranked assassins, having killed countless people and being highly experienced. Looking at the scene inside the carriage… the person inside was hit by crossbow bolts like a hedgehog. Their mission was complete!
At this moment, the highly concentrated assassins relaxed!
As for whether the bandits in the valley were dead or alive… it was no longer important.
They were merely bait!
Now.
They were supposed to land, flying like birds, leaving shallow footprints on the snow, kill everyone in the convoy, and escape overseas with untold riches.
Silver-ranked assassins were, at the very least, second-rate martial artists.
But, at this very moment, as their minds relaxed, the unexpected happened!
"Bang, bang......"
The snow beneath them exploded!
White snow mist blinded the Silver-ranked assassins.
Simultaneously.
A flash of sword light entered their vision, like a brilliant meteor.
Figures like leopards erupted from the snow, it was the other fifty Cang Jian youths who had vanished. There were no shouts, only silent killing intent, impacting the minds of the Silver-ranked assassins.
The Silver-ranked assassins were shocked, "Ancient Sword-Hiding Technique!"
In the blink of an eye! A few assassins urgently shouted, "They haven't cultivated Internal Energy, resist head-on, kill!"
That's right, the Silver-ranked assassins could only resist head-on!
Because the Cang Jian youths launched their attack at the perfect moment, when the assassins' feet had not yet landed, their previous strength had been exhausted, and their new strength had not yet arisen, making them like trees without roots, unable to dodge.
Because the distance was too short, the Cang Jian youths' swords were too fast, leaving them no time to evade.
Because their hearts were in turmoil!
The experience of being turned from hunter to prey was something they had all had before, but never had they encountered such a perilous close-quarters assassination.
Fortunately!
These Cang Jian youths had not yet broken through to the internal martial arts realm, their swords were not infused with Internal Energy, they were all second-rate martial artists. As long as they used Internal Energy to compress their bones and muscles, allowing their vital points to avoid the sharp swords, they could counter-attack with a palm strike and kill these terrifying ancient sword-hiding experts.
At this moment, the Silver-ranked assassins were truly terrified!
If these ancient sword-hiding youths broke through to the internal martial arts realm and their swords were infused with Internal Energy, they would surely die.
What immense fortune!
The eyes of the Silver-ranked assassins gleamed, like injured venomous snakes, ready to strike back at their attackers.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft......"
Sharp swords cut through the assassins' clothes, pierced their skin, broke through muscle, and penetrated their bodies.
Intense pain assaulted the Silver-ranked assassins' nerves.
But, they were well-trained assassins!
Experienced in injuries!
They controlled the Internal Energy within their bodies, compressing their muscles and bones to deform, perfectly avoiding their vital points!
Everything happened as they had predicted.
"Heh, heh, heh......"
The Silver-ranked assassins sneered inwardly, "Counter-attack, now!"
But, at this very moment.
Xià Tiān's voice came from the carriage, "Breakthrough!"
"Boom, boom, boom......"
A surge of impure Qi erupted from the Baihui acupoint above the heads of the Cang Jian youths; certain organs within their bodies seemed to be opened, and a terrifying power was awakened.
A stream of Internal Energy attached itself to the swords in the palms of the Cang Jian youths!
The Silver-ranked assassins' faces changed drastically, "Not good!"
Then.
Their words were cut short!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss......"
The swords in the hands of the Cang Jian youths pierced through the Internal Energy within the assassins, slicing through their bodies from various angles.
Limbs fell from the assassins' bodies.
Blood gushed like a fountain.
The white snow was stained red.
"Ah......"
The Silver-ranked assassins, who rarely cried out in pain, let out heart-wrenching, shrill screams, like starving wolves that had just been castrated.
The unbearable pain made them lose control of their bodies.
Following that.
A gleam of sword light reappeared in the eyes of the Silver-ranked assassins, like the light that broke through the darkness in the early morning.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss......"
A scarlet bloodline appeared at the throats of the Silver-ranked assassins.
They were slit at the throat by the Cang Jian youths.
Then.
Their eyes lost focus, they covered their severed throats with their hands, but they could not stop the arterial blood spurting from both sides of their necks.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft......"
Fifty corpses of Silver-ranked assassins lay on the snow in various postures, twitching like stray dogs before slowly falling still, their bodies turning cold.
The north wind continued to blow.
Silver-ranked assassins, who had killed countless people, had unexpectedly died here.
The fifty Cang Jian youths remained vigilant.
They stood in silence, using their swords to lift the assassins' robes, finding money bags filled with items, and then gathering the assassins' weapons together.
"Heh, heh, heh......"
Xiao Bai's handsome face was full of joy. He jumped out of a supply cart and happily ran to the captured items, shouting, "Send a few brothers to count the spoils!"
"Coming!"
A group of wounded soldiers jumped over, happily counting the spoils.
These assassins were even richer than the ones from last night!
What a gift of wealth!
Wonderful!
At this time.
The Cang Jian youths, using their Internal Energy, leaped like large frogs several times, returning to Xià Tiān's white carriage and bowing respectfully, "Master, the enemies have all been killed, the spoils have been given to Manager Bai for counting. Please give your orders!"
"Boom......"
A surge of Internal Energy erupted from within the carriage, shattering the white cloth that wrapped it.
Simultaneously.
Shields covered in poison arrows appeared before everyone's eyes.
Xià Tiān and Cáng Jiǔ stood in the center of the shields, completely unharmed.
Only, on the shields, many blood bags, stuck on, had been shot through, and blood was flowing on the shields, making them look somewhat bloody.
These blood bags were made at Taohua Village Fort.
The blood came from the assassins who attacked Taohua Village Fort.
That's why those assassins had various wounds on their bodies.
Of course, hiding the cause of death of those assassins was one aspect.
This was all Xià Tiān's plan.
Otherwise.
Even if the Cang Jian youths broke through to the third-rate martial artist realm, confronting the second-rate martial artist assassins head-on would still be extremely dangerous.
At this time.
Cáng Jiǔ looked at Xià Tiān with admiration. "Master, the first trap, it was indeed as you predicted, the enemy would ambush here. Now, we have broken it without any casualties!"
"In the valley, our pursuit of the bandits is also about to end!"
"Next, shall we execute the next operational plan you devised?"
Xià Tiān nodded. "Execute according to plan!"
"Yes!"
Cáng Jiǔ received the order. "Next, execute the next operational plan!"
"Yes!"
The Cang Jian youths also looked at Xià Tiān with admiration. "Master's foresight is divine, we are in awe!"
The Cang Jian youths were always silent; if they were not genuinely impressed, they would never flatter like this.
Xià Tiān smiled handsomely. "There are still traps set by the enemy ahead, we must continue to fight!"
"But before that, let's go raid the Erlong Mountain bandit lair and see what's hidden inside?"
"Yes!"
All the Cang Jian youths happily accepted the order.
They looked at the towering main peak of Erlong Mountain in the distance, secretly guessing in their hearts: what would be in the bandit stronghold?
Were there captured beauties?
Was there treasure?
Or… a bigger trap?
Chapter 35: The End Is Just the Beginning
Ambush and counter-ambush.
This battle opened the eyes of the people from the Sima Mansion!
The white-clothed assassins originally intended to ambush Prince Arid Prefecture, but were instead counter-ambushed by Prince Arid Prefecture's Cang Jian death warriors, caught completely off guard.
The Cang Jian youths defeated the strong with the weak.
Assassination and counter-assassination.
As the saying goes: earthenware pots often break when fetching water from the well, and generals inevitably die on the battlefield.
The Silver-ranked assassins suddenly unleashed their poison arrows, intending to strike with thunderous force and complete their mission with the most vicious means.
But, they never expected… that the moment they leaped into the air, they had transformed from hunters into prey.
Therefore, they lost!
Therefore, they died!
The white-clothed Silver-ranked assassins lived by killing, their hands stained with blood. In the end, they died due to Xià Tiān's planning and the Cang Jian youths' assassination.
Truly, the heavens have their cycles, and divine justice prevails!
The performance of the Cang Jian youths was heavenly and ghostly!
It was as if they were using not martial arts!
But legendary immortal techniques!
At this time.
Sīmǎ Gē and the dead warriors of the Sima Mansion looked at the Cang Jian youths with changed eyes!
How did the Cang Jian death warriors manage to sneak up on these assassins?
No matter how hard they racked their brains, they couldn't find a reasonable answer.
Was the ancient Sword-Hiding technique truly an immortal technique?
Likewise.
Sīmǎ Lán, with these doubts, brought Sīmǎ Gē before Táng Lóng. Looking at the blood flowing from the carriage, she furrowed her brows. "Is His Highness injured?"
Xià Tiān smiled gently. "Lán'er, don't worry, this king is completely unharmed!"
Only then did Sīmǎ Lán relax and smile enchantingly. "It's good that His Highness is fine!"
This smile was inexplicably captivating, warming Xià Tiān's heart.
This was a girl who understood how to cherish others!
Opposite.
Sīmǎ Lán was observing the group of lightly clad Cang Jian youths in front of the carriage.Her heart was full of curiosity… were these guys' ancient Sword-Hiding techniques the legendary escape techniques?
It was too miraculous!If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Sīmǎ Lán absolutely would not have believed that such a group of youths capable of "snow escape" (snow escape) could exist in the world.
She absolutely would not have believed such a thing could happen.
Although her curiosity gnawed at her like a cat's claws scratching an itch.
Ultimately, she did not ask.
Because this was the secret of the Cang Jian youths.
Asking would be a taboo!
This secret was also the trump card of the man in front of her; the fewer people who knew it, the longer this trump card could be used.
At the same time, another question circled in her spiritual sea: How did His Highness know that these assassins would intercept him here?
The more she thought about it, the more mysterious this man seemed.
Could he predict the future?
It was truly miraculous!
Sīmǎ Lán's heart churned with emotions, gazing dotingly at Xià Tiān… her expression filled with deep affection!
"Cough, cough, cough......"
Xià Tiān coughed unnaturally. "Lán'er, I am about to lead the army to wipe out the Erlong Mountain bandit stronghold. You lead the convoy to the post station ahead and meet me there."
After speaking.
Xià Tiān's eyes flashed with brilliance. He took out a map from his embrace and placed it in Sīmǎ Lán's hand, giving her a meaningful instruction, "Lán'er, this is our route to the Great Desolate Continent. Take a good look, and if anything seems amiss, tell me!"
Sīmǎ Lán was overjoyed, her beautiful eyes shimmering like flowing water, very alluring. "Okay!"
Is this man starting to trust her?
However, this map likely has a problem!
This, too, was a test for her.
Sīmǎ Lán bowed and, with Sīmǎ Gē, returned to her own carriage.
What might this man have hidden in the map?
She had to study it carefully!
Suddenly.
Sīmǎ Gē, who had already followed Sīmǎ Lán for some distance, turned around, gave a well-behaved bow to Xià Tiān, glanced at him deeply, proudly puffed out her chest, and turned to follow her young lady.
Xià Tiān was stunned… this was the first time Sīmǎ Gē had bowed to him alone and specifically?
What was going on?
Could it be that through this battle, he had earned her respect?
Certainly not!
Xià Tiān dismissed the chaotic thoughts and watched Gāo Fēi lead the Huangzhou cavalry and the Cang Jian youths back. "Your Highness, the bandits in the valley have all been executed on the spot. The spoils have been handed over to Manager Bai."
"We had three lightly wounded, all superficial injuries, a little Golden Wound Ointment will suffice, no serious issues!"
The battle in the valley was also an ambush and counter-ambush; Xià Tiān had achieved a complete victory!
Xià Tiān smiled and nodded. "You have worked hard!"
"Wounded soldiers, step forward, I will examine your injuries!"
"Heh, heh, heh......"
Three blood-covered wounded soldiers led their horses forward, speaking carelessly, "Your Highness doesn't need to worry about us. This is not our blood, but the blood of those bandits!"
"We three were just a little careless, a cut was made on our thighs and arms."
"No serious issues."
Xià Tiān walked forward and examined them carefully… the wounds were shallow. As long as they didn't get infected, they would heal quickly. Indeed, they were minor injuries.
"Bring wine!"
Xià Tiān prepared to dress the wounds of the three soldiers and bandage them.
Just then.
From among the Cang Jian youths, a young girl with a delicate face, about thirteen or fourteen years old, stepped out. She was somewhat thin and timidly bowed. "Master, Cáng Jiǔ practices medical arts as a secondary skill. These minor injuries can be handled by Little Jiǔ."
"No need for Master to handle it personally!"
Xià Tiān's eyes lit up. "Good, you handle the wounds and show me!"
Little Jiǔ wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve and then cleaned her small hands with snow.
Then.
Her method of treating external wounds was exactly the same as Xià Tiān's: first, disinfect with strong liquor, then apply Golden Wound Ointment, and finally wrap with white gauze.
"Heh, heh, heh......"
Xià Tiān watched intently. "Little Jiǔ, your way of bandaging external wounds, did you learn it from me?"
Cáng Jiǔ replied obediently, "Yes, Master."
"If a medical arts disciple handled such external wounds, how would they do it?"
Cáng Jiǔ blinked her dark, lustrous eyes. "Master, medical arts practitioners lack your disinfection process when handling such external wounds, and the way they wrap wounds is not as meticulous as yours."
"Because of the lack of your proposed disinfection process, patients have long suffered from worsening injuries and relapses due to infection."
"Therefore, I believe your medical skills surpass the medical arts."
"So, using your method to treat comrades is definitely correct!"
Cáng Jiǔ, at such a young age, spoke eloquently, her insight sharp… Xià Tiān's medical skills integrated the essence of thousands of years of Chinese medical knowledge, so they were naturally stronger than the nascent medical arts of this era.
At this time, all the Cang Jian youths looked at Cáng Jiǔ with doting affection.
Without a doubt, this little girl was the "beloved" of the Cang Jian youths.
"Heh, heh, heh......"
Xià Tiān smiled with satisfaction. "Little Jiǔ, you have good judgment. Would you be willing to learn my medical skills?"
Cáng Jiǔ nodded excitedly. "Willing!"
"Master, Cáng Jiǔ is willing!"
After speaking.
Cáng Jiǔ excitedly knelt and kowtowed. "Cáng Jiǔ greets Master as her teacher!"
Xià Tiān reached out to help her up, sensing… this little girl was truly skin and bones. "Get up!