The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

The biting wind swept across the barren plain, whipping up snow that lashed against the caravan as they trudged along. The group struggled to move forward on the frozen ground.

Yi Huawei walked in the middle of the caravan, his face as calm as a still well. His divine sense, like an invisible spiderweb, had already spread out in all directions, allowing him to perceive every rustle of grass within a radius of dozens of miles. Just beyond the rolling hills covered with withered grass and snow to the right of the caravan, a thick stench of blood and a hidden killing intent, like smoke rising in the darkness, clearly reflected in his heart.

They were a group of cavalry, numbering around three hundred. Their breathing was long and heavy, their heartbeats slow and powerful, like lurking wolves. Their horses were also extremely well-trained; even at such close range, they only occasionally let out a few suppressed snorts. The scimitars and maces hanging beside their saddles, and the rough but powerful horn bows on their backs, all indicated their identity—Khitan wolf riders.

These Khitans had clearly been lying in ambush for a long time, like experienced hunters waiting for their prey to enter the best attack position. Their target was undoubtedly this Sogdian caravan laden with valuable goods.

Yi Huawei's gaze swept indifferently over the seemingly peaceful hills, his eyes showing no ripples. In his eyes, this caravan and those Khitan wolf riders were no different in status; he had no intention of interfering or issuing any warnings.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shi Feixuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her cultivation had reached the "Sword Heart Clarity" realm, and her spiritual senses were far sharper than ordinary people. At this moment, she also faintly felt a sense of crisis, like tiny ice spikes probing her perception. She subconsciously looked at Yi Huawei, but saw that he was still calm and composed, as if he were just taking a walk in his own backyard. Although she had doubts in her heart, she suppressed them, but secretly became more vigilant.

After a moment, Lian Rou, with her lively and playful nature, seemed to sense something. She stopped chatting and laughing with the Sogdian companion beside her, a hint of suspicion flashing in her brown eyes. She warily looked towards the hills on her right, her small ears twitching slightly, trying to catch the barely audible sound of horses' hooves lightly treading on the snow in the wind. She also looked at Yi Huawei. Seeing that her master made no move, although she felt uneasy, she chose to remain silent, only subconsciously taking half a step closer to Yi Huawei.

An Lushan, seemingly guided by his intuition honed from years of treacherous journeys, also sensed a hint of unease. He raised his hand, signaling for the group to slow down slightly, and gave Shi Tuole a meaningful look. Shi Tuole understood, and with a gesture, several guards patrolling the perimeter immediately became alert, drawing their bows and arrows, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

However, it's too late.

Just as most of the caravan entered the depression before the hills, and the column stretched out to its longest point, making it difficult to keep track of both ends—

“Ooooooooooooo!!!”

A piercing horn-like cry, as mournful as a wolf's howl, suddenly shattered the silence of the wasteland from behind the hills! Immediately afterward, dark figures leaped out from behind the hills and from the withered grass!
These Khitans were mostly not tall, but exceptionally sturdy and robust. They wore fur coats made of a mixture of fur and rough iron plates, and fur hats that covered most of their faces, revealing only pairs of eyes that gleamed with the ferocity of wild beasts. Their warhorses were also smaller than the caravan's horses, but their limbs were thick and strong, their hooves thundering as they galloped across the snow, displaying extraordinary endurance and explosive power. These were the Khitan wolf cavalry, who roamed the grasslands and struck fear into the hearts of merchants!

"Enemy attack!! It's Khitan wolf cavalry! Form ranks! Quickly form circular ranks!!"

Shi Tuole's roar instantly echoed throughout the entire caravan. His reaction was incredibly fast; almost the instant the horn sounded, he drew his scimitar, spurred his horse, and charged towards the front of the group.

The entire caravan exploded instantly, like an anthill thrown into boiling water!

The screams of terror, the neighing of startled camels, the clattering of horses, and the frantic running of the men mingled together in utter chaos.

The well-trained guards, seasoned by experience, suppressed their fear amidst Shi Tuole's roar and desperately tried to move towards the center, urging their camels and horses to form a makeshift defensive circle. The camel drivers also strained the reins, trying to make the frightened camels lie down and create a barrier.

But the Khitans were too fast, like a black tide surging in from three directions, their hooves trampling the frozen earth and snow with a heart-stopping roar.

Before the person even arrived, a dense, chilling whistling sound filled the air!
Boo hoo hoo-!
Hundreds of wolf-tooth arrows were hurled from the hands of the Khitan wolf riders like locusts, covering the front and flanks of the caravan!

"Raise your shields! Dodge the arrows!!"

Shi Tuole's eyes widened in fury as he brandished his scimitar to deflect several arrows aimed at him, shouting loudly at the same time.

*Pfft! Pfft! Ah—!*
Screams sounded instantly.

Although some guards raised their round leather shields, the arrows were too dense, and the Khitan's horn bows were extremely powerful, easily piercing the shields and thin leather armor. In an instant, the outermost dozen or so guards, along with several camel drivers and laborers who couldn't dodge in time, were riddled with arrows, falling to the ground screaming like harvested wheat stalks. Warm blood sprayed onto the pristine snow, instantly freezing into dark red ice crystals, and a strong stench of blood immediately filled the air.

After the first volley of arrows, the Khitan wolf cavalry had already charged close!
"For the tribe! Slaughter them all! Loot all their treasure!!"

A burly Khitan man, who seemed to be the leader, brandished a heavy iron mace and roared bloodthirstyly in Khitan. He charged ahead and crashed into the still-developing caravan defenses!
boom!
People turn their backs!

With the sheer force of their horses, the Khitan wolf riders cut through the caravan's fragile formation like red-hot knives slicing through butter, instantly tearing several gaps in their armor. Their scimitars gleamed coldly, their maces whipping through the air as they slashed and smashed at any moving target.

"Stop them!!"

Shi Tuole roared, leading his most elite guards to meet the Khitan leader. His scimitar drew a sharp arc, clashing violently with the Khitan leader's mace, sending sparks flying!
clang!
The piercing clang of metal against metal was so loud it made my eardrums ache.

Shi Tuole possessed astonishing strength, but the Khitan leader, aided by the momentum of his horse, delivered a powerful and heavy blow that numbed Shi Tuole's arm and caused his warhorse to neigh and retreat half a step.

"die!"

The Khitan leader grinned maliciously, his mace sweeping across again, aiming straight for Shi Tuole's head. Shi Tuole dodged in a quick movement, narrowly avoiding the attack, and swung his sword back to slash at the leader's horse's leg. The Khitan leader, a skilled rider, yanked the reins sharply, causing his warhorse to rear up, its massive hooves stomping down on Shi Tuole's head!
The battles around them were even more brutal.

Although the caravan guards were brave and fierce, they were outnumbered and mostly fought on foot, making them extremely vulnerable to the swift and elusive Khitan cavalry. Often, a guard would barely parry a scimitar slashing from the front before being pierced through the chest by a Khitan knight charging from the side; or he might manage to wound a Khitan horse's leg only to be torn apart by several weapons attacking him simultaneously.

Blood splattered everywhere, severed limbs lay scattered about. Painful screams, the clang of clashing weapons, the mournful neighing of warhorses, and the excited shouts of the Khitans filled the air…

A young guard, his face still bearing traces of childishness, had only swung his scimitar halfway when a heavy iron axe cleaved him and his blade in two, splattering his internal organs and blood all over the ground.

An old camel driver tried to lash out at an approaching Khitan with his camel whip, but a Khitan cavalryman casually shot him through the throat with an arrow. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck, his eyes filled with resentment and fear. An Lushan, surrounded by several loyal followers and guards, was deathly pale, his hand gripping a jeweled dagger tightly. He watched his painstakingly built caravan being slaughtered, his heart bleeding. He shouted commands with all his might, but under this absolute crushing force, his orders seemed utterly powerless.

"Shi Tuole! Hold on! Move towards the riverbank!!"

Seeing the critical situation on Shi Tuole's side, An Lushan couldn't help but shout.

Shi Tuole was now covered in blood, his leather armor slashed in several places, blood gushing out, and the scar on his face looked even more ferocious. Like a mad tiger, he charged left and right, cutting down three Khitan cavalrymen in succession, but the leader wielding the iron mace was like a leech, clinging to him tightly, and more and more Khitan cavalrymen were surrounding him.

"Chief! Run!!"

Shi Tuole forcefully parried the iron mace, then turned and roared in An Lushan's direction.

Before he could finish speaking, a spear that had been silently thrusting from the side seized the moment he turned his head and plunged into his ribs!
"Ugh—!"

Shi Tuole let out a muffled groan and froze.

The Khitan leader was not about to let this opportunity pass. His eyes flashed with ferocity, and his iron mace, carrying immense force, slammed into Shi Tuole's back!

"puff--!"

Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed from Shi Tuole's mouth. His burly body swayed, and he used his scimitar to support himself, barely managing not to fall. His eyes were wide open in fury as he stared intently at the Khitan leader before finally collapsing to the ground, dead. This valiant guard leader had ultimately failed to protect the caravan.

"Shi Tuole!!" An Lushan cried out in anguish, his heart breaking.

With their leader gone, the remaining guards' morale collapsed, and they could no longer organize an effective resistance. They were trapped in a desperate situation of fighting alone and were divided, surrounded, and slaughtered by the Khitan wolf cavalry.

The entire camp had become a slaughterhouse. The caravan guards' fierce resistance did inflict some casualties on the Khitans—about thirty Khitan cavalrymen fell in pools of blood, some dead and some wounded—but compared to the caravan's near annihilation, this loss was insignificant to the Khitans.

……

In the center of this bloody massacre, the location where Yi Huawei, Shi Feixuan, and Lian Rou were situated seemed to have become a strange "safe zone".

As the chaos began, Shi Feixuan witnessed the lives that were vibrant just yesterday wither away under swords and arrows in the blink of an eye. Especially when she saw the young guard with a still-childish face being cleaved in two, her delicate body trembled slightly, and a strong sense of pity flashed in her clear eyes. Her jade-like hand subconsciously gripped the hilt of the Color Void Sword in her sleeve, and she couldn't help but want to strike.

However, just as she had a thought and before she could even raise her true energy, an invisible yet vast and boundless power quietly enveloped her.

Shi Feixuan felt as if she were frozen in amber. Despite her clear mind and sharp senses, she couldn't move a single finger and could only watch helplessly as the tragedy unfolded before her eyes. She knew in her heart that this was Yi Huawei's doing.

On the other side, Lian Rou felt the same way. Seeing her fellow Sogdians being slaughtered by the Khitans like cutting melons and vegetables, especially when the old camel driver who tried to resist with his whip was shot to death, a surge of anger rushed to her head. Her nature was wild and untamed, how could she endure it? Her inner energy surged, and she was about to use her movement technique to kill the few rampaging Khitan cavalrymen.

But her experience was exactly the same as Shi Feixuan's. A force she couldn't resist sealed off all her meridians and acupoints, preventing her from circulating her true energy and freezing her body in place. Except for her eyes, which could still move, she couldn't speak or move. She looked anxiously at Yi Huawei, her brown eyes filled with incomprehension and pleading, but Yi Huawei didn't even glance at her.

Yi Huawei stood there quietly, his blue cloth robe spotless in the biting wind and splattered blood. His gaze calmly swept across the battlefield, watching Shi Tuole fight to the death, watching An Lushan's face turn ashen, watching the guards fall one by one, watching the Khitans' ferocious and excited faces... His eyes remained unchanged from beginning to end.

The sounds of battle gradually subsided.

Few of the caravan guards remained standing; most of the workers and camel drivers huddled on the ground in terror, or hid behind dead camels and cargo, trembling. The Khitans had taken control of the camp. They began to howl excitedly, using their scimitars to pry open the felt coverings of the goods and inspect their spoils. When they saw the shimmering silks and the smooth, jade-like porcelain, they erupted in greedy cheers.

The Khitan leader who had killed Shi Tuole, carrying a still-dripping iron mace, slowly rode up to An Lushan, who was being desperately protected by the remaining guards. Looking down at him, he sneered in broken Turkic mixed with Chinese:
"You are the leader? Very well, have your men lay down their weapons, surrender all their wealth and women, and perhaps... I can grant you a quick death!"

An Lushan's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling. He looked at the Khitan cavalrymen around him, who were like vicious wolves, and then at the corpses of Shi Tuole and the other guards on the ground. His eyes were filled with despair. He knew that he was probably doomed today.

Just then, the gazes of the Khitan leader and some Khitan cavalrymen around him finally fell on the three "strange people" who remained motionless in the bloody environment.

Especially the chestnut-haired woman in a pure white fur coat, with a bright and beautiful face, who was breathtakingly beautiful even in this environment, and the woman beside her who, although plain-looking, had a pure and aloof temperament like a snow lotus (Shi Feixuan), instantly attracted the greedy and burning gazes of all the Khitan wolf riders.

The Khitan leader licked his chapped lips, pointed his riding whip at Lian Rou and Shi Feixuan, and sneered at An Lushan:
"These two women... are quite nice! They're your cargo? Now, they're mine!"

As he spoke, he gave a wink to his cavalrymen. The cavalrymen understood, dismounted, and strode towards the location of Yi Huawei and his two companions.

Although Shi Feixuan and Lian Rou were unable to move, a cold killing intent flashed in their eyes as the Khitans approached. However, they were still unable to react and could only turn their gaze to Yi Huawei, who remained standing motionless.

Yi Huawei slowly raised his eyelids, looking at the approaching Khitan cavalrymen, his gaze remaining calm and undisturbed. (End of Chapter)