Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 125 Demoness, are you cold?

In the heart of the Great Yan, on the official road.

A dark mass of iron cavalry, exuding a menacing aura, escorted a prison cart in the center southwards.

On the prison cart, a woman with disheveled hair and only her delicate, pink legs were bound together like a dumpling by a dense array of dark iron chains engraved with obscure runes.

Each chain was as thick as a child's forearm and appeared extremely heavy. It took six strong warhorses pulling it together to keep up with the procession.

If a discerning person were to pass by, they would immediately recognize that the gleaming black iron chain was forged from the legendary 'Seastone,' which was specifically used to suppress the bloodline of demons, mixed with refined iron.

The cost of just one chain is almost equivalent to a year's tax revenue in a remote state, and such chains almost completely cover the entire prison van.

The man pulling the cart tightened his fur coat, exhaling large plumes of white mist with each breath.

Is this still the southern border of the Great Yan, where the heat lasts all year round?
The man thought to himself, "What do you mean?"

Unlike the somber atmosphere around the prison van, a faint scent of rouge permeated the air, which, after a while, became somewhat unsettling.

"Ah!"

The man pulling the cart sneezed loudly.

He dared not presume it was the rouge's fault, so he blamed it all on the weather:

"In this weather, it's truly unbelievable! You witch, aren't you cold?"

"What do you mean, Commander Xu? Watch your attitude!"

Beneath his disheveled long hair, the imprisoned man spoke with a resentful tone, yet his voice seemed full of energy.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the other person's exposed legs are not only excessively long, but more importantly, they are also excessively muscular.

"He's a prisoner, don't be so polite!"

'Pfft.'

"You audacious vixen, how dare you speak to our Commander Xu like that? You deserve a beating!"

To Xu Shijin's left, a pale-faced, beardless guard chuckled and raised his riding whip as if to strike.

Its voice was slightly immature, as clear and pleasant as a nightingale in the mountains and forests.

Behind him, another soldier rubbed his legs, sighing with a pained expression:

"Commander Xu, how much further? I want to go back to the capital."

The prisoners on the carriage laughed heartily, “Hurry, hurry, we’re in Nanliang ahead. After traveling a few dozen more miles, we’ll reach Youzhou.”

Beyond Youzhou lies the Southern Frontier. That 'Sword Immortal' you all so yearn for, who loves snow, is currently floating above Youzhou City!

Xu Shijin's eye twitched.

I just asked if I was cold, and I got scolded. They were about to whip me with a horsewhip, and I was still laughing.
The differences between people can sometimes be so vast.
and many more.

He suddenly remembered that many powerful figures in the capital secretly enjoyed playing games that ordinary people couldn't understand.
Shouldn't it be.
The general secretly wished he could be slapped a couple of times by the other side.

Thinking of this, Xu Shijin shuddered for no reason.

"It's still so far. You stinky witch, you say the journey is dangerous, but we've been traveling for so long and haven't seen a single enemy. Why don't you have some mercy and fly us over there? We've been riding so many celestial horses, we're all stinking."

"Good sister, hang in there a little longer."

Besides, not all experts can fly. If I, this enchantress, had such abilities, I wouldn't be sitting here."

"Hmph, scumbag! When he left the city, he even said he'd let people experience what it's like to fly! You big liar!"

"That's it!"

Xu Shijin quickly covered his ears with both hands.

Do not listen to what is improper
If this continues, I feel like my entire soul is going to get tainted!
Stop now, General! I still have to overcome my inner demons!
The outline of the city can already be vaguely seen in the field of vision.

It seems I can get a good night's rest in Nanliang City tonight.
Just then, I noticed that the marching speed of the team ahead was getting slower and slower, and in an instant, all I could see was a vast expanse of white.

Not to mention Nanliang City, even the figures of the soldiers at the front of the ranks were becoming increasingly indistinct.

"Report! Commander Xu, a sudden heavy snowfall has begun ahead, and the snow is almost up to the horses' calves, making progress difficult!"

Upon seeing the scout arrive with the news, the demoness on the prison cart and the guards around her tacitly kept silent.

Xu Shijin frowned and began to think.

The meager snowfall was not enough to stop the advance of this elite cavalry.

Even with his vision obstructed, he, a veteran of countless battles, was confident that he would not lose his way.

The key issue is that this awful weather, while hindering our progress, conveniently provides an opportunity for an enemy whose very existence is unknown.
Whether it was his imagination or not, from the very beginning, a strange sense of crisis had been lingering in his mind, making him hesitate to move forward.

"Cough cough."

The 'witch' in the prison van suddenly started coughing violently.

Two beeps. The general means to continue advancing!

Recalling the code they had agreed on earlier, Xu Shijin understood immediately and gave the order:
"Gather the troops, form lines of ten, and advance in a single file! Send a few skilled fighters ahead to clear the way. We must enter the city before nightfall!"

"Yes!"

The scouts obeyed and left. This thousand-strong cavalry force was the elite of the elite among the renowned 'Black Armor Dragon Cavalry'.

They completed the assembly at an extremely fast pace, and soon after, they began to move forward slowly again.

The world in the snow seemed exceptionally quiet, with only the clanging of the iron chains on the vehicle as it moved.

As visibility decreased, Xu Shijin's unease gradually increased.

There was nothing but a stark white expanse ahead.

Furthermore, there was a vague feeling that the route led by the vanguard had deviated from the location of Nanliang City in his memory.
Xu Shijin unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins.

There was a nagging feeling that something incredible was ahead, its jaws wide open, waiting for their team to crawl inside!

"General?! General?!"

Xu Shijin called out twice, only to find that his voice seemed to be trapped in the prison in front of him, unable to travel outwards.

He was terrified!
This is someone with profound cultivation who sealed themselves inside with their divine sense!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Suddenly, large swaths of snow billowed up from all sides!
One after another, figures suddenly sprang out from under what appeared to be ordinary snow.

"Hissing sound—"

The horses neighed.

In an instant, the girl who had been flirting with the general nearby, along with the surrounding soldiers, were thrown into chaos.

Xu Shijin acted decisively, leaping up and using all his strength to slam down, barely managing to stabilize the prison cart that was about to overturn.

His eyes were like lightning, and he concentrated his energy in his eyes.

Only then could one see clearly that each of the dark figures was holding the ends of a hemp rope, each about the thickness of a forearm.

Such a crude object, as they leaped, became a weapon to overturn warhorses!

"kill!!!"

The figures in the shadows were noticeably stiff.

Although their faces were covered, it was clear that their exposed skin had turned purple from the cold.

At their leader's command, they charged towards the prison cart, spears in hand, fearlessly! 'Only twenty-odd men.'

With his divine sense covering him, Xu Shijin instantly figured out the number of enemy troops.

Not only are there few people, but their cultivation levels are also not considered high.

He asked himself if he alone could handle most of them, not to mention that, in addition to the chaotic central army, there were hundreds of battle-hardened soldiers on their way to support him!

Are they really assassins?
Xu Shijin immediately understood.

These twenty-odd men were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot when facing their own cavalry force.

Taking advantage of the moment of panic on their side, they could easily assassinate the Southern Border demoness who was bound by layers of sea stone and should have been seriously injured!
Ding!
Xu Shijin drew his short sword from his waist and deflected a long spear that was near his face.

He was surrounded by countless gun barrels from all sides.

"Xiao Xu, don't panic when something happens. How have I always taught you to stay calm?"

A familiar, gentle voice came from inside the prison van.

Even when you are in dire straits with nowhere to hide.

Xu Shijin, however, smiled slightly and let the dense spears attack his body without even frowning.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!
The sound of wind breaking suddenly arose behind them.

One after another, dark iron chains shot out from the prison cart, precisely gripping the throats of each assassin and pinning them firmly to the spot, unable to move.

All the spears hovered half an inch in front of Xu Shijin and the prison cart, unable to advance any further.

The next moment, crimson blood blossoms bloomed from the assassins' chests.

Without exception, the soldiers who surrounded them pierced their chests with sharp weapons.

The scalding blood was still steaming in the snow as they stared blankly at the 'witch' who had parted her long hair in the prison cart.

Even as he breathed his last, he could not close his eyes in peace.

"General!"

The arriving soldiers bowed to the man who had jumped out of the prison cart.

Even though everyone knew that their all-powerful general wouldn't be in any trouble, the sudden appearance of the assassin still made everyone hold their breath.

"Brother Qing, you were absolutely right!"

Several guards pulled out the longswords, daggers, and other weapons that were stuck in the assassin's chest, and then removed the helmets that had been on his head for many days, revealing his cascading black hair.

The soldiers around him were all veterans who had followed the general for many years and were used to this scene.
I never expected that the girls who seemed so vulnerable and fell down with the horse were actually all experts!

An Qing casually tore off a piece of her sleeve, simply tied up her disheveled long hair, and slowly stepped off the prison cart.

"I'm sorry to have frightened my sisters!"

Several tearing sounds of cloth rang out beside him. Xu Shijin turned back, cupped his hands, and reported:

"General, all twenty-six assassins have been beheaded."

My subordinates have observed them one by one. The thief has deep-set features and a dark, rough complexion, consistent with the general's prediction. He is undoubtedly a member of the Zhou Kingdom's 'Night Owl Bureau'.

An Qing nodded: "It seems that not only the Grand Preceptor was murdered, but the news that we wanted to exchange the Holy Maiden of Southern Xinjiang for snake gall blood has also spread."

We should really bring Ning Qian's pig brain along with us, so he can see what kind of state the Great Yan has become under his rule!
"Speaking of which, they only made their move when they were almost at Nanliang City; that fat Chu is really cunning!"

A pretty young woman kicked the frostbitten corpse beside her and spat.
"Master Qing, look. This snow has been falling for who knows how long. If we had arrived a day later, they probably would have frozen to death before we even had a chance to do anything!"

Recalling the enemy's ambush tactics, Xu Shijin and the others still felt lingering fear.

To ambush them, this group buried themselves in the snow and waited there!

The Night Owl Division of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Just their forbearance and decisiveness alone make them, even in the enemy camp, a group of warriors worthy of everyone's respect.

An Qing mounted his horse, squinted his eyes, and said, "Although the plan is simple and crude, it still needs someone to carry it out."

This Fatty Chu is indeed a remarkable person, capable of inspiring people to willingly die for him.

"These past few days in the prison van have left this general with a sore back and aching waist. Let's go! Hurry into the city!"

The meticulously planned assassination attempt resulted in the loss of only a few warhorses. This was not only due to the composure of An Qing's 'Black Armor Dragon Riders,' but more importantly, because someone had foreseen this event in advance, which led to this 'substitution' scenario.

On horseback, Xu Shijin, who was familiar with the whole story, couldn't help but sigh:

"Thanks to His Majesty's strategic planning, although the news has leaked, we can quickly uncover many Zhou spies hiding in various places!"

Recalling everything that happened before her departure, An Qing smiled, "His Majesty said that she learned this from someone else; it's called something like 'entrapment'!"

Fishing Method
Xu Shijin pondered these four characters repeatedly, feeling that they contained profound meaning.

The bloodstains and corpses scattered on the ground were quickly covered again by the heavy snow.

The jet-black iron hooves transformed into a surging torrent, once again advancing towards Nanliang.

This time, no surprises occurred, and the city, which was not far away to begin with, reappeared before them.

Xu Shijin spurred his horse and broke away from the group, taking the lead and heading towards the city gate.

"General An Qing, the General Who Guards the West, has arrived with his Xuanjia Dragon Cavalry. Please open the city gates!"
-
A moment later, outside the city lord's mansion.

Inside the makeshift tent, Liu Shu, the city lord, who was over fifty years old and dressed in only a single garment, was sitting by the fire to keep warm.

"General An, please don't take offense. It's not that I don't want to invite you inside for a chat, it's just that it's too cold!"
My city of Nanliang is located in the southern border region. For thousands of years, it has been unbearably hot. When has it ever snowed?

After searching the entire city, we couldn't find even two fur coats. To avoid getting burned, we had no choice but to set up a tent in this courtyard.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter."

An Qing chuckled and sat down opposite him. "I came in a hurry, otherwise I would have definitely brought some warm clothes for Lord Liu."

Liu Shu nodded: "General An, are you planning to leave the city from here and head to Youzhou?"

Having already received a message from Kyoto, he knew the other party's intentions from the start.

"Indeed, there is an extremely urgent matter that requires me to go to Youzhou. I would like to ask for your help, 'Sword Immortal'."

This road is blocked.

Liu Shu shook his head helplessly, while adding a few more pieces of firewood to the fire.

Seeing the man's surprised expression, he quickly continued, "No, no, General An, you misunderstand! It's not that I refused to let you pass. On the way here, you must have seen the strange phenomena along the way."

To be honest, General, once you cross Nanliang, it becomes impassable in less than ten li!

Not only were there howling winds, but the snow was also higher than a person.
A gust of wind came along, and it blew everyone, man or horse, into the sky! Every now and then, the aftershocks of that sword immortal's battle with the great demon would sweep by. Even if the general didn't lose his way, he probably wouldn't be able to reach Youzhou!

Upon hearing this, An Qing was horrified.

It has been a long time since any supreme saint-level expert has truly clashed with another.

Therefore, even though he knew from the beginning that once he reached the eighth rank, he could use his supreme cultivation to forcibly manipulate the celestial phenomena and create an environment suitable for him to take action.

But who would have thought that human power could reach such a terrifying level?
Or, to put it another way, once that barrier is broken and one gains the power to control the universe, can one still truly be called 'human'?

What's even more worrying than this is the plight of the people in Youzhou City!

An Qing clenched his fists instinctively. Seeing this, City Lord Liu quickly comforted him:
"General, there's no need to worry. The battle had barely begun when some people saw Youzhou City enveloped by a shield of light resembling an eggshell. No matter how fierce the fighting outside, it remained completely unaffected. The only problem was... the snow was falling quite heavily."

(End of this chapter)