With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

The group immediately changed their clothes and disguised themselves, concealing their arrogance, and set off as if they were just an ordinary caravan and its accompanying guards, heading straight for the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Lin Ye had already planned out the route in his mind: he had to leave Qingyang Prefecture first, then enter Gongchang Prefecture, and finally arrive at Xining Prefecture.

Yang County and Qing County were located at opposite ends of Qingyang Prefecture, while the territory of Gongchang Prefecture was parallel to that of Qingyang Prefecture.

When Lin Ye returned from Xining Prefecture, he crossed Gongchang Prefecture, passed through Yang County, and then returned to Xiang County.

They are currently in Yang County and need to get to Xining Prefecture. To avoid unnecessary contact and exposure, they have chosen to go directly through Gongchang Prefecture instead of Yang County.

To avoid attracting attention, the group of over thirty people was divided into six groups, several miles apart, supporting each other from front to back.

Lin Ye, Liu Zhenghua, Li Fuyun, and two third-rate martial artists were assigned to the second route to provide support from the center.

The group tried to avoid villages and main roads, choosing instead to speed along secluded paths.

Fortunately, due to the war and the devastation of the strongholds in Gongchang Prefecture in recent years, the people's livelihood was poor and there were few pedestrians on the road. These disguised groups did not attract much attention.

Horse hooves pounded the withered grass and dust, its figure weaving through the shadows of the trees as it sped toward Xining Prefecture in the northwest.

Meanwhile, deep within the Wang family mansion in Qingyang Prefecture.

Inside the study, a scholar-like man was playing chess, leaning over the board, a black piece between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the crisscrossing lines, his expression serene.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and the head of the Wang family strode in, his face grave.

"Sir," the patriarch said in a low voice, "the team that was supposed to intercept Lü Fang has been discovered near Wei County."

The traces at the scene indicate that he was rescued by the Lin family, who were passing by. Judging from the direction of the hoofprints, he headed towards Gongchang Prefecture, presumably to the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

The scholar, addressed as "Sir," slowly placed the chess piece in his hand, making a crisp sound.

"They should have reached Gongchang by now. It's too late to catch up if we set off from here. Let's contact Gongchang Prefecture," he said calmly. "Let the people of Gongchang Prefecture join forces with those Northern Xiongnu barbarians and stop them at all costs."

On the other side, Lin Ye and his group rode at full speed, traveling day and night, and in less than two days they crossed Gongchang Prefecture. Looking out, the mountain shadows of Xining Prefecture were already faintly visible.

If we can hold out for another half day, we can escape the danger and reach the territory of the Qingyuan Sword Sect. Only then will we be truly safe.

Suddenly, a green figure sped towards them from the front; it was one of the second-rate Dao soldiers contracted by Lin Ye, the Azure Vanguard Riders.

It was covered in blood, with a deep, bone-revealing knife wound on its left shoulder, clearly indicating it had been through a fierce battle.

This was the scout from the Lin Ye faction, who was in charge of reconnaissance in the first team. He staggered forward at that moment.

"There's trouble ahead! Turn back quickly and rejoin the others!"

Of the five members of the first team, only the fastest, the Qingfeng Rider, has returned severely injured. It's obvious they were ambushed and their chances of survival are slim.

He immediately turned his horse around and galloped back, while ordering the other troops to move closer to this location.

Moments later, the five teams converged in a forest clearing. Just as they formed their ranks, the sound of rapid hoofbeats, like muffled thunder rolling across the ground, echoed from afar. The ambush party had arrived.

Looking into the distance, the crowd saw billowing dust, all of them cavalry, numbering about fifty men, more than twice the number of their own.

Among the twenty-odd people from the Lin family, there was one first-rate martial artist, two second-rate martial artists, eight third-rate martial artists, and the rest were all second-rate martial artists, but their combat strength was not weak.

However, Liu Zhenghua's two sword-winged mantises were not there. Although they were strong, they were not good at long-distance raids and were left behind to wait for orders.

Without exchanging words, the two sides launched an immediate attack.

Holding a long spear, Lin Ye rode alongside Li Fuyun, closely following Liu Zhenghua. The Lin family guards followed behind them, forming a sharp arrowhead formation, like a swift arrow piercing straight into the enemy ranks.

As the distance closed, Lin Ye and the others immediately discerned that the opposing group of about fifty riders was clearly divided into two groups.

A group of skilled horsemen, equipped with spears, maces and other mounted combat weapons, moved with fierce speed and strength; they were likely Northern Xiongnu cavalry.

The other group consisted of typical江湖人士 (jianghu figures), who mostly used foot combat weapons such as knives and swords. Although they rode horses, they relied more on close combat.

Lin Ye's mind raced, and he immediately changed course, leading the Arrowhead Formation straight at the Northern Xiongnu group.

Although the Northern Xiongnu cavalry were skilled horsemen, the proportion of martial artists among them was clearly lower. Among the martial arts practitioners, many were composed and had a refined aura, indicating that they were of higher cultivation.

What particularly alarmed Lin Ye was that three members of the Jianghu team were empty-handed, only raising their palms, showing no intention of carrying any weapons.

In such a life-or-death battlefield, not carrying a weapon often signifies extreme confidence in one's own martial arts skills, which is very likely to indicate a high-ranking martial artist.

In comparison, while the spears and maces of the Northern Xiongnu are fierce, they pose far less of a threat than these palm masters who may have reached the first-class level or even higher.

As they expected, things turned out just as they predicted.

The arrowhead formation, like a sharp blade piercing paper, instantly broke through the Northern Xiongnu's ranks.

Among the Northern Xiongnu cavalry, there was only one second-rate warrior, two or three third-rate warriors, and the rest were all mediocre.

The second-rate martial artist barely managed to parry Liu Zhenghua's sword strike. His body swayed on the horse's back, and before he could regain his balance, Lin Ye, who was close behind, pierced his shoulder armor with a spear. He screamed and fell off his horse.

Upon seeing this, the martial artists on the other side immediately turned their horses around and charged towards Lin Ye and his group.

However, the vanguard of the Arrowhead Formation had already broken out of their formation, and when the two sides crossed paths, the Jianghu team collided with the rear half of the Arrowhead Formation.

Completely destroying everything in its path.

Lin Ye's guards dealt with these ten martial arts practitioners as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

None of these ten men were below the second rank, and in the short span of time the horses were crossing paths, eight of them had already fallen from their horses.

The three unarmed masters of palm techniques were even more ferocious.

One man met the third-rate guard's slash with a single palm strike. The force of his palm deflected the blade, and he then struck out with his palm. The wind from his palm, carrying a mist of blood, sent the guard flying off his horse.

From the air, one could clearly see the guards' internal organs spraying down with the blood rain.

The other two men, taking advantage of the momentum of the horse's charge, leaped into the air and struck down with both palms, sending two more third-rate guards flying to the ground.

The formations crisscrossed as they passed, kicking up dust.

About half of Lin Ye's men fell from their horses, but fortunately, the three core members, Lin Ye, Liu Zhenghua, and Li Fuyun, remained firmly on their horses.

Eight men on the other side also fell from their horses; all of them were Northern Xiongnu cavalry.

However, the scenario turned out to be completely different from what the enemy had anticipated.

When they turned their horses around, ready to charge again, they found that Lin Ye and the others had not stopped at all, nor had they launched a second charge.

Instead, taking advantage of the brief opening after the breakthrough, they immediately sped off towards Xining Prefecture.

This is not a battlefield; there's no need for rounds of clashes to fight to the last man.

Lin Ye and his group's goal was never to annihilate the enemy, but to break out of the encirclement and preserve their lives and intelligence.

Now that the first wave of attacks has created an opening, there's no reason to linger in the fight.

The enemy was stunned for a moment, then spurred their horses and gave chase.

But Lin Ye and his group had already run quite a distance, and since the group of martial arts practitioners were not skilled in riding, they were gradually left behind during the high-speed chase.

By the time the skilled Northern Xiongnu cavalry caught up, the two groups had already separated.

The Jianghu team was left far behind, and could only watch helplessly as the Lin family cavalry in front of them ran further and further away.

Upon seeing this, Lin Ye immediately dispatched the Qingfeng cavalry to meet the pursuing Northern Xiongnu squad.

As second-rate Daoist soldiers, the speed and combat power of the Qingfeng Cavalry far surpassed that of ordinary warhorses.

Facing a Northern Xiongnu cavalryman who was left with only a third-rate martial artist, it charged left and right, constantly harassing and restraining him, managing to slow down the enemy's advance and buying precious time for Lin Ye and the others to retreat.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance over the open fields, and the figures of Lin Ye and his group gradually blurred until they disappeared on the horizon in the direction of Xining Prefecture.