I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

By the time they returned to the scout camp, it was almost dawn.

The earthen house was filled with the sounds of snoring. Lin Chen and Zhao Tiegu quietly crept back to their bunks. Just as they lay down, they heard the footsteps and whispers of the night patrol soldiers outside.

"Old Zhao," Lin Chen lowered his voice, "Tomorrow during the day, what about Scarface Wang's side..."

"Don't worry." Zhao Tiegu rolled over, his voice weary. "Our group has a day off tomorrow, so we don't need to leave the area. It'll be a good time to recharge."

Rotation of shifts?

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. What a coincidence?

But he didn't ask any more questions, only gripping the newly acquired waist knife beside his pillow. The blade was cold, yet it gave him a sense of security.

As expected, no tasks were assigned after daybreak.

For once, Scarface Wang didn't make things difficult for him; he merely glanced inside the mud house as he passed by. His gaze was cold and menacing, like a viper's hiss, but he quickly looked away.

Zhang Kui did manage to stroll around, his triangular eyes scanning the room before finally settling on Lin Chen's face. He said with a forced smile, "Brother Lin, you look good. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Not bad." Lin Chen didn't even look up, slowly wiping his waist knife with a rag.

Zhang Kui, feeling rebuffed, snorted and left.

Once only his own men were left in the room, Li the Cripple leaned closer, staring intently at the knife in Lin Chen's hand, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets: "Where did this knife... come from?"

"We got it from the black market," Zhao Tiegu answered for Lin Chen, "using materials from those demon wolves."

"The black market?" Li the Cripple gasped. "Old Zhao, you took him there? You're incredibly audacious! What if they get caught by the night patrol..."

"We can't catch him." Zhao Tiegu waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that. Cripple, Lin Chen and I are going out to take care of some things tonight. Could you keep an eye on things for us?"

"What is it?" Li the Cripple asked warily.

"Side jobs," Zhao Tiegu said in a very low voice, "business dealings with the Blood Blade Gang."

Li the Cripple's expression changed, and he finally sighed, "Be careful. The Blood Blade Gang... they're ruthless and heartless."

"We know."

The daytime passes quickly.

Lin Chen spent most of his time regulating his breathing, refining the remaining lifespan of the demon race within his body. Eighty years of lifespan reserves had brought his physical strength to a bottleneck. His muscles were more toned, his bones faintly gleamed with a jade-like luster, and his senses were so acute that he could hear the sound of snow falling ten feet away.

But the dantian was still shattered.

That abundant power could only circulate within the physical body and could not be condensed into internal energy.

"Don't rush it." Zhao Tiegu saw his furrowed brows and advised him in a low voice, "A shattered dantian is a major taboo in martial arts. It's good enough that you're alive, don't think too much about it."

Lin Chen didn't say anything.

He wasn't overthinking things, he was just... unwilling to accept it.

Having been a disciple of ancient martial arts in his previous life, he deeply understood the importance of internal energy. Without internal energy, even the strongest physical body is nothing more than that of a brute. When encountering a true master, brute force can overcome any skill, and his abilities are simply insufficient.

We must find a way to repair the dantian as soon as possible.

All of this is predicated on having a long enough lifespan and sufficient resources.

As evening fell, darkness descended.

Lin Chen and Zhao Tiegu ate some dry rations, changed into their most worn-out fur coats, smeared their faces with black paint, and carefully wrapped the ten armor-piercing arrows, hiding them inside their clothes.

"Bring the knife and the dagger too," Zhao Tiegu instructed. "Keep the wound medicine close to your body; it could save your life if you get injured."

Lin Chen nodded and tucked the porcelain bottle into the closest part of his body.

At the beginning of Hai hour, the two quietly slipped out of the earthen house, passed through the shadowy area of ​​the military camp, and came to the abandoned brick kiln in the southwest corner again.

At the entrance to the cave dwelling, Ma Zi was already waiting there.

Upon seeing the two, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "You're here? Master Han is waiting for you inside."

Lift the wooden planks and go down into the cave dwelling.

There were far fewer people at the black market tonight than last night, with only a few stalls still lit. Han Li sat at the innermost broken wooden table, accompanied only by two trusted confidants.

He waved to Lin Chen and Zhao Tiegu.

"Map." Han Li pushed a map made of animal hide onto the table. "The red circle is the location of the camp, the blue line is the route in and out, and the green dot is the location where the inside agent will meet us."

Lin Chen looked down and examined it closely.

The map was rough, but the key information was clear: the camp was built against the mountain, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only one road in front. But there was a precipice on the side with a hidden crack in the cliff face, just wide enough for one person to pass through—that was where the inside agent would open the door.

"The guard distribution." Han Li took out a smaller sketch. "There are two watchtowers at the front, each with an archer. Inside the camp, four guards patrol in two shifts. The inside man will take care of the two patrolling guards near the side gate at midnight."

"Where is the ore?" Lin Chen asked.

"The stone house at the very back of the camp," Han Li pointed to the map, "about twenty baskets, fifty pounds each. We have five people waiting outside. You just need to move the ore to the side gate and load it onto the truck."

"Five people?" Zhao Tiegu frowned. "Master Han, didn't you say..."

"Don't worry, those five men are brothers from my Blood Blade Gang, absolutely reliable." A strange light flashed in Han Li's eyes. "They're only responsible for transporting and driving; they won't go into the camp. The work inside will have to be done by you."

Lin Chen and Zhao Tiegu exchanged a glance.

"Any other questions?" Han Li asked.

"Is the inside man reliable?" Lin Chen stared at him.

Han Li laughed, a hint of amusement in his smile: "His family is all in my hands. Tell me, is he reliable or not?"

Lin Chen remained silent.

"Alright, stop dawdling." Han Li stood up and took out two packages from under the table. "Change to these."

The package contained two sets of rough black outfits and two face masks.

"Change your clothes and cover your faces. Even if things go wrong, don't let anyone recognize you." Han Li paused, "Especially you, Brother Lin. Your eyes... are too bright; they're easy to remember."

Lin Chen didn't say anything, took the clothes, and went to the shade to change.

The black outfit fit him perfectly, clearly prepared in advance. A face mask covered his mouth and nose, leaving only his eyes visible.

Han Li sized him up for a few moments, then nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad. Let's go. My men will take you to the vicinity of the camp. Remember, the operation begins at midnight, and you must evacuate within half an hour."

From deep within the cave, three men emerged, all dressed as members of the Blood Blade Gang. The leader, a one-eyed man, nodded to Han Li, then looked at Lin Chen and Zhao Tiegu: "Follow me."

The three followed the one-eyed man and left through a hidden exit on the other side of the cave.

It was a dark and windy night outside, and the snow started falling again.

The one-eyed man led the two through the wilderness at a brisk pace, clearly very familiar with the terrain. After walking for about half an hour, a low mountain range appeared ahead.

"We're here." The one-eyed man stopped and pointed to the shadows of the mountains. "The camp is in the valley. We'll go around from this side to the cliff."

Under the cover of darkness and the jumble of rocks, the three of them stealthily made their way to the bottom of the cliff.

The cliff face was steep and dark, with no cracks visible at all.

"Wait." The one-eyed man squatted behind a boulder, took out a bone whistle, and gently blew it three times—two short and one long.

A moment later, a rustling sound came from the cliff face.

A rope was lowered down.

"Go." The one-eyed man gestured.

Zhao Tiegu went first, grabbed the rope, and quickly climbed up using both hands and feet. Lin Chen followed closely behind.

Sure enough, there was a narrow crevice in the cliff face, just wide enough for one person to pass sideways. A barbarian wrapped in animal skin and with his face painted was crouching at the crevice. When he saw the two of them coming up, he made a shushing gesture.

"An inside man," the one-eyed man whispered as he climbed up last. "He'll lead you in."

The barbarian nodded, turned, and disappeared into the crevice.

The crack was deep and meandered downwards. After walking for about several dozen feet, a faint light appeared ahead—an oil lamp hanging on a simple wooden door.

The barbarian stopped, pointed to the wooden door, and then made a throat-slitting gesture.

It means: There are two guards outside the door, you have to take them down.

Zhao Tiegu glanced at Lin Chen and nodded.

The two quietly crept to the door and listened intently.

Low voices could be heard outside, in some obscure local language, which was difficult to make out. But judging from the sounds, the two people were very close to the door.

Zhao Tiegu made a gesture—he was on the left, and Lin Chen was on the right.

Lin Chen gripped the knife tightly and took a deep breath.

The barbarian gently pulled open the bolt on the wooden door.

squeak-

The door opened a crack.

In that instant, Zhao Tiegu burst through the door and thrust his dagger straight into the throat of the guard on the left!

Lin Chen flashed out almost simultaneously, his waist knife turning into a cold light, slicing past the neck of the guard on the right!

puff!puff!

Two muffled thuds.

The two guards collapsed, clutching their necks, without even letting out a scream.

Clean and neat.

A flicker of surprise crossed the barbarian's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He pointed to the interior of the camp, then to the stone house at the deepest part, before turning and retreating back into the crevice, disappearing into the darkness.

"Let's go," Zhao Tiegu said in a low voice.

The two quickly made their way stealthily.

The camp was small, consisting of only a dozen or so simple stone houses and wooden sheds. In the middle of the open space, piles of mined black ore gleamed with a dark luster in the night.

On the two watchtowers in the distance, figures could be vaguely seen moving about. But their attention was focused on the front of the camp, and they didn't notice the sides at all.

Following the map, the two bypassed the patrol routes and quickly found the stone house at the deepest part of the area.

The stone house had no door, only a tattered straw curtain. Lifting the curtain and going inside, one found it filled with baskets woven from rattan, containing those dark, metallic-looking minerals.

"Move it." Zhao Tiegu grabbed a basket and carried it on his shoulder.

Lin Chen also carried a basket.

The two of them, one in front of the other, returned to the side gate along the way they came.

Outside the crack, One-Eyed Dragon was already waiting there with four men. Seeing the ore being unloaded, they immediately stepped forward to assist, loading it onto a flatbed cart disguised with tree branches.

One trip, two trips, three trips...

The two men made ten trips back and forth carrying twenty baskets of ore.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly. The patrolling guards seemed to have been deliberately diverted, and the archers on the watchtowers never looked in their direction.

"This is the last trip." Zhao Tiegu wiped his sweat, his voice filled with relief.

Lin Chen shouldered the last basket of ore and was about to turn around when he suddenly stopped.

His ears twitched slightly.

From deep within the camp came a very faint, suppressed groan.

It was like something had its mouth covered and its neck snapped.

Immediately following was a rustling sound of rummaging.

Not right.

Lin Chen put down the ore, made a gesture to Zhao Tiegu, and then silently crept towards the direction from which the sound came.

That was a more secluded stone house on the other side of the camp.

The room was lit by a dim oil lamp.

Through the crack in the door, Lin Chen saw a scene that made his pupils shrink—

Han Li!

He's actually here!

At this moment, Han Li was squatting beside the corpse of a barbarian—the very same accomplice who had led the way earlier. Han Li held a dagger in his hand and was rummaging through the corpse's chest.

Soon, he pulled out a small booklet wrapped in oilcloth.

By the light of the lamp, Han Li flipped through the booklet and glanced at it, a look of ecstatic joy spreading across his face.

Then, he quickly stuffed the booklet into his pocket and took a domino from the barbarian's waist, which he also put away.

After finishing all this, Han Li stood up and whispered to the door, "Clean it up."

From the shadows emerged two men from the Blood Blade Gang, who swiftly dragged the corpse away and covered the bloodstains with dirt.

Han Li then turned around and disappeared silently into the darkness.

He didn't notice Lin Chen outside the door from beginning to end.

Lin Chen held his breath and slowly retreated to the side door.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Tiegu asked, noticing his strange expression.

"It's nothing." Lin Chen shook his head, shouldered the last basket of ore, and said, "Let's go."

The two men carried the ore out the side door and loaded it onto the truck.

One-Eyed Dragon checked the numbers and, confirming they were correct, nodded to the two men: "Let's go."

The group pulled the flatbed cart and quickly left the camp, disappearing into the vast night.

On the way back, Lin Chen remained silent.

The scene from just now kept replaying in his mind: Han Li killing people, stealing the booklet, and disposing of the bodies...

What is that booklet?

What are dominoes?

Why would Han Li personally infiltrate the camp to commit murder and robbery?

More importantly—why did he keep it a secret from me and Zhao Tiegu?

"Lin Chen," Zhao Tiegu suddenly asked in a low voice, "did you...see something just now?"

Lin Chen glanced at him and finally nodded slowly.

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

The two stopped talking and quickened their pace.

In the distance, the outline of Ghost Cry Pass was faintly visible in the night.

But Lin Chen knew in his heart that the real danger might not be outside the pass, but inside it.

Beneath Han Li's scarred face lay a hidden scheme.