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

At 3:45 AM, the convoy started moving.

Five carriages carrying over thirty people drove out of the gates of Ghost Cry Pass through the morning mist. The heavy iron and wooden gates slowly closed behind them, making a dull thud, as if completely severing their last escape route.

Lin Chen rode on horseback, walking on the right side of the caravan. Zhao Tiegu was on his left, and Li the Cripple was behind them; the three maintained a distance that allowed them to provide support at any time.

Fatty Wu sat on the shaft of the first carriage, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, his squinting eyes glancing back every now and then. Of his six trusted men, two rode ahead to clear the way, while the other four split into two groups, one on the left and one on the right, protecting the black cloth carriage in the middle.

The ten border guards from the patrol battalion were scattered around the front and rear of the convoy. They were good riders with fine horses, but they were arrogant and rarely spoke to the scouts.

The leader was a bearded man named Zhou Yong, who had a cultivation level of the sixth level of the Acquired Realm. He always looked at Lin Chen with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Boy," less than three miles from the pass, Zhou Yong rode up to him, "Captain Zhang asked me to pass on a message—keep your eyes open and come back alive."

Lin Chen glanced at him: "Thanks for the reminder, Chief Zhou."

"This isn't a reminder, it's an order," Zhou Yong said in a low voice. "General Liu is overseeing this mission. If anything goes wrong, no one can afford the consequences. So..." He paused, "Don't meddle in things you shouldn't, and don't ask questions you shouldn't. Deliver the goods, take the money, and leave. Understand?"

"Understood." Lin Chen nodded.

Zhou Yong gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and rode back to the head of the group.

Zhao Tiegu leaned closer and whispered, "This Zhou Yong... there's something more to his words."

"He knows," Lin Chen said, looking straight ahead. "At least, he's guessed some of it."

"Then what about him...?"

"Zhang Heng sent him here, probably not just for escort," Lin Chen sneered, "but also for surveillance."

The convoy traveled across the wilderness.

The further north you go, the more difficult the road becomes. Deep ruts are carved into the frozen ground by the wheels, and rolling hills and withered forests line both sides.

The sky was overcast and the sun was nowhere to be seen; only a cold wind swirled with snowflakes that stung my face.

After walking for about an hour, a rocky slope appeared ahead.

The slope was very steep, and the carriage needed to slow down. Just then, several dark figures suddenly darted out from behind the rocks at the top of the slope!

It's a "Rotten Claw Jackal"!

Five or six of them, not very big, but extremely fast, baring their blackened fangs, charged straight at the convoy!

"Monster! Be on guard!" Zhou Yong shouted, and the border soldiers of the patrol battalion immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows.

But Fatty Wu suddenly shouted, "Lin Chen! You three go and handle this! Don't delay the trip!"

They arrived as expected.

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. The archers of the patrol battalion could easily deal with such a small group of demonic beasts from a distance.

Fatty Wu specifically chose the three of them for close combat, intending to send them to their deaths—the rotten claw jackal's claws and teeth are poisonous; if you are scratched, the wound will fester and become incurable.

"Let's go." Lin Chen didn't argue, spurred his horse, and charged ahead.

Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi followed closely behind.

The three riders charged like arrows straight to the top of the hill.

Seeing someone charging towards them, the rotten-clawed jackal turned and lunged forward, howling. Lin Chen leaned forward on his horse, drew his sword, and with a flash of light, the foremost rotten-clawed jackal was cleaved in two!

Devour!

With a swift press of his left hand, three years of lifespan were added to his account.

Zhao Tiegu and Li the Cripple each took down one. The remaining two, seeing the situation was not good, turned to escape, but one was impaled by the wolf claw dagger that Lin Chen threw, and the other was pierced by an arrow from Zhao Tiegu.

Clean and neat.

The whole process took no more than a dozen breaths.

When the three returned on horseback, the eyes of the border soldiers from the patrol battalion had clearly changed. The previous contempt had lessened, replaced by a more serious expression.

Fatty Wu's expression wasn't good. He snorted, "Hurry up, don't dawdle!"

The convoy continued on its way.

Lin Chen returned to his original position, calmly wiping the wolf claw dagger clean and putting it away. His lifespan had increased to 53 years, but that wasn't the point. The point was that when he rushed out just now, he deliberately passed by the black cloth carriage—

The closer you are, the clearer you can hear.

There were indeed people inside. And more than one. There were suppressed sobs, the soft clatter of chains, and... a familiar, desperate breathing rhythm.

They are ordinary people.

People who were kidnapped, locked in carts like cargo, and prepared to be sold.

Lin Chen gripped the reins tightly.

"What did you see?" Zhao Tiegu asked in a low voice.

"Human." Lin Chen uttered a single word.

Zhao Tiegu's face darkened.

Li the Cripple spat out, "You beast..."

"Don't move yet," Lin Chen said in a low voice. "Wu Fatty's six henchmen are surrounding that car. We can't force it."

"What should we do then?"

"Wait," Lin Chen said, looking ahead. "Let them make the first move."

After another half hour of travel, the convoy took a short rest in a sheltered mountain hollow.

The people ate dry rations, and the horses were fed hay. Fatty Wu and his six trusted men sat around the black cloth carriage, not allowing anyone to approach.

The patrolmen gathered on the other side, eating in silence.

Lin Chen and the other two sat behind a rock.

Zhao Tiegu pulled a hard biscuit from his pocket and broke it into three pieces. Li the Cripple's injuries hadn't fully healed, and his face was a little pale, but he still forced himself to stay upright.

"The 'Wind Howling Gorge' is just ahead," Zhao Tiegu said, chewing on a biscuit, his voice muffled.

"That place... is the most dangerous section of this road. The cliffs on both sides are steep, and there is only a narrow road in the middle. Strong winds blow all year round, and the sound is like the wailing of ghosts, so it is called Wind Howling Gorge."

"Is it easy to ambush them?" Lin Chen asked.

"It's too easy." Zhao Tiegu nodded. "Not to mention humans, even demonic beasts like to ambush people there. In previous years, many grain transport teams and supply convoys have had accidents there."

Lin Chen looked at Fatty Wu.

Fatty Wu was whispering something to a trusted aide, pointing towards Fengming Gorge as he spoke. The aide nodded repeatedly, his eyes darting around.

"What are they discussing?" said Li the Cripple.

"No need to guess." Lin Chen withdrew his gaze. "There's definitely a 'surprise' waiting for us in Fengming Gorge."

After a 15-minute rest, the convoy set off again.

The further you go, the more treacherous the terrain becomes. The mountains on both sides, like giant clasped hands, squeeze the road into a winding crevice.

The wind blew out from the depths of the canyon, carrying a sharp whistling sound, just like countless people crying.

This is Fengming Gorge.

The convoy drove into the canyon.

The light dimmed instantly. The cliffs on both sides rose high, and only a sliver of sky could be seen overhead.

The road was narrow, barely wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, and the ground was littered with gravel and the remains of cart tracks from who-knows-when.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, warily surveying the cliffs on both sides.

As Lin Chen spurred his horse forward, he pushed his senses to the limit.

The sounds of wind, horses' hooves, wheels... and some discordant, deliberately suppressed noises.

It came from the cliff face on the left.

It was very soft, but it didn't escape his ears—it was the sound of footsteps on gravel, the sound of a bowstring being slowly pulled taut, the sound of metal gently colliding.

ambush.

Sure enough, there was an ambush.

Moreover, there were quite a few of them, at least twenty or thirty. Judging from their breathing and movements, they were not monsters, but humans.

Was it someone arranged by Fatty Wu? Or...some other force?

Lin Chen remained calm and made a gesture to Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi.

The two understood each other and subtly slowed their horses down by half a beat, increasing the distance between themselves and the carriage in front.

The convoy continued deeper into the area.

The canyon narrowed further, to the point where only one carriage could pass at a time. Fatty Wu ordered the caravan to form a long, single file and proceed slowly.

Just then—

"Whoosh!"

A whistling arrow shot out from the left cliff face, its sharp whistle echoing as it struck the ground in front of the convoy!

The arrow's fletching was tied with a red cloth, which fluttered in the wind.

It's a mark of sandstorm thieves!

"Enemy attack—!"

As soon as Zhou Yong roared, a dense rain of arrows rained down from the cliff face!

These were not standard military arrows, but rather crude bone arrows and iron-tipped arrows, but there were so many of them that they covered the sky!

"Raise your shields! Protect the carriage!" Zhou Yong, a veteran, remained calm in the face of danger. The border guards of the patrol battalion immediately raised their round shields to protect their vitals, while simultaneously drawing their bows to counterattack.

But the scouts were in a much worse situation.

Their only armor was tattered leather, which offered no protection against the arrows. Instantly, four or five men were struck by arrows and fell to the ground, their screams echoing through the canyon.

"Move closer to the rock face! Find cover!" Lin Chen shouted sharply, dismounting first and hiding behind a protruding rock.

Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi quickly followed.

The rain of arrows subsided slightly.

Dozens of people suddenly stood up on the cliff face.

They were all dressed in rags, but their eyes were fierce, and they carried all sorts of weapons—knives, axes, clubs, and rudimentary bows and arrows. The leader was a one-eyed giant who carried a large, ghost-headed knife and stood on a protruding rock on the cliff, looking down at the convoy.

"This mountain is mine, these trees are mine!" the one-eyed giant roared. "If you want to pass, leave your toll!"

A standard bandit opening line.

But Lin Chen noticed that the one-eyed giant's gaze was intentionally or unintentionally glancing at Fatty Wu.

Fatty Wu, huddled behind the carriage, showed little panic on his face; instead, he exuded a calmness that suggested he had everything under control.

"Sandstorm bandits..." Zhao Tiegu gritted his teeth, "These bastards really have teamed up with Fatty Wu!"

"Not only that." Lin Chen stared at the cliff face. "Look at those people, there are a few... whose skills are not like those of ordinary bandits."

Zhao Tiegu stared intently at it.

Sure enough, among the sandstorm bandits, several figures stood out as exceptionally capable. They were dressed in uniform black outfits, masked, and wielding standard-issue waist knives. Their positions were also quite disciplined, subtly protecting the one-eyed giant in the center.

Those are... people from the military!

Or rather, they are assassins kept by certain forces!

"That bastard Wu the Fatty," Li the Cripple cursed under his breath, "not only does he want to use someone else to do his dirty work, but he also wants to swallow this batch of 'goods'!"

"Not only that." Lin Chen slowly drew his sword. "He probably... doesn't even intend to let these ten men from the patrol battalion go."

Before the words were finished—

The one-eyed giant waved his hand: "Kill! Leave no one alive!"

Sandstorms and bandits surged down the cliff face like a tidal wave!

The real battle is about to begin.