"You're asking for death!" The leading Di Rong leader, his gaze fixed menacingly on Lin Feng, brandished his curved blade. "Kill him! Leave no survivors!"

Two of the other Di Rong soldiers immediately separated, drawing their bows and arrows to continue suppressing the woodcutter and Lin Feng behind the boulder, while the remaining five formed a fan shape, wielding their swords and rushing forward swiftly! They realized that Lin Feng was alone, and although they were surprised by his accurate crossbow shots and sharp swordsmanship, they relied on their numbers to kill him quickly!

Lin Feng leaned against the boulder, his eyes catching glimpses of the wounded woodcutter's contorted face and two other figures huddled behind the rock, trembling with fear. He couldn't retreat! If he did, these three civilians would surely die!

In a flash, Lin Feng's eyes flashed with a cold light. Facing five fearless Di Rong elites charging at him, he didn't retreat but advanced, letting out a low roar as his waist saber transformed into a streak of cold light, taking the initiative to meet them!

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The clang of metal against metal echoed through the mountains and forests! Lin Feng's swordplay was fierce and ruthless, without any fancy moves. Every strike was powerful and heavy, aimed directly at vital points! He knew that the enemy outnumbered him and that he could not afford to get bogged down in a prolonged fight. He had to use swift and decisive tactics to seize the initiative!

The Di Rong soldier at the forefront parried with his sword, only to feel a tremendous force surge towards him. His tiger's mouth trembled violently, and his curved sword was deflected, leaving his chest wide open! Lin Feng swiftly slashed with his blade, and blood spurted out! The Di Rong soldier screamed and staggered backward.

A blade slashed from the left, but Lin Feng twisted his body and shifted his stance, parrying the blade with a precise slash of his waist saber, and then delivered a powerful kick to the opponent's abdomen! The Di Rong soldier grunted and flew backward, crashing into a tree.

A flurry of blades swept in from his right and behind him simultaneously! As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lin Feng lunged forward and rolled, narrowly avoiding the blade from behind. At the same time, he swung his waist knife backward, slicing a deep gash that exposed bone into the thigh of the attacker on his right with a "thud"! Blood splattered!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng had injured three people! But he himself was also grazed on the left arm by the blade of a Di Rong soldier, leaving a bloody gash that stung painfully.

"This is a tough one! Form ranks!" The Di Rong leader was both surprised and furious, not expecting this lone Yan scout to be so brave.

He shouted sharply, and the remaining Di Rong soldiers immediately retreated, with three holding swords in front and two holding bows behind, attempting to form a simple battle formation to trap Lin Feng.

Lin Feng's left arm was injured and bleeding profusely, but his expression remained unchanged; instead, his eyes sharpened even more. He noticed the two Di Rong soldiers with bows re-nocking their arrows and knew he couldn't let them fire freely, or he and the people behind him would be in grave danger!

He suddenly pushed off the boulder behind him, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, advancing instead of retreating, charging straight at the Di Rong leader! The blade flashed like snow, carrying an indomitable momentum!

"Kill!" the Di Rong squad leader roared, brandishing his sword to meet the attack. At the same time, two Di Rong soldiers on his left and right also swung their swords to slash at Lin Feng's sides!

Lin Feng neither dodged nor evaded; his waist knife slashed straight at the leader's face with even greater speed and ferocity! It was a fight to the death!

The Di Rong leader was horrified and instinctively parried with his sword. However, Lin Feng's strike was a feint! Halfway through its trajectory, the sword suddenly changed direction, tracing a strange arc as it slashed diagonally towards the neck of the Di Rong soldier on the left! At the same time, he reached down to his waist with his left hand, producing a leather pouch, which he then hurled at the face of the Di Rong soldier on the right!

"Pfft!" The Di Rong soldier on the left was caught off guard, a knife pierced his neck, blood gushed out, and he fell down with his eyes wide open.

"Bang!" The leather pouch on the right side slammed into Di Rongbing's face, shattering instantly, and lime powder mixed with pungent and acrid medicinal powder spread out!

"Ah! My eyes!" the Di Rong soldier screamed, dropped his knife, covered his face with his hands, and collapsed to the ground in agony.

Di Rong's underling missed with his slash, both shocked and furious. Seeing Lin Feng's move was out of control and his center wide open, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he thrust his curved blade straight at Lin Feng's heart! This strike was swift and ruthless, determined to kill!

Lin Feng's old strength was exhausted, and new strength had not yet arisen; it seemed he was unable to dodge. But a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He wouldn't retreat! Instead, he faced the blade head-on, slightly turning his body to expose his vital points, allowing the curved blade to pierce below his left shoulder blade!

"Thud!" The blade pierced flesh, and a sharp pain shot through him!

Just as a look of joy appeared in Di Rong's eyes, he saw Lin Feng's left hand grip his wrist holding the knife tightly like an iron clamp. At the same time, Lin Feng's waist knife, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, stabbed viciously into his side through the gap!

"You..." Di Rong's junior leader looked down in disbelief at the blade embedded in his abdomen, and was instantly overwhelmed by excruciating pain.

Lin Feng grunted, drew his sword abruptly, and kicked the corpse of the Di Rong leader aside. Blood gushed from his shoulder, instantly staining half of his clothes red. He swayed, his face pale, but his eyes remained sharp as knives as he swept them over the remaining two Di Rong soldiers with bows.

The two archers were stunned by the fierce battle and were about to fire their arrows when Lin Feng took a deep breath and lunged at the Di Rong soldier who was still screaming in pain while covering his face. With a flash of his blade, he ended the soldier's life and used the soldier's body as cover.

"Loose the arrows! Loose the arrows now!" an archer shouted sharply, as if waking from a dream.

However, it was too late.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two sharp arrows shot out from the woods behind them, accurately piercing the throats of two Di Rong archers! Old Dao and the scout, who were there to provide backup, immediately rushed back to help upon hearing the sounds of battle!

Two Di Rong archers were shot in the throat and fell to the ground with a groan.

Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, his body swaying as he braced himself against the ground with his knife to keep from falling. Blood gushed from the wounds on his left shoulder and left arm, waves of excruciating pain washing over him, and his vision blurred.

"Captain!" Old Dao and the scout rushed out of the forest and were shocked to see Lin Feng covered in blood. They quickly went to help him up.

"I'm fine...just some minor injuries." Lin Feng gritted his teeth, his voice a little hoarse. "Quick, check on those civilians."

Old Dao examined the three woodcutters. One had been shot in the calf with an arrow, but the injury wasn't serious. The other two only had minor scrapes and were shaken. The way they looked at Lin Feng now was as if he were a god descending to earth, filled with gratitude and awe for surviving such a calamity.

"We can't stay here any longer. The Di Rong ambush is likely more extensive than this." Lin Feng, enduring the pain, said quickly, "Old Dao, take them, the prisoners, and the corpse of that Di Rong minor leader, and evacuate immediately. Rejoin the main force and retreat back to Shuofeng City according to plan!"

"Captain, your wound..."

"It's alright, I can still walk! Quick!" Lin Feng tore off his clothes, hastily bandaged the wound on his shoulder, and stood up with Lao Dao's help.

Before leaving, Lin Feng didn't forget to search the Di Rong leader for the bone token and some miscellaneous items.

Less than an incense stick's time after they left, more Di Rong ambush troops poured out from the depths of the pine forest. Upon seeing the corpses of their comrades scattered on the ground, they were immediately thrown into uproar. A Di Rong general who appeared to be the leader examined the bodies and the scene, his face ashen.

"They're experts, at most three or four, and they're carrying burdens." He said coldly, glancing in the direction Lin Feng and his group had retreated. "Chase them! Some of them are injured, they can't have gone far! We must intercept and kill them, we can't let them take the message back!"

"yes!"

Dozens of elite Di Rong soldiers immediately followed the trail and quickly gave chase.

……

At the foot of the cliff, the hundred-man team had already assembled. Everyone was shocked to see Lin Feng covered in blood and being helped back.

The military medic rushed forward to re-treat the wound. The knife wound in Lin Feng's shoulder was quite deep, fortunately without damaging any tendons or bones, but he had lost a lot of blood. The medic cleaned, applied medicine, and bandaged the wound with swift movements.

"Captain, the Di Rong dogs are coming! There are quite a few of them, and they're less than three miles away!" A scout on guard duty rushed in to report.

Lin Feng's face was pale, but his eyes remained calm. He quickly gave the order: "Wang Wu!"

"exist!"

"Take twenty men and escort this fellow villager. Take the prisoner and the Di Rong corpse, and immediately take the shortcut back to Shuofeng City at full speed! Also, deliver the intelligence that there are elite Di Rong troops lying in ambush at Black Wind Valley, intending to launch a surprise attack, along with the captured token, to the commander-in-chief! Remember, at all costs, get the people and the goods delivered!"

"Yes, sir!" Wang Wu clasped his hands in a fist salute and selected twenty of his most elite riders.

"The rest of you, follow me to cover the rear and hold off the enemy's pursuit!" Lin Feng struggled to his feet, pressing down on Lao Dao, who was trying to dissuade him. "My injuries aren't serious; I can still fight! We must buy time for Wang Wu and the others! The terrain here is complex; we'll fight and retreat, using the mountains and forests to maneuver!"

Seeing Lin Feng's resolute will and the urgency of the military situation, the crowd said no more and agreed in unison.

Soon, the pursuers arrived.

Taking advantage of the complex terrain near the cliff, Lin Feng set up simple traps and fought while retreating.

Despite his injuries, his bravery remained undiminished. He commanded with composure, using crossbow bolts and rolling stones to continuously inflict casualties on the pursuers and slow their advance. A bloody jungle chase and counter-chase battle unfolded in the treacherous mountains surrounding Black Wind Valley.

Ultimately, after suffering more than ten casualties, Lin Feng led his rearguard to successfully shake off the pursuers and retreat back to Shuofeng City. Meanwhile, Wang Wu and his men had already safely delivered the intelligence and the body of the Di Rong minor leader to the commander's mansion.

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