Leaving the west gate of Linyuan County and turning onto the rugged western mountain path, the sun was already high in the sky. The morning mist had dissipated, revealing the desolate bones of the late autumn forest, with yellow leaves falling and carpeting the dirt road that was barely passable by mule carts.

Inside the carriage, Yun Yao deliberately smeared soot on her face and casually tied her hair with a strip of cloth, trying her best to conceal her outstanding appearance and demeanor. But her eyes were still surprisingly bright in the dim light, always on guard.

Lin Feng drove the chariot himself, his back ramrod straight, as if nailed to the shaft. He had removed his conspicuous leather armor, wearing only a slightly worn dark gray outfit, a sword hanging at his waist, and his iron bow and quiver within easy reach. His gaze, like that of a seasoned hawk, slowly swept over every possible hiding place—bush, rock, and shadow of trees—on both sides of the road. Sunlight filtered through the sparse foliage, casting dappled shadows on his sharply defined profile, adding to his cold and aloof demeanor.

A-Yue was no longer in the car. According to the plan, she had gone half a mile ahead to scout the way.

Suddenly, about a hundred paces ahead, under a tall old pine tree, A-Yue's figure flashed by, followed by three urgent and realistic chirping sounds—an ambush! Danger ahead!

Lin Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and he yanked the reins tight! The old mule let out a disgruntled bray and stopped. Almost simultaneously, he grabbed his iron-backed bow, an arrow already nocked, his gaze sharp as a knife, and shot towards a dense thicket of thorns at a bend in the road ahead. That was the perfect ambush spot.

However, the attack did not come from the front.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

A sharp whooshing sound pierced the air from the dense forest on the left hillside! It wasn't an arrow, but a shorter, more vicious crossbow bolt! The target was clear—directly aimed at Lin Feng, the driver, and the mule cart!

The instant Lin Feng heard the bowstring (actually a crossbow) vibrate, his body lunged to the right of the carriage as if propelled by a spring! Three crossbow bolts grazed his scalp and shoulders, two embedding themselves deeply into the carriage shaft, and the other pierced the wooden side wall of the carriage with a "thud," the arrowhead protruding an inch or so, kicking up a cloud of wood chips, and coming within inches of Yun Yao's cheek! A chilling aura of death instantly filled the entire carriage.

"There's an ambush! Keep your head down!" Lin Feng's stern shout rang out from outside the car.

Yun Yao's heart nearly leaped out of her throat, but she bit her lip tightly, refusing to scream. She immediately threw herself on top of Uncle Fu, shielding the old man with her body. Terror flashed in Uncle Fu's cloudy eyes, but even more so, a deathly despair.

On the left hillside, the bushes swayed, and six figures dressed in gray-brown, almost blending into the forest, suddenly darted out! Their movements were swift and coordinated; three wielded standard crossbows, and three drew their scimitars, flanking the mule cart in a fan shape. Their gazes were cold, carrying the fierce and untamed air characteristic of the Di Rong people. The leader was the second-in-command of the scarred man from the inn—a lean man with sinister eyes.

They managed to sneak up to the front and ambush from the side! They clearly knew the terrain inside and out, or... they had an inside source who provided the accurate route.

"Ah Yue!" Lin Feng shouted as he rolled under the cart, his iron-backed bow already drawn, aimed at the crossbowman charging at the front. However, the opponent was extremely cunning; missing his first shot, he immediately rolled to the side, using trees and rocks for cover, and the "click" of the crossbow bolt being nocked again could be clearly heard.

Just then, a dark figure darted out from the woods on the right like a ghost, heading straight for the two Di Rong people who were lunging at the carriage with knives! It was A Yue! After giving the warning, she did not rush back to help, but instead, relying on her familiarity with the terrain, she silently circled around to the enemy's flank and chose the most lethal moment to launch a surprise attack!

The short-handled hunting fork transformed into a black lightning bolt in her hand, without any fancy moves, piercing straight for the back of the Di Rong man holding the knife on the left! The Di Rong man heard the sound of the wind and turned around in horror to block, but A Yue's speed was too fast and her strength was astonishing.

"Clang!" The scimitar clashed with the hunting fork, sparks flying. The Di Rong man's arm went numb from the impact, and he staggered backward. Without pausing, A Yue swung the hunting fork horizontally, aiming for another Di Rong man's knee. The man hurriedly jumped away, but A Yue clung to him like a leech, the sharp point of the hunting fork striking like a venomous snake's tongue, targeting vital joints.

Her fighting style was extremely fierce, completely risking her life, and she instantly entangled the two knife-wielders, buying Lin Feng precious time.

"Bang!" Lin Feng fired the first arrow from under the cart. The arrow pierced through the gaps in the trees and accurately struck the eye of a Di Rong man who had just raised his crossbow! The man didn't even utter a sound before falling backward to the ground.

"Scatter! Suppress with crossbow bolts! Kill the driver first!" The sinister man roared in shock and rage. The remaining crossbowmen immediately sought cover, bolts whistling through the air towards the underside of the mule cart and where Lin Feng might be hiding, suppressing his view. The sinister man himself drew his scimitar and pounced like a cheetah towards A Yue, who was locked in combat with two Di Rong swordsmen! He realized that A Yue was the biggest variable, and he had to deal with this fierce woman first.

The battle situation instantly turned extremely unfavorable. Lin Feng was pinned under the carriage by crossbow bolts, while A Yue fought three against one, facing imminent danger. Inside the carriage, Yun Yao could hear the ear-piercing sounds of clashing weapons, the shouts of the Di Rong people, and the clanging of crossbow bolts piercing the carriage floor. Each sound made her tremble. Uncle Fu gripped her hand tightly, tears streaming down his face, and hoarsely said, "Miss... it's this old servant who has dragged you into this..."

No! We can't just sit here and wait to die! A resolute glint flashed in Yun Yao's eyes. She abruptly released Uncle Fu's hand and reached into her bosom—there lay a finely crafted dagger, inlaid with gemstones, a gift from her father when she came of age, which she had never imagined she would use against an enemy. She drew the dagger, the icy touch calming her slightly. Then, gritting her teeth, she lifted the curtain on the other side of the carriage (where the crossbow bolts hadn't targeted).

Outside, A-Yue's situation was extremely precarious. The sinister man's swordsmanship was ruthless and cunning. Working together with the other two Di Rong swordsmen, he forced A-Yue to retreat repeatedly, leaving her with several bloody wounds. A-Yue's eyes were cold, her lips pursed, and she remained silent, simply wielding her hunting fork like a whirlwind, desperately guarding the direction leading to the carriage.

Just then, Lin Feng, who had been trapped under the car, moved.

Instead of trying to get up, he took advantage of a gap in the crossbow bolt's trajectory and rolled out from the other side of the cart, simultaneously grabbing two egg-sized pebbles in his hand. He rolled not towards the enemy, but towards a shallow ditch beside the road.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Two crossbow bolts shot out and landed where he had just been standing.

Just as the two crossbowmen reloaded their guns and began to follow Lin Feng's trajectory, Lin Feng suddenly flicked his wrist!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Two pebbles, accompanied by sharp whooshing sounds, were not shot at the crossbowmen, but at the trunks of two small trees in front of them!

"Crack! Crack!" Two crisp sounds rang out as the pebbles struck the tree trunk with great precision, causing the sapling to shake violently and its branches to tremble. This incident conveniently blocked the two crossbowmen's view of the carriage and the pit, creating a momentary disturbance and noise.

It was this brief, insignificant interference!

Lin Feng, lying in the pit, sprang up like a fully drawn bow! He didn't charge in a straight line, but rather at a bizarre angle, almost touching the ground, towards the crossbowman on his left who had been distracted by the swaying trees and whose crossbow had slightly shifted its position! His speed was so fast that he was just a blurry gray shadow, his machete already drawn, the blade drawing a chilling arc through the forest!

The crossbowman only saw a flash of gray shadow before feeling a chill on his neck, and then the boundless darkness swallowed his consciousness.

The other crossbowman was terrified and hurriedly turned his crossbow around. But the instant Lin Feng killed one of them, he used the momentum of his forward charge to suddenly fall to the side, and at the same time, he raised his right hand, and a black light flew out of his hand—it was the throwing knife that he had been hiding in his sleeve!

"Thud!" The throwing knife pierced deeply into the throat of the second crossbowman, which was exposed in his panic. The crossbowman grunted, and the crossbow in his hand drooped limply.

From rolling out from under the vehicle to throwing stones at tree trunks to disrupt them, and then suddenly killing two crossbowmen, the entire process took only two or three breaths. It was so fast that it was dazzling, and so ruthless that it chilled the heart. Lin Feng used precise calculations, perfect timing, and a fearless assault to instantly reverse the disadvantage of long-range suppression.

"Damn it!" The sinister-looking man, locked in combat with Ah Yue, caught sight of this scene and his eyes widened in fury. He knew that with the crossbowmen lost, today's plan had already failed by more than half. He feinted a strike, forcing Ah Yue back, and shouted sharply, "Retreat!"

He wanted to leave, but how could Lin Feng and A Yue let him have his way?

Almost at the same time the sinister man shouted "Retreat!", Lin Feng pounced like a shadow, his machete slashing straight at the man's back with unstoppable momentum! A Yue also let out a sharp cry (this was the first time she had made such a clear sound), and her hunting fork shot out like a venomous dragon, blocking his path to the side.

The ruthless man, true to his elite status, remained calm under pressure. With a swift and unpredictable twist of his body, he dodged Lin Feng's slash at the last second, then swung his blade at Lin Feng's ribs while simultaneously kicking A Yue in the abdomen. However, he underestimated Lin Feng's quick thinking and A Yue's ferocity.

Lin Feng neither dodged nor evaded, but merely slightly turned his body, using his left arm to take the blow head-on. At the same time, his right hand, wielding a cleaver, changed from a slash to a slice, moving upwards with lightning speed across the exposed femoral artery in the opponent's groin, exposed by the kick! As for A Yue, she neither dodged nor evaded the kick aimed at her lower abdomen, but merely slightly contracted her stomach. Her hunting fork continued its momentum, fiercely piercing the gloomy man's armpit, exposed by the swing of his knife!

"Pfft!" "Snap!"

Between the two cries, the sinister man let out a bloodcurdling scream that was so shrill it was inhuman. Blood gushed from his legs, and his armpit was pierced by a hunting fork. He staggered backward and crashed into a tree, his eyes quickly losing focus.

The two remaining Di Rong swordsmen who were fighting with A Yue were terrified when they saw their leader killed in an instant and all the crossbowmen wiped out. They let out a strange cry and turned to flee into the depths of the dense forest.

"Chase!" Lin Feng shouted, about to give chase, but his body swayed, and the sharp pain from the wound on his left arm made his face turn pale. He had just taken that knife blow head-on; his flesh had been torn open, and blood had instantly soaked through his sleeve.

A-Yue glanced at Lin Feng's bleeding arm, then at the two fleeing Di Rong people. Her ashen face was expressionless, but a cold killing intent flashed in her eyes. She didn't chase after them, but quickly walked to Lin Feng's side, tore off a piece of her own clothing, and deftly applied a simple pressure bandage to stop the bleeding.

"Leave immediately!" Lin Feng gritted his teeth and endured the pain, speaking in a deep voice. He knew he had to leave this place immediately; the smell of blood and the sounds of fighting would soon attract more trouble, whether from wild animals or other pursuers.

A-Yue nodded.

Lin Feng returned to the carriage and lifted the curtain. Yun Yao gripped the dagger tightly, her face ashen, but her eyes held a bewildered look of relief and a strange glint.

"We're... safe for now." Lin Feng's voice was hoarse from blood loss and pain. "But we have to leave immediately. A-Yue, lead the way and find the nearest place to hide."

Looking at Lin Feng's pale yet resolute face, at the blood seeping from his arm, and then at Ah Yue's silent, busy, and wounded figure outside, Yun Yao was deeply moved. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and nodded vigorously to Lin Feng.

A-Yue quickly found a narrow path, almost completely overgrown with weeds, leading deep into the forest. Lin Feng gritted his teeth and started the mule cart again, bumping away from this place of bloodshed. The wheels rolled over blood-stained leaves, heading deeper into the mountains, towards that unknown, dangerous, yet possibly only path to survival, with difficulty.

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