Seven or eight people, men and women, lay curled up on the ground, dressed in rags and covered in wounds. They looked like nomads from a small tribe who had been captured. A minor leader of the Black Wolf Guard, holding a whip, turned around in astonishment.

Before he could react, Lin Feng had swept in like a whirlwind, his dagger plunging from below into his jaw, piercing straight into his brain! The small-time leader collapsed to the ground without even uttering a sound.

"Shut up if you don't want to die, and come with us!" Urna shouted rapidly to the prisoners in Dirong language, while simultaneously slashing the ropes binding them with her sword.

The prisoners were both surprised and delighted. Although they were weak, their survival instincts made them struggle to their feet.

"This way!" Lin Feng rushed out of the tent first, with Urna bringing up the rear and covering the prisoners as they quickly rushed towards another small tent next to them.

The tent was guarded by four men who had been alerted by the commotion outside and were on guard with knives drawn.

"Kill!" Lin Feng charged in without any fancy moves, his dagger transforming into a deadly flash of light, instantly engaging the two guards in a fierce battle.

Urna then faced the other two, wielding her scimitar with ruthless precision. Despite the disability in her left arm, her ferocity remained undiminished.

Two strong men among the prisoners picked up wooden sticks and the scimitars dropped by the guards and joined the battle.

A brief, intense, and bloody battle unfolded inside and outside the tent.

"Pfft!" Lin Feng finished off his opponent with the last strike. He turned around and saw that Urna had also dealt with her enemy, but her face was frighteningly pale and she was swaying precariously.

He steadied her, his gaze sweeping quickly across the prisoners—all of them had been rescued, about eleven or twelve in total. Though wounded, their eyes were filled with life.

"Go!" Lin Feng didn't delay any longer. He shouted to Urna, and at the same time took out a bone whistle from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and blew it loudly!

"Whoosh—!" The sharp, mournful whistle pierced through the wind and snow and the noise of the camp, carrying far and wide!

This is a signal for Agula and his men to retreat, and also... a signal for Old Ghost!

Almost the instant the whistle sounded, another strange event occurred in the southeast of the camp, near the depths of the valley!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Several muffled explosions were not from gunpowder, but more like the detonation of poison canisters or lime canisters buried in the snow and wrapped in animal hides!

A large cloud of grayish-white, acrid smoke instantly billowed out in the southeast corner of the camp, enveloping several tents and a small squad of Black Wolf Guards! Violent coughing and panicked shouts could be heard from within the smoke!

Immediately following was a barrage of crossbow bolts coming from all directions! The arrows were cunning and ruthless, targeting horses and figures in the firelight!

The Black Wolf Guards, who had just been drawn to the attack from the right and were haphazardly gathering there, were suddenly attacked from behind and flanks, causing even greater chaos. Men and horses trampled each other, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries!

It's Old Ghost! He really did come with his men!

Moreover, the timing was perfect. After Lin Feng created the first wave of chaos and blew the whistle, he immediately launched a second, even more deadly attack! He used the Night Scout's most proficient methods: infiltration, traps, poison smoke, and sneak attacks!

The camp was thrown into complete chaos! Firelight, smoke, arrows, screams, horse neighs, roars... all intertwined to create a symphony of death.

"Now's the time! To the icefall!" Lin Feng roared at the prisoners, carrying the most seriously injured old man on his back and supporting Urna as they rushed towards the designated icefall in the southeast!

Like a flood bursting its banks, the group surged out of the small tent area, knocking aside several stragglers who tried to stop them, and disappeared into the darkness and chaos at the edge of the camp.

The icefall isn't far away; it's located on the mountainside not far from the entrance to the valley, where huge layers of ice hang down, gleaming with a faint blue light in the night.

Behind the icefall, there was indeed a narrow crevice in the rock, half-hidden by snow.

Lin Feng went in first, put the old man down, then ran to where the princess and the other two were hiding and brought them in as well. The space inside the crevice was larger than expected; although it was cold and damp, it was enough to shelter them from the wind, snow, and arrows.

The last prisoner crawled into a crevice in the rock, and Lin Feng immediately covered most of the entrance with snow and rocks, leaving only a few barely noticeable ventilation holes.

The crevice was plunged into darkness in an instant, with only the heavy, suppressed breathing of the group.

Outside, the sounds of fighting, explosions, and horses' hooves in the camp gradually turned northeast, clearly indicating that Lao Gui and Agula were fighting and retreating, leading the pursuers away.

However, small groups of Black Wolf Guards were still searching the vicinity, and shouts could be heard from time to time.

"Keep quiet." Lin Feng's voice rang out in the darkness.

Urna sat beside him and could hear his suppressed breathing. She fumbled for the knife wound on her back, which burned with pain.

In the darkness, a warm, rough hand, stained with blood and snow, suddenly reached out and placed it precisely on her haphazardly bandaged hand. It then took the bandage and, with slightly clumsy yet exceptionally careful movements, re-tightened the bandage around her wound. It was his hand.

Urna froze, neither moving nor speaking. In the darkness, she couldn't see his face, but she could feel his warmth and breath so close to hers.

After an unknown amount of time, the commotion outside finally subsided completely, leaving only the howling of the wind and snow.

After a long while, the snow blocking the entrance to the crevice was gently parted, and a deliberately lowered, hoarse, yet familiar voice came through: "Guard? Miss Urna?"

It's Old Ghost!

"Yes," Lin Feng replied, his voice hoarse.

Old Ghost's hunched and thin figure squeezed in, bringing with it a chill.

His face bore the distinctive look of a night scout—a mixture of weariness and shrewdness. He quickly glanced at the situation inside the crevice and whispered:

"The pursuers have been lured away, and we are safe for now. But Berthe's main force is closing in on us, and we must leave the valley before dawn. We also received news from Suhe's tribe that Sude and his men are being held captive in their guest tents, and our original rendezvous point is now useless."

Another piece of bad news. The princess let out a suppressed sob. Urna's heart sank as well.

"Are there any other routes?" Lin Feng asked, his voice calm and even.

The old ghost paused for a moment, his eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness:

"There is one, but... it might be a dead end. Go through this crevice behind the icefall, and it leads to an underground river. We don't know where the river leads. But it's the only way to avoid the surface search."

An underground river? A path to the unknown?

A deathly silence fell over the crevice in the rock. Everyone knew what that meant. It could be a path to survival, or more likely... a shortcut to hell.

"Let's go." Without any hesitation, Lin Feng carried the princess on his back and took the lead into the depths of the rock crevice, into a darker area that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

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