Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, thundering across the earth and awe-inspiring.

Jiang Ding'an's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily:

"They're barbarians! Mount up! Run!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Guoshu jumped up and rushed towards the door like a madman, almost tripping and falling to the ground.

Ye Ci tiptoed and blocked Huangguoshu in a flash.

"Wait! Bring the horse in! Close the inn gate!"

"The fruit trees are back!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ding'an instantly understood what he meant.

Running out now would make us easy targets. The post station is deserted, so it must have been dealt with by the barbarians. Bringing the horse in now would actually give us a chance to "find out what's in the dark."

The three quickly led the horses inside and closed the inn's gate. Then they crouched on the wall and cautiously observed the outside.

The last rays of sunlight lingered in the sky, their pale white hues contrasting beautifully with the volcanic clouds.

Ye Ci looked up and saw a dense swarm of cavalry, like a tide, surging towards the horizon where the distant mountains met the night, chasing after a group of镖局 (escort agency) personnel.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves shook the earth, growing ever closer, even causing the stone walls beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

Meanwhile, the members of that caravan cracked their whips, creating a sound that seemed to cut through the air.

Jiang Ding'an's voice tightened: "These aren't scattered cavalry; these are organized barbarian troops!"

Huang Guoshu turned pale with fright: "What do we do? If they find us, we're doomed! We're doomed. That group is still heading this way. If they rush into the post station, won't we be implicated?"

"What should we do?" Jiang Ding'an asked Ye Ci.

Although he was a镖头 (bodyguard/escort), he was more than capable of dealing with mountain bandits, but when faced with a large force of cavalry, he was completely at a loss.

Ye Ci shook his head: "They can't get into the post station in time!"

As they were speaking, the first wave of arrows had already pierced the air.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!"

A scream suddenly rang out.

The last two bodyguards were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, rolling around and howling in pain.

The vanguard cavalry of the Southern Barbarians have arrived.

Horse hooves trampled, dust flew up.

"Wind, wind, wind..."

The barbarian soldiers, their hair disheveled, held long swords and spears that gleamed coldly in the firelight, and uttered low, synchronized shouts.

They didn't try to persuade them to surrender; instead, they bent down and stabbed them.

"Pfft—"

The man's head flew high into the air.

Just as one of the bodyguards raised his knife, a spear pierced his chest, sending him flying.

"Bang!"

Another person was violently knocked away by the warhorse, the sound of bones shattering clear and piercing.

In just one encounter, only a few members of the escort agency remained.

Panic spread like a plague.

"Scatter! Scatter and run for your lives!"

"What's the panic!"

The leader, wielding a sword, cleaved an arrow in two, blood staining his clothes.

"If we scatter now, we'll be picked off one by one! Gather together!"

Before he could finish speaking, a barbarian rider charged straight at him, his spear aimed directly at his heart.

The man parried with his sword, and with a loud clang, he and his companion were thrown back several steps.

Seeing this, the people nearby immediately rushed to help, but as soon as he got close, he was surrounded by two barbarian riders from both sides. The spears pierced him, putting him in grave danger, and in the blink of an eye, he was forced into a desperate situation.

"It's them!"

Jiang Ding'an whispered.

Ye Ci's eyes were cold as he finally saw the two groups of people clearly.

The Southern Barbarian cavalry and Chen Sanshou's private troops.

They were not a security escort team at all.

Jiang Ding'an recognized both of them and gasped in shock, his voice trembling, "Even a master like Chen Sanshou is fleeing for his life. Who is this person...?"

"Master Chen! Watch out!"

A barbarian rider circled around from behind and thrust his spear straight at Chen Sanshou's back, near his heart.

The attack was swift and ruthless, causing those around to gasp in fright, just as the spear tip was about to pierce through their clothes.

Chen San spun around on his horse, leaping off and thrusting the spear deep into the horse's body, penetrating halfway down.

The man flicked his spear, and the horse let out a terrible neigh before its body exploded from behind.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Chen Sanshou moved half a foot to the side like a leaf falling in the wind, and with a turn of his head, he swung his sword. A flash of silver light appeared, and the surrounding air seemed to be sharp.

The barbarian soldier sneered, and with a flick of his spear, he smashed it down.

"Click—"

A clear sound of bone cracking.

Chen Sanshou didn't even have time to scream before he flew out like a rag doll and landed motionless.

One move to kill the enemy.

This move stunned everyone.

Jiang Ding'an stared in disbelief: "Killed a martial arts master of the Transformation Realm in one move?!"

"Kill the rest."

The woman had a clear, cold voice; she was a female general from the southern barbarians. She had a graceful and shapely figure, and her eyes were dark and bright, carrying a piercing sharpness.

What's most striking is the scar across her nose, giving her a wilder, more untamed look than most women.

At this moment, a large number of barbarian cavalrymen surrounded them.

They thrust their spears in unison, killing all the remaining men.

Jiang Ding'an was sweating and whispered, "Among Master Shen's family soldiers, besides Chen Sanshou who is at the Transformation Realm, there are several other martial artists at the Dark Realm... They must all be dead. If they find us, they will certainly have no chance of survival either."

Ye Ci nodded: "If the barbarians kill them here, they'll probably go into the post station to take a look, or even start a fire and cook a meal there... It's indeed a bit troublesome."

"Is this a bit of a problem? I'm going to die..."

Huang Guoshu, his face contorted in distress, sighed softly, "If I kowtow to them, will they let me go?"

Ye Ci glanced at him: "They will not only release you, but also move the monument for you. I'll go get the horse and we'll leave through the back door."

Having said that, he climbed down from the top of the wall.

Jiang Ding'an whispered, "Won't we be chased down if we go through the back door?"

Ye Ci waved his hand: "Hurry up, we still have a glimmer of hope."

As he spoke, he stood at the base of the wall and pointed outside:

"That woman is still too inexperienced in warfare, or perhaps she's too arrogant; when she encounters a skilled opponent, she doesn't even bother to finish them off..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a furious shout came from outside the wall.

Suddenly, Chen Sanshou, who had been lying on the ground, sprang up and squeezed through the gap between the two horses, his sword flashing as he fell.

"Pfft—"

The horse's leg broke off instantly.

The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, throwing the barbarian soldier off. Chen San stomped his foot, and the barbarian soldier's head exploded, killing him instantly.

Two men beside him roared and swung their knives at him.

Chen Sanshou moved swiftly, weaving through the chaotic horses like a ghost.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two cuts, two lives.

Clean, efficient, and ruthless.

There were no unnecessary movements.

At this moment, Jiang Ding'an and Huang Guoshu suddenly realized that Ye Ci had already seen that Chen Sanshou was not dead, but their eyes were only focused on the barbarian soldiers killing people, so they didn't bother to take a closer look at Chen Sanshou.

"Listen to Ye Ci!"

Jiang Ding'an reacted very quickly, grabbing Huangguoshu and running.

At this moment, Chen Sanshou had already stolen a horse, and with a spur of his leg, he fled again.

He had learned his lesson and avoided the female general, charging in the opposite direction. Someone rode a horse and charged, slashing at him with a knife. Chen San swung his sword and cut off the horse's leg.

In a short time, the formation was in disarray.

More than twenty barbarian soldiers had already died at Chen Sanshou's hands, but he forced his way through them and sped off westward.

"Wind, wind, wind..."

The cavalry quickly surrounded them and gave chase again.

As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, Ye Ci and the other two were about to open the back door when they heard the sound of horses' hooves returning.

"Lord Green Snake said that the gate to the post station was closed before. Go in and take a look."