If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

Zhou Yang's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw it.

Qin Shuang fell there. Behind her, Batel's scarred face was twisted like a demon. He raised his saber high, the sunlight dancing on the blade, blindingly bright.

"kill!"

The roars of two thousand wolf riders were deafening. It wasn't a human voice; it was the howl of wild wolves, torn from their throats. Hooves thundered, kicking up grass and dust that formed a yellowish-brown wave that crashed towards the lone figure at the bottom of the slope.

It’s over.

The thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.

Zhou Yang yanked the reins sharply. The warhorse beneath him reared up in pain, letting out a mournful whinny. Without hesitation, he flipped off the horse.

Using the momentum of his forward charge, he pounced towards Qin Shuang like a hunting eagle.

The wind whistled in my ears.

He could see the manic smile on Batel's face.

He could see the fierce glint in the eyes of the cavalrymen at the very front.

He could see Qin Shuang struggling to get up, but her legs were obviously injured and she was moving slowly.

Time stretched out for an eternity at this moment.

Zhou Yang stretched out his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.

five meters.

three meters.

one meter.

His fingertips touched Qin Shuang's wrist. Her wrist was cold and trembling slightly.

Hold on tight!

He growled and tightened his grip on her wrist. Using the momentum of their tumbling, the two rolled down a sloping, rocky hillside.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless hooves nearly grazed their backs as they trampled over the ground. The ground trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Dirt and pebbles were kicked everywhere, stinging their faces.

Zhou Yang held Qin Shuang protectively in his arms, letting his back slam against the protruding rocks. The pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

My body tumbled down the steep slope, completely out of my control. Thorns tore my clothes, leaving bloody streaks on my skin. My head was buzzing, and the world was spinning.

I don't know how long it rolled before it finally slowed down.

They hid behind a large thicket of bushes, temporarily escaping the cavalry's sight.

"Cough...cough cough!"

Zhou Yang struggled to sit up, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. His back burned with pain, as if a layer of skin had been peeled off.

He looked at Qin Shuang in his arms. She was also in a sorry state, her hair disheveled, her face covered in mud and blood. The most troublesome thing was her left leg, which was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.

Qin Shuang's lips were almost bloodless, but she still forced herself to sit up and lean against a rock. She glanced at Zhou Yang, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"They shouldn't care about me." Her voice was hoarse and trembling slightly.

Zhou Yang didn't waste any words with her. He reached out, grabbed a handful of wet mud, and, ignoring the filth, smeared it directly on his face and wounds. It was the simplest disguise, and it could also temporarily relieve the pain.

"What's the point of saying all this now?" He glanced at her. "Are you even able to walk?"

Qin Shuang tried to move her legs, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead. She shook her head, her face growing even paler.

Zhou Yang's heart sank.

If we can't leave, we're just waiting to die.

Batel quickly realized what was happening. The sound of hooves paused briefly, followed by a series of angry commands.

"Search separately! One team blocks their path! They can't get far!"

"They're injured; they must have rolled down the slope! Search carefully!"

Shouts of men and neighing of horses, the sounds of footsteps and the clash of swords and helmets, all converged from all directions, like a net being tightened.

Zhou Yang supported Qin Shuang, practically carrying half of her on his back. His gaze swept around the surroundings.

The road back on the left has been blocked.

To the right was a sparse grove of trees, offering no cover whatsoever; rushing over there would make you an easy target.

Only... directly in front.

The terrain became increasingly higher and steeper, leading to a shadowy cliff.

"Let's go that way," Zhou Yang decided.

"That's Broken Dragon Cliff!" Qin Shuang immediately objected. "The Nu River flows down below! Jumping in will mean certain death!"

"Staying here is the same as dying anyway." Zhou Yang's tone was calm, but his grip was heavy. "At least there's a glimmer of hope ahead. Do you believe me?"

Qin Shuang looked at him. His eyes, despite their disheveled appearance and bloodstains, shone with an astonishing light. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she said nothing, only nodding heavily.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Yang half-dragged and half-carried her, limping towards the direction of Broken Dragon Cliff.

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge. Zhou Yang was extremely exhausted; his lungs were gurgling like a broken bellows. Every movement of the wound on his back brought a piercing pain.

Qin Shuang leaned most of her weight on him, and the excruciating pain in her left leg made her faint several times. But she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

They have to be quick.

The search area behind them was getting smaller and smaller. Cavalrymen had already spotted the tracks they had left behind, and shouts were rapidly approaching.

"There it is!"

A loud shout, like the pronouncement of death.

A dozen or so cavalrymen charged out from the flank, their sabers gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Zhou Yang's eyes turned red. He freed one hand, pulled a throwing knife from his waist, and flung it out without thinking.

The throwing knife spun, tracing a cold arc. The cavalryman at the forefront clutched his throat, screaming as he fell from his horse.

But this can only buy you a moment's time.

The others had already surrounded them.

Zhou Yang steeled himself, turned around, and slammed his back into a horse's head. The warhorse roared in pain, reared up, and threw the rider behind it off its feet.

In the chaos, he grabbed Qin Shuang and, with his last bit of strength, rushed toward the cliff.

The wind is getting stronger.

The air was thick with moisture, mixed with the earthy smell.

Finally, they reached the top of the cliff.

The road beneath our feet has come to an end.

Before them lay a bottomless abyss. The cliff face seemed cleaved by a giant axe, steep and sheer. Below, the raging Nujiang River surged forward. Its turbid waters roared and surged, whipping up enormous whirlpools and emitting a deafening howl, like an ancient beast ready to devour its prey.

A truly dead end.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang stood back to back on the edge of the cliff.

Looking down, there is only bottomless despair.

Looking ahead, there lies a perilous path to survival.

Batel, accompanied by his personal guards, slowly rode up to surround the small cliff top. A huge encirclement was formed, completely sealing off the area.

The sound of horses' hooves stopped.

The world seemed to fall silent instantly, leaving only the roar of the Nu River.

Batel dismounted and threw his saber on the ground with a loud clang.

His face held a mocking, cat-and-mouse expression. He looked at the two people on the edge of the cliff as if admiring two prey cornered in a trap.

"Running? Why did you stop running?"

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and his smile was ferocious.

"I thought you two were tough guys. Turns out, you want to be cowards too."

Zhou Yang ignored him. He was panting, trying to catch his breath. The injury on his back still ached, and his strength was almost gone. He needed time, even if it was just a few seconds.

Qin Shuang leaned on her embroidered spring knife. The tip of the blade was deeply embedded in the soil, supporting her body, which was on the verge of collapse. Her face was ashen, but her eyes remained defiant, like a wounded lone wolf.

"Bartel," she spoke, her voice soft but clear, "your opponent is me. Let him go."

"Release him?" Batel laughed exaggeratedly, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Hahahaha! Lord Qin, are you ordering me around? Do you think you're still a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? You're no different from an ant under my feet now."

He took two steps forward, his eyes growing even more sinister.

"Release him? So you two can team up and surprise me? I'm not that stupid."

He stopped, opened his arms, as if embracing the world.

"Today, none of you will leave here. This Broken Dragon Cliff will be your burial ground."

His gaze fell on Zhou Yang, filled with disdain and curiosity.

"Especially you. A piece of trash of unknown origin, how dare you covet the woman I've set my sights on? And you even dared to kill my brother?"

"However, letting you jump down like this would be too easy for you."

Batel's voice suddenly rose, carrying a cruel sense of pleasure.

"I will take you back. I will personally skin you and pull out your tendons. I will use your skulls as goblets! I will use your hearts and livers to offer sacrifices to my dead father!"

"Get them!"

He suddenly waved his hand, pointing at the two people on the edge of the cliff.

"Alive! I want him alive!"

"kill!"

The two thousand elite Canglang warriors roared in unison once more, their roars rolling in as if to shake the entire cliff down.

The soldiers, swords in hand, approached step by step. They no longer charged, but instead formed a tightening circle, savoring the prey's final fear.

Zhou Yang's breathing finally calmed down.

He felt the warmth of Qin Shuang's body behind him, and he also felt her resolute determination.

A murderous aura filled the sky.

Life or death hangs in the balance.

The system's cold interface appeared in his mind.

Burn-in life.

This is the only way right now.

But how much should be burned? And after the burning, what will happen to the remaining two thousand people?

He needed an opportunity. An opportunity to break the deadlock instantly and throw the enemy's command system into chaos.

Force alone cannot solve the problem.

His gaze darted rapidly between the approaching soldiers and the swaggering Batel behind him.

Battelle. He's the core. He's the leader of this pack of wolves.

To catch the thief, first catch the king. He understood this principle better than anyone.

But how can we get through? There are over a hundred elite soldiers in between.

Zhou Yang's hand stealthily reached for the throwing knives at his waist. There were only three left.

He looked at Qin Shuang.

She was looking at him too. In her eyes, there was no pleading, no fear, only questioning. As if asking: Do you... have any other way?

Zhou Yang met her gaze and suddenly smiled.

That wasn't a bitter smile, nor a miserable one.

A cold, icy smile curved his lips. That smile held a hint of madness, a hint of bloodlust, and a hint of… strategic composure.

The river wind howled, ruffling their hair.

Qin Shuang's heart inexplicably calmed down.

She knew that this man was planning something new. It was a plan with a slim chance of survival.

Leaning on the knife, she used all her strength to stand up straighter.

As long as he's still standing, she'll stand with him. Even if the next second means utter destruction.