knife

Chapter 82 I'm the most powerful one!
In the snowy plains, a group of more than ten riders trudged through the snow.

It was Tiele and his group.

They had been walking slowly, but in reality, they still had a slight expectation of Yan Sheng.

After all, sometimes in this world, there are always some unbelievable things that leave people speechless.

What if the Yan family turns the tables?

If they really leave, the price will likely increase again when they come to the Yan family again.

Unfortunately, no miracle occurred.

The speed of the Yan family's collapse exceeded their expectations.

“Xiao Changche has seized Baoping Prefecture, and his strength will surely increase greatly!” Gro said with concern, “Your Highness, if Xiao Changche has 10,000 to 20,000 men under his command, he will become a great threat to our country. In the past, under Linghu Ye’s suppression, Xiao Changche’s troops were always limited to 3,000 men, but now he can afford to support them.”

“Xiao Changche is a formidable enemy as expected!” Tiele said. “What truly surprises me is Li Dachui, this bandit. Gro, do you think this man is truly a bandit?”

“They’re just using bandits as a front!” Gro shook his head and said, “I don’t know how many heinous things Zhou Zhi has done under this guise. Now I understand, Li Dachui isn’t actually allied with Tai’an City; they’re all in cahoots.”

"The combination of Xiao Changche's military strength and Tai'an City's financial resources is truly a troublesome matter!" Tiele felt a headache coming on.

"However, there is one advantage!" Lu He said, "This time, Tai'an City has openly aligned itself with Xiao Changzhan, which is a huge blow to their long-standing neutral image. I'm afraid many forces will no longer feel comfortable conducting large-scale commodity transactions in Tai'an City."

“That’s not necessarily true!” Gro shook his head in opposition. “They might concentrate their forces even more in Tai’an City, especially after they control the Qingshui River and the Juma River. Many people will be at their mercy, otherwise, they might be the ones attacked next. Rather than being robbed and losing everything, they might as well go there, pay 20% tax, and ask for protection. Li Dachui may be shameless, but Xiao Changche and Zhou Zhizong still have some sense of shame.”

Tiele paused for a moment and said, "After we return, I will write to His Majesty to change our strategy towards the area outside the pass. From now on, we will concentrate our forces to attack Xiao Changche, attacking and attacking again and again. We must not give Xiao Changche any time to expand his territory and increase his strength."

"Your Highness is wise, that's exactly what I meant!" Gro nodded repeatedly: "If we attack Linghu Ye, Xiao Changche will definitely provide full support, but if we attack Xiao Changche, Linghu Ye will probably just sit back and watch the two fight. Moreover, those Western and Northern Hu people who have just subdued our country are still arrogant and untamed. It's a good opportunity to bring them here and toughen them up. We'll provide food and supplies, and they'll provide manpower. After a year or two of fighting, Xiao Changche's strength will be worn down, and these Hu people will become docile. It's a win-win situation."

"Let's go!" Tiele spurred his horse. "This trip wasn't a complete waste. At least we got a close look at Li Dachui's true military strength, so we won't make the wrong judgment when facing him in the future. Although Xiao Changche got Baoping Prefecture, his relationship with Linghu Ye may further deteriorate, which is also beneficial to us. If we use it wisely, the final effect might not be worse than if we had gotten Baoping Prefecture. Anyway, our ultimate goal is to force Linghu Ye to turn to the interior!"

“Your Highness is right.” Gro spurred his horse and followed closely behind.

"Ruhe, where are we now?" Tiele asked. "How far are we from Qinglong Gorge?"

"Your Highness, we will reach Zishi Mountain in about ten miles. After passing Zishi Valley, we will reach Yanshui River, which is only two days away from our Qingtong Gorge. This area is all Black Domain, which we cannot control, and the Qin people cannot reach it either. Some bandits do roam around in these places, but they are living a miserable life."

"Your Highness, why don't we find a bandit's den and rid the people of this scourge?" someone in the group joked. "We might even get some unexpected gains!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Gewu raised his voice: "There are so many important matters waiting for Your Highness to handle. Besides, the Black Domain is not as simple as you say. There are many powerful figures hiding there. Your Highness is dressed in white robes. If anything were to happen to you, none of us could bear the responsibility!"

Among the group of servants, Gro was the highest-ranking. He reprimanded them, and they all felt a little embarrassed and annoyed. They cursed inwardly but dared not say anything more.

A group of people sped forward.

Inside a cave on the leeward slope of Zishi Mountain, Li Dachui suddenly opened his eyes, stood up abruptly, and walked out of the cave. Almost at the same time, Xiao Changche also got up, picked up his gun, and followed Li Dachui out.

You can see far from a high place.

A dozen or so black dots are rushing toward us from a distance.

"We're here!" Li Dachui said with a smile. "Let's go to Purple Stone Valley."

"I'll block the front!" Xiao Changche mounted his horse, spear in hand.

Earlier, while he was meditating, Li Dachui had already installed all the saddles and harnesses for the two of them. The Jade Lion Xiaobai originally didn't allow strangers to get close, but ever since it got along with that Xiao Hei, it also started treating Li Dachui like family, which made Xiao Changche very unhappy.

Moreover, after that damned Little Black got his hands on it, he acted all arrogant again, while Little White was all meek and submissive in front of him.

Girls are so outgoing! I need to give her a good talking to when we get back.

“Okay, you block the front, I’ll poke the butt!” Li Dachui jumped onto Xiao Hei’s back.

Purple Stone Valley is about twenty zhang wide and no more than a li deep, but it is a necessary passage to cross the Yan River. To cross Purple Stone Valley, one must take a detour of dozens of li, and the entire route is a steep and difficult mountain path. It can be said to be the throat of the Yan River. In other places, this place would definitely be a military stronghold with troops and military camps, but here, there is nothing.

This area belongs to the unmanaged third of the region beyond the Great Wall, commonly known as the Black Domain. The geographical conditions are harsh; there's nothing to produce, no human habitation, and even wild animals like jackals and tigers are scarce. The mountains are barren, with very few trees. The Yan River is usually dry, consisting mostly of boulders several meters in diameter. When it does flow, it's a raging flood that sweeps everything away. Occasionally, you might find a few pools of water, and if you discover a few fish in them, that's a great joy.

Xiao Changche, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, stood in the valley.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer and closer in the valley.

He took out the mask that Li Dachui had made for him from his pocket, looked at it, and a rare smile appeared on Xiao Changche's face. Then he put the mask on. His once stunningly beautiful face was gone, replaced by a terrifying ghost face with blue fangs.

Luch pulled hard on the reins, and the warhorse reared up with a loud neigh.

He stared ahead with a look of utter disbelief.

Just around the corner, it darted out from the somewhat dark valley. The bright light outside shone on it, and before my eyes could adjust, I saw a ghost.

Fortunately, the people behind them were all excellent equestrians, and they all reined in their horses, causing many to scream in surprise.

The sudden appearance of such a thing in such a remote place was indeed quite startling to everyone.

However, after a brief moment of shock, everyone quickly came to their senses.

Those who are good will not come, and those who come will be unkind.

Remembering what Gro had said earlier, that the Black Domain was full of hidden talents, it seems that it was indeed true. They dared to rob so many of them all by themselves, and these people were not to be trifled with at all!
"Who's playing tricks?" Lu He stepped forward, sword in hand, and shouted sharply, "Do you want to die?"

Xiao Changche raised his spear, but his eyes did not look at Lu He. Instead, he looked past Lu He and looked at Tiele, who was surrounded by the crowd. He said calmly, "Tiele, I've come to take your life!"

It gets straight to the point, without a single wasted word.

His tone was calm, but his murderous intent was palpable.

Tiler was somewhat alarmed. He looked at Gro, who also had a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face.

The other side's objective was clear: to block the Tiele.

However, the Tiele came to the border region in great secrecy this time. Even if the news leaked out afterward, their decision to take this route when they left was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Why did the other side seem to have known all along and block them here in advance?
White horse!

Iron spear!

A person's image flashed through Tiele's mind like lightning. He looked at the person, but unfortunately, the mask with blue faces and fangs obscured the person's features.

"Xiao Changche?" he asked tentatively.

Upon hearing those three words, Luch, Gro, and the others were stunned.

Apart from the extra mask, isn't this person Xiao Changche's standard attire?
"Why are you here?"

Tiele continued, "Shouldn't you be in Aquarius City?"

"I'm here to kill you!" Xiao Changche raised his gun, the tip of which gleamed faintly.

"you alone?"

Xiao Changche chuckled: "No need to test me, I'm naturally not the only one. There's another one, guess who it is?"

Gro's expression was extremely solemn. He took the iron bow from his back and drew an arrow.

"Li Dachui!"

“Exactly!” Xiao Changche said.

"I'll cover the rear, Ruhe, protect Your Highness, and fight your way out!" Gro shouted sternly.

He meant to fight his way out, not to kill Xiao Changche.

The slight difference was that Gro quickly determined that although the opponent only had two people, their strength was probably superior to his own.

If you don't have the skills, don't take on the job. The fact that two people from the other side dared to come means they must have something to rely on.

Li Dachui's skill level is unknown, but it's a generally accepted fact that Xiao Changche has reached the ninth rank. With Tiele, Lu He, and many other guards, they should have little trouble breaking through.

As soon as he finished speaking, Luhe charged towards Xiao Changche with his sword drawn, and Tiele followed closely behind on horseback without hesitation. They had always trusted Gro's judgment, and at this moment, they truly could not afford to hesitate even for a moment.

Just as Gro turned his horse around, he saw a man and a horse leisurely approaching from behind. The man had a full beard and a knife slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, a whole bunch of people ganged up on Xiao Changche, but you're the only one coming to deal with me. How dare you look down on me!" Li Dachui said with dissatisfaction, "I'm the one with the highest cultivation, okay?"

(End of this chapter)