No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

Day three!

It was the day Su Chuang was heading to the northern frontier, and many people who enjoyed watching the spectacle came to see him off.

"Achoo!"

He wrapped his fox fur coat tighter around himself, but still felt the cold seeping into his bones.

He huddled inside the carriage, lifting the curtain to peer outside.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered at the city gate, pointing and whispering.

"Oh, isn't this the Duke of Xin? What's wrong? Couldn't stay in the capital, so you've gone to the northern frontier to eat sand?"

"If you can't understand how to lick women, how can you understand how to fight a war? You'd probably wet your pants if you saw a Hun!"

"I heard that his personal guard, three hundred men, isn't even enough to feed the horses..."

Foul language drifted in on the wind.

Xu Mengran sat opposite her, her hand already on the hilt of her sword, her knuckles white.

She wasn't wearing red today; instead, she wore a dark blue outfit with a military supervisor's standard cloak over it, but her face was still striking.

"Chuang, I'll go down and slap their mouths raw."

Xu Mengran's voice was laced with suppressed anger.

"Don't."

Su Chuang lowered the curtain, shrank back into his seat, and rubbed his hands together.

"Let them talk."

"If we take action now, wouldn't that just confirm our arrogance and domineering attitude, showing that we're still restless even after being demoted from the capital?"

He had that cowardly look on his face, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

Outside the carriage, Yue Fei rode a black horse, his spear, Li Quan, held horizontally in front of the saddle.

Behind him stood three hundred Flying Tiger soldiers, their black armor gleaming coldly in the morning light.

None of these people uttered a sound, and even the horses barely snorted.

Zhao Yun rode his horse to protect the side of the carriage, holding his gleaming silver spear upside down, his eyes scanning the surrounding rooftops and alleyways.

With a crack of the whip, the convoy began to move.

As they moved further from the city gate, the sounds of laughter were finally torn apart by the wind.

Su Chuang leaned against the car wall and closed his eyes.

After walking for about two hours, we were completely out of the capital region.

Wild grass began to appear on both sides of the official road, the sky was gray and hazy, and the distant mountain shadows were dark.

Just then, a "ding" sounded in my mind.

It wasn't the usual lighthearted tune for casual check-ins; it was heavy, carrying the scent of rust and blood.

[The host has been detected to have left their comfortable place and officially entered the realm of conquest.]

The "Daily Check-in System" is currently undergoing upgrades...

Upgrade complete.

[New system: "Iron-Blooded Military Merit System" loading.]

This system aims to assist the host in achieving unparalleled feats in chaotic times, conquering all under heaven and pointing their swords at the eight wastelands. Through battles, slaying generals, capturing cities, and defeating armies, military merits can be accumulated and exchanged for famous generals, elite troops, powerful weapons, and secret strategies.

Su Chuang's heart skipped a beat, and before he even opened his eyes, his lips twitched.

coming.

Then, the system voice continued, cold and hard like a block of iron:

[Main Quest Released (First Stage): Successfully arrived at Yumen Pass.]

[Mission Description: Reaching the northern front lines alive is the first step in your military career.]

[Mission Reward: SS-Rank Chinese General Summoning Card x1.]

Current progress: 0/1

SS-rank general!

Su Chuang's breathing became slightly heavier.

Yue Fei was SSS, Zhao Yun was S. What does SS level mean?

He's probably a ruthless villain who could rival Yue Fei.

He opened his eyes and met Xu Mengran's probing gaze.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Your face keeps changing, sometimes it looks gloomy, sometimes it looks sunny."

"fine."

Su Chuang forced a smile.

"I was just worried about how cold it is in northern Xinjiang, and I wondered if I had brought enough fur coats."

Xu Mengran rolled her eyes at him, pulled a thick blanket from under her seat, and threw it on his lap: "What a character."

We traveled for another two days.

The population is dwindling, and the mountains are getting higher.

The official road winds its way through the mountains, sometimes with a cliff on one side and a deep valley on the other.

The wind began to carry sand and gravel, which rustled against the car floor.

On the afternoon of the third day, the team ventured into a particularly narrow valley.

Yue Fei raised his hand, and the entire army stopped.

"My lord."

He rode his horse to the carriage, his voice low.

"Ahead lies 'Soul-Severing Valley,' which stretches for three miles, with high cliffs and dense forests on both sides, making it an excellent ambush site."

"This humble general suggests that scouts go ahead to explore the area."

Su Chuang lifted the carriage curtain and peeked out.

The valley entrance resembles a dark, gaping mouth, its depths unfathomable.

It's so quiet, not even a bird chirping.

"Explore."

He uttered a single word.

Two cavalrymen, each carrying a horse bow, charged into the valley entrance, one after the other.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed inside, growing ever more distant.

After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there was still no movement.

Yue Fei frowned.

The feeling that something was wrong with Su Chuang grew stronger and stronger.

He pushed open the car door and jumped out.

Xu Mengran also got down, her hand never leaving the sword hilt.

"Pengju" (鹏举).

Su Chuang walked up to Yue Fei's horse, his voice extremely low.

"Have the Mo Dao Guards blend into the vanguard, with shield bearers protecting the flanks. Prepare the crossbows."

"Here you are."

Yue Fei nodded, turned his horse around, and whispered the order.

The team started moving again, though at a much slower pace.

The carriage was in the middle, with soldiers in front and behind it.

Zhao Yun dismounted and took a half-step to the left of Su Chuang, spear in hand.

As soon as we entered the valley, the light dimmed.

The two cliffs seemed to be closing in, leaving only a sliver of sky overhead.

There were many pebbles on the ground, and the wheels made a clattering sound as they rolled over them.

After walking for about a mile, there was still no movement.

But Su Chuang's neck hairs stood on end.

It's too quiet; it's so quiet it's unsettling.

Just as the group reached the narrowest section, where the cliff faces on both sides were almost within reach—

"Whoosh—!"

A whistling arrow shot into the sky from the left cliff top, its sharp whistling sound tearing through the silence.

"Enemy attack—!!!"

Yue Fei roared.

"Raise your shield—!"

With a "whoosh," the soldiers in the front row raised their large shields in unison, instantly forming a shield wall.

Almost simultaneously, arrows rained down from the cliff top!

Clang! The arrows struck the shields with terrifying force, some even piercing through the wooden shields, revealing half of their arrowheads.

"what!"

A soldier was shot by an arrow and fell to the ground.

"Don't panic! Cover for your position!"

Yue Fei's voice was like a stabilizing force.

The shield wall remained completely still.

Su Chuang was pulled to the back of the carriage by Zhao Yun.

Xu Mengran drew her sword with a clang and slashed away two incoming arrows.

How many people?

Su Chuang leaned against the wheel and caught his breath.

Zhao Yun looked up and glanced at it:

"At least a hundred archers on the left cliff top. On the right..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

On the right side of the cliff, in the middle section, a patch of vines was suddenly lifted, revealing dozens of dark holes.

Immediately afterwards, groups of dark figures leaped out from inside and tumbled and crawled down the steep slope!

He wielded a uniform array of curved swords, his leather armor was a jumbled mess, yet his movements were swift and agile, clearly those of a trained fighter.

At the same time, shouts of battle came from both the valley entrance and the valley end – both the front and back roads were blocked!

"They're bandits!"

A soldier shouted.

"Bullshit!" Xu Mengran cursed. "What bandit gang has this kind of entourage!"

She's right.

There were at least four or five hundred people blocking the road from the front and back, shooting arrows from the top of the cliff, and charging down from the side. They were all working together perfectly. This was the fighting style of a regular army.

Su Chuang narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd rushing down.

Suddenly, he fixed his gaze on a man who was charging in the middle.

The man's face was covered, but the knife in his hand... the hilt was wrapped with gold thread, and the style looked familiar.

Yue Xinyang once boasted in the capital that his father had brought back a precious sword from the Western Regions called "Golden Python".

And that physique, that running posture...

Yue Xinyang!