Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The third wave of arrows roared in! Their cold gleam pierced the wind and snow, hurtling straight towards the crowd with a sharp sound.

At the critical moment, Ao Luya swiftly spread her hands, twisted and pulled hard at her wrists, and the twelve tightly stacked pieces of hard armor instantly unfolded along the interconnected animal hide ropes.

The knot hadn't been tightened yet, and the uneven edges of the armor plates were barely aligned, not properly fastened, leaving gaps between the plates.

With a muffled thud, a wide, sturdy shield formed, firmly blocking the way for the group and the white deer.

"Low your body and quickly hide behind the bear-scale curtain!" Her voice was carried by the cold wind, urgent yet surprisingly steady. Her knuckles gripped the animal skin rope until they turned bluish-white, as she forcefully withstood the immense force of the rain of arrows.

Tap, tap, tap!

Muffled thuds rang out one after another as sharp crossbow bolts struck the oily, glossy armor. Most of them were deflected by the armor plates and disappeared into the wind and snow, or their tips broke off, failing to penetrate the core of the hard armor. A few bolts struck the joints of the armor plates and deflected along the uneven seams that were not properly fastened. A few bolts with extremely strong force pierced into the outer hardened canvas and into the surface.

Lin Jian, clutching his camera, huddled behind the white deer, finally getting a clear look at the formidable shield. The edges of the twelve armor plates were perforated with neat holes, through which animal hide ropes threaded, the holes fitting perfectly. Each plate resembled a birch bark boat plank from Ao Lu Ya's hometown, its edges polished with regular undulating shapes for easy interlocking.

Although not fully fastened, the layers of metal were already interwoven, resembling animal scales. The main body was sturdy and heavy, and the triangular shape of the upper part created jagged notches along the top edge of the barrier when unfolded.

All that was needed was for everyone to lower their bodies to block all the deadly cold light.

This was the bear scales she had tied to the deer's side all the way, but now it had several injuries.

"Pfft... Clang clang..." The dense sounds of impact rose and fell, drowning out the howling wind and snow.

The crossbow bolts, carrying dark blue venom, slammed into the bear scales one after another. Each impact caused the armor plates to vibrate violently, and Ao Luya's arm went numb from the impact. She gripped the leather straps with her fingertips and pulled them back, trying to tighten the loose fasteners.

Several tears soon appeared on the outer canvas, and arrowheads pierced through the canvas and embedded themselves in the armor plates. Venom flowed along the gaps in the armor plates, corroding shallow black marks. The sizzling sound of corrosion mixed with the wind and snow made people's hearts tighten.

Ao Luya stared at the damaged part of the tent, her brows furrowed, and a hint of heartache flashed in her eyes. This was a treasure that she and her people had painstakingly made with precious materials. For ease of carrying, she had specially designed it to be smaller than the traditional conical tents that her people usually used. When folded, it could be hung on the side of the white deer, and when unfolded at night, it could protect against wild beasts and sudden dangers.

She paused, her voice tinged with both preciousness and haste, before hurriedly explaining, "This is a combination of features from our tribe's traditional yurt and modern folding tent. It uses six adult male bear skins, tanned using traditional tribe techniques to make them firm and sturdy, and then covered with specially made oil-soaked canvas, which is why it's so durable. Because these textures are like scales and made from bear skin, it's called the Bear Scale Curtain." She had never imagined that she would use this treasure to protect a group of people she had just met. Watching her carefully crafted object being damaged little by little, her fingertips unconsciously tightened, and this expression vanished in an instant.

Lin Jian, crouching behind the white deer, was still trembling slightly. He had just heard Ao Luya say that the bear scales were combined with a tent. His gaze swept over the unfolded scales, the interlocking edges, and the strung animal hide ropes. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and asked urgently, "Ao Luya, besides unfolding it as a flat shield, can the bear scales also be assembled into a complete tent? Folding it into a whole would protect us from all directions and reduce the damage to the bear."

Ao Luya was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up. She nodded quickly, her tone filled with surprise and regret: "It's possible! I was so focused on blocking the rain of arrows that I forgot it was a tuft, and it's quick to close up." She quickly pulled the animal skin rope connecting the armor plates with her fingertips and said urgently, "Enough talk, let's figure out how to get through this first."

Lin Jian's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "I have an idea! My friends and I used to play tank battle games a lot. The way the tanks sway left and right makes the shells ricochet. If we fold the Bear Scale Curtain into a whole and use the ice surface to push it left and right to adjust the angle, we might be able to deflect the crossbow bolts and reduce the damage."

Just as Ao Luya was about to respond, Shen Xun suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on her arm, signaling everyone to be quiet. His aura instantly turned cold, and his hand holding the peach wood staff tightened, his knuckles turning white.

He turned slightly to the side, his gaze sweeping across the snow slope to the left. His voice was extremely low, carrying an undeniable wariness: "Don't speak. There's an ambush. They're not from the windbreak forest."

Everyone fell silent instantly, their breathing becoming softer.

Ye Zhuo held her shield to protect the group from the sides and rear. She knew that Shen Xun's perception was extraordinary. With hundreds of years of martial arts training and the enhanced perception from the power of reincarnation, what he heard would never be wrong.

Old Gu trembled even more violently upon hearing Shen Xun's words.

Ao Luya held down the white deer beside her, sensing its unease; the wild animal's instincts had alerted it to the hidden danger. She followed Shen Xun's gaze and saw a snow-covered slope to the side and behind, the cold wind swirling the snow, revealing nothing unusual, yet Shen Xun's expression grew increasingly grave.

Shen Xun slowly closed his eyes, amplifying his senses to the extreme with the power of reincarnation. An invisible network of perception silently swept across the river, the snow slope, and the windbreak forest.

The four crossbowmen in the windbreak forest spoke clearly, their arrows falling in rhythm without faltering; at the same time, from the depths of the snow slope to the left, three extremely faint, concealed auras emanated, their presence even more discreet and composed. What made his heart sink even more was that those three auras carried a faint smell of gunpowder, definitely not from crossbow bolts.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils contracted sharply, and his tone was unusually urgent: "Not good, there are three assassins lying in ambush behind the snow slope on the left. They are armed and are still far away, so they haven't made a move yet, but they are rapidly pursuing us. They are going to form a pincer attack with the people from the windbreak forest."

These words struck everyone like a blast of ice, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope they had just felt.

Ye Zhuo froze, the numbness in her arm intensified, and bruises shot up her fingertips along her veins. The burning sensation from the poison was excruciating. She turned to Shen Xun, her voice hoarse: "The arrow rain from the front has already broken through several gaps in the Bear Scale Barrier. My shield is about to give way. If they catch up and form a pincer attack, we will be powerless to deal with it."

Everyone was acutely aware of their dire situation: the Bear Scale Curtain, now flat, could only block frontal attacks, leaving their sides and rear completely undefended; Shen Xun was exhausted, his shoulder wound still bleeding, and the dark bruises on his peachwood staff were becoming increasingly noticeable; Ye Zhuo was corroded by the poison, his arms trembling, his shield dented and on the verge of collapse; Ao Luya had to protect the white deer and grip the Bear Scale Curtain; Old Gu and Lin Jian had no combat experience and would only be a burden. Meanwhile, the three ambushers were closing in, and once they reached their attack range, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"We must act immediately, fold into makeshift shelters and evacuate!" Shen Xun ordered in a deep voice, his tone firm and leaving no room for argument. "Ye Zhuo, you hold on a little longer, be on guard against the assassins from the snow slope; Ao Luya, quickly fold the bear scale curtain into shape; Lao Gu, keep an eye on Lin Jian, don't let her move!"

Ye Zhuo gritted his teeth and nodded, raising his riot shield to protect his side and rear, his eyes fixed on the snow slope.

Ao Luya no longer hesitated. The heartache in her eyes was replaced by determination. Her hands quickly gathered the bear scales, and her fingertips flew as she gathered and locked all twelve armor plates together.

Each of the twelve individual panels is about 1.8 meters long, with the lower half being nearly half a meter wide. It extends upwards in a rectangular shape, and after reaching more than one meter, the upper half forms a slightly inward-curving triangle to form a perfectly fitted, rounded tent.

The animal hide rope threaded through the tightly fitting holes along the edge of the armor plates, and with a few quick pulls, the curved plates folded rapidly. Lin Jian, helping to hold the plates down, urgently reminded her, "Hurry, they're catching up soon!"

Shen Xun stood to the side and behind Xiong Linmu, his gaze quickly sweeping across the windbreak forest and snow slope. His peach wood staff flew rapidly in front of him, deflecting every crossbow bolt that came from his side and rear.

He could clearly sense that the three auras on the snow slope to the left were getting closer and closer, and the smell of gunpowder was becoming more and more obvious. Those people were pursuing him at an extremely fast speed, and they didn't have much time left.

"One hundred meters to go! They're almost within attack range!" Shen Xun shouted, his voice growing increasingly urgent. Blood seeped from the wound on his shoulder as he repeatedly swung his cane, soaking most of his clothes. A wave of numbness and tingling washed over his wrists, each swing of the cane accompanied by excruciating pain, yet he dared not relax for a moment.

Old Gu trembled as he shielded Lin Jian behind him, forcing himself to look up warily at the snow slope, afraid of missing any unusual movements from the assassin. Lin Jian gripped the Polaroid camera tightly, tears welling in his eyes, but dared not utter a sound. He could only silently watch Ao Luya fold the bear-scale curtain, praying that it would be completed as soon as possible.

Ao Luya's movements became faster and faster. The eleven armor plates interlocked, their textures interlocking, and the animal hide ropes were tightened and bound together into a single unit, locking it securely. After locking, only one armor plate remained as a door, not yet fixed in place.

The bear scales are about 1.8 meters in diameter at the bottom and 1.8 meters in height at the top. After the scales are closed, there is a small hole at the top for the chimney to pass through. There is an iron ring nailed to the edge of the scale that contacts the chimney to prevent the chimney from burning out at high temperatures. At this moment, a few rays of sunlight are leaking in through the hole.

Shen Xun glanced over and made a precise judgment in just one look. This bear-scale curtain was usually only big enough for Ao Luya and Bai Lu to fit in, and at most two slender women could squeeze in. There was absolutely no room for him and Lao Gu, two adult men.

Just then, the barrage of arrows suddenly intensified. The assassins in the windbreak seemed to have sensed their intentions and concentrated their firepower on the front of the bear scale barrier, trying to prevent it from taking shape.

"Watch out!" Ye Zhuo roared, gritting her teeth and groaning. Her face was ashen white as paper, the poison had spread to her forearm, and she was so dizzy that she could barely stand.

Shen Xun immediately made arrangements, his tone firm: "This bear-scale barrier isn't spacious enough. Old Gu and I will stay outside to keep watch! Ye Zhuo and Lin Jian, you two go in with Ao Luya. Absolutely no accidents can happen!"

Ao Luya nodded immediately. She knew the capacity of the bear scale curtain best. Normally, when it was closed, it could only accommodate herself and Bai Lu. Now, with one door open, it was already the limit to squeeze in two girls. Adult men could not enter.

She quickly calmed the restless, neighing white deer and shouted urgently, "Ye Zhuolin, come in quickly!"

Ye Zhu shoved the riot shield to Old Gu beside him, his voice hoarse as he urgently shouted, "Take it! Keep it close to your body to block arrows!"

Old Gu picked up the shield, the cold metallic touch calming his panicked mind a little. He quickly shrank behind Shen Xun and held the shield to his side.

Ye Zhuo then turned around and staggered into the bear-scale curtain, with Lin Jian following closely behind.

The bear-scale canopy was still being battered by the rain of arrows shot from the windbreak forest, trembling violently. The already damaged areas were being torn apart by the repeated blows, and the wind was already rushing in through the tiny cracks, blowing people with an icy chill.

Old Gu held onto his shield tightly, blocking the arrows from the side. Although he was still trembling, he no longer curled up into a ball.

Shen Xun stood directly in the front, in the position where he would be most vulnerable to fire, and used all the martial arts skills he had acquired over the centuries. He wielded his peach wood staff with impenetrable precision, deflecting all the heavy arrows that came his way.

He knew how much effort this treasure had taken; just these six complete adult male bear skins would have taken an entire tribe at least ten years to collect.

Although the enemy was coming fiercely and he was injured in the shoulder, Shen Xun had absolute confidence in his martial arts. As long as everyone was safe, he was confident that he could deal with the incoming arrows.

He absolutely could not allow Aoluya's treasure to be destroyed here.

"They're thirty meters away, prepare to break out!" Shen Xun's voice came through the tent, steady and firm. "Ao Luya, maintain control of the direction, proceed according to plan!"

In the wind and snow, the murderous intent from the snow slope on the left had approached within thirty meters. Blood kept seeping from the wound on Shen Xun's shoulder as he swung his staff. His breathing became heavier, but he did not retreat even half a step, remaining firmly rooted to the front of Xiong Linmu.

Warm blood dripped down the peachwood staff, melting into a small, dazzling golden light on the ice. The stench of blood spread with the wind and snow, and suddenly a wisp of almost transparent white light rose from beneath his robes.

A semi-transparent figure vaguely appeared, its spiritual energy so dissipated that it seemed as if it would be swept away by the gale at any moment. Its weak voice was enveloped in the wind and snow, barely audible to Shen Xun: "I don't have enough spiritual energy... I can help you harass the enemy once, just to help you get through this desperate situation."

The wind and snow intensified, and the deadly threat from both sides was imminent. This sudden glimmer of light became the only variable in this desperate situation.