Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The wind and snow were like knives, raging wildly with biting cold, yet the entire ice field fell into a deathly silence, with only faint breathing sounds, pushing the suffocating atmosphere of the battlefield to its extreme.

The two assassins, rushing towards them from the distant woods, made no attempt to conceal themselves, letting the chaotic footsteps carry them away. Shen Xun was now certain: at such close range, the crossbow's long-range advantage was completely lost, rendering it useless. The assassins would inevitably abandon their crossbows and use daggers to launch a close-range attack. Their brazenness indicated that they believed the encirclement was complete and that everyone had no chance of escape.

A flicker of determination crossed Shen Xun's eyes, instantly replaced by composure. He scanned the movements outside the bear-scale barrier, discerning the approaching footsteps, and instantly grasped the situation: assassins closing in, climbing to the top, prying open gaps, and reinforcements rushing in—each step calculated for an escape route, clearly premeditated. He immediately decided to counterattack; this was his only chance of survival in this desperate situation. Any hesitation would mean being attacked from both sides and utterly destroyed. Shen Xun took a deep breath to suppress his turmoil, his aura sharp and intense. A century of combat experience allowed him to maintain absolute calm even in dire circumstances.

The battlefield crisis intensifies, and an invisible net is slowly tightening.

Three assassins held fast to the three corners of the bear-scale barrier, their gazes sharp and ruthless, like hungry wolves fixed on the armor plates. The assassin directly opposite Shen Xun was agile, gripping a poisoned dagger and frantically prying at the gaps. The blade squeaked as it scraped against the metal of the vehicle. He also wanted to draw attention so that the assassin who had successfully climbed onto the roof could quickly set up his crossbow and gain a height advantage.

On the roof rack, the assassin whose calf had been pierced by Ye Zhuo clung desperately to the railing, his blood dripping onto the white snow in a shocking display. Though his movements were restricted, he still gritted his teeth and climbed, his eyes filled with resentment and ruthlessness. Soon, two assassins who had rushed from the forest arrived and joined the three assassins who had originally surrounded them. Apart from the assassin who pried open the gap to create a crisis and attract attention, the other four waited in the shadows for their chance to strike.

Once the assassin who reached the top successfully set up his crossbow, the situation would become even worse and more difficult to navigate.

"Old Gu, start the car! Spin it around in circles!" Shen Xun roared in a low voice, his tone urgent yet deliberately controlled. He turned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the driver's seat, and reiterated, his tone extremely grave: "Keep the car steady, don't panic, we'll get in and break out at any time!"

After instructing Old Gu, he abruptly turned to look at Ao Luya outside the car, his speech so rapid it almost blended with the howling wind and snow, each word conveying precise instructions, as if afraid of wasting a single second: "Have the white deer slowly loosen the bear scale barrier, the movements must be very gentle, absolutely do not alert the assassins outside! Get ready, take advantage of the gap when the antlers loosen, ride it, and when I give the signal, charge at the assassins beside the car."

He paused, then glanced at Ye Zhuo, Lin Jian, and the others beside him, emphasizing in a solemn tone, "Everyone remember this: do not kill them. If an assassin dies within my perception range, my power of reincarnation will be greatly weakened. If we encounter evil spirits again, we will be completely helpless and at their mercy! We must hold on; this is our only way out!"

Ye Zhuo nodded slightly, his eyes firm, and quietly adjusted the angle of the composite bow, the arrows in the quiver ready to be fired at any moment; Lin Jian also gripped the hand axe in his hand and nodded vigorously, watching the movements outside the carriage warily. Everyone knew that every command at this moment was related to everyone's life and death.

Outside the car, after hearing Shen Xun's command, Ao Luya immediately whispered a very soft command to Bai Lu. Her voice was so faint that it was almost drowned out by the howling wind and snow, for fear of alerting the assassins outside.

As if understanding the command, the white deer slowly loosened its antlers, moving so gently that it made almost no sound. It was extremely cautious throughout, its ears turning slightly to detect any movement around it, all so as not to arouse the slightest suspicion from the assassin outside the car.

The assassins had already seen the deployment inside the screen through the rearview mirror. At this moment, they secretly communicated the deployment with hand gestures: one person raised his hand to indicate the left, another pointed to the right, another made a "push" gesture, and the last person nodded slightly. In the exchange of glances, they finalized the tactics and agreed that at the order, they would exert force from three sides of the bear scale screen at the same time to push down the barrier.

The bear scale curtain is semi-circular in shape, with Shen Xun firmly controlling the other end. Even when the white deer loosens its antlers, the bear scale curtain remains firmly standing without any sign of slipping, perfectly concealing all the main characters' movements within the curtain.

Ao Luya moved with the agility of a cat, silently leaping onto the white deer's back and swiftly sprawling down during a gap in the pine antlers. Her movements were fluid and swift, without the slightest hesitation. One hand firmly gripped the deer bone knife at her waist, the bone blade flashing in the wind and snow, while the other hand pressed tightly against the white deer's neck, her eyes sharp as knives. Shen Xun also sensed the abnormality outside the bear-scale barrier, his heart sinking as he knew the other side was about to attack.

Shen Xun keenly sensed that the assassin climbing onto the roof of the car was already drawing his crossbow. Just then, a very low, muffled shout came from the four assassins, a pre-arranged signal. As soon as the words were spoken, they followed their previous hand gestures, exerting force with both hands and pushing hard against the bear-scale barrier. The force was swift and powerful, intended to knock down the barrier, both to injure those inside and to widen the gap for easier close combat.

The bear-scale curtain shook violently as the four of them pushed it together. The narrow gap on Shen Xun's side widened instantly, and snowflakes slid down the gap. The biting cold wind mixed with ice shards rushed in, instantly increasing the sense of crisis.

The assassin who used the dagger to pry open the car exerted all his strength, his hands covered in bulging veins, the blade of the dagger almost embedded in the car body. Caught off guard, he lost his balance due to the shaking of the bear scale curtain, and used the inertia to rush in. His body staggered and fell towards Shen Xun, his eyes filled with surprise at being caught off guard, but it was quickly replaced by ruthlessness.

Shen Xun reacted extremely quickly, advancing instead of retreating, and precisely swung his peach wood staff horizontally, striking the assassin's wrist heavily. A clear "crack" was heard, accompanied by the assassin's mournful groan, as his wrist instantly twisted and deformed, and the force dissipated in an instant.

But this assassin was fearless and, with his strong willpower, endured the excruciating pain, gripping the dagger tightly. Taking advantage of the moment when Shen Xun put away his staff, he rolled forward, dodging Shen Xun's second attack while suddenly throwing the dagger into the air. His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The moment he regained his balance after the roll, he quickly raised his other hand to catch the falling dagger. Before he could stand up completely, he turned the blade and stabbed it fiercely at Ye Zhuo.

At this moment, Ye Zhuo was half-crouched on the ground, her compound bow drawn halfway, the arrowhead aimed at the roof of the carriage. She was completely focused on the assassin about to reach the top. The wind and snow made her ears numb, and her attention was entirely drawn to the assassin on the roof. She didn't even notice the strong wind silently approaching from her right. Shen Xun's heart tightened, and he immediately shouted urgently, "Ye Zhuo, to the right!" Almost simultaneously, Ao Luya also sensed the deadly danger and whispered in unison, her voice carrying through the wind and snow, "Watch out to the right!"

Before the warning could even finish, the dagger was already upon Ye Zhuo, its cold light almost touching her clothes. Ye Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. Without the slightest hesitation, she slid backward, using the light to ski back at lightning speed, barely avoiding the fatal blow. At the same time, the composite bow was drawn. The bowstring vibrated, emitting a soft "hum," and the arrowhead was precisely aimed at the assassin's hand that was holding the dagger. The arrow, with a sharp sound, shot towards the target like lightning, piercing through the sleeve with a "thud" and embedding itself deeply in the flesh. Blood gushed out instantly, dripping down the arrowhead and splashing onto the white snow, spreading out dark red spots.

The assassin suddenly felt a sharp pain, and the dagger in his hand clattered to the snow, leaving a mark. With both hands injured, he lost his balance and crashed headfirst into the side ladder of the vehicle with a thud. Blood gushed from his head, and he groaned, dazed, clutching his head with his arms.

Ao Luya saw it clearly and immediately gave a soft shout. Riding her white deer, she exerted all her strength, her four hooves kicking up the snow, and her body soared into the air. With a whistling sound, she steadily passed over Ye Zhuo's head, her hooves carrying powerful force as they stomped straight at the wounded assassin.

The moment the white deer leaped up, the out-of-control bear scales could no longer hold on and crashed outwards with a loud "crash," the heavy armor plates slamming into the three assassins outside.

The three reacted quickly, leaping backward with agile movements to avoid the impact of the bear scales. The bear scales crashed onto the snow, splashing up large amounts of ice shards and snow foam that scattered in the wind and snow.

After dodging the attack, a look of wild joy flashed in the eyes of the four people. Without any further hesitation, they took up their poisoned daggers and attacked the group in three separate groups. The poisoned daggers were particularly eye-catching in the wind and snow.

A desperate battle erupts, a life-or-death struggle about to begin.