Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

"Shen Xun!"

Despite her aching body, Ye Zhuo scrambled across the snow to pick up the down jacket and put it back on Shen Xun.

Her entire hand was stained red, but she felt nothing.

She reached out to help him, but was afraid of touching some taboo related to his power of reincarnation. Her hand froze in mid-air, and the worry in her eyes was about to overflow.

"I'm fine."

Shen Xun's voice was terribly hoarse, his breath as weak as snowflakes drifting in the wind, but his hands remained steady. He gently shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the curled-up, groaning assassins on the ground. "Ye Zhuo, go and check how their auras are."

"Okay!" Ye Zhuo immediately responded, suppressing his worries, and turned to walk towards the collapsed assassin.

Ye Zhuo was exhausted, but he still squatted down and checked their breathing and carotid arteries one by one to confirm that all seven of them still had vital signs.

Most of these people had their hands and feet broken, their internal organs injured, and their souls severely damaged, but none of them were in mortal danger. However, it was impossible for them to rise up and cause trouble again within a few months.

After checking the area, she trudged through the snow back to Shen Xun's side and reported in a low voice, "They're all alive, seven in total. They're badly injured and won't wake up for at least three to five days. They need proper treatment. But the snowstorm is too strong, and they can't move. If they stay lying in the snow any longer, they'll probably freeze to death."

Shen Xun nodded slightly, then frowned slightly: "We can't let them freeze to death. Keeping them alive might lead us to clues."

He looked up at the crowd, his gaze first falling on Old Gu. The wind and snow made his voice flutter, but it remained steady: "When Bai Lu ran away from the ambush, he lost Ao Lu Ya's equipment, which was left by the river."

"Old Gu, is your pickup truck damaged? Could you please drive it down and tow it up? After you bring it up, work with Ao Luya to set up the bear-scale barrier, and then we'll move these assassins inside. It's too cold; they can't hold out much longer like this."

Old Gu immediately patted his chest, straightened up with his entrenching tool in hand, and said, "Don't worry! The pickup truck will be fine! I'll go get it right now. We can't let these kids really freeze to death in this snow."

"I'll go too," Ye Zhuo immediately agreed. She knew that Old Gu was old and injured, and it would be too much of a strain for him to do everything by himself.

Lin Jian also quickly came over, speaking softly but firmly: "I can also help, I promise I won't cause any trouble."

Ao Luya paused for a moment, a warmth welling up in her eyes, and quickly added, "Thank you everyone. The Bear Scale Armor is heavy, so please be careful. I usually call it the 'Chuluozi,' but I call it the Bear Scale Armor when it's in battle. Once the assassins are settled, the White Deer is wary and, when injured, doesn't like being with strangers. It won't go into the 'Chuluozi,' so I'll find it something warm later."

Shen Xun nodded.

"Alright, come back soon!" Old Gu said, leaning on his entrenching tool as he walked toward the pickup truck, with Ye Zhuo and Lin Jian quickly following behind.

Ao Luya immediately stepped forward and said, "I'll go down with you too. The equipment is mine, and I know the location well. The white deer is injured, so it should stay here and wait. We can't let it suffer any more." Before the others could persuade her, she joined the three of them, helping each other as they trudged down the slope through the snow.

Shen Xun, who remained by the car, leaned against the 2045 to relieve some of his strain. The transparent figure of Bai Wuchang gently advised him, "Shen Xun, don't push yourself. Go sit in the car first. The wind and snow are so heavy. If you keep going like this, your body will collapse."

Shen Xun shook his head slightly and took out an old-fashioned button phone from the dark cloth bag at his waist.

This was his dedicated hotline for handling the aftermath, ensuring both security and confidentiality.

He put a lot of effort into pressing the number.

The phone was answered after one ring; only the faintest breathing could be heard on the other end—a tacit understanding they had maintained for many years.

"Mohe No. 3 Observation Point, down to the hillside by the river."

Shen Xun's breathing was intermittent, but every word was clear: "There was an ambush by assassins of unknown origin. Seven people survived, most of them with joint damage that rendered them unable to move, and some also had internal injuries."

A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Understood. Lu Ye will lead his men over. They should arrive in two hours at the earliest. You all rest first."

"Hmm." Shen Xun responded, hung up the phone, stuffed it back into his bag, closed his eyes to suppress the dizziness in his mind, his meridians felt empty, and he only managed to stay upright thanks to his willpower.

On the other side, Lao Gu successfully started the pickup truck.

In just ten minutes, everyone had loaded all the equipment onto the pickup truck.

Old Gu drove his pickup truck uphill, with the front of the truck facing the side of the small tree, leaning diagonally against the rear of the 2045 truck. This created a triangular space about three meters long and wide between the 2045 truck and the pickup truck, just enough to unfold the tuft of cloth.

"Give them a hand to unload the equipment and set up the shovels!" Old Gu stopped the pickup truck, rubbed his frozen hands, and said, "Hurry up and get them settled, or they won't be able to hold on any longer."

The bear scale curtain designed by Ao Luya is extremely easy to set up and take down, and can be erected in just a few minutes.

"Ye Zhuo, get them some warm food. We can't let them freeze to death here." Shen Xun's voice was weak but clear.

Ye Zhuo immediately rushed into 2045 and quickly brought back thermal insulation blankets, electric blankets, and power banks.

The group worked together, carefully moving the seven assassins inside one by one to ensure they could hold out until the cleanup team arrived.

After settling things in, Aoluya turned to look at the white deer in the snow. Aoluya walked over with a pained expression and gently stroked its neck: "You've suffered so much. I'll keep you warm now."

She took out the fur blanket she had used to cover the bear-scale curtain and shield the assassins' vision from the equipment she had just retrieved. She then took a folding bucket from her suede bag, unfolded it, and slowly poured warm water from the kettle into it. Next, she gently placed a deer cracker and a piece of salt on the snow beside the bucket. Seeing this, Ye Zhuo took an electric blanket, carefully covered the white deer, and plugged an extension cord into a power bank, saying softly, "This will keep it warm, don't let it get cold."

Ao Luya squatted down, watching the white deer eat small bites, and gently comforted it, "Eat well, and rest after you finish." The white deer rubbed against her palm, and its trembling gradually subsided.

Ye Zhuo opened the door of car 2045, turned on the heater and turned it to the maximum: "Everyone, warm yourselves up. I'll go get some food and then apply some medicine for everyone."

Everyone gathered around the car door to warm their hands and faces. Lin Jian took out some ready-to-eat food and distributed it to everyone. He also took out several cups, put some brown sugar in each, poured water from the kettle, and then took out a first-aid kit to treat everyone's wounds one by one.

"Let's have something to eat and rest for a while." Ye Zhu chewed on beef jerky. "There are still several pounds of mutton in the refrigerator. I'll stew a pot for everyone to replenish their energy. This battle has exhausted us."

"That's great!" Old Gu said, biting into a compressed biscuit, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "Now we need to eat something hot."

Lin Jian held the brown sugar water, the panic in his eyes completely gone. Compared to the panic he felt alone in Hangzhou, he now felt more confident with these people by his side, even in the midst of a snowstorm. Ao Luya settled Bai Lu down, took the beef jerky Lin Jian handed her, and thanked him softly. Looking at the faint warmth emanating from the tuft of cloth, she felt completely at ease.

Shen Xun leaned against the 2045 vehicle, watching everyone bustling around, and his tense mind finally relaxed a little.

He slowly closed his eyes, focusing his attention on sensing the surrounding atmosphere. He clearly sensed that the strange aura from before had already disappeared to the bottom of the river. At this moment, the aura was weak and no longer agitated, and there was no longer any threat.

He let out a soft sigh, his voice weak but steady, and whispered to the White Impermanence beside him, as well as to the crowd not far away, "Don't worry, that eerie aura has disappeared to the bottom of the river and is no longer a threat for the time being. Everyone can rest assured."

Ye Zhuo noticed his pale face and quickly helped him into the car: "Shen Xun, go in and rest. You're completely exhausted."

Shen Xun took the water glass, his fingertips trembling more noticeably. He drank two sips of warm brown sugar water, but still couldn't suppress his exhaustion. He got into the car, leaned back in the driver's seat, slowly closed his eyes, and listened to the howling wind and snow outside the car. An unprecedented sense of peace welled up in his heart.

With these people around me, I am no longer alone, even in dangerous situations.

Everyone got into the car to rest one after another. Old Gu sat in the passenger seat, humming an off-key Northeastern folk song. Lin Jian held a Polaroid camera, staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought. Ao Luya sat in the car for a while, but ultimately couldn't bear to leave Bai Lu, so she got up and got out of the car to take care of her.

The carriage gradually quieted down, and extreme exhaustion overwhelmed everyone like a tide.

Shen Xun could clearly feel that he had already reached his limit. After he forced himself to arrange everything and confirm that the strange aura was safe, the strength finally dissipated.

He opened his eyes and said hoarsely, "I think I need to rest for a while."

As soon as he finished speaking, his head tilted slightly, his eyes closed, and his body slid down the back of the chair, completely losing consciousness.

Seeing that Shen Xun had fallen into a coma, Bai Wudu, who was beside him, confirmed that he was temporarily unharmed. His figure gradually became transparent and eventually disappeared silently from the carriage, leaving only a faint breath, silently guarding Shen Xun.

"Shen Xun!" Ye Zhuo's expression changed drastically, her heart felt like it was being squeezed in an instant. She quickly reached out and held him firmly, her fingertips touching his cold skin, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

She dared not think about what would happen if Shen Xun did not wake up.

"What's wrong?" Old Gu turned around instantly, his smile vanished, and his eyes were filled with panic.

Ao Luya immediately ran in from beside Bai Lu, quickly approached Shen Xun, and used a wisp of shamanic spiritual power to examine his aura and pulse. She said softly, "It's alright. He's just exhausted his spiritual power and his mind is depleted. There's no danger to his life. He'll recover after a few days of rest."

Ye Zhuo quickly bent down, checked Shen Xun's breathing, and felt his pulse. Only after confirming that it was stable did her heart finally settle down.

Together with Lao Gu, she carefully settled Shen Xun into the sleeper berth behind 2045 and covered him with a thick quilt.

After everyone finished their ready-to-eat meals and confirmed once again that Shen Xun's breathing was stable and that he was out of danger, they each found a place to rest.

Three people were crammed onto the large bed at the back of the 2045 train, leaning against each other; Ye Zhuo laid out the booth opposite her, spread out simple bedding, lay down and closed her eyes to rest. The fatigue from the days of travel and the fierce battle just now instantly overwhelmed her.

The carriage fell completely silent, yet a heavy atmosphere permeated the air.

Even with her eyes closed, Ye Zhuo was listening intently to Shen Xun's breathing; Old Gu leaned against the passenger seat and soon began to snore softly; Lin Jian curled up in the corner of the large bed, hugging the Polaroid camera and gradually falling asleep, but his lips were slightly furrowed, as if he were having a terrifying nightmare; Ao Luya gently pushed open the car door and got out, walked to Bai Lu's side, gently stroked its neck, and whispered, "Keep a close watch, and if there is any unusual movement, sound the alarm." Bai Lu nodded as if it understood, and rubbed its head against her palm. Ao Luya turned around and went back to the car with peace of mind, lay down on the edge of the large bed, and exhaustion instantly enveloped her.

The wind and snow were still howling outside the window, and the battlefield on the cliff was a mess, but there was no longer any fierce killing intent.

In the small cubicle between the two vehicles, an electric blanket radiated warmth, enveloping the unconscious assassin; Bai Lu, covered with an electric blanket, stood quietly to the side; in 2045, everyone performed their duties, guarding the unconscious Shen Xun, and also guarding this hard-won peace.

This life-or-death struggle has finally come to an end. The person they fought so hard to protect collapsed completely after the dust settled.

Two hours later, the cleanup team was still on its way. Everyone knew that without Shen Xun's instructions, they dared not act rashly and could only wait quietly for him to wake up.

Suddenly, the sound of several car engines broke through the barrier of the wind and snow, approaching from afar and abruptly shattering the deathly silence of the cold night.

"Wake up! There's noise!" Ye Zhuo was the first to wake up, his nerves instantly tense. He got up and pulled open the curtain behind the driver's seat, his eyes sharply looking out the window, his voice low and alert.

Shen Xun on the bed had already opened his eyes.

Despite the previous depletion from activating the golden blood, his senses remained firmly locked onto the surrounding sounds. Upon hearing the noise, he sat up and placed his fingertips steadily on the peach wood staff beside him.

The others were awakened. Old Gu subconsciously grabbed the entrenching tool in his hand, Lin Jian stared intently at the darkness outside the window, and Ao Luya was about to open the car door to investigate when she heard the urgent neighing of the white deer.

It had already sensed the unfamiliar presence, and its whole body tensed up, its fur stood on end, and its eyes were full of vigilance as it faced the top of the hill.

"Don't panic, grab your weapon and observe first." Ao Luya gripped the deer bone knife at her waist.

Ye Zhuo squinted against the window and saw five black SUVs slowly coming to a stop at the top of the hill, braving the raging wind and snow, their headlights piercing the dark night like sharp swords.

After the five vehicles came to a stop, the engines were not turned off. A dozen or so figures dressed in snow camouflage quickly got out of the vehicles. Their movements were professional and efficient. Some of them were wearing night vision goggles. In an instant, they dispersed and formed a tight perimeter.

The tall man at the head of the group pushed open the car door, wrapped himself tightly in a thick black winter coat, and turned up to block out the swirling snow. He walked steadily toward 2045.

The white deer cried out even louder, its front hooves pawing the ground incessantly. It sensed waves coming from deep underground, as if something was awakening.