I am not a seventh-generation descendant of Lord Wu'an from the Qin Dynasty.

Bai Qi ultimately didn't get to eat his first bowl of millet porridge of the morning.

When he and Zhang Han, who looked gloomy, returned after washing up, only the old soldier who had cooked porridge, empty-handed and looking innocent, and three pots of dishwater remained in the courtyard.

A dozen or so new recruits, dressed in elite armor, who were also a step behind, cursed "pigs" while others ate dry biscuits with hot water.

Some people choose to set off in a hurry, while others choose to wait in place.

Before long, the crowd dispersed, and in the end, fewer than nine people remained.

Zhang Han was about to grit his teeth and set off on an empty stomach when he glanced at Bai Qi and stopped in his tracks. "Are you going?"

Bai Qi reached out and removed his iron plate outer armor and bronze breastplate, then walked towards the woodpile. "I'll chop the wood, you pound the rice, that way it'll be faster."

Zhang Han hesitated for a moment, but Bai Qi had ultimately saved his life.

After a long while, he finally suppressed his desire for fame and fortune.

"We covered 150 li on the first day. With two days left, even if we can't compete for first place, we've at least passed the first hurdle. Being a little late won't make a difference."

With this in mind, Zhang Han began removing his armor and pounding rice while ordering the others, "Help! What are you standing around for!"

Some of the other seven people glanced at Bai Qi instinctively, while others acted swiftly and decisively.

With one person moving and two people working together, they were soon busy and bustling with activity, smoke rising from the chimneys.

Before the group had even finished their work, the kind-hearted old soldier from the previous night returned in a donkey cart.

On top of it were bags of millet and a large white sheep that looked like it had broken its neck.

Fifteen minutes later, the woodcutter returned carrying a bundle of firewood on his shoulder.

Seeing Bai Qi holding the axe, her eyes welled up with tears.

He strode forward and reached out to snatch it, but Bai Qi coldly pushed him away.

"I'm still young, I'll only work here for a while, but you're old, you'll be staying here your whole life."

The old woodcutter's eyes reddened.

The kind old soldier silently stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Young men, you need to hurry on your way. There's no time to make mutton soup. Could you help me slice a couple of pieces of mutton porridge?"

The old woodcutter nodded vigorously, his voice booming from his chest and rising from his throat, tinged with emotion.

But in the blink of an eye, he silently took up his knife and got to work.

Half an hour later.

After Bai Qi and Zhang Han finished eating and drinking, they walked to the entrance of the temporary rest stop and the leader bowed deeply to the three veterans.

"Old man, wait!"

Bai Qi and the others, armed with spears and shields, turned and left.

Time remained silent for a long time.

A voice, hoarse, said, "We've seen the man; he's a fine young man. Shall we continue?"

With a clang.

A blood-red greatsword was drawn from its sheath.

It was a bronze Qin sword with two sharpened edges, a thick and wide spine, and blood-red patterns shimmering on its blade.

The veteran cooking porridge had a resolute look in his eyes, held his sword in one hand, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

The kind old soldier, his face cold, gritted his teeth and said, "Go! See him off on his final journey!"

The old woodcutter strode into the stable, chopped aside a pile of debris, and swung his axe to break the iron lock.

Opening the cellar, the morning light streamed in, illuminating three middle-aged Qin soldiers with listless faces.

The old woodcutter jumped down, raising his blood-red axe blade high...

……

"Knock knock knock~"

On the Qin Straight Road from Xianyang to Yongcheng.

The group of nine walked forward in silence.

The heavy three layers of armor made it hard to breathe, and the long journey wore away one's edges.

This was supposed to be an incredibly boring journey.

But from the moment the birds took flight from the roadside, this journey became anything but ordinary.

Bai Qi, who was leading the way, stopped in his tracks, raised his hand, and looked at the mountains and forests on both sides of the straight road with a cold expression.

Zhang Han's expression froze. He looked up at the birds flying in the woods, his voice trembling, "An ambush?"

His subconscious fears finally subsided, but he preferred to think he had guessed wrong.

Last night, that little brother…

For a moment, he was so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe.

Bai Qi's voice was as cold as iron, "Shield Formation, Guard!"

Bang bang bang!

Five large bronze shields were erected, completely blocking his view, leaving only a narrow gap.

A person with a clear, melodious voice reached under his arm and pulled out a wrapped bundle, handing it to him.

"Sir, bow and arrow!"

Bai Qi held a halberd in one hand and discarded a shield in the other. With one hand, he untied the three-stone dragon tongue bow and fifty specially made nine-coin arrows.

The bow is drawn, and the arrow is nocked.

Zhang Han and the other two innocent recruits who were caught up in the incident had their expressions change drastically and instinctively huddled together.

"Women, bows and arrows, what are you doing...?"

morning.

In the bright sunlight and dark forest, someone had already answered his question.

"That brat of Lord Wu'an is truly shrewd!"

"Hmph, if they were so easy to kill, would we have needed to join forces to feed them bloodworms in the forest?"

"Bai Qizi, your time has come!"

Upon hearing the words "Bai Qi, Lord Wu'an, joining forces, Bloodworms?" Zhang Han immediately connected them to a long-planned operation.

He reacted completely instinctively, ordering to his left and right: "Shield formation, protect Bai Qizi's rear flank."

One of the two hesitated, while the other exclaimed excitedly, "Quick, that's Bai Qizi!"

"If we can protect him this time, will the glory and wealth of the Qin Dynasty be far away?"

The three-person shield formation loosened.

One person quickened their pace to approach Bai Qi, while another looked at Zhang Han with hesitation, his feet slightly shifting.

Zhang Han frowned, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite grasp the point.

Suddenly, a cold sword light flashed past.

The Qin Ruishi who had jumped the gun fell backward with a thud, blood splattering from his neck.

Why? He is...

Bai Qi's indifferent gaze swept over them. "Don't come close. Just protect yourself."

"He had always lagged behind throughout the competition, but this time he was surprisingly proactive."

"Zhang Han, guess who leaked our whereabouts?!"

"Just speculation? No, there's no blood ahead, which means the group that left earlier is safe."

Zhang Han's brow twitched violently.

"These people are part of a trap specifically set to kill Bai Qizi, and the one next to him..."

Sensing the approaching danger, the new recruit from Shanglin Garden immediately raised one hand high.

"Cen Ji, a fellow townsman of Lord Wang Ben, from Dongxiang, a true seventh-generation Qin native!"

Cen Ji didn't know if revealing his identity as a fellow townsman of Lord Wang Ben would be of any use, but compared to being casually stabbed, it would be more reassuring to have some connections.

Zhang Han nodded silently, neither confirming nor denying his belief, but instead turned his gaze to the dark mountain forest.

Ahead, a group of aloof swordsmen dressed in coarse linen clothes charged forward, each holding a crossbow in one hand and a sword in the other.

Before the men arrived, the crossbows were fired.

The crossbow bolts whizzed through the air, and the shields thudded with a muffled thud, creating a deafening roar in an instant.

Zhang Han raised his shield and shouted a warning, "Be careful! It's the Mohists, Han Jinnu!"

"And there are also children from farming families!"

Bai Qi shifted his gaze to the side and behind, where a group of short-clothed assassins wielding iron weapons were also closing in and attacking.

He was surrounded by a tight net, with no chance of escape whatsoever.

Fortunately, he never considered running away.

"Send the signal!"

With a nimble and agile swordsmanship, the Soul Extinction Swordsman removed the heavy armor from Qin Ruishi and released a summoning signal with a wave of his hand.

A huge black spider lay across the sky, its fine web shimmering with an icy sheen.

"The Six Sword Slaves? How could this be? Aren't they supposed to be guarding King Qin Zheng in Yongcheng?"

"Damn it, it's Li Si. That shameless, unscrupulous merchant!"

"They only have five swords, while we have over a hundred. Charge together and kill them!"

As soon as the three shouts fell, seven bowstrings rang out in quick succession, like a string of pearls exploding.

Then, Bai Qi switched the Dragon Tongue Bow from his left hand to his right, and fired seven more arrows in quick succession, each one as sharp as a bowstring.

Fourteen bursts of blood erupted.

Bai Qi ignored the "Blood Spirit +14" message that flashed in his eyes, casually tossing aside his bow and arrows and tossing them to Zhang Han, "Cover us!"

"What?"

Just as Zhang Han raised his question, Bai Qi, holding a shield in one hand and a long spear in the other, stepped forward and shouted loudly.

"Follow me, kill!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the five leather shields, each studded with crossbow bolts, scattered open.

Led by their leader Zhen Gang, the four sword slaves abandoned their shields and charged forward, while Mi Hun stood behind Bai Qi, flanking the arrows from both sides.

Although Zhang Han was thrilled by what he saw, he couldn't help but feel utterly astonished.

"Six against a hundred, and you still charge?"

But when his gaze fell upon the leather shield riddled with pierced crossbow bolts, a look of realization dawned on his face.

This was to take advantage of Han Jinnu's inability to load his crossbows and directly eliminate the crossbowmen who posed the greatest threat to them.