Proving God begins with the principle that no effort is wasted.

The convoy drove out of the city gate of Yu City and sped along the winding official road towards the prefectural city.

Three carriages were arranged closely together, and the carriages were tightly wrapped with valuable medicinal herbs from the shipping guild.

The driver was a seasoned veteran of the canal gang who had been working at the docks for many years. He kept a tense expression throughout the journey, cracking the whip steadily yet quickly.

Sun Geng lurked among the goods on the last carriage, wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat, with only his wary eyes showing, his hand always resting on the hilt of his knife.

Jiang Lan sat upright on the shaft of the first carriage, a short knife at his waist, his back straight, his gaze sweeping over the dense forest on both sides of the official road like a hawk.

The woods on both sides of the official road were desolate and dense, with most of the leaves fallen, and the bare branches twisted and swayed in the wind, making a crisp cracking sound.

The caravan traveled for more than an hour, and the once bustling official road was now completely silent—there were no villagers going to the market, no porters hurrying along the way; the deathly silence was chilling.

"Something's not right." Sun Gengsan suddenly poked his head out from the pile of goods, lowered his voice, and his body tensed up instantly.

Jiang Lan immediately turned her head: "What do you mean?"

"I've walked this road three times. It should be busiest at this time of day, but now there's not a single living creature to be seen." Sun Gengsan frowned. "Someone has cleared the road, waiting for us to fall into their trap."

Before he could finish speaking, a warm sensation suddenly emanated from the golden panel in Jiang Lan's mind, and a line of pale red text slowly appeared:

[A deadly intent lurks in the surroundings]

Jiang Lan gripped the hilt of his knife tightly in an instant, and shouted in a low voice, "There's an ambush ahead, turn around!"

Sun Geng ripped off his tattered cotton-padded coat, jumped off the car, and instantly drew his long sword.

The experienced driver reacted quickly, pulling the reins sharply, causing the horse to rear up, and the caravan came to a stop.

But it was too late.

More than twenty people suddenly sprang out from the dense forest on both sides of the road, each wielding a sharp blade, and quickly surrounded the three carriages.

The leader was a burly, bald man with a face full of scars, bulging temples, and a pair of triangular eyes that were sinister and ruthless. He was carrying a thick-backed machete, the blade of which gleamed with a chilling light in the sunlight.

Behind him followed two cold-eyed swordsmen, and then a dozen or so knife-wielding henchmen.

Sun Gengsan recognized the bald leader, his expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Iron-Headed Monk? Aren't you with the Black Tiger Gang...aren't you dead?"

Iron-Headed Monk grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his voice muffled like a broken gong: "Ding Qi is dead, and I've come back to take his place. Today, I'll use you all as a sacrifice."

Jiang Lan's heart sank. Even Sun Gengsan knew this person, which showed that he was no ordinary person.

He asked in a low voice, "What level of strength?"

"It used to be four acupoints, now..." Sun Gengsan gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, his knuckles turning white, "It's probably five acupoints already! Be careful, the two behind him are also experts with two and three acupoints."

Iron-Headed Monk brandished his machete, refusing to waste any more words: "Leave the goods, and I'll spare your lives. If you don't cooperate, none of you will be spared."

Sun Gengsan blocked Jiang Lan's path with his sword drawn, and said sternly, "You dare touch the goods of the Canal Gang? Iron-Headed Monk, aren't you afraid that Master Huo will lead his men to raze your stronghold to the ground?"

"The Canal Gang?" Iron-Headed Monk sneered, looking up at the sky. "What I'm robbing today is the Canal Gang's stuff!" He turned his gaze to Jiang Lan, his eyes filled with undisguised killing intent. "You're the kid who killed Ding Qi? Yi Xue? Hmph, today's the perfect day to settle both old and new scores!"

With a wave of his hand, two elite thugs led a dozen or so henchmen forward. Blades rained down, each strike potentially fatal.

Just as Sun Gengsan was about to engage in battle, Tie Tou Tuo had already rushed in front of him in one stride, his thick-backed cleaver slashing down with a strong wind.

Sun Geng raised his knife three times to parry, and with a loud clang, sparks flew everywhere. Both men took a step back.

"Your opponent is me." Iron-Headed Monk grinned maliciously, swinging his sword again. Each strike was powerful and heavy, forcing Sun Gengsan to focus on nothing else.

The two were locked in combat, their blades flashing and the wind swirling around them; no one dared approach within a ten-foot radius.

Sun Gengsan tried to move closer to Jiang Lan, but was forced back by Tie Tou Tuo's sword. "Don't even think about leaving, you can't leave."

At the same time, two elite thugs pounced on Jiang Lan.

One was a level two soldier, wielding a short blade with agile movements; the other was a level three soldier, carrying a ghost-head saber, exuding a fierce aura. A dozen or so miscellaneous soldiers patrolled the perimeter, blocking all escape routes.

Jiang Lan stepped forward with his right foot, gathered all the blood and energy in his body in his right fist, and threw a punch at the two acupoints of the attacker—Crushing Mountain Fist, Tiger Warrior!

The man dodged to the side and slashed at Jiang Lan's ribs with his backhand.

Jiang Lan twisted her waist to dodge, the blade grazing her clothes and cutting a gash, almost drawing blood.

Three thugs charged in from the side, their ghost-head blades aimed straight at Jiang Lan's neck.

Jiang Lan had no time to dodge and could only raise his arm to block. The blade sliced ​​across his forearm, and blood gushed out instantly. He gritted his teeth and refused to back down, using the pain as leverage to punch the thug in the chest—the Tiger's Cavity.

The man groaned and took two steps back, his chest heaving with blood and qi, but he did not fall. The blood and qi in the three acupoints were thicker than his; this punch was not enough.

Sun Gengsan caught a glimpse of this from afar and, in a moment of panic, wanted to rush over to help, but was blocked by Tie Toutuo's sword.

"You're barely able to take care of yourself, and you still want to save others?"

Iron-Headed Monk's attacks intensified, each strike aimed at Sun Gengsan's vital points. Sun Gengsan could only focus on defending himself, having no time to spare for anything else.

Jiang Lan knew he couldn't defeat the Three Acupoints thug, so he started running around the carriage, using the carriage and cargo to block the thug's position and prevent him from striking smoothly.

The man grew impatient and swung his knife, but missed. The blade got stuck in a crack in the wooden planks of the cart and he couldn't pull it out for a while.

It's now!

Jiang Lan leaped up and punched the man in the temple—Tiger Swing!

The three thugs' vision went black, their bodies swayed, but they did not fall.

Jiang Lan gave his opponent no chance to breathe, and immediately followed up with a second punch—a tiger pounce, both fists striking his chest.

The man stumbled back several steps, knocking over a soldier, and finally collapsed to his knees.

Two thugs pounced from behind, thrusting their short blades straight at Jiang Lan's lower back.

Without turning his head, Jiang Lan lunged forward, guided by the warning on the mirror-colored panel, and then rolled on the spot.

The blade grazed his back, tearing his clothes.

He flipped and leaped up, unleashing his full power of "Crushing Mountain Force," unleashing three consecutive strikes—Tiger Strike, Tiger Swing, and Tiger Pounce—each punch landing squarely on the two acupoints of the attacker.

The man was punched three times and sent flying backward, knocking over two henchmen behind him, who then passed out on the spot.

Iron-Headed Monk caught a glimpse of his two men lying dead out of the corner of his eye, and his face darkened.

He had intended to test Jiang Lan's strength, but unexpectedly lost two men. If the fight continued, although he could suppress Sun Gengsan, the casualties among his men would be too great.

He feinted with his sword, forcing Sun Gengsan back, and shouted sharply, "Retreat!"

The soldiers, as if granted a pardon, dragged the wounded and fled into the dense forest in a panic.

Iron-Headed Monk was the last to leave. Before he left, he gave Jiang Lan a deep look, his eyes filled with shock, anger, and resentment.

In a short while, only messy footprints, mottled bloodstains, and a strong smell of blood remained in the forest.

Jiang Lan stood there until she was sure the robbers were completely gone. Only then did the tension in her body slowly ease, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to collapse.

Sun Gengsan rushed forward to support him, looking at the still-bleeding wound on his arm, then at the two elite thugs lying on the ground, his voice filled with lingering fear: "Are you out of your mind? You attacked two pressure points and then three, and you still dared to fight back?"

"It wasn't about fighting head-on, it was about waiting for him to make a mistake." Jiang Lan gasped for breath, tearing off a piece of her clothes to wrap around her wound. "He was too hasty, trying to finish me off with one stab, which gave me the opportunity. I'm not as strong as him, but I'm quicker-witted."

Sun Gengsan was silent for a while, then shook his head: "You are a fucking monster."

Jiang Lan didn't reply, but stood up, leaning on the carriage shaft: "Let's hurry on our way, we must enter the prefectural city before dark."

The convoy set off again, speeding towards the prefectural city.

As the official road gradually widened and the dense forests on both sides thinned out, the outline of a magnificent city came into view in the distance.

Jiang Lan leaned against the carriage shaft, closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, and the golden panel in her mind flashed slightly:

【Crushing Mountain Fist (Minor Mastery): 38/500】

He slowly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the surging blood and qi within his body.

As evening approached, the majestic city walls of the prefecture came into full view.

The grayish-blue city bricks are thick and ancient, more than twice the height of the Yu City wall, and glow with a dark red halo under the setting sun.

The characters "府城" (Fucheng, meaning "prefecture city") on the city gate tower are written with vigorous strokes and exude a magnificent aura.

This was Jiang Lan's first time stepping into the prefectural city.

He jumped off the carriage and stood quietly to the side, waiting with the people in line for inspection at the city gate.

Just then, a group of fully armed soldiers emerged from the city gate, their long swords at their waists and their expressions solemn.

The bearded captain leading the group had a cold expression and ignored the people queuing up, walking briskly towards the canal caravan.

"Stop the vehicle! Unload the cargo! Everyone get off!" the captain shouted sternly.

The experienced driver quickly stepped forward, beaming, and pulled out his travel permit and authorization: "Sir, we are a caravan from the Grand Canal Transport Commission, transporting medicinal herbs. All the paperwork is in order..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" The captain swatted aside the documents, his eyes filled with contempt. "Someone reported that your convoy was smuggling contraband. This entire shipment is confiscated!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze locked onto Jiang Lan, scrutinizing her from head to toe for a moment before his tone grew even colder: "You're the one escorting the goods? Take the goods and the person away for interrogation as well!"

Sun Gengsan immediately glared angrily and was about to draw his sword and step forward, but Jiang Lan held him down firmly.

Jiang Lan slowly raised her head, looking directly into the captain's cold eyes.

This is not a routine check; it's a setup deliberately orchestrated by someone.

As the sun gradually set, the last rays of light were blocked by the city gate tower, and the surrounding light suddenly dimmed.

The officers and soldiers quickly surrounded them, brandishing their weapons, and completely encircled Jiang Lan, Sun Geng, and the entire convoy, leaving them with no way to retreat.