My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

As Nangong Zhan led the Li and Zhang families to the county town, the Cangyunling army also began to withdraw.

Li Xuancang was somewhat excited, as he was about to see his family whom he hadn't seen for many years, and he couldn't calm down.

Nangong Zhan drove the carriage, carrying Li's father, mother, and eldest sister Li Xiu's family, and sped along the road under the escort of the guards of Qingyang County.

Three days later, just after leaving Qingyang County and entering the mountain road leading to the prefectural city, they encountered misfortune.

Suddenly, more than twenty ragged, armed rioters appeared ahead of the official road.

Each of them had a fierce look on their face and blocked the way.

These were ordinary people who could no longer survive, and they turned into bandits who took advantage of the chaos to plunder.

Recently, many refugees have fled to Anju, where they have been robbing and looting along the way, attempting to steal money and food and abduct women and children.

"Stop the carriage, leave your money, provisions, and vehicles, and I'll spare your lives."

The leader, knife in hand, stepped forward, his eyes greedily fixed on the three spacious carriages. The rioters behind him shouted and surrounded them.

"Waaah, waaah..."

Inside the carriage, Dou Dou's cries could be heard, and Li Xiu quickly held her in her arms to comfort her.

"What do we do? Are we going to die here?"

Zhang Erzhu and his daughter Yang Cuihua were so frightened that they turned pale and huddled in the carriage, trembling.

It was their first time encountering robbers, and they were completely bewildered.

Li's parents also turned pale, and Zhang Cuier and Li Ling'er were so frightened that they hugged each other.

"Master Li, there's no need to panic. They're just some petty thieves. I'll take care of them quickly."

Just as everyone was filled with fear and unease, Nangong Zhan's voice entered the car. His voice was calm and steady, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, which made the panicked crowd feel at ease.

"when!"

The county guards immediately drew their weapons and blocked the carriage.

The enemy had a large number of men, and each of them was fearless and ruthless, so the constables did not dare to make the first move.

"You audacious scoundrel! These are relatives of General Li, the centurion of the border troops. Who dares to be so insolent?"

The leading county yamen constable shouted sternly, trying to scare away the group of rioters.

But the other party was already a desperate criminal, and upon hearing this, he became even more arrogant.

"What kind of bullshit Lord Li and Lord Wang are you? I'm about to starve, who cares about you? Hand over the stuff now, or we'll rob you too."

If the other party hadn't numbered more than ten and looked formidable, the robbers would have swarmed them and killed them all.

In order to survive, they no longer cared whether the other party was a government official or not.

The robbers, undaunted, brandished their knives and clubs and charged forward.

"Everyone be careful."

The constables gripped their weapons tightly, their spirits high, ready to fight.

Just then, Nangong Zhan leaped off the carriage, his Body Tempering Realm aura suddenly erupting.

"boom!"

A menacing aura swept over them, instantly intimidating all the robbers and preventing them from advancing.

He held up his border military medals and shouted angrily.

"Open your dog eyes and see! This is the medal of merit for the Great Yan border troops. It is the supreme merit that Lord Li earned by killing barbarians and demons and shedding his blood."

"Holding this medal represents the military might of the imperial court. Offending the medal or harming military personnel is tantamount to treason and rebellion, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family."

"No matter where you flee, you will be relentlessly hunted down by the imperial court."

Seeing Nangong Zhan in his military uniform, exuding an astonishing aura, and hearing his words, the robbers were terrified, their bodies went limp, and some collapsed to the ground.

Although they were rebels, they knew about military medals.

That was a certificate that only border generals who had made outstanding military achievements could possess. Not to mention these rioters, even bandits with more than a thousand men would think twice before seeing it.

Harming the relatives of medal holders is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their family; they wouldn't dare to do it again, even if they had a hundred lives.

"Get out of my way!"

The Li family members were still in the car. Nangong Zhan didn't want to see blood, so he chose to intimidate the robbers. Otherwise, he would have already taken action and killed them on the spot.

"Quickly, get out of the way!"

The robbers, no longer daring to rob, quickly made way for them.

The leader's legs buckled, and he knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice trembling.

"I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! I offended your family, sir! Please spare my life! Please spare my life!"

The remaining soldiers were terrified and knelt down to beg for mercy. They dared not harbor any more evil intentions and quickly retreated to the side of the road, kowtowing repeatedly and respectfully making way for each other, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Nangong Zhan put away his medal, his eyes turning icy, and shouted sharply, "Get out! If you dare to come any closer, kill you without mercy!"

The robbers, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, fled in panic, scrambling and disappearing quickly into the mountains and forests.

A crisis was completely resolved with just one military medal.

Seeing this scene, the county yamen runners felt even more awe for Li Xuancang.

The Li family members inside the carriage were completely relieved, their hearts filled with pride and peace of mind.

Nangong Zhan restarted the carriage, and the procession continued on its way. No bandits or soldiers dared to obstruct them along the way.

Whenever they encountered checkpoints or refugees, as long as they showed their military medals, everyone would give way and dare not approach.

The entire county army retreated and quickly headed towards Xuanyang County City, about to pass through Half Moon Gorge.

Will Zhou Xingzhan really pass through here?

At the highest point of Half Moon Gorge, several barbarian generals looked down into the gorge with gloomy eyes and asked a human man beside them in a deep voice.

"Of course, every move of this army is under our control. Whether we can wipe them out is up to you."

The man exuded a sinister aura and seemed confident.

"This time we must kill Zhou Xingzhan to avenge Gu Shuo."

The three barbarian generals unleashed a terrifying killing intent, determined to avenge Gu Shuo.

The setting sun, like blood, enveloped the thousands of soldiers marching forward.

"Once we cross Half Moon Gorge, we can rest."

After a day of travel, everyone was exhausted.

As Zhou Xingzhan prepared to cross the Half Moon Gorge, he instructed everyone to start a fire and cook.

Li Xuancang, clad in heavy armor befitting a hundred generals, led his troops in the middle of the army.

He kept a close eye on his surroundings, a persistent sense of crisis lingering in his mind.

This complete retreat and abandonment of the border defense line was a move born out of desperation.

Large armies carrying supplies move slowly and are easily ambushed.

The canyon in front of them was a natural ambush site. If Li Xuancang were in charge, he would never risk crossing the canyon at this time.

Unfortunately, he was only a centurion, a lowly officer with little influence, and the scouts he sent out also failed to detect anything unusual. Even if he reported to Zhou Xiong, it would be to no avail.

He could only follow the army and prepare to pass through Half Moon Gorge.