If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

As the number of masked men increased, the guards of each household fought desperately, but swords and spears have no eyes, and the disadvantage in numbers could not be made up for by fighting desperately.

In no time, the outer guards were all wounded. Some had been stabbed in the shoulder, with blood flowing down their arms, while others had been slashed in the leg and were still kneeling on one knee, waving their swords to block the blows.

The defensive line is shrinking inward at a visible speed; if the fighting continues like this, it's only a matter of time before it's breached.

Zhou Ming crouched behind layers of guards, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He wasn't unfamiliar with fighting; in his previous life, he had witnessed thugs brawling at the school gate.

But those were bricks and wooden sticks, completely different from the bloody, life-or-death battles before us.

He gritted his teeth, his mind racing. Other protagonists, after transmigrating, either found ancient artifacts or encountered peerless masters.

They will surely turn danger into good fortune and even seize an incredible opportunity.

But what about him? Not only did he become a slave after transmigrating, but he also encountered setbacks at every turn. Even when he sneaked out through a dog hole to spread scriptures, he was called a demon by a group of beggars, which caused his plan to spread scriptures to be shelved.

Now he's in grave danger, and he might lose his life here today. God certainly won't give him another chance to time travel.

As he was thinking about things like "protagonist's fortuitous encounter," a scene suddenly flashed through his mind: the protagonist encountering a fortuitous encounter inside a cave.

"A cave?"

"There's always a way out, haha..."

Zhou Ming was secretly delighted; he had discovered the cave yesterday while spreading sulfur alone on the side of West Mountain.

The entrance to the cave is so narrow that only one person can bend over and squeeze in, but inside it is a completely different world, spacious enough to accommodate a hundred or so people, and at the other end it leads to a cliff that is a hundred feet high.

With that terrain, as long as you hold the entrance, let alone dozens of masked men, even hundreds more masked men wouldn't be able to break in.

Most importantly, the cave entrance is only a hundred paces away. If everyone fights desperately, they might be able to reach it.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ming suddenly raised his head and reached out to push the back of the guard in front of him.

But he forgot about his own skinny frame. He pushed the guard twice, but the guard didn't budge. His arm holding the long sword was as taut as iron, and it didn't even sway.

Zhou Ming was so anxious his throat was dry. Forgetting all about rules, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Young Miss! Young Miss!"

Su Mingyue was watching the battle when she heard the shouts and turned around abruptly.

Those phoenix eyes were fixed on Zhou Ming, their gaze devoid of panic, only filled with a cold, scrutinizing intensity.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: if you don't give me a reasonable explanation, you can forget about waiting for the masked man to make a move today.

Fortunately, she had grown up with Zhou Ming and knew that although this little follower who had accompanied her in sword practice since childhood and had been beaten to a pulp by her was timid and cowardly, he was never one to speak without reason.

There must be a reason why Zhou Ming dared to call her at such a tense moment.

Su Mingyue gave a wink to the guard blocking Zhou Ming's way, and the guard stepped aside to make way for a narrow gap that was just big enough for him to squeeze through.

Zhou Ming squeezed through the crowd and said quickly in a low voice:

"There's a cave ahead, Miss. I found it when I was scouting the area yesterday. The entrance is only big enough for one person to bend down and go in, but the inside is quite spacious. On the other side, it leads to a cliff that's a hundred meters high."

"It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it an excellent safe haven."

He pointed to the mountain wall next to the bushes.

"Right next to that bush."

How far is it?

"Just a hundred steps away."

Su Mingyue glanced in the direction Zhou Ming was pointing, then turned back, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment.

She didn't ask "Are you sure?" or say "I'll hold you responsible if the information is wrong." She simply nodded crisply, her voice as calm as if she were giving a routine instruction: "Take care of yourself."

After saying that, she turned around and began to reorganize the manpower.

"Everyone, listen to my command!" Su Mingyue's voice drowned out the clanging of swords.

"Abandon your current positions and prepare to break through. All servants and maids, support your masters well, and carry, drag, or paddle them if they can't walk."

"No one is to be left behind. All guards, switch from defensive formation to breakout formation. Concentrate your strongest forces at the front and await my command."

She did not consult anyone's opinion, nor did she give anyone time to hesitate.

The guards almost instinctively followed her orders to rearrange themselves, and the circular defensive formation was transformed into an arrowhead-shaped breakout formation in just a few breaths.

At the very tip of the arrow was the commander of the guards of the Marquis of Yongning's residence. He had a sword across his chest, was covered in blood, and his gaze was so deep it seemed to drip water.

Su Mingyue stood in the very center of the breakout formation, with her four maids beside her pulling out short swords from somewhere.

Each of them gleamed with a cold light, surrounding her tightly in the center from four directions.

These four maids usually served tea and water, made beds and folded blankets, and looked no different from ordinary maids. But now, with short swords in hand, steady steps, and sharp eyes, they were clearly all skilled in martial arts.

Zhou Ming glanced over and saw Dongmei among them. Her delicate face was expressionless, only exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Su Mingyue bent down and picked up a long sword that someone had dropped from the ground.

The hilt of the sword was still stained with blood. She held it in her hand and weighed it in her hand. She touched the tip of the sword slightly, then suddenly raised it, the blade pointing directly towards the cave.

"Break through!"

She shouted loudly, her voice clear and sharp like the clash of metal and stone.

"kill……!"

The guards roared in unison, their voices echoing through the mountains and fields.

The tip of the arrow lunged forward, like a wedge driven deep into the encirclement of the masked men.

The commander of the guards of the Marquis of Yongning took the lead, his long sword flashing, each strike accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air.

The two masked men blocking his way were cleaved in two almost instantly.

The guards on both flanks gritted their teeth and followed, sparks flying from the clash of swords and weapons.

Zhou Ming followed closely behind the young masters and ladies of various families, shrinking himself to the smallest possible size.

His back arched like a fully drawn bow, and he moved forward in a half-squatting position.

His head was almost tucked into his shoulders, but his eyes darted around nervously, scanning his surroundings.

As I passed by a tabletop that had been smashed by some unlucky guard.

He casually picked up the piece of broken wood and used it as a shield behind his back.

It's a piece of wood, after all; it can at least block some stray arrows if they come flying at you.

He stood there, hunched over, holding the wooden plank, taking small, shuffling steps, looking just like a skinny monkey carrying a tortoise shell.

It felt like a hundred steps had taken Zhou Ming a full hundred years.

The sound of clashing swords rang in his ears, and hot blood splattered at his feet from time to time.

He didn't even dare to look down to see whose blood it was.

Someone fell behind him, but he didn't dare turn around.

He heard someone screaming in pain ahead, but he didn't bother to identify which family's guards they were.

He stared intently at the approaching bushes and the cliff face ahead, focusing all his attention on his legs.

Don't give up, don't stop, take one step, then another.

He had never realized that a hundred paces could be so far; every step he took on the grass felt like stepping on a blade.

Fortunately, it ended without any real danger.

When the guard in front cleaved the bushes open with a single stroke, revealing the dark cave entrance behind, Zhou Ming almost collapsed to the ground.