Frontier Hero: From Receiving a Convicted Woman to Becoming an Emperor for All Time

Shen Chuxiao pointed at Lin Shang,

"I owe him a life. You're trying to kill him right in front of me, and you call that meddling?"

The man in black was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You're quite an interesting person, just like the intelligence."

He raised his hand, and the three men in black behind him immediately drew their swords and spread out in a fan shape.

Instead of retreating, Shen Chuxiao advanced, firing a barrage of crossbow bolts.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three crossbow bolts were fired in a triangular pattern at the three men in black.

But the three men reacted far better than the previous barbarian warriors; they parried with their swords, deflecting all the crossbow bolts.

Shen Chuxiao felt a chill run down his spine.

Master.

These are not ordinary border soldiers, nor barbarian warriors, but highly trained professional assassins.

After blocking the crossbow bolts, the three men in black did not rush to attack, but slowly approached with synchronized steps, clearly skilled in coordinated attacks.

Shen Chuxiao discarded the crossbow, drew the short sword from his waist, and faced the man on his left.

Blades clashed, sparks flying. Shen Chuxiao used the momentum to sidestep, and a pig's quill slipped from his left sleeve, aiming straight for his opponent's ribs. The man in black reacted extremely quickly, twisting his waist to dodge, but his clothes were still torn, revealing a corner of the lining—dark blue, with a fine texture.

Standard military inner armor.

Shen Chuxiao was shocked; these people were from the border army!

Taking advantage of his distraction, the other two attacked with their swords simultaneously. Shen Chuxiao leaned back to avoid the first strike, but couldn't dodge the second. His right arm was slashed open, and blood gushed out.

"Shen Chuxiao, watch out!"

Lin Shang struggled to stand up, but due to excessive blood loss, his vision went black and he collapsed to the ground.

The leader of the men in black did not make a move; he simply watched quietly.

"Not bad."

He commented,

"Unfortunately, there was only one person."

Shen Chuxiao remained silent, his gaze quickly sweeping across the battlefield.

Several arrows lay scattered beside the bodies of the two bodyguards; they were Lin Shang's spare quiver. He quietly kicked up an arrow with his right foot, caught it with his left hand, and instead of retreating, lunged at the man in black on the far right.

The man parried with his knife, but Shen Chuxiao suddenly ducked and plunged the arrow deep into the man's thigh.

"Ah—!" The man in black screamed and knelt on one knee.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Chuxiao snatched the knife and slashed the other man's wrist with a backhand stroke, causing the weapon to fall from his hand.

Within three breaths, the two men in black lost their fighting ability.

The leader finally made a move.

He moved with lightning speed, his straight blade slicing through the air in an arc, aiming directly for Shen Chuxiao's neck. Shen Chuxiao parried with his own blade, the immense impact sending him staggering back several steps.

His hand was split open, and blood was flowing freely.

This is the strongest opponent Shen Chuxiao has encountered since his transmigration.

"Your skills are indeed impressive." The man in black said those two words again, his tone now tinged with admiration. "If you're willing to come with me, I can spare your life."

Shen Chuxiao did not answer.

His gaze passed over the man in black's shoulder and landed on the barbarian prisoner. The prisoner's mouth was gagged with a rag, but his eyes were wide open, staring intently at the man in black, his eyes filled with fear.

It wasn't the fear of death, but the fear of recognizing someone.

The man in black noticed Shen Chuxiao's gaze, glanced back at the prisoner, and sighed, "What a pity."

He raised his hand, and a throwing knife flew out, accurately piercing the prisoner's throat.

The prisoner let out a muffled groan, collapsed limply to the ground, and died on the spot.

"Let's go." The man in black sheathed his knife, turned around, and left.

Although the other three were injured, they helped each other and quickly retreated into the reeds, disappearing into the vast expanse of withered yellow in the blink of an eye.

Shen Chuxiao did not chase after him.

He quickly walked to Lin Shang's side, squatted down, and checked his injuries.

His left shoulder was pierced, and the knife wound on his back was so deep that the bone was visible. He lost a lot of blood, but fortunately it was not a severed limb, so he could still be saved.

"Don't move."

Shen Chuxiao tore off a piece of his shirt and pressed it hard against the wound on Lin Shang's back to stop the bleeding.

Lin Shang's face was deathly pale, his lips were purple, and his voice was weak: "The prisoner... is dead..."

"I know."

"He is...the only...evidence..." Lin Shang's eyes reddened. "I'm sorry...General..."

"Survival comes first."

Shen Chuxiao carried him on his back and walked towards the hidden earthen slope beside the official road.

Wang Yilu peeked out from behind the earthen slope and saw Shen Chuxiao carrying Lin Shang, who was covered in blood. She turned pale with fright but did not scream. Instead, she quickly walked up to him.

"My husband, he..."

"Help me steady this."

Shen Chuxiao said briefly, "Let's go to town to find a clinic."

Back in town,

Shen Chuxiao took Lin Shang to a clinic in Liuhe Town. The old doctor was so frightened when he saw Lin Shang covered in blood that he turned pale.

Shen Chuxiao threw down ten taels of silver: "Save his life, and ask for more if that's not enough."

The old doctor quickly began to stop the bleeding and suture the wound.

Wang Yilu silently brought over hot water, wrung out a towel, and gently wiped the bloodstains from Shen Chuxiao's face.

Shen Chuxiao sat by Lin Shang's bedside and remained silent for a long time.

He was recalling the black-clad man's swordsmanship, movements, tone of voice, and the exposed corner of his inner armor.

The dark blue standard inner armor was not something ordinary soldiers could wear—it was worn by at least officers of the rank of captain or above.

More importantly, the other party said, "It's the same as the intelligence."

This means he has been targeted.

Shen Chuxiao closed his eyes, and the image of the man in black's gaze flashed through his mind.

"Husband," Wang Yilu called softly.

Shen Chuxiao opened his eyes.

You are injured.

Wang Yilu pointed to his right arm, where the knife wound was still bleeding.

Shen Chuxiao looked down at it, as if only then realizing the pain: "It's a minor injury, nothing serious."

Wang Yilu did not expose him.

She picked up a clean strip of cloth and carefully bandaged him, her movements gentle, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Outside the clinic, the sky was gradually darkening.

The following evening, Lin Shang finally woke up, and his first words were: "The prisoner...is dead?"

Shen Chuxiao sat on the edge of the bed and nodded.

Wang Yilu stood to the side holding the medicine bowl. Seeing Lin Shang wake up, he said softly, "Captain Lin, drink your medicine first."

Lin Shang glanced at her and forced a smile: "Thank you, Miss Wang."

He took the medicine bowl, endured the excruciating pain in his back and shoulders, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Those four men are from the border army," Shen Chuxiao said. "The leader is at least a captain."

Lin Shang put down her bowl and looked at him: "How did you know?"

"His inner armor is a dark blue standard, not something ordinary soldiers would wear." Shen Chuxiao paused, "And his swordsmanship is the style taught by military instructors, not some amateur."

Lin Shang remained silent for a moment, then struggled to sit up: "I... need to return to the pass. I must... report to the general."

"You can't even ride a horse in your current condition."

"Even if we have to walk, we'll walk back."

"That barbarian prisoner was the only witness who could identify my accomplices. Now the witness is dead, but the physical evidence is still in my hands—the barbarian weapons from Zhou Hu's family, and those letters, are all in my horse's saddlebag. But the horse... is dead too."

Shen Chuxiao took out an oilcloth package from his pocket and placed it in front of Lin Shang.

Lin Shang was taken aback: "This is...?"

"I took it from your horse when I arrived," Shen Chuxiao said calmly. "Your horse was killed, and your belongings were scattered all over the ground. I just picked them up."

Lin Shang opened the package, inside were the letters and the animal hide map found at Zhou Hu's house. His eyes welled up with tears, and his voice trembled slightly: "You...you saved this evidence."

"Saving you is the main thing."

Shen Chuxiao stood up. "You should recover first. I'll find a carriage to take you back to the pass."

Wang Yilu immediately stood up: "Husband, I'll go with you."

Shen Chuxiao glanced at her but did not refuse.

Having survived the ambush on the official road, he dared not leave her alone in an unfamiliar place again.