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

Shen Chuxiao shook his head.

God knows why it was you.

Lin Shang turned to Wang Yilu, a hint of reminiscence on his face: "It's normal that Miss Wang doesn't recognize me. But I remember you. Back then, my father was framed by treacherous officials and almost had his entire family executed—it was your father, Lord Wang Jingyuan, who stepped forward to save us and spared the lives of my entire Lin family. I, Lin Shang, will never forget this kindness."

Wang Yilu was taken aback, recalling that his elders had mentioned this matter, and sighed softly: "Even though my father did his best to help back then, he was outnumbered and ultimately unable to reverse the overall situation in the court..."

"Oh, right."

Lin Shang then changed the subject, "Do you know who the current commander-in-chief at Ling Shuang Pass is?"

Wang Yilu shook his head.

"It is indeed General Lu Chenzhou."

"Xiao Lu?"

Upon hearing this affectionate nickname from their childhood, Wang Yilu was utterly shocked.

Shen Chuxiao couldn't understand the old friendship between the two, but she could clearly see from Wang Yilu's discomposure that she had a very close relationship with this female general who guarded the border.

"General Lu spent his life guarding the border. He had no sons, so he raised Lu Chenzhou as a son from a young age, teaching him military strategy and martial arts. When your father was wronged, General Lu was determined to find out the truth, but he angered Emperor Shang and was eventually exiled to Ling Shuang Pass."

It turned out to be the case.

Lin Shang turned to Shen Chuxiao, his expression solemn: "I admire your ability to protect your family. But I kindly remind you—the tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind. Individual bravery is no match for a large army. Also, of the five border soldiers you killed, one's brother-in-law is a high-ranking military officer with power. Now that you've made an enemy, you must be careful in the future."

After saying that, he looked at me sincerely and said his only request: "I only ask that you treat Yilu well from now on. She has suffered enough."

Shen Chuxiao took a deep breath and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Commander Lin, rest assured. As long as I, Shen Chuxiao, am alive, I will never allow anyone to humiliate her in the slightest."

Just then, a guard's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Lord Lin! Village Chief Shen of Qing Shi Village requests an audience, saying he has urgent matters to report!"

Lin Shang and Shen Chuxiao exchanged a glance, then pushed open the door and went out.

Uncle Shen stood hunched over in the courtyard, his face full of wrinkles and anxiety. Seeing that Shen Chuxiao was actually safe and sound, his fear deepened.

Surprisingly, even the high-ranking generals of the border army couldn't take him down.

But the most important thing right now is that.

He tremblingly cupped his hands and said, "My lord, I have something important to tell you."

"speak."

"Today, I was patrolling the village with my men when we passed by Zhou Hu's house and smelled a strange odor. We pushed open the door and found this inside."

Shen Bogong shook out several items from the cloth bag on his back.

A scimitar, roughly shaped, with barbarian totems engraved on its blade. Several arrows, their tips coated with black oil, emitting a pungent odor. And half a map of animal hide, marked with several charcoal sketches.

Barbarian-style weapons.

Lin Shang's expression changed drastically, and he squatted down to examine it carefully. The hilt of the knife was severely worn, and there were burn marks on the edges of the quiver—it was an item that had been used for a long time and could not have been found by chance.

Where is Zhou Huren?

The village chief glanced at Shen Chuxiao and murmured something.

Shen Chuxiao said, "He's dead. I killed him. His body was dumped outside the village and probably eaten by wild animals."

Uncle Shen rubbed his hands together. "I also heard that he's been going to Black Wind Ridge every few days lately, acting suspiciously. When people asked him what he was doing there, he only said he was gathering herbs. But in the dead of winter, what herbs are there to gather?"

Black Wind Ridge.

Lin Shang's heart sank.

Thirty miles north of Black Wind Ridge lies the territory of the barbarians.

The three scouts had been attacked in this area previously.

But Shen Chuxiao felt a chill run down his spine. Zhou Hu was Chen Liang's lackey. And Chen Liang had coerced the original owner to do evil at Black Wind Ridge that day—they probably had been colluding with the barbarians for a long time.

What's more troublesome is that Chen Liang has powerful backers inside the Great Wall.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through my back.

I fear that a higher-ranking general within Ling Shuang Pass may have been involved.

How many people still know about this?

"I've already told myself and the two young men who helped move things not to say anything carelessly."

Lin Shang nodded and stood up, his gaze falling on Shen Chuxiao.

"Come with me."

Shen Chuxiao didn't hesitate: "Okay."

Wang Yilu gently tugged at his sleeve, her eyes filled with worry.

Shen Chuxiao patted the back of her hand: "It's nothing, I'll be right back."

Lin Shang ordered his two personal guards: "You stay here and protect Miss Wang. If I am not back before dark, immediately return to the pass and report to the general."

"Sir, this is against the rules..." the guard said urgently.

"This is a military order."

The two guards dared not speak further.

Lin Shang led the horses over, and he and Shen Chuxiao each mounted their horses and galloped off towards Black Wind Ridge.

The mountain path was muddy and difficult to traverse after the snow. Horse hooves broke through the thin ice, splashing up a cloud of mud and water.

After running for more than ten miles, the terrain gradually rises, the trees become sparse, and the exposed rocks are covered with remnants of snow.

The cold wind was like a knife, cutting painfully on my face.

Lin Shang slowed his horse and turned to look at Shen Chuxiao: "Aren't you going to ask why I specifically called you along?"

Shen Chuxiao said calmly, "Because I have killed border soldiers, if I were to truly collude with the barbarians, I would be implicated. You want me to identify you in person, and also to test my background."

Lin Shang smiled: "Smart."

"Moreover," Shen Chuxiao continued, "although you trust me to some extent, you don't entirely trust me. Let me go with you; if we're attacked on the way, it'll be good to have another person to shield you from arrows."

Lin Shang's smile froze for a moment, then he said frankly, "That's right. But I won't lie to you—you're very skilled. If we really encounter barbarians, you'll be a great asset."

The two stopped talking and continued on their way.

Half an hour later, Black Wind Ridge came into view.

The mountain range stretched out like a giant beast lying prone, its peaks hidden in gray-white clouds. At the foot of the mountain, a narrow valley flowed, where withered reeds rustled in the wind, and the faint footprints of wild animals could be seen among the snow-covered rocks.

There were also human footprints.

Lin Shang dismounted and squatted down beside the footprints to examine them closely. The soles of the shoes had a rough pattern, unlike the standard boots of the border troops; they looked more like the animal skin boots commonly worn by barbarians. The footprints led into the depths of the mountains, indicating about seven or eight people had recently made their way there, and the snow had not yet completely covered them.

"It's just ahead." Lin Shang lowered his voice and drew the sword from his waist.

Shen Chuxiao took a crossbow from the horse's back—

Lin Shang glanced at the thing and knew that this was the weapon Shen Chuxiao had initially intended to use to ambush him.

The two walked up the valley, crossed a rocky beach, and came to a natural cave ahead. The cave entrance faced north and was hidden by several crooked pine trees, making it extremely difficult to spot without careful observation.

There were embers of a campfire outside the cave entrance, with faint wisps of smoke rising from the ashes—someone had been here not long ago.

Lin Shang gave the signal to flank from both sides.

Shen Chuxiao circled around to the right side of the cave entrance and moved slowly along the rock wall. Low, muffled conversations came from inside the cave, the accents strange—neither Mandarin of the Central Plains nor the local dialect of the borderlands.

It is a barbarian language.

Lin Shang understood too. He took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his knife, and charged into the cave entrance—

However, the moment he stepped into the cave, the ground beneath his feet suddenly collapsed! A tripwire was triggered, and several sharpened wooden stakes fell from the rock walls on both sides, crashing heavily into Lin Shang!

"Be careful!"