The joy of victory did not last long. Wei Zhe knew very well that they had only temporarily escaped, and the true crisis was far from over.
Burning the provisions and slaying the Chieftain in battle were enough to drive the entire Right Wise King division of the Xiongnu into a frenzy. When day broke, endless relentless pursuit would greet them.
"Hurry! Gather all usable horses and water skins! Get the brothers who died in battle onto the horses!" Wei Zhe issued rapid commands. "We must get as far away from here as possible before dawn!"
"Sir!"
The brothers immediately sprang into action. Enduring exhaustion and injuries, they led nearly a hundred panicked warhorses out of the chaotic camp and collected a large supply of fresh water and jerky.
A dozen minutes later, a small cavalry troop was fully equipped and ready to go.
"Squad Leader, which way are we heading?" Qian Hu asked.
Wei Zhe glanced toward the south. Returning the way they came via Eagle Beak Cliff was the shortest route, but it was also bound to be the direction where the Xiongnu concentrated their defenses and pursuit.
"No, we're heading west." Wei Zhe pointed his hand in another direction. "We're entering the Gobi, making a large detour, and then returning to Eagle Beak Cliff."
"Head into the Gobi?" Qian Hu was greatly startled. "Squad Leader, there's no water or food in the Gobi, the terrain is complicated, and it's very easy to lose your direction. Furthermore—"
"Furthermore, the Xiongnu won't expect us to go that way either." Wei Zhe interrupted him. "The most dangerous place is often the safest place. Their cavalry may be fast, but in the Gobi, that advantage will be infinitely diluted. This is our only chance."
Qian Hu looked at Wei Zhe's resolute gaze and said no more. He had grown accustomed to obeying this young officer who always managed to work miracles.
"Move out!"
Twenty-one men riding two or even three horses confirmed their bearings and plunged straight into the boundless expanse of the Gobi desert.
Behind them lay Wolf Howl Valley, still burning fiercely, and the pale dawn light gradually emerging in the east.
Less than half an hour after they left, several thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen, like a black and furious wave rolling up smoke and dust, rushed to Wolf Howl Valley from all directions.
When they saw the granary reduced to ashes and the Chieftain's ice-cold corpse, every last Xiongnu soldier let out an enraged roar.
A Commander, whose rank was clearly higher, looked in the direction where Wei Zhe and the others had vanished, his face turning livid with fury.
"Pursue! Pass down my order: seal off all roads leading south! Even if we have to turn this entire grassland upside down, I want those Qin Army rats dragged out!"
However, when scouts discovered the horseshoe prints left behind by Wei Zhe and his men at the edge of the Gobi, this Commander hesitated.
"They entered the Black Wind Gobi?"
The Black Wind Gobi was what the Xiongnu called this region, meaning the Land of Death. Not only was water scarce there, but black windstorms capable of swallowing everything frequently swept through. Even the herdsmen most familiar with the terrain did not dare to venture deep into it.
"A bunch of lunatics!" The Commander finally cursed through gritted teeth. "Send a thousand-man troop to trail far behind them! Everyone else, follow me to continue sealing off the southern main route! I refuse to believe they can stay hidden in the Gobi forever and never come out!"
He made what he believed to be the safest decision, but in doing so, he gave Wei Zhe the most precious breathing room.
On the Gobi desert, the scorching sun blazed.
Wei Zhe's party had already made a forced march of nearly a hundred li. The warhorses beneath them were already foaming at the mouth, and the brothers' lips were chapped and peeling, but not a single person uttered a complaint.
They knew that stopping meant death.
"Squad Leader, there's a small sand dune ahead. We can take cover behind it and give the brothers and horses a breather," Qian Hu suggested.
"Good."
Wei Zhe nodded, feeling too that the troop had reached its limit.
The group took shelter on the leeward side of the sand dune, greedily drinking the precious water from their water skins and taking out jerky to silently replenish their strength.
Wei Zhe seized this opportunity to enter the system once more.
He now held 1,600 Tempering Points in his hands, which was a massive fortune.
Strength and physique are already sufficient. What I need most right now is speed and explosive power.
A thought stirred in his mind.
Agility, add 1,500 points!
He poured almost all of his points into agility!
"Boom!"
An unprecedented feeling of lightness coursed through his entire body. He felt as though his physical form had cast off the shackles of gravity, and his neural reaction speed had increased tenfold and more! He could even clearly catch the faint trajectory of a sand scorpion crawling across the sand in the distance.
Opening the status panel once again:
Character: Wei Zhe Realm: Second-Order Warrior (Mastery) Strength: 100 Agility: 225 Physique: 102 Available Tempering Points: 100+
"This feeling..." Wei Zhe clenched his fists. He was confident that his speed was now so fast it was difficult for the naked eye to catch!
At that moment, Hu Lei, who was on guard duty, suddenly sounded an alarm.
"Squad Leader! There is smoke and dust behind us! It's the Xiongnu pursuers!"
The group's hearts tightened, and they quickly looked back.
They saw that on the distant horizon, a black line was rapidly expanding. Judging by the banners and scale, it was at least a thousand-man troop!
"They really did pursue us!" Qian Hu's expression turned grave. "Squad Leader, let's run!"
"We can't run anymore." Wei Zhe's gaze, however, was exceptionally calm. He looked at the narrow canyon entrance not far ahead, the corners of his mouth curving into a cold, sharp arc. "Since they're delivering themselves to our doorstep, we'll accept this generous gift."
"Squad Leader, what do you mean?"
"Attack!" Wei Zhe's voice was resolute and decisive. "Qian Hu, take fifteen men and head into the canyon first, setting up an ambush on both sides. Hu Lei, take four men and come with me. We are going to deliver a 'welcome gift' to them."
Within his eyes flashed a wild and confident radiance.
He was going to use this thousand-man troop to test out his newly skyrocketed strength!
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