After leaving Mountain Pass, which towered a hundred and twenty zhang high, the group had already traveled roughly a dozen li to the northwest.
At the very front were four scouts carrying no extra loads, while Old Zheng followed behind them with the five elite soldiers of the Hundred Battles Battalion under his command.
Killing an Outer Dao Puppet had stirred no emotion in Old Zheng.
These elite soldiers of the Far East's 4th Composite Legion had already fought on more battlefields than they could count.
The snow continued to fall harder and harder.
The figures of the scouts ahead were also growing increasingly indistinct.
"Keep up!"
Old Zheng shouted.
If they neglected their duties during such an important operation, they would inevitably be punished when they returned to Mountain Pass.
Despite his gloves, Zhang Yuanyu's fingers had gone numb with cold as he gripped the reins.
The cold air made his throat ache, but he still had no choice but to breathe through his half-open mouth.
His nose had long since been frozen completely shut.
"Xingyu!"
Zhang Yuanyu shouted:
"Are you all right?"
He called toward Ju Xingyu beside him.
But the reply came not from Ju Xingyu, who was bent forward and concentrating on riding, but from Old Zheng up ahead.
"Shut up!"
Old Zheng's voice was harsh and full of impatience:
"Concentrate on riding and keep up with the scouts!"
Zhang Yuanyu said nothing more.
Although the distance between them and the scouts ahead had kept widening for a time, they eventually caught up.
That was because the scouts had begun climbing a slope.
Zhang Yuanyu did not know how long he had been away from Mountain Pass. Perhaps one two-hour watch, perhaps two.
When Zhang Yuanyu and the others reached the crest of the hill, they