Half-Moon Gorge

As Nangong Zhan escorted the Li Family and Zhang Family toward the commandery city, the Azure Cloud Ridge army also began its withdrawal.

Li Xuancang felt somewhat excited. He was about to see the family he hadn't seen for years, and his emotions refused to settle.

Nangong Zhan drove the carriage, taking Father Li, Mother Li, eldest sister Li Xiu and her family, racing onward under the escort of Azure County yamen guards.

Three days later, just after leaving Azure County's borders and entering the mountain official road leading to the commandery city, they encountered trouble.

More than twenty ragged refugees suddenly sprang out onto the road ahead, wielding blades and clubs.

Their faces were fierce as they blocked the way.

They were all commoners who could no longer survive, reduced to roving bandits who robbed amid the chaos.

Recently, many refugees had fled to Peace Prefecture. They had taken to blocking the road here, hoping to seize money and grain and abduct women and children.

"Stop! Leave behind your money, grain, carriages, and horses, and we'll spare your lives."

The leader strode forward with a blade in hand, greedily eyeing the three spacious carriages. Behind him, the refugees shouted and swarmed forward to surround them.

"Waaah, waaah..."

Doudou's cries came from inside the carriage, and Li Xiu hurriedly gathered her into her arms to comfort her.

"What do we do? Are we going to die here?"

Zhang Erzhu and the mother-daughter pair, Yang Cuihua, had gone pale with fright, huddling in the carriage and trembling.

It was their first time encountering bandits, and they were utterly at a loss.

Father Li and Mother Li had also turned pale, while Zhang Cuier and Li Ling'er clung to each other in terror.

"Master Li, there's no need to panic. They're only a few petty thieves. I'll deal with them shortly."

As everyone trembled with unease, Nangong Zhan's voice reached them from outside the carriage. His tone was steady, as though he were discussing some trivial matter, and it inexplicably reassured them.

Clang!

The yamen guards immediately drew their weapons and stood before the carriages.

The other side had many men, and every one of them seemed ready to risk his life. The guards didn't dare strike first.

"You brazen fiends! These are the relatives of Lord Li, a Hundred-Man Commander at the border! Who dares act recklessly?"

The leading yamen runner shouted sternly, hoping to frighten off the mob.

But they had long become desperadoes. Hearing this only made them more arrogant.

"What Lord Li, Lord Wang? I can barely stay alive, so who gives a damn about you? Hand over your things now, or we'll take the people too!"

If the other side hadn't had more than ten men and looked difficult to deal with, the bandits would have already rushed in and slaughtered everyone.

In order to survive, they no longer cared whether their targets belonged to the government.

Fearless, the bandits waved their blades and clubs as they charged forward.

"Everyone, be careful."

The yamen guards gripped their weapons tightly, nerves taut as they prepared to fight.

At that moment, Nangong Zhan leaped down from the carriage, and the aura of the Body Tempering Realm erupted.

Boom!

A wave of sha qi rushed at them head-on, instantly terrifying every bandit into not daring to advance.

He raised the border army's Military Merit Medal high and roared.

"Open your dog eyes and look! This is a Great Yan border army Military Merit Medal, the supreme merit Lord Li earned by slaughtering Barbarians and demons, bathing in blood!"

"To bear this medal is to represent the military might of the imperial court. Offending the medal or harming a military family is tantamount to treason and rebellion—punishable by the extermination of nine clans!"

"No matter where you flee, the imperial court will hunt you without end."

Seeing Nangong Zhan in military uniform, radiating terrifying sha qi, and hearing his words, the bandits were scared out of their wits. Their bodies went limp, and some collapsed straight to the ground.

Though they were refugees turned bandits, they still knew of Military Merit Medals.

They were tokens only possessed by fierce border generals who had rendered illustrious military service. Not to mention rabble like them—even bandit gangs numbering over a thousand would have to think twice upon seeing one.

Harming the relatives of a medal holder was a crime that warranted the extermination of nine clans. Even if they were lent a hundred times their courage, they wouldn't dare make another move.

"Why aren't you getting the hell out of the way?"

The Li Family was still in the carriage, and Nangong Zhan didn't want bloodshed. That was why he chose to intimidate the bandits. Otherwise, he would've long since struck and slain them all here.

"Quick, quick, move aside."

How could the bandits still dare rob anyone now? They hurriedly cleared the road.

The leader's legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly with a trembling voice.

"This lowly one failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended the family of a military lord! Please spare my life, my lord! Please spare my life!"

The rest of the mob were even more frightened out of their souls. They all knelt and begged for mercy, no longer daring to harbor the slightest evil intent. They hurried to the roadside, kowtowing without stop and respectfully clearing the way, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Nangong Zhan put away the medal, his gaze icy as he shouted, "Scram! Come near again, and you'll be killed without mercy!"

The bandits felt as though they had received a pardon. They scrambled and crawled away in panic, quickly vanishing into the mountain forest.

A crisis had been completely resolved with nothing more than a single Military Merit Medal.

Watching this, the yamen runners grew even more awed by Li Xuancang.

Inside the carriages, the Li Family finally relaxed, their hearts filled with pride and reassurance.

Nangong Zhan took up the reins again, and the party continued onward. Along the way, no bandits or rogue soldiers dared block their path again.

Whenever they encountered checkpoints or displaced people, all they had to do was reveal the Military Merit Medal, and everyone would voluntarily step aside, not daring to approach.

The commandery army had fully withdrawn and was rapidly heading for Profound Sun Commandery City. They were about to pass through Half-Moon Gorge.

"Will Zhou Xingzhan really pass through here?"

At the highest point of Half-Moon Gorge, several Barbarian generals stared down at the gorge with gloomy eyes and asked a Human Race man beside them in low voices.

"Of course. Every move this army makes is under our control. Whether you can wipe them out completely depends on you."

The man radiated a sinister aura from head to toe, brimming with confidence.

"This time, we must kill Zhou Xingzhan and avenge Gu Shuo."

The three Barbarian generals unleashed astonishing killing intent, determined to avenge Gu Shuo.

The setting sun was like blood, shrouding the several thousand soldiers marching onward.

"Once we pass through Half-Moon Gorge, we can rest."

After traveling for an entire day, everyone was exhausted.

Zhou Xingzhan planned to have everyone light fires and cook once they had crossed Half-Moon Gorge.

Li Xuancang wore the heavy armor of a Hundred-Man Commander and led the troops under his command in the middle of the army.

He kept watch over the surroundings at all times, yet a lingering sense of danger refused to leave his heart.

This full-scale retreat and abandonment of the border defenses had been a helpless choice from the start.

The army carried supplies, making its march slow and leaving it highly vulnerable to ambush.

The gorge before them was a natural place for an ambush. If Li Xuancang had been in command, he never would've risked passing through it at such a time.

Unfortunately, he was only a Hundred-Man Commander, insignificant and lacking influence. Moreover, the scouts they had sent out hadn't discovered anything unusual. Even if he reported it to Zhou Xiong, it would be useless.

He could only follow the army and prepare to pass through Half-Moon Gorge.