Chapter 489

First Volume, Chapter 489: Even with Wings, Escape Is Impossible

The Tianji Camp Guards' eyes reddened with emotion; each felt they had burdened Qin Feng—if they weren't so useless, trapped within Di territory, how could Qin Feng have risked his life to come rescue them personally?

As subordinates, one should resolve one's lord's troubles, not become the problem.

Ning Hu's words plainly voiced the inner thoughts of all the guards.

At that moment, Qin Feng's cool voice rang out—not loud, yet reaching every ear present.

"I could never stand by and watch my comrades die on foreign soil! Even if you were trapped in a mountain of blades or sea of fire, I would still bring you home!"

At these words, the noisy crowd fell utterly silent.

The guards' gazes toward Qin Feng had become blazingly hot.

Who in Heaven doesn't know the phrase "brothers in spirit"? But how many truly live up to Qin Feng's standard? To these guards, Qin Feng was not merely their benefactor who recognized their worth, their patron who lifted and supported them, their savior who gave them new life—he was now an oath-bound brother who would march unflinchingly through blades and fire for them.

Every Tianji Camp Guard's eyes filled with hot tears; silently, each swore in their heart that their life now belonged to Qin Feng. Since Qin Feng could charge fearlessly through blades and fire for them, they too would gladly face boiling water and raging fire for him.

As the mood gradually calmed, Qin Feng no longer delayed; his eyes revealed a rare seriousness.

"We have only one chance to leave enemy territory and return to our homeland. If we cannot breach the Enemy Army's DefensiveLine within two Envoy, returning home will be as hard as climbing to heaven! Grab your time—discard all non-essential items, lighten your load, and march out immediately!"

The group recognized the gravity of the situation and dared not hesitate a moment longer; no matter how many words they wished to say, they would wait until safely retreating to Beixi County.

The materials brought by the Brocade Guard were all food, arrowheads, and bowstrings—consumables that could not be carried and were not worth the effort to haul; they simply dug several shallow pits on the spot and hastily buried them.

Qin Feng still had over one hundred and sixty cavalrymen, each with two spare War Horses, totaling three hundred idle mounts; on the other side, the Tianji Camp Guards numbered two hundred and twenty, plus the Brocade Guard who transported supplies and provided support—three hundred mounts were exactly enough.

Less than one Cup of Tea Time later, all were ready; with Qin Feng's command, precisely four hundred and fifty men galloped toward Shedynasty.

Since their trail had been exposed, Qin Feng avoided the shortest path straight to Beixi County to prevent colliding with Enemy Army patrols; instead, he first turned eastward in a Yuan Hui maneuver.

The main Di forces were concentrated around Beixi County and the Bian Jun Zhong Zhen direction; the farther east, the weaker the defenses.

But they could not go too far east!

The Beidi Frontier between Shedynasty and Di was not long—extending five hundred Li eastward from Beixi County and the Bian Jun Zhong Zhen, and thirteen hundred Li westward.

Moreover, due to years of hostility between the two nations, neighboring vassal states remained perpetually tense, having swallowed countless border territories; if they rashly approached another nation's frontier, luck might see them driven off—but bad luck could mean being hacked to death on the spot.

Qin Feng led his troops in a rapid charge for twenty Li, then slowed their pace and trotted another fifty Li; without spare War Horses, their mounts were utterly exhausted. To prevent them from collapsing, Qin Feng ordered a halt for rest.

But they dared not linger long—only one Incense Stick Time passed before they resumed their journey; this time, they refused to run again, instead turning their mounts to walk slowly southward.

Due to the detour, Qin Feng did not reach the Beidi Frontier at the agreed time; two Envoy had passed, and darkness had fully fallen. Judging by the uneven terrain around them, this place must be Jiupan Mountain—still at least forty Li from the Beidi Frontier!

To avoid detection, the entire force moved forward in total darkness.

Ning Hu, riding beside him, could barely hide his joy: "Brother Qin, if we keep this pace, we'll cross the Beidi Frontier well before one Envoy has passed. This place is seventy Li from the Battlefront—enemy forces would never set a Bandit Trap here."

In Ning Hu's eyes, returning to Shedynasty was merely a matter of time.

But Qin Feng felt no relief; his eyes swept constantly: "It's not time to rejoice yet. Everything is too quiet—or rather, unnaturally silent. If I were Chen Si, I'd seal every exit. Our Yuan Hui maneuver eastward isn't clever at all."

"The main Di force is focused on attacking the Chanshi region and has no spare troops to extend their blockade. But even so, our situation remains grim—we're fewer than five hundred. Even a small group of Raiding Cavalry could be enough to crush us."

"Spread the word—everyone stay alert! Don't slack off at the final step!"

As Ning Hu relayed the order, a faint stench of horse urine drifted toward them on the wind.

Qin Feng's heart sank; instantly, he pulled his Reins. The soldiers behind him halted in unison.

"Brother Qin, why stop?" Ning Hu trotted back to Qin Feng's side, his voice full of surprise.

Qin Feng did not answer immediately; he took a deep breath—the odor was faint, but his nose caught it clearly.

"It's horse urine."

Ning Hu, who had just been puzzled, instantly grew serious; he sniffed carefully—and indeed, a faint stench lingered.

The smell of horse urine revealed two critical facts.

First, cavalry had passed directly ahead—numerous, and they had stopped there.

Second, they had passed no more than one Li away; otherwise, the odor could not have reached them.

Qin Feng and Ning Hu exchanged a glance, understanding without words; they quietly ordered all troops to prepare for battle and dispatched a foot scout ahead for Reconnaissance.

With total darkness and near-zero visibility, and with possible enemy cavalry lurking nearby, every soldier—including Qin Feng—felt their hearts in their throats.

"Commandant Ning."

"Brother Qin, what's your order?"

Qin Feng took a deep breath, his eyes filled with unprecedented resolve—he had prepared for the worst: "Give this order immediately: if anyone becomes separated from the Main Force, do not attempt to force your way across the Beidi Frontier—retreat directly to Qingyu Mountain."

In this pitch-black environment, if battle erupted—especially with cavalry—the chaos would be absolute. Even the most disciplined Army could not maintain Formation; once scattered, reuniting would be impossible.

And charging blindly through enemy territory like a headless fly would be suicide.