Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

The howling of wolves continued throughout the night.

Many people did not rest well that night because the howls coming from afar seemed to possess a magical power, capable of penetrating the ears of the sleeping and forcing them to wake up.

Moreover, the howling did not come from one direction; it was distant at times and close at others, fluctuating unpredictably. Sometimes it seemed to recede, but the next moment it would suddenly rise from a place very near.

Yet when the Feathered Forest Guard scouts went to investigate, they came back empty-handed.

Such harassment was infuriating and helpless.

By the next morning, when the marriage delegation set out again, many were yawning with bleary eyes.

"This is a common tactic of the steppe horse bandits."

Feathered Forest Guard Commander Sun Zhengheng said to Wang Chen: "We must have been targeted!"

"White Wolf Thieves?"

Wang Chen asked: "If it's the White Wolf Thieves, do they have ties with Great Yan? Would they still target us?"

"Not everyone supports the marital alliance between our two nations..."

Sun Zhengheng replied solemnly: "There are opponents in Great Liang, as well as in Great Yan!"

Wang Chen nodded.

Both Great Liang and Great Yan are empires with vast populations and territories, accumulating too many ills over centuries of history; the internal situation is inherently complex, so this sort of development is quite normal.

Regardless of whether it is the White Wolf Thieves or not, the marriage envoy now truly faced a test on this vast steppe.

For three consecutive days, the raids by the horse bandits did not cease.

Apart from using wolf howls to disrupt the rest of the marriage delegation, they also sent small units of raider cavalry to move around the camp, frequently launching probing assaults.

These bandits were extremely cunning, never engaging in direct combat with the Feathered Forest Guard scouts, shooting a few arrows from a distance and then fleeing.

They were even more slippery than loaches!

Moreover, their horsemanship was extremely skilled, and the horses they rode were very fast; the patrolling Feathered Forest Guards simply could not catch up.

One of the Feathered Forest Guards was provoked, chasing them alone for several miles, only to become encircled by the horse bandits' raider cavalry.

Fortunately, his comrades arrived in time to rescue him, preventing a tragedy.

However, this incident also dealt a significant blow to the morale of the Feathered Forest Guards, making these proud and valiant soldiers realize that not all bandits were mere rabble who could only bully the common folk!

"Tonight, have all the Feathered Forest Guards stay in the camp; no one is to go out without orders."

On the evening of the fourth day, Wang Chen said to Sun Zhengheng: "As for these bandits, leave them to me to deal with."

Previously, Wang Chen had refrained from taking action, firstly out of respect for Sun Zhengheng's authority, unwilling to overstep his bounds, and secondly because, he had not expected the bandits to be so crafty and difficult to deal with.

This resulted in a significant blow to the morale of the marriage delegation, with poor rest at night and slower travel speed during the day.

If this continued, when the main force of the bandits attacked, it would be a good outcome if the three thousand Feathered Forest Guards could exert half their strength!

Sun Zhengheng hesitated for a moment but still said, "Then you must be very careful!"

In his understanding of Wang Chen, although young, Wang Chen never made empty boasts.

Wang Chen smiled and said: "Don't worry."

If he were to be harmed by these bandits, that would truly be a huge joke.

That night, when the marriage envoy camped out again, they deliberately chose a wind-sheltered hillside and significantly reduced the size of the camp area. They also connected the wagons end to end to form a makeshift camp wall.

The Feathered Forest Guards who received the orders were stationed behind this defense line, protecting the Princess's Caravan in the middle.

The weather in the evening was not good, a wind quickly arose, and large swaths of dark clouds obscured the moon, casting the vast grassland into darkness.

Without any surprise, accompanied by the intermittent howling of wolves, one after another, the Horse Bandits' Raider Cavalry appeared around the camp like ghosts, like the claws of wild beasts!

A fierce Horse Bandit quietly approached the camp, looking at the brightly illuminated caravan in front of him by the bonfire, a ferocious smile appeared on his rugged face.

The next moment, he fiercely drew his longbow, a black-painted arrow resting steadily on the bowstring.

For the Horse Bandits skilled in horseback archery, it was an easy task to shoot an arrow hundreds of steps away using a Strongbow with a lobbing technique.

However, just as this Horse Bandit was about to release the bowstring, he suddenly felt an utterly hair-raising sensation, and immense fear surged up from the bottom of his heart instantly.

Thwack!

An arrow shot from who-knows-where mercilessly pierced through his skull!

This capable Horse Bandit died instantly, falling from his horse with a longbow still clenched in his hand without even having the chance to scream.

His nearby companions were still oblivious to the danger, each excitedly raising their own bows and arrows.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The deadly arrows came from the darkness, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, each one taking a life with precision, swiftness, and extreme sharpness.

"Ah!"

Finally, one of the attacked Horse Bandits let out a harrowing scream that carried far with the wind.

It was at this time that the Horse Bandits, who thought they could play around with the Feathered Forest Guard like they did a few days ago, realized that the roles of hunter and prey had switched.

The retaliation of their opponents was far stronger and more terrifying than they had imagined!

One after another, their companions were sent to the Netherworld, and the surviving Horse Bandits had no idea where the attacks came from, the fear of death instantly shattering their will to fight, causing them to scatter and flee.

However, the massacre did not stop there, and those fleeing bandits were still hit by arrows shot from behind.

The remaining bandits were now even more panicked, uncontrollably uttering their jumbled cries in the Mongolian dialect common on the grasslands, as if doing so could solve the issue of the "Demon" that had appeared behind them.

The result was that the louder they shouted, the quicker the deadly arrows arrived.

Some bandits managed to escape nearly ten miles but were still shot dead!

The massacre in the dark did not last long, only a few bandits managed to escape alive, and no more annoying wolf howls were heard that night.

The members of the Princess's Caravan finally had a good night's sleep, which led to everyone getting up late the next day.

Then, the Feathered Forest Guards who went out on patrol discovered the bodies of bandits lying around the camp, with their horses without owners wandering nearby.

This scene shocked many people.

After a simple count, over a hundred bodies were found!

All killed by arrows.

Such a victory was unbelievable even to Sun Zhengheng.

He knew it was Wang Chen's doing, but had no idea how Wang Chen had achieved this.

It should be noted that these Horse Bandits were not simply bandits and had the advantage of knowing the terrain.

Yet they were completely annihilated by Wang Chen!

After this battle, Wang Chen's prestige as a Marriage Envoy in the Princess's Caravan soared straight up.

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The first update is here.