Chapter Nine, One Man Guards the Pass

Long Tianyu smiled calmly, raising his left hand in a fist as a gesture of strength, and with great enthusiasm declared: "Brothers, take care, we shall meet again in Shouchun!" After speaking, he drew a long sword, swiftly waved it several times to deflect the incoming arrows, then flipped and leaped onto his horse, galloping away.

This is the drawback of the long sword. Swordsmanship, which took shape during the Western Zhou Dynasty, is one of the most culturally rich weapons developed over several hundred years. In the era of chariot warfare, it was a defensive weapon used only in close combat. After the decline of chariot warfare, the sword once served as a powerful tool for combat in military formations, but later the saber replaced the sword in terms of lethal effectiveness.

I can't believe it! Long Tianyu stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the valley that rose thousands of feet high, and couldn't help but exclaim his misfortune

Long Tianyu turned his head to glance at the bottomless abyss behind him, casually discarding the sword in his hand, and smiled, saying: "With your capabilities, do you really think you can capture me? Do not indulge in foolish dreams! Before you meet your end, allow me to offer a word of advice: those who commit unjust acts will surely bring about their own demise. When you eventually descend into the underworld, do not come seeking my life!" As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a miniature explosive grenade from his sleeve and fell backward into the abyss.

Long Tianyu could only resort to a combination of coaxing and firmness to barely keep Yu Ji steady. Before parting, she pressed her lips to her husband's cheek and whispered, "If anything were to happen to you, my lord, I would not wish to live a day longer than you." The swollen, beautiful eyes emitted a passionate fire that nearly melted Long Tianyu.

Ten strong men were inspired by his boldness, instantly igniting their fighting spirit, and they responded in unison.

Long Tianyu gathered the ten skilled swordsmen he had left and inspired them, saying: "After nurturing soldiers for a thousand days, the time to use them is now. Today is the moment for you to pledge your loyalty to the master and demonstrate your might. I, Long Tianyu, am honored to fight alongside you brave warriors who fear neither life nor death! Although the Qin army is strong, we do not fear them. As long as you all obey the orders, we will surely defeat the enemy!"

Long Tianyu swiftly broke dozens of trees using the same method, blocking off the surroundings. Five individuals collecting combustible materials spread out over a dozen bags of flammable substances on the ground; another group also set up traps

Long Tianyu rode swiftly, evading the arrows shot at him, galloping towards the foothills. Behind him, over a hundred Qin soldiers pursued relentlessly, their eyes blazing with fury, vowing to capture him alive.

Then, he put on his boots, extended his right hand to press the diamond ring on his ring finger against the tree trunk, activating a special knob. This device contained a high-frequency single-tone agitator, which adjusted to resonate at the same frequency as the tree trunk itself. By utilizing the resonance effect, a slight force was enough to break the entire tree at the knife mark.

Behind him, the sound of footsteps and horse hooves arose, followed by a throng of over one hundred Qin soldiers rushing forward. Their armor and clothing were scorched, their faces covered in soot, as if they had just emerged from a cauldron.

Guo Jing observed Long Tianyu's unwavering conviction and felt grateful for the support from behind. However, thinking of the thousands of fierce and ruthless Qin soldiers, he couldn't help but feel a chill. Yet, seeing Long Tianyu's calm demeanor and confident composure, he secretly admired the other's extraordinary courage and determination

In the distance, several warriors were hurriedly making arrangements. Although their morale was high, the thought of the overwhelming numbers and strength of the Qin soldiers made them feel uneasy.

Long Tianyu, upon seeing the formation of the Qin army, could not help but admire the quality of the Qin troops, who remained calm in the face of danger; no wonder they were able to unify the six states. If his side were to confront them head-on, it would indeed be difficult to gain the upper hand. From a distance, he observed that over a thousand Qin soldiers had already entered the danger zone, and the timing was just right. He let out a long howl and commanded, "Boys, fire the arrows!"

Yu Ji washed her face with tears, holding tightly to her beloved's hand, unwilling to let go, vowing to stay together with him even in death, which made Guo Yuying cry along with her

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air, and the cavalry in the front row was thrown into disarray. They either fell into pits filled with sharp spikes or were tripped by the horse reins, causing chaos in the front. However, the formation in the center remained completely unshaken, as they swiftly arranged themselves to prepare for the sudden ambush.

The fire spread rapidly, engulfing over a thousand Qin soldiers in its flames. The entire nearby forest was caught in the fierce blaze, with flames soaring into the sky, and towering ancient trees falling one after another, further amplifying the spectacle.

Long Tianyu approached a poplar tree that was thick enough for him to wrap his arms around. He drew a dagger from his cowboy boots and deeply carved a circular groove into the bark, cutting through the tree's surface.

The group of warriors dispersed with expressions of suspicion, dividing into two teams to immediately begin their preparations

At the time of parting, Guo Jing grasped his shoulder with gratitude and said: "It all depends on Tian Yu. In the future, when you come to the Guo residence in Shouchun, I, Guo, will certainly take care of Lady Long as if she were my own daughter."

Long Tianyu helped Yu Ji into the carriage and, with a reluctant heart, comforted her, saying: "Yu'er, listen to your husband and go ahead with Mr. Guo to Shouchun. I will eliminate the Qin soldiers and will definitely come to meet you. It will be no less than a few days and no more than a month, and I will surely arrive at the Guo residence to pick you up!"

Long Tianyu could not help but feel a chill run down his spine, let alone the more than ten warriors beside him, as the disparity in strength was too great. In ancient warfare, no matter how valiant an individual might be, they could not withstand the devastation of an army and the relentless tide of its assault

Although the flames were fierce, over a hundred fierce Qin soldiers still leaped out like the wind, darting through the tongues of fire and charging forward.

Suddenly startled by a sound, I turned my head to look and saw Long Tianyu single-handedly uprooting a large tree. I was astonished and speechless, thinking to myself: "He is not human at all; he is simply a deity!"

Thick smoke billowed up, with some drifting outward. Upon seeing this, Long Tianyu felt assured of victory and issued the order to retreat. As everyone was about to leap onto their horses, a sudden cry of anguish was heard nearby, as two warriors who had mounted their horses were struck by arrows and fell to the ground

Long Tianyu nodded and said: "You ten will be divided into two groups. There is a small path in the dense forest ahead that is a route the Qin soldiers must take. One group will immediately set up horse snares and pit traps at the front, while the other group will gather some pine nuts and flammable materials from the pine forest on the right to lay along the sides of the path in the thicket. I will go and fell the large trees around to block the escape route of the Qin soldiers. As long as we prepare properly before the Qin army arrives, we will have a ninety percent chance of success and can catch up with the team before sunrise"

The remaining eight family warriors were astonished and shocked, all believing they must have misheard. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, guest officials, warriors, and family soldiers have been provided by the lords and masters to serve in perilous situations. They have always been used as shields or sacrifices, and have never encountered such a master. In that moment of excitement, they were rendered speechless

As the horse was about to gallop to the summit, an arrow suddenly struck its belly, and with a long neigh, it collapsed to the ground. Long Tianyu leaped urgently, rolled onto the grass, and then quickly drew his sword and rushed up the mountain top.

With a sharp "crack," it fell to the ground, startling a flock of birds from the trees into the sky

Suddenly, a bright flame ignited, and more than ten rockets soared into the sky one after another, landing precisely on the fuel that had been prepared in advance

The Qin soldiers, seeing that he had no way to escape, spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Long Tianyu in front. One of the Qin generals, mounted on a horse, shouted: "Bold thief, daring to ambush the Qin army with the intention of rebellion; I see you are tired of living!"

Long Tianyu whispered, "Quickly lie down!" He then surveyed the surrounding terrain and continued, "I will go divert the Qin soldiers; you all take your chances and escape swiftly!"

Upon hearing the words of the ten renowned generals, they found the plan intriguing; however, when they heard that he intended to fell the towering trees surrounding them, they could not fully believe it. After all, human strength is limited, and without axes or tools, how could one possibly cut down such towering trees

Turning back once more, the eight renowned warriors had all knelt on one knee, tears welling in their eyes as they bid farewell to the heroes in their hearts

Long Tianyu thought that if he were to panic, how could the others not flee in a hurry? He forced himself to remain calm, habitually spinning the platinum diamond ring on his right finger with his left hand to maintain his composure

In a moment, everyone hurriedly mounted their horses, with over forty household guards surrounding the five central carriages, and they quickly departed

As night deepened, more than ten individuals quietly observed the surroundings from the grass outside the forest. Before long, the sound of hooves suddenly echoed, and a troop of over a thousand Qin soldiers marched vigorously along the narrow path into the woods, their strong horses neighing, exuding an air of murderous intent

In an instant, flames leapt in four directions, and the ground beneath was immediately engulfed in fire due to the dry grass and branches. In fact, there was no need for any combustible material; during the month of July, with several days having passed without any sign of rain, the dry branches and leaves of the trees ignited at the slightest touch