William Reed also knew that saving a life was as urgent as putting out a fire. Although he was shocked, he dared not delay. He turned his horse and headed toward the small path on the left side of the village. It seemed that the two howling sounds from earlier had had an effect. William Reed had barely run a dozen or so yards when several more riders burst out from the slope.

Composed once more, Emily Harris immediately drew her bow and shot an arrow in a strange posture, killing one person. Meanwhile, William Reed charged forward on horseback, the icy flame in his hand like the scythe of death, harvesting the heads of his enemies.

It was only about a hundred yards to Emily's house, but along the way, the two of them encountered several waves of enemies—seventeen or eighteen riders in total, four of whom were of Black Iron rank. Because of the intense fighting in such a short time, William Reed's battle energy was severely depleted. When facing the final wave—a cavalry squad of six—he was accidentally slashed across the chest by a Black Iron-ranked rider. Fortunately, the wonders of battle energy were endless; with a quick circulation, he managed to seal the wound and stop the bleeding.

After these fierce battles, William Reed's eyes were already filled with exhaustion, and his muscles ached and tingled unbearably. Though battle energy was miraculous, it was not inexhaustible. And to fight alone against many on the battlefield, with the constant threat of injury or death, was a harsh test of one's spirit and will.

“Grandpa.” Behind him, Emily Harris suddenly leapt off her horse, her expression miserable and panicked as she cried out, then rushed to the dying old man lying by a pile of firewood, lifting him up in her arms.

William Reed's pupils contracted as well. With his experience, he could tell that the old man was likely at death's door, especially with that gruesome axe wound on his chest, blood soaking most of his body. Even a strong adult man would struggle to survive such a wound, let alone an elderly man with white hair and beard, who showed no sign of battle energy. However, what surprised William Reed a little was that not far from the old man, three bandit corpses were scattered.

Although no more enemies appeared for the moment, William Reed remained extremely cautious. He dismounted, drew his icy flame weapon, and stood in front of Emily Harris to shield her. “Emily, this is not a place to linger. Quickly bandage your grandpa—we need to leave immediately.”

Emily Harris, though capable and not spoiled, was still just a teenage girl. Faced with such a sudden disaster, she was already in tears and at a loss. But she clearly trusted William Reed deeply, relying on him in this critical moment. She hurriedly fumbled out herbs and bandages, trying to treat her grandpa’s wounds.

“Emily, you, you’re still alive. That’s… that’s wonderful.” The old man’s breath was faint, but at this moment, as if in a final burst of energy, his face gained a bit of color.

“Grandpa, don’t worry. Brother Reed and I will definitely save you. You won’t die.” Though Emily Harris was grief-stricken, with William Reed by her side, she seemed much calmer. She wiped her tears, her face pale, but her hands moved quickly to treat the wound.

“Emily, don’t waste your time.” The old man stopped Emily Harris with difficulty, gasping weakly. “I… I know this wound. I won’t make it. Under the… under the kang, go get… hurry, go now.” At the end, the old man seemed a bit angry.

Of course, Emily Harris was unwilling, but William Reed took the bandage from her and said seriously, “Emily, go get the item. I’ll take care of this.”

“Grandpa, you must hold on.” Emily Harris rushed into the house in a panic.

William Reed was no stranger to some emergency first aid. As he helped treat the old man’s wound, he sighed inwardly—Emily Harris’s grandpa was unlikely to survive.

“Cough, cough. Young man, I don’t know what your relationship with Emily is, but I can see she trusts you very much.” The old man coughed as he spoke, his face gaining a bit more color. “I won’t make it. I hope you can take her to her grandmother. Her grandmother is… is… Wan… Wan Family Fort~…”

Before he could finish, the old man’s head slumped to the side and his eyes closed. William Reed checked his breath and shook his head regretfully. At this moment, Emily Harris came rushing out with a metal box, and when she saw the scene, her little face turned deathly pale, as if struck by lightning, and she stood there in shock. The metal box in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.

Just as William Reed was about to step forward to comfort her, his expression suddenly changed. He quickly pressed his ear to the ground and felt faint tremors, accompanied by the distant sound of thunder rolling along the earth.

Cavalry—a large force of cavalry.

He had just killed more than twenty riders, which was already his limit. But now, the sound of hooves was fast and heavy, like muffled thunder. Even if William Reed wasn’t a professional scout, he knew that such momentum could not come from a small group of cavalry. There were at least a hundred enemies, possibly several hundred.

Even at his peak, facing such a cavalry force head-on would mean certain death. Although he had already broken through to high-level Bronze rank, anyone commanding such a force would not be weak.

With the agility of a leopard, he scooped up the grief-stricken Emily Harris, grabbed the metal box, and mounted his horse at lightning speed. In a cold, murderous whisper, he ordered, “Emily Harris, a large enemy force is coming. If you don’t want your grandpa to die in vain, if you want to avenge him, hold on to my waist—now!”