He vaguely saw that the dense forests on both sides of Beishan Road were already filled with countless figures. By calculating the density of arrows earlier and combining it with what he could now see, he roughly estimated that there were about sixty enemies.

After all, this was within the territory of the Tang Empire, and the target of the assassination was none other than the Emperor’s most beloved Fourth Princess. For the sake of secrecy both before and after the act, the enemy could not deploy a true large force; they could only choose the most loyal and unwavering death warriors.

Since they were death warriors, their numbers naturally could not be too great. But Adam Spencer knew very well that on the battlefield, victory was never simply a matter of numbers. On the contrary, a squad composed entirely of fearless death warriors was the hardest to deal with.

For such a shocking assassination arranged by the empire’s powerful figures, besides deploying death warriors, it was even possible that cultivators would be invited to take action. The thought that he might witness a clash between such powerful individuals on the battlefield today made Adam Spencer inexplicably excited, but immediately after, he felt an unprecedented fear.

“What rotten luck,” he muttered, turning to glance at the maid beside him. He noticed that apart from an initial flash of panic and confusion in her eyes, this young woman had quickly regained her composure and calm, and he couldn’t help but silently praise her in his heart.

The enemies in the dense forests on both sides had already surged out. The men in plain gray Tang army uniforms were not masked, wielding standard steel sabers as they charged forward like a pack of wolves. Since they made no attempt to conceal their identities, it was clear that one side was destined to be completely slaughtered.

The fierce barbarians surrounding the convoy were horse bandits subdued by Her Highness the Princess on the grasslands. The earlier rain of arrows had already awakened their ferocity. Some raised their short bows and began firing rapidly, while others howled as they drew the curved blades at their waists and rushed to meet the enemy.

At the entrance to Beishan Road, the clash of blades rang out fiercely. Amid muffled grunts and wild roars, men from both sides fell one after another. Blade tips pierced chests and bellies, edges slashed open throats, and blood sprayed from the men’s bodies, soaking and reddening the already damp, crimson leaves.

The battle entered its most brutal phase from the very start, yet no one retreated, no one turned to flee. Beyond martial skill and killing techniques, what was being tested was the fierce will to fight and the courage to bleed.

Those barbarians loyal to the princess were extremely skilled archers—brave and unflustered. In an instant, they suppressed the enemy’s assault. Figures kept falling in the forest, and the barbarians, shrieking strangely, counterattacked and gradually took control of the woods around the convoy. Yet, despite their ferocity, they remained cautious and did not blindly expand their position.

From any angle, the tactical choices of these barbarian guards were extremely sound—at least in Adam Spencer’s eyes. That’s why he was puzzled as to why the maid beside him looked increasingly grave and somber, as if she was worried about something.

After all, these valiant grassland barbarians had never experienced the terrifying battles of the Central Plains. She worried about this, bit her lip hard, and prepared to stand up.

Adam Spencer would never let her expose herself and thus put himself and Lily Spencer in danger. He clenched his right hand into a fist and struck the back of her knee, forcing her back down.

“What are you doing!”

The maid glared at him angrily, her right hand quietly and slowly reaching toward her waist.

Adam Spencer kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield, completely ignoring her question. When he noticed the scene at the convoy, a certain possibility occurred to him, and he couldn’t help but feel a chill.

The fighting at the entrance to Beishan Road was at its most intense, yet inside the convoy there was an eerie silence. The dozen or so elite Tang guards who had accompanied the princess to the grasslands were half-kneeling like stone statues around the two carriages.

In front of one carriage, an elderly man in an old robe sat with his eyes closed, facing the ever-darkening, gloomy depths of the forest, protected by layers of guards.

Adam Spencer nervously licked his numb lips and reached out to Lily Spencer. His palm was slick with sweat he didn’t know when had appeared, damp and clammy.

Lily Spencer glanced at him, handed over the bow and arrows in her hand, then silently and slowly took off the black umbrella from her back and quietly placed it on the fallen leaves beside her.

The fighting continued. The three of them were separated from the brutal battlefield by the convoy. Judging by the situation, the battle between the grassland barbarians and the death warriors would not reach this spot for the time being. Yet for some reason, Adam Spencer felt an unprecedented tension, and the sweat between his palm and the bowstring gradually dried without him noticing.

The dozen or so guards kneeling like stone statues beside the carriage stared coldly into the depths of the forest. Their dark faces were full of determination and calm—alert, but without a trace of fear.

These Tang guards were all from the Yulin Army of Chang’an, specially selected to accompany the Fourth Princess to the grasslands, the most elite members of the military. Yet in today’s battle outside Beishan Road, their behavior was somewhat strange.

When the rain of arrows came from the dim depths of the forest, they quickly formed a circular defensive formation, silently taking cover behind their shields. When the enemy death warriors charged in a bloodthirsty assault, they still did not move, maintaining their posture, completely ignoring the brutal fighting happening all around them.

From time to time, allied grassland barbarians died before their eyes, and lifeless bodies crashed into the convoy with dull thuds, yet they didn’t even blink, always staring coldly into the depths of the forest, their hearts and bodies as unyielding as iron and stone.