Caution: Gap Ahead

The polar night was the darkest hour of the day, a time when all creation fell into its deepest slumber.

Yet, on the vast plains along the southern banks of the Luoshui River, a massive swath of silent darkness was advancing rapidly toward the north in an arrow formation.

The horses' hooves and the soldiers' footsteps had been specially treated and wrapped in soft cloth. Only the low howling of the wind and muffled breaths flowed through the night.

Having shed their heavy armor, the mobility of the Golden Feather Guards had clearly increased by more than just a single tier.

Even with Gu Chengyin and the others riding fast on horseback at the front, not a single guard running on foot fell behind.

In a short period of time, they had already advanced hundreds of miles north. On the distant horizon, the sparse lights of Dawn City were faintly visible.

"Halt."

At the very front, the tip of the arrow, a brief, low shout rippled outward like a stone tossed into a still lake.

The entire high-speed, dark arrow formation instantly froze. The transition from extreme motion to absolute stillness was seamless, without a trace of sluggishness or chaos, revealing a terrifying level of discipline.

"The map."

A faint, eerie light, as dim as a firefly, quietly lit up at the tip, illuminating only a tiny radius.

A female official from the Internal Affairs Bureau was already prepared. Under the faint light, she quickly unrolled a leather map, holding it steadily with both hands beside Gu Chengyin's horse.

Gu Chengyin's eyes flashed like lightning. Under the dim illumination, he rapidly scanned the dense markers and lines on the map while asking:

"When was this updated?"

"Fifteen minutes ago," the female official replied in a low voice.

Despite the astonishing speed of the army's march, the Internal Affairs Bureau's intelligence network was operating with equal efficiency, constantly compiling and updating the latest developments on this military map.

Just then, another female official approached silently and handed a Luoshan Token to Shangguan Yunying.

Shangguan Yunying quickly scanned the tiny characters that surfaced on the token. Her expression tightened, and she turned her head to whisper:

"Director Gu, latest intelligence. The eighty thousand reinforcements dispatched from the cities of Shuanghe and Huangzhong have suddenly changed their direction of march. They are heading toward Dawn City at full speed."

"Based on this projection, if we continue north, there is a high probability we will fall into a three-pronged pincer attack before reaching Dawn City."

Almost simultaneously, a faint light flashed at the fingertips of the female official holding the map. The arrows representing the two reinforcement routes from Shuanghe and Huangzhong abruptly changed direction.

Like two massive pincer arms, they viciously clamped down toward the front of Dawn City.

Shangguan Yunying could hardly conceal the worry in her voice, but upon hearing this, Gu Chengyin's eyes showed no concern. Instead, a sharp light gleamed within them.

This was it!

The first point of inflection he had been looking for!

His gaze rapidly swept across the updated map, instantly completing the final deductive confirmation in his mind.

Gu Chengyin hesitated no longer. He raised a hand to signal for the map to be put away, keeping his voice extremely low:

"His Highness commands:"

"Everyone, stay outside the maximum visible range of Dawn City and advance east at full speed along the southern bank of the Luoshui River!"

"Destination: Shuanghe City!"

"Also, from now on, delay leaking our upcoming destinations to the rebels by half an hour."

Shangguan Yunying paused slightly, immediately realizing this was the newest directive.

She instantly issued the command through her Luoshan Token.

Then, with a flick of the reins, the fine steed beneath her surged forward like an arrow released from a bowstring!

But she had forgotten that someone was sitting behind her.

Gu Chengyin was caught completely off guard. His body was violently yanked backward by the immense inertia, and he was on the verge of losing his balance and falling off.

In that critical moment, he instinctively threw his arms forward, tightly wrapping them around Shangguan Yunying's slender yet supple waist, barely managing to steady himself.

Because of this, however, the distance between them was instantly compressed to the absolute limit, pressing them together without a sliver of space.

Shangguan Yunying's entire body suddenly stiffened!

This sudden assault from behind instantly ignited her instinctive defense mechanisms. Her true qi almost uncontrollably surged outward to blast whatever was behind her.

But in a flash, reason forcibly snuffed out that dangerous impulse.

It was her own mistake first!

Having reacted, Shangguan Yunying inwardly berated herself for her negligence. She had almost sent Gu Chengyin flying.

As for this unavoidable intimate contact, she pursed her lips and finally murmured:

"Director Gu, you should... hold on tighter."

She heard her own voice squeezing out of her throat, trying hard to maintain a steady tone.

Yet, it inevitably carried a faint tremor, along with a sense of almost resigned compromise that even she hadn't noticed.

"My apologies."

Gu Chengyin's voice, enveloped in a layer of true qi, pierced through the howling wind and clearly reached Shangguan Yunying's ears, filled with absolute sincerity.

"I didn't mean to. It was just... too sudden."

"It is fine." Shangguan Yunying's answer was brief and calm, sounding as if she truly didn't mind.

However, facing forward where Gu Chengyin couldn't see, the blush on her cheeks had already spread to the roots of her ears, feeling exceptionally burning hot amidst the icy night wind.

"Actually, I have another question."

Gu Chengyin continued to transmit his voice, his tone carrying a hint of genuine surprise.

"At such a fast speed... can the ones behind keep up?"

Shangguan Yunying had clearly executed the command, pushing the phrase advance at full speed to its absolute limit.

This also meant that the night wind was no longer just brushing past them; instead, it lashed at them like an icy steel whip with near frenzied force!

Gu Chengyin felt as if he were sitting in an airplane with its windshield torn off, flying at a low altitude at a ridiculous speed!

This forced him to crouch his body even lower, pressing almost entirely against Shangguan Yunying's back.

His arms hugged her waist even more tightly to withstand the terrifying wind pressure and turbulence, preventing himself from being thrown off again.

The person who answered his question this time was not Shangguan Yunying.

Instead, it was Chen Busha, who was riding equally fast right beside them, acting as their constant guard.

A steady true qi voice transmission was sent directly into Gu Chengyin's ears:

"Do not worry, sir. The bit of true qi consumed by this rapid sprint is not even worth mentioning compared to the exhaustion of a life-and-death battle on the battlefield."

"Furthermore, we are marching light. They are recovering true qi faster than they are expending it."

Hearing this, Gu Chengyin was just about to ask for more details when Shangguan Yunying's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she shouted in a low voice:

"Careful! There is a ravine ahead!"

Before her words even faded, she forcefully pulled the reins!

The magnificent steed beneath her let out a neigh, its front hooves abruptly lifting into the air. With its front high and rear low, the horse leaped over a shadow-shrouded chasm ahead!

Positioned at the front, the highly experienced Shangguan Yunying instantly lowered her posture, pressing tightly against the horse's neck, her center of gravity as steady as a boulder.

But Gu Chengyin, sitting in the back, suffered the consequences.

The sudden upward inertia acted like an invisible giant hand, violently tossing him backward!

His arms, which had been wrapped around Shangguan Yunying's waist, suddenly lost their grip under the abrupt loss of balance and violent jolt, involuntarily letting go.

He was on the verge of being thrown off the horse's back, plummeting into the darkness behind!

In that split second, the instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else.

His loosened hands grabbed upward almost blindly.

Attempting to find and grasp a solid anchor point to stop his fall...