The army rested for the night, and continued their journey early the next day.
"Big brother, something doesn't feel right, it's too quiet," Su Yu rode up to Su Yu, handing him a water flask.
Su Yu's gaze was deep, he looked around and took a few sips of the water, "Be careful, it's only been a couple of days, it won't be easy."
"Okay, I'll go up front, you stay and guard Grandfather," Su Yu spurred his horse forward.
"Be careful."
Su Yue and Xuan Little Three and Xuan Little Four continued to follow Su Huan, "Little Five, something's not right here, it's too quiet, not even any bird calls, which would be understandable since it's the mountains."
"Big White has also disappeared, we should send Big White up front to take a look," Xuan Little Four said, chewing on a blade of grass like a young master.
"Big White has already gone, if he finds something amiss, he'll give a warning for sure," Su Yue said.
As soon as she finished speaking, a wolf's howl echoed through the forest.
"Awoo~"
"Oh no, stop. Big Cousin, stop!" Su Yue spurred her horse forward.
Su Yu heard Su Yue's call and immediately ordered everyone to halt.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a problem up ahead, we can't go any further, let's go take a look."
At that moment, Big White came dashing out of the forest, followed by a faint rustling sound.
Su Yu was in the front, his pupils suddenly dilating, "Snakes! So many snakes."
Su Yue tossed a bag of medicine to Su Yu, "Big Cousin, this is a snake-repelling medicine, spread it in a circle, protect Grandfather."
She then rushed forward with Xuan Little Three and Xuan Little Four.
When the three of them reached the front, they were also shocked by the sight before them - countless snakes, a black mass rapidly approaching them from all directions, giving them goosebumps. The three quickly distributed the medicine, instructing the soldiers to spread it around. Su Yu also came to help.
Instantly, the snake swarm was upon them, the soldiers in front hacking away, but the sheer number of snakes was overwhelming, and their hissing only grew more frenzied as they drew blood.
Seeing this, Su Yue knew this wouldn't work, "Big Brother, catch this." She grabbed a medicine jar and threw it, then lashed out with her whip, pulling the soldiers in the front back. The snakes that came into contact with the scattered poison instantly turned into a bloody mess. But the snakes behind kept surging forward.
Xuan Little Three followed Su Yue's method, throwing out more poison, turning the scene scarlet again. But it only momentarily halted the snakes, who continued to advance.
"What do we do? There are too many snakes, we can't kill them all!" Su Yu was now covered in blood, and many soldiers had already fallen victim to the snakes, with even more wounded.
The only consolation was that these snakes were not venomous.
"Little Five, think of something, this isn't working, there are too many snakes," Xuan Little Four said, as he and Big White fought, the white wolf's fur now tinged with a pale red, its paws smashing the snakes into a pulp.
Su Yue was also desperate, "Big Brother, protect me."
Xuan Little Three immediately flew to her side, shielding her.
Su Yue took out a bunch of medicine bottles from her storage space, pouring a few drops from one, then another, repeating this process dozens of times. She then held a vial of the mixed potion, a smile on her lips but a cold glint in her eyes, "Everyone fall back, Big Brother, let me show you something incredible."
She threw the ceramic bottle, striking it with her hand, "Bang!" The bottle shattered. The snakes that came in contact with the liquid instantly exploded, flesh and blood splattering. The snakes behind them, touching the bloody remains, also exploded.
This continued until all the snakes were dead.
Xuan Little Three, Xuan Little Four, and Su Yu were all stunned, unable to react for a long time.
This... this poison was too powerful.
Xuan Little Three was the first to recover, "Little Five, you've been hoarding this? You have such a terrifying poison and you didn't tell me?"
Su Yue had a look of exasperation, "This is hardly the time to discuss this, Big Brother. The snake swarm has been eliminated, the people behind them will be here soon. Let's hurry and continue on our way."
"Alright, I'll make the arrangements."
But before Su Yu could leave, black-clad figures came rushing in from all directions, about a hundred of them. From their movements, they were all top-tier experts.
This was getting more and more serious.
Su Yu's gaze hardened, "I'll take them on, these scoundrels." He flew forward, sword in hand, to engage them.
"Big Cousin." Su Yue followed closely behind.
Xuan Little Three and Xuan Little Four also joined the fray, and the battle became incredibly intense and chaotic.
The black-clad figures were all top-tier experts, and the Su family soldiers were taking heavy losses. But they still kept Su Huan surrounded, not retreating an inch.
Su Yu gripped his fists, desperately wanting to go help fight the enemies, but he didn't take a single step away from Su Huan. He remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the surroundings while also monitoring the battle.
When he saw Su Yu take a sword wound, he was so anxious he wished he could split himself in two, but then he saw Xuan Little Four helping him evade the other attacks, which eased his worry a little. He looked at Su Huan, "Grandfather, the imperial guards should be around, but after all these assassination attempts, they've never shown up. I don't understand."
Su Huan understood his great-grandson's meaning. He was also extremely anxious. Yu'er, Yue'er, and the others were skilled, but after over ten days of arduous travel and numerous battles, their bodies and energy were depleted.
He let out a roar, "If none of you are willing to lend a hand now, then Su's life and death will no longer be your concern. If my Su family disciples suffer any losses today, I will not live on alone."
Amidst the rustling in the forest, twenty or so black-clad imperial guards suddenly appeared, throwing themselves into the battle. They were the elite of the elite, masters of assassination.
The situation immediately turned around, and Su Yue's group also caught their breath.
These were truly the most deadly forces around the Emperor Wu, their killing power unmatched by ordinary people. They soon wiped out all the assassins.
Without a moment's pause, they vanished back into the shadows.
Su Yu was the first to recover, riding over to check the situation. This time, the losses were devastating. Of the original five thousand soldiers, nearly half had fallen. Su Yu, Su Yue, and the others all had minor injuries.
Su Huan also came over, seeing the tragic scene, his heart filled with grief and indignation. He looked at Su Yue and Su Yu, noticing the bloodstain on Su Yue's shoulder, and went over worriedly, "Yue'er, you're injured too? Is it serious? Let Grandfather take a look."
"Grandfather, I'm fine, just some superficial wounds, a quick bandage will do."
Su Yu hurried over, "It's my fault, Cousin just got that wound trying to protect me."
Su Huan wanted to scold him, but seeing Su Yu covered in wounds, he couldn't bring himself to do it. "Go get checked out, how are General Xuan and Little Four?"
"General, don't worry about us, there's much to do for the army, you should go take care of things first. We'll go tend to our wounds and then come check on the other injured." Su Yu said, pulling Xuan Little Four and Su Yue away.
Su Huan watched them leave, grateful for their understanding.
