Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

Zhao Feng turned his head to look at Han Xi.

"My Lord."

"It's not far ahead. It's not the main stream of the Wei River, but a tributary," Han Xi replied immediately. "This place is very well concealed, located at the original junction of the three states."

"Good," Zhao Feng nodded. For him, Han Xi's confidence meant it was definitely an excellent hidden training ground. Her skill had already been proven in the Ghost Miasma Forest. It was indeed the right decision to have rescued her from the Han Royal Palace.

"My Lord," Zhang Ming suddenly pointed ahead and shouted. "There are several ships coming downstream."

"Merchant ships?" Zhao Feng ventured. It was common to see them on the Wei River, which flowed through several states.

He glanced over, but that one look was all it took. Zhao Feng's brow furrowed. Although they were far away, his abnormal attribute allowed him to take in the entire situation on the downstream ships at a glance.

Something's wrong.

"The people on board are not merchants. Every one of them is carrying a weapon, and they look formidable," Zhao Feng said, his voice heavy. "Moreover, they seem to be coming from Qin territory."

The trusted aides on the ships all turned to look at him. They had recently undergone the Bone Tempering Strengthening Process, which had significantly improved their Constitution and Strength. These already elite warriors were now eager for a battle to test their enhanced combat power.

"My Lord," Zhang Ming asked respectfully, "could they have entered Qin to cause trouble?"

"It's possible," Zhao Feng nodded, then added, "Regardless, we'll stop them and check. Form a line and block their path. Crossbows at the ready. If these people are troublemakers, act on my command."

It had been a long time since he had slain an enemy. If these were truly foes, he would not let the opportunity slip away. After all, every little bit helps. If they had really stumbled upon spies from the Zhao state causing chaos in Qin, that would be even better. It was like picking up an achievement right on his doorstep.

「Meanwhile.」

The lookouts on Guo Kai's ships had also spotted Zhao Feng's three vessels.

"Prime Minister," the Commander of the Royal Guards said gravely, "there's trouble ahead. Three ships are blocking our way."

Guo Kai immediately stood up. His relaxed mood vanished, replaced by caution. "How long until we enter Wei Territory?" he asked at once.

"We just need to follow the tributary on the left, just past those three ships, and we'll enter Wei."

"Prime Minister, what do we do now?" the Commander of the Royal Guards asked grimly.

"Full speed ahead! Ram right through them!" Guo Kai shouted. "If they're enemies, they only have three ships. I have a hundred elite Royal Guards, more than enough to annihilate them."

For Guo Kai, stopping was not an option. Dozens of Qin ships were in pursuit, and if he stopped now, the thousands of Qin soldiers would tear him to pieces.

"Raise the sails! Full speed ahead!" the Commander of the Royal Guards roared.

At his command, the three ships Guo Kai was on surged forward, rushing downstream at full speed.

"My Lord, they're preparing to ram us," Zhang Ming said, his face stern.

"It seems they are enemies after all," Zhao Feng sneered, a look of eagerness in his eyes. This was an opportunity for battle merits and Attribute Points being delivered right to his door!

"Crossbows at the ready!" Zhao Feng ordered coldly. "As soon as the enemy enters range, fire!"

"Yes, My Lord!" the hundred trusted aides responded in unison, each drawing their crossbows.

As Zhao Feng's personal guard, their loyalty had been confirmed by him, and he had naturally armed them to the teeth. In addition to their swords, each man was equipped with a crossbow and dozens of bolts. They were practically ancient special forces.

As his trusted aides raised their crossbows, Zhao Feng also took out his Profound Iron Bow, nocking three arrows onto the bowstring.

Guo Kai's ships drew closer. When they were less than sixty or seventy zhang away, he saw that every man on Zhao Feng's ships wore black armor.

Guo Kai's face changed drastically.

This is bad. It's the Qin Army! How could the Qin Army be blocking our path ahead?

His expression contorted, his eyes wide with disbelief. Though he had meticulously planned his escape route, he had never imagined he would encounter the Qin Army here on the Wei River, just as he was about to escape.

"Prime Minister, do not panic," the Commander of the Royal Guards said quickly. "This Qin Army detachment isn't large. They're likely not here to intercept us deliberately; we probably just ran into them by chance."

Hearing this, Guo Kai took another look, and his expression relaxed slightly.

"You're right," Guo Kai said slowly, a cold light glinting in his eyes. "The Qin forces ahead only have three ships and about a hundred men. They aren't here for us."

"Later, you will lead all the Royal Guards to engage them, covering my escape into Wei with Zhao Ji."

"Zhao Ji is the most crucial part of this mission. We cannot afford any mistakes," Guo Kai said with a serious expression.

"Understood," the Commander of the Royal Guards immediately accepted the order. "Please rest assured, Prime Minister. Every Royal Guard is capable of fighting several adversaries at once. With equal numbers, the Royal Guards will be victorious. I will ensure your safe passage into Wei."

Guo Kai nodded, relieved. "With your assurance, I can be at ease. Once you bring Zhao Ji back to our homeland, I promise you one of the highest positions in the court."

"Thank you, Prime Minister!" the Commander of the Royal Guards said, overjoyed.

Just then, three streaks of light suddenly shot through the air.

The next moment.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

CRACK.

The powerful arrows snapped the masts of all three of Guo Kai's ships, sending the sails collapsing to the decks.

How is this possible? Guo Kai and the commander beside him stared in utter shock. To snap the masts from such a distance? What kind of archery is this? What strength?

"Prime Minister, our speed has dropped!"

"I'm afraid we won't be able to break through!"

With the sails gone, the ships lost the push of the wind. Though they were still moving with the current, their speed had slowed dramatically.

"Use the oars! Quickly!" Guo Kai's face was a mask of panic.

The Royal Guards immediately grabbed their oars and began to row furiously.

But at that moment, Guo Kai's three ships entered firing range.

"Fire!" Zhao Feng commanded.

Lined up on their ships, the hundred trusted aides raised their crossbows and unleashed a volley at the approaching vessels.

Arrows rained down.

THWACK. THWACK.

Without armor, the Royal Guards fell one by one under the storm of arrows. Zhao Feng's trusted aides were remarkably organized. One rank would fire, then immediately fall back to reload while another took their place.

What Zhao Feng didn't know was the identity of his enemies, or that Empress Dowager Zhao Ji was on board. Had he known, he would never have ordered such a barrage; killing her by accident would be a disaster.

"Protect the Prime Minister!" the Commander of the Royal Guards yelled, rushing to shield Guo Kai.

"Those Qin people are insane! They dare to fire when I have their Empress Dowager!"

"Don't let Zhao Ji die!"