Li Dao picked up the Black Iron Saber handed over by Wei Yun, and the first sensation was its weight.
It looked identical to a standard saber, but it weighed seven or eight times more. Ordinary soldiers would probably struggle to even lift it.
Swish!
Li Dao drew the saber with his right hand, and a sharp glint of cold light caught his eye, visibly razor-sharp.
"A good saber!"
Compared to the ordinary saber he used before, this Black Iron Saber suited him perfectly.
The saber was a killing weapon, and combined with the Gale Saber Art he had developed, he felt an urge to test it out.
Li Dao looked up, "When do we set off?"
Wei Yun replied directly, "If you leave early, tonight is the best time."
"Then what are you waiting for? Prepare the horses."
"......"
......
Outside Long Valley Town.
Five people gathered with Wei Yun.
"Why do I have to take this Little Madman with me?"
Chen San sat on his horse, with Little Madman tied not far behind him.
Little Madman kept baring his teeth and struggling against Chen San, gnashing his serrated teeth and growling, making Chen San's scalp tingle.
Wei Yun chuckled, "Because you're the most suitable."
Hearing this, Chen San looked at the other four.
There was no need to mention Li Dao, as Little Madman feared him the most after being disciplined and dared not approach.
On the other side, Xu Hu sat on a horse, his massive weight occupying the entire saddle, and the horse looked strained, making him feel a pang of sympathy.
As for Old Ghost, over a hundred years old, he looked like a gust of wind could blow him away. Could he handle Little Madman's antics?
After considering, Chen San realized he might indeed be the most suitable.
"Fine, let's just go with it."
Chen San resigned himself, accustomed to being set up.
Wei Yun walked to the horse Li Dao was riding, "I've marked the location for you. There's an eighty percent chance they'll pass by tonight. If you hurry, you should intercept the Third Prince of the Luoyun Tribe's team."
"Got it."
"Alright then, you better set off quickly."
Li Dao turned back to Chen San and the others, slapped his horse, and said, "Let's move."
Meanwhile.
On an ancient road at the Northern Barbarian border.
A team of several hundred people rode slowly in one direction.
Leading them was a young man on a blood-red horse, dressed in finery.
This was the Third Prince of the Luoyun Tribe, here to negotiate with the Tamu Tribe.
Beside him was a burly man in armor, the Third Prince's personal Guard Captain.
"Third Prince, do we really need to hurry like this? Shouldn't we inform the king?"
The Guard Captain expressed his concern to the young man beside him.
The Third Prince waved dismissively, "There's no need to inform Father about such matters. I can handle everything myself. We just need to report back after the negotiations."
"But the Tamu Tribe is close to the Great Qian border. If they find out we're allying with the Tamu Tribe, they might target us."
"Why worry? Our Luoyun Tribe is also a large tribe. I don't believe Great Qian would act against us without provocation."
"But..."
The Guard Captain was about to say more but was quickly interrupted.
"No more buts. We just need to negotiate with the Tamu Tribe, distribute the benefits, and report back. It's simple."
The Third Prince completely disregarded the Guard Captain's concerns.
At this point, he yawned and asked, "Guard Captain Jin Sheng, what time is it?"
"Third Prince, it's half an hour to midnight."
"It's that late? Have the team stop and set up camp in half an hour. I need to rest."
"Third Prince, I suggest we keep moving directly to the Tamu Tribe."
"But I'm tired."
"Third Prince..."
Jin Sheng wanted to say more but was cut off by the Third Prince raising his hand, "Jin Sheng, can you protect me?"
"I can!"
Jin Sheng replied without hesitation.
As the Guard Captain, protecting the Third Prince was his duty. If the Third Prince died, he would too. If the Third Prince lived, so would he.
The Third Prince smiled, "Since you're so confident, why can't I rest?"
"I..."
Jin Sheng was at a loss for words, unable to contradict himself.
Seeing this, the Third Prince smiled smugly and ordered, "In half an hour, stop and set up camp."
"Yes, Third Prince."
Half an hour passed quickly.
The Third Prince's team stopped on time and began setting up camp.
As expected of the nomadic tribes of the grasslands.
In just the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the camp was ready.
At this moment, not far from the Third Prince's camp, behind a slope.
Li Dao and his group of five gathered there.
"Fatty, is this the foolproof trap you mentioned?"
Looking at the target's camp in the distance, Li Dao turned to Chen San.
Chen San looked innocent, "I didn't expect them to stop and camp here."
Seeing the camp less than a hundred paces from his trap, he couldn't help but curse.
Why stop here?
Why not walk a few more steps?
Old Ghost grumbled nearby, "You wasted my poisons, you little fatty."
He couldn't say much to Li Dao and Chen San, but with Old Ghost, he played the 'respect the elderly' card.
"Wasted poisons? What kind of useless stuff, poisons that can't kill?"
"My poisons aren't meant to kill."
"Poisons that don't kill aren't poisons."
"Want to try?"
"......"
Seeing the two start bickering, Li Dao kicked Chen San's backside, "Shut up."
As for why not kick Old Ghost?
A hundred-year-old man, he couldn't afford to kick him. A careless kick might just finish him off.
"The trap's useless. So, boss, what now? We can't wait until morning; the trap might be discovered."
Since learning Li Dao was the leader, Chen San called him boss, though he was older, he was all about clinging to power.
"We won't wait until morning."
"Then..."
"Once they rest, we'll launch a night raid."
Li Dao looked at the sky and decided.
A night raid?
Chen San couldn't help but advise, "Boss, this is a three hundred strong team. We don't know if there are experts among them. Is a night raid reliable? What if we're discovered?"
"Discovered?"
Li Dao replied directly, "Then kill them all, and no one will know."
Chen San: "???"
Do you hear yourself?
In the end, they settled on a night raid.
Old Ghost would use his poisons, Little Madman and Xu Hu would create chaos if discovered, and Li Dao would command.
As for Chen San, he got the most crucial task.
Assassinate the Third Prince of the Luoyun Tribe.
But who told him he was best at lightness skills?
Of course, that was just on the surface.
Li Dao's main goal was to use the three hundred Northern Barbarian soldiers to harvest attributes.
"Boss, if I get caught, you must save me."
Knowing he was to assassinate the Third Prince, Chen San was extremely nervous and said seriously.
Li Dao patted Chen San's shoulder, "Perseverance leads to victory."
Time slowly passed.
As night deepened, the Third Prince's camp grew quiet, with only the campfires burning in the night.
Li Dao led the four closer to the camp.
Being very cautious, and with their agility, they weren't discovered for a while.
"Old Ghost, use some poison."
Li Dao turned to Old Ghost.
"What kind of poison do you want? I have..."
Old Ghost began to pull out his bottles and jars, but Li Dao quickly stopped him, "Doesn't matter what kind, just something to keep them asleep."
"I see, you want..."
"Boss, don't leave me behind."
"I know, stop talking."
With that, Li Dao looked at Xu Hu and Little Madman.
Xu Hu was easygoing, following orders without question.
As for Little Madman, his mouth was tightly gagged with cloth. He wanted to struggle, but a glance from Li Dao made him quiet.
"Xu Hu, keep an eye on Little Madman, don't let him cause trouble."
"Got it."
Xu Hu grabbed Little Madman.
Maybe because they had shared meat before, Little Madman wasn't as resistant to Xu Hu as he was to Chen San. Though a bit awkward, he didn't attack Xu Hu.
After a stick of incense's time.
Old Ghost prepared the poison, tested the night breeze, and opened the bottle.
A faint yellow gas drifted into the camp with the wind.
After a few minutes, Old Ghost nodded, "That should do it."
"Though hastily prepared, as long as there's no big commotion, they won't wake up for a while."
Li Dao nodded, turning to Chen San.
Chen San, with a bitter face, nodded and slipped into the camp under the cover of darkness.
Despite his bulk, Chen San was agile, quickly disappearing into the camp with his lightness skills.
Seeing Chen San leave smoothly, Li Dao planned to let the four leave after Chen San assassinated the Third Prince, while he stayed to cause chaos before leaving.
After all, completing the assassination was crucial for him.
But harvesting attributes from Northern Barbarian soldiers was even more important.
Though Wei Yun said he wouldn't kill the donkey after it plowed the field, Li Dao wouldn't gamble his life on someone else's integrity.
So, he wouldn't miss any chance to increase his strength.
Time ticked by.
Li Dao and the others waited in a hidden spot near the camp.
Suddenly, voices erupted from the camp.
"Who are you? Where are the guards?"
"Assassin! You're an assassin!"
"How dare you try to kill our Third Prince, die!"
Hearing these voices, Li Dao quickly realized Chen San had been exposed.
"Old Ghost, didn't you say your poison was fine?"
"It is fine."
"Then why did Fatty cause a commotion?"
"Maybe Fatty encountered someone unusual."
"What do you mean?"
"The poison I just made is only effective on ordinary people."
Before Li Dao could respond, a figure appeared nearby.
Li Dao instinctively raised his hand to attack.
"Wait, it's me."
Li Dao saw it was Chen San.
"What's the situation inside?"
"I don't know. I just got close to the Third Prince's tent when I was discovered. If I hadn't run fast, that guy might have killed me with one strike."
Chen San said with lingering fear.
"And the person who discovered you?"
"Don't know."
Suddenly, the camp erupted in noise.
"Bastards, an assassin is here, and you're all still sleeping. Get up now!"
The loud, rough voice quickly stirred the camp, waking the sleeping soldiers.
The group instinctively looked at Old Ghost.
Old Ghost quickly shook his head, "My poison is definitely fine."
Suddenly, he raised his hand to test the air, his expression changing, "Not good, the wind changed, the poison didn't get in!"
Li Dao shook his head, realizing relying on others was futile.
He drew the Black Iron Saber from his waist, "Since that plan failed, we'll go with my second assassination method."
Chen San instinctively asked, "What's the second method?"
Li Dao stated directly, "Kill everyone who discovers us."
Chen San: "???"
Honestly, that was Li Dao's initial thought.
If not for considering Chen San and the others, he would have chosen to charge in from the start.