“Here we are. This is Starcold Trail. To the east is Crimson Moon Fortress, to the west is Nine Sun Fortress, and to the north is Cold Star Fortress occupied by the Sacks, also the only place where the Big Sister’s army won’t pass by.”


  On the Windsurfing Ship, Ye Qingtong introduced the terrain below to Bai Xiaofei and Tan Xin.

  “Energy’s running out. Where do we land?” Tan Xin immediately reminded.

  Bai Xiaofei hesitated a little before choosing the opposite direction from what he had previously decided. “Crimson Moon’s side!”


  Both Tan Xin and Ye Qingtong were stunned to hear this. However, there was no time to ask about the reason as the ship’s energy was running low. Tan Xin quickly landed the ship where Bai Xiaofei pointed.

  Despite being called a ‘trail,’ the winding path was enough for four carriages to travel side by side, and the cliffs on both sides narrowed down into an inverted V-shape, making it difficult to see the complete view from above.

  “We don’t have much time. Xin’er, take a group to make arrangements on the left side. Sister Qingtong, you take a group and go with me to the right.” Bai Xiaofei instantly got to work. As for what to arrange, he had already told them beforehand, the only thing different from the plan was the location.

  “Why the change of locations? Aren’t we the only ones who know about the specific plan? You’re still afraid that it’ll leak out?” asked Ye Qingtong along the way.

  “According to normal thinking, we should go to the left and force them to come here. Still, no matter how tight our arrangement is, we may not be able to stop the Sacks. However, if they go to the other side and fight with us, our defeat will make them more convinced that going to the other side is the right choice. At the same time, the pressure on us will be much lighter and we can just retreat once we achieve our purpose,” Bai Xiaofei explained.

  Ye Qingtong sank into thought, then said, “You mean we pretend to be defeated here and make them think that they have broken through the only line of defense? And so they will feel even more assured about their decision to attack Crimson Moon?”


  Bai Xiaofei nodded and took a deep breath. “No matter what, there are elements of risk in this plan. This is a huge gamble. If they really go to the other side, all our arrangements will be useless.”


  “What drove you to make this gamble?” Ye Qingtong asked instead of criticizing his choice.

  “The belief that the one helping the Sacks has a certain qualification in commanding,” replied Bai Xiaofei. “If it were you, would you miss the opportunity to deploy defensive forces in such a key location?”


  This question struck Ye Qingtong with enlightenment.

  Except for the Starcold Trail, all the remaining roads leading to the other fortresses had been passed through by Ye Qingcheng’s troops. Since this trail was the only ‘opening,’ anyone with a brain would send troops to guard it. The bet Bai Xiaofei made was that the person helping the Sacks would also consider the possibility of facing defensive troops before sending people to attack.

  If that ended up being the case, Bai Xiaofei’s ‘fishing’ would be successful. Leaving one side empty while fighting to the death on the other side would feed the Sacks the belief that Crimson Moon was unguarded inside. This coupled with the particular geographical location of the fortress posed a temptation that very few commanders could resist.

  However, all this was founded on Bai Xiaofei’s ‘belief’ in the strategist of the Sacks. If they turned out to be a simple-minded fellow and just decided to switch to another fortress, then Bai Xiaofei would lose everything!

  Winning and losing depending on just a thought of the enemy, this was definitely an extravagant gamble!

  But even so, thorough preparations had to be made.

  With the help of Mind Sunder and Tan Xin’s ability of creation, the defensive measures on both sides of the trail were quickly laid out. After Bai Xiaofei briefly explained the operation, the group men instantly grew sharp… because of the last sentence he said –


  “Succeed, we live. Fail, we all die.”


  It was also this sentence that made them finally aware of one thing: They were here to put their lives on the line!

  Curses toward Bai Xiaofei instantly echoed. In the eyes of the cannon fodder group, he was now just as hateful as Moonlight women.

  Meanwhile, the bandit group gathered by Ye Qingtong was extremely excited, taking this as the first step toward changing Moonlight!

  The wait began after all preparations were made. Bai Xiaofei’s nervousness grew with every passing second, and Ye Qingtong was not much better. This state would only worsen unless the Sack army appeared.

  Fortunately, when the sun was about to set, a huge silhouette appeared at the end of the valley!

  “Incoming!”


  The sentry immediately confirmed that it was the Sacks, making Bai Xiaofei’s and Ye Qingtong’s faces light up in joy. Orders were quickly passed down and the group of 10,000-odd entered a combat-ready state.

  At the same time, the Sack army stopped at the edge of the valley.

  “Chief, the situation isn’t quite right. It’s too quiet,” a Sack man reported.

  At the very front of the Sack army was a fur-clad leader riding a magnificent black horse. Looking at the valley up ahead, he sneered. “Seeing as so many troops have gathered at the Divine Light Fortress, I’d applaud them if they have more than ten thousand people here.”


  “Chief, the Saintess’ word is that there is no room for any mistakes on our side, so…” said the same man from earlier with hesitation in his voice.

  Obviously, the Saintess or the leader in front of him were both people he could not afford to offend, but he was more willing to listen to the former.

  “Send six thousand troops to go through in batches. Once safely passed, go to the hilltops on both sides to keep watch!” Gritting his teeth, the leader endured the dissatisfaction in his heart as the Saintess’ status in the Sacks was higher than him. If nothing else, none of these troops around him would really stand on his side.

  As per his order, 6000 troops were selected to go into the valley in batches of 2000…