Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 12 The scapegoat

"Life is truly unpredictable..."

The warning had surfaced yesterday, but even now, Chen Sheng still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it. It concerns a life-or-death crisis, so he has no choice but to be extremely cautious.

Fortunately, although this calamity was severe, it was merely an accident. As long as he doesn't act rashly, he should be able to avoid it safely.

Soon after, a horse-drawn carriage drove out from the camp.

Wu Kuang lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze sweeping over Chen Sheng and Huang Ren, and gave the order in a deep voice:
"Form ranks and head southwest. Which of you two is willing to lead the way?"

Chen Sheng remembered the warning in the heavenly book and remained silent with his head bowed. Huang Ren, though surprised, immediately interjected:

"Commander, I am willing to go!"

Since that day of the struggle in the tent, although Huang Ren knew that his strength was slightly inferior to Chen Sheng's and dared not openly provoke him, his competitive spirit never died out.

He knew that he would be promoted after accompanying Wu Kuang to take up his post as the magistrate of Changshan County, and the candidate would most likely be between him and Chen Sheng. He had to seize every opportunity and do his best to perform.

Upon hearing this, Wu Kuang glanced at Chen Sheng with some surprise.

He had thought Chen Sheng would volunteer, and was planning to give him the opportunity to make a contribution, since Chen Sheng had always been steady and reliable in his mind. It was a pity that this arrangement was not made.

His original intention was to let Chen Sheng accumulate some visible merits so that he could be promoted in the future and gain the respect of the masses.

"In that case, Huang Ren, you will lead the way. However, you must be extremely careful and vigilant at all times while leading the way."

Wu Kuang then turned to Huang Ren and gave him a warning, his words seemingly carrying a deeper meaning.

However, Huang Ren didn't understand at all, taking it as just a routine instruction. He happily accepted the order, and when Wu Kuang got back into the carriage, he even glanced at Chen Sheng with a slightly provocative look, feeling that he had the upper hand over the other party.

Chen Sheng chuckled inwardly, but made no attempt to offer any advice.

Firstly, this was a plan personally devised by Captain Nie to lure the enemy, and even he was not informed in advance, which shows that there may be an inside agent in the camp, and he must not cause any trouble.
Secondly, his relationship with Huang Ren was superficial, and they were rivals. If he spoke now, the other party would most likely think that he was just being jealous and making a fuss.

"Order! The rear guard to become the vanguard and proceed southwest! No one is allowed to leave the ranks without authorization!"

Huang Ren, riding a tall, spirited steed, cracked his whip and shouted:

"set off!"

……

"Commander, why did you let that Huang fellow have this opportunity to shine?"

In the marching column, a young soldier named Yan Ming approached Chen Sheng and muttered in a low voice, his tone quite indignant. He couldn't help but feel indignant on Chen Sheng's behalf as he watched Huang Ren riding ahead and showing off his power.

And this Yan Ming was the one who presented the secret technique of "Fishing for Toads".

Since being included in Chen Sheng's entourage, he was determined to follow him, serving him diligently and attentively. Chen Sheng was short of reliable people, so he kept him by his side to serve him.

"It's alright, it's good to rest for a while."

Chen Sheng didn't say much and remained calm.

He even deliberately concealed his presence, no longer riding a horse, but instead blending into the ranks of ordinary soldiers to maintain order and make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Your Excellency is far more insightful than I am, and you would not stoop to the level of that Huang fellow."

Yan Ming chuckled and casually offered another compliment.

Although I knew it was flattery, it was still quite pleasing to hear.

However, Chen Sheng paid no heed, his sharp gaze scanning his surroundings, his eyes occasionally glancing at the steadily moving carriage. Despite the warning from the heavenly book, he still didn't know when or where the rebels would launch their attack.

With the crisis looming, he dared not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

Inside the sealed carriage, Nie Yuanliu, dressed in light black armor, sat cross-legged, eyes closed, meditating. A long spear with blood-red patterns rested across his knees, its cold light gleaming, clearly no ordinary weapon.

Wu Kuang, on the other hand, was fully armed and his face was tense, as if facing a formidable enemy. He was completely unlike Nie Yuanliu, who was calm and composed. Clearly, he had known the true danger of this trip all along.

Time passed quietly.

The troops marched for dozens of miles, and the surroundings remained calm. The soldiers gradually relaxed, and their formation began to loosen. Only Chen Sheng remained highly vigilant.

Huang Ren kept galloping back and forth on his horse, and whenever he encountered someone whose formation was scattered, he would whip them to shoo them away, making full use of the vanguard authority given to him by Wu Kuang.

He felt that he was doing his duty and seizing every opportunity to show himself. He did not seek to replace Chen Sheng immediately, but at least to be on par with him.

However, in the dense forest not far to the side—

From a high altitude, one can see dozens of figures dressed in various styles crawling among the trees, a powerful bow drawn to its fullest extent, a dark arrow nocked on the string, its arrowhead gleaming with a cold, deathly light.

A burly man carrying a bronze hammer was holding his breath, his innate inner energy emanating from his body, coiling around the arrow and locking it firmly in place.

Finally, once most of the troops had entered the ambush area, his target shifted from the elusive carriage to the conspicuous figure on horseback at the front of the formation.

"Oh!"

The muffled sound of the bowstring snapping suddenly broke the silence of the forest!
The next instant, the arrow left the bowstring, transforming into a deadly black light, carrying incomparably sharp innate true energy, and pierced through the air at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, heading straight for Huang Ren's back!
At this moment, Huang Ren was completely unaware, still riding his horse with his head held high and chest out, even turning his head to chat and laugh with his confidants beside him, full of high spirits.

He was only startled awake when the deadly sound of something tearing through the air drew near!

However, it was too late.

Before he could react at all, the arrow, imbued with terrifying power, pierced through his breastplate the moment he turned his head!
"puff--!"

The immense impact sent him flying off the saddle, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Kill! Leave no one behind!"

The moment the arrow left the bowstring, the burly man roared the order.

In an instant, dozens of figures rose from the dense forest, bowstrings twanged like a torrential rain, and a dense barrage of arrows swept out of the trees like locusts, raining down on the fourth squad of soldiers!

"Enemy attack! Raise shields! Be on alert!"

Almost at the same moment Huang Ren was struck by an arrow and fell from his horse, Chen Sheng's roar rang out. He had already raised a heavy shield to protect himself and was sternly warning the soldiers around him.

"boom--!"

At the same time, the carriage exploded!
A figure in black armor rose from the ground like an eagle, holding a blood-red spear. He took several steps in mid-air, instantly passing through the chaotic ranks and rushing straight into the dense forest amidst a rain of arrows!
A furious roar, imbued with innate true energy, rolled across the battlefield like thunder:

"court death!"

All these changes happened in the blink of an eye.

From the moment the arrow was fired, to Chen Sheng's warning, and then to Nie Yuanliu's sudden attack, it all happened so fast it was breathtaking.

That deadly arrow, imbued with innate true energy, was incredibly fast and a premeditated sneak attack, leaving Huang Ren with no chance to react.

At this moment, Chen Sheng seemed to see with his own eyes who, if not for the warning from the Heavenly Book of [Avoiding Misfortune and Seeking Good Fortune], would be the cold corpse lying there right now.

Huang Ren became his scapegoat.
(End of this chapter)