I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

"That's right, we can't waste time here," Lin Chen whispered, "Once their helper arrives, we will be in a more passive position."

"Then let's do it now!" Xiaohu gripped the weapon tightly in his hand, his eyes flashing with determination.

"Wait," Yun Shu reminded softly, "We'd better make a plan to ensure that our attack will hit the target."

"That makes sense," Lin Chen nodded. "We can't act rashly. What suggestions do you have?"

"We can split up," Li Feng suggested. "One group will attract their attention from the front, while the other group will sneak up behind and attack them."

"Good idea," Xiaomei agreed. "This will disperse their forces and give us more opportunities."

"Then I'll be responsible for attracting their attention from the front," Lin Chen said decisively, "and the three of you sneak around behind them and prepare to launch a surprise attack."

"I'll go with you," Xiaohu said firmly. "We have good coordination and can definitely hold them back."

"That's settled then," Lin Chen looked at the others, "You three, be careful. You must inflict maximum damage behind them."

"Understood!" Yun Shu and Li Feng responded in unison.

"Everyone, get ready," Lin Chen instructed, "We'll act in three minutes."

Everyone quickly assigned the tasks. Xiaohu and Lin Chen stayed behind the door, while Yunshu, Xiaomei and Li Feng quietly left the cabin and sneaked along the snow behind the enemy.

The cold wind howled outside, and the snow was completely silent. Lin Chen took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open, deliberately making some noise. The people outside immediately became alert and turned to look at the door.

"Who's there?" the leader shouted.

Lin Chen and Xiao Hu quickly rushed out of the wooden house, waving their weapons and shouting, "We are here!"

Several people's attention was immediately drawn and they all rushed towards Lin Chen and Xiaohu.

At the same time, Yun Shu and the other two had quietly circled behind the enemy, preparing to launch a surprise attack. Their eyes were determined, their weapons tightly gripped, ready to strike.

"Go!" Yun Shu gave an order, and the three of them attacked the enemy from behind at the same time.

The enemies were thrown into disarray, caught off guard. One of them was stabbed in the shoulder by Li Feng's longsword, causing him to scream in agony; another was struck in the back by Yun Shu's dagger, causing him to fall to the ground.

Lin Chen and Xiao Hu were equally undeterred, engaging in fierce close combat with the enemy. Lin Chen's swordsmanship was sharp and swift, each strike carrying a biting chill, forcing the enemy back repeatedly; Xiao Hu's saber was fierce and powerful, each swing of the sword accompanied by a deafening roar of wind.

The battle lasted for several minutes before the enemy finally began to show signs of defeat. The leader, seeing the situation was not good, hurriedly waved his hand to signal a retreat.

"Hurry up, retreat!" he shouted loudly, and then led the remaining few people to retreat quickly.

"Don't let them run away!" Lin Chen shouted, but it was too late, the enemy had disappeared in the snow.

"Forget it, let's let them go this time," Xiaohu said panting, "But these people are obviously coming for the artifact, so we have to be more careful next time."

"That's right," Lin Chen pondered for a moment, "We can't let them succeed. We must leave here as soon as possible and find our next destination."

"What should we do now?" Xiaomei asked.

"Let's go in and rest for a while before deciding on our next move," Lin Chen said. "Thank you all for your hard work."

Everyone returned to the cabin, lit the stove, and warmed themselves a little. After the battle, they were all exhausted, but their hearts were filled with a sense of accomplishment.

"I didn't expect these people to pay so much attention to us in the dark," Li Feng said in a deep voice, "It seems that this journey will not be easy."

"It's okay," Yun Shu smiled and patted Li Feng's shoulder. "As long as we unite as one, there is no difficulty that cannot be solved."

"Well said!" Xiaohu nodded in agreement. "We will keep going until we complete our mission."

"Yes," Lin Chen said firmly, "no matter what challenges we encounter next, we will meet them head-on."

Just as they were discussing their next plan of action, they heard the sound of footsteps outside. Everyone instantly became alert, gripping their weapons tightly, ready to face the new challenge.

"There seems to be some movement outside again." Xiaomei said in a low voice.

"It's them again?" Lin Chen asked with a frown.

“I don’t know,” Yun Shu whispered back, “but we have to be careful.”

Lin Chen nodded, signaling everyone to get ready. The footsteps outside the door gradually approached and finally stopped at the door.

"Who is it?" Lin Chen asked in a low voice.

The person outside the door seemed to hesitate, then slowly knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Lin Chen asked loudly.

A deep voice came from outside the door: "We are not here to fight, we just want to help you."

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, their hearts full of doubts.

"What did you say?" Lin Chen continued to ask, "Who are you?"

"We are the guardians of the Snow Mountain," the voice continued. "We saw the battle you just had and know you are in danger."

"Snow Mountain Guardian?" Lin Chen frowned. "Why are you helping us?"

"Because the artifact in your hands is related to the safety of the entire Snow Mountain," the voice explained, "If we don't help you, the consequences will be disastrous."

Lin Chen thought about it, then nodded to everyone: "Let him in."

Yun Shu walked forward and opened the door, and a man in a thick coat walked in. His face was full of traces of time, and his eyes were firm and deep.

"Hello, I'm Abu, a member of the Snow Mountain Guardians," Abu introduced himself. "We've been observing you for a long time and know that the artifacts in your hands are of vital importance to the entire Snow Mountain."

"Hello, Abu," Lin Chen responded politely, "Could you please explain your purpose in detail? We don't want to get involved in any more unnecessary trouble."

"Don't worry," Abu said with a gentle smile, "We just want to help you. The Snow Mountain Guardians have been guarding this land for many years, preventing the invasion of evil forces. We understand that you are facing great danger, and the artifact in your hand is their target."

"Then how do you know we will be in danger?" Li Feng asked with some doubt.

"We have a special method for sensing certain anomalies," Abu explained. "Recently, we've noticed unusual energy fluctuations around the snowy mountains. Clearly, someone is operating in secret. We've also noticed your movements and know you're looking for something important."