On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The moonlight, as cold as frost, fell upon the vast and desolate swamp.

This place is known as the "Eye of the Devil" by the people of northern Mongolia, a forbidden zone for life.

By day, it is a green hell filled with deadly miasma; by night, it transforms into a black abyss that even ghosts dare not tread.

The air was filled with a nauseating, fishy stench of rotting seaweed and silt.

In the darkness, the rustling of poisonous insects crawling could be heard from time to time, along with the chilling growls of unknown beasts in the distance.

However, on the very edge of this desolate place, three hundred ghostly figures were moving swiftly and silently along a path obscured by boulders and withered grass, guided by the faint moonlight.

They were the three hundred "Night Owl" assassins personally selected by Lin Zhen.

Each person was dressed in tight-fitting black night clothes, their faces covered with black cloths, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed coldly in the night.

They carried no extra weight except for the necessary weapons, rations, and water.

They moved silently, their movements perfectly synchronized, like a pack of wolves accustomed to hunting in the dark.

Lin Zhen walked at the very front of the group.

He was also dressed in black, his face showing undisguised fatigue, but his eyes were sharper than the brightest star in the night sky.

He had to identify the ancient dry road, a route known only to old herders, while remaining constantly vigilant against quicksand, hidden pits, and venomous snakes lurking in the shadows.

This was the third day that he had led his team into the edge of the Death Swamp.

For three days and three nights, they barely slept, relying solely on their unwavering will and the small amount of dry rations they carried to stave off hunger.

Even though these "Night Owls" are all elites selected from hundreds, they are all injured and exhausted to the extreme.

"Your Highness, let's stop and rest for a while. The brothers... can't hold on much longer." The deputy, a man codenamed "Ghost Shadow," approached Lin Zhen and said in a hoarse voice.

His arm was still wrapped in a makeshift bandage; it was from the bite he sustained yesterday while rescuing a brother from a giant python.

Lin Zhen stopped and looked back at the group behind him.

Under the moonlight, these tough men were all pale-faced, with cracked lips, and many of them had injuries, but not one of them complained. All of them kept their eyes fixed on him with unwavering determination.

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Zhen's heart.

These are his soldiers, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Rest here for fifteen minutes. Check the wound and get some fluids," he ordered in a low voice.

The crowd immediately dispersed silently, sat down against the rocks, and took out water pouches and dried meat from their pockets, swallowing them in large gulps.

Lin Zhen also leaned against a boulder and took out the somewhat worn mandarin duck sachet from his bosom.

He held it to his nose, gently inhaling the familiar, comforting scent.

Yan'er, what are you doing right now?

Are you troubled by matters of state again?

Have you been eating on time?

He dared not think about how she would face this country beset by internal and external troubles if he failed this time.

Therefore, he cannot lose, and he will never lose.

“Your Highness,” Ghost Shadow said, having finished tending to his wounds, as he approached and handed him a piece of dried meat. “The brothers who scouted ahead have returned.”

Lin Zhen looked up and saw a small, thin "Night Owl" silently appear in front of him, kneeling on one knee.

"Your Highness, a large number of hoofprints have been discovered ten miles ahead. Judging from the tracks, there were at least tens of thousands of cavalrymen, all of whom were heavy cavalry equipped with iron hooves. The tracks are very fresh, no more than a day old. They were heading straight for the Yanran Protectorate!"

Lin Zhen's spirits lifted, and he abruptly stood up!

Golden Wolf Rider!

They've finally shown their true colors!

"How far away are they?"

"Your Highness, based on their speed and path, if we proceed at full speed, we should be able to intercept them at the 'One Line Sky' canyon around dawn tomorrow!"

"A narrow gorge..." Lin Zhen's gaze drifted into the dark distance.

That was the grave he had chosen for Uvi's Golden Wolf Riders on the sand table!

"Pass down the order! Everyone, set off immediately! This battle is a fight to the death!" Lin Zhen's voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute determination.

"Yes!" The three hundred assassins responded in unison, their voices low but filled with a tragic and heroic spirit of facing death without fear.

They discarded all unnecessary burdens, leaving only their most lethal weapons, and followed behind Lin Zhen like a black arrow, shooting towards the unknown, murderous dawn.

However, just as they were about to leave the rocky beach, the scout in charge of covering their retreat suddenly let out a warning bird call!

"There are enemies!"

Lin Zhen's heart tightened, and he immediately made a hand gesture. The three hundred men instantly dispersed and disappeared into the crevices of the surrounding rocks, drawing their swords and nocking their arrows.

A moment later, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar.

Under the moonlight, a patrol of about a hundred men from the northern desert came into view. Judging from their banners, they were cavalrymen under the command of King Hunxie.

They clearly hadn't expected to encounter the Great Qian army in this forbidden zone of life.

They stood in loose formation, chatting and laughing.

"Your Highness, should we..." Ghost Shadow made a throat-slitting gesture.

Lin Zhen pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

Their mission was to ambush the Golden Wolf Riders. If they acted now, and even one enemy escaped, their entire plan would be ruined.

"Hide them, let them pass," he whispered the order.

Everyone held their breath, watching the patrol team get closer and closer.

One hundred steps... fifty steps... thirty steps...

Just as the patrol was about to pass the rocky beach where they were hiding, a northern cavalryman at the back of the group seemed to need to relieve himself. He reined in his horse, dismounted, and walked straight toward the boulder where Lin Zhen was hiding.

Lin Zhen's heart jumped into her throat!

The ghostly figure beside him had already gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, his muscles tense, like a cheetah poised to pounce.

The northern cavalryman loosened his belt while humming an off-key grassland tune.

Twenty steps... ten steps... five steps...

He was only one step away from the boulder where Lin Zhen was hiding!

He could kick Lin Zhen's body with just a stretch of his foot!

At this critical moment, in the distance, the patrol leader seemed to notice someone was missing and shouted impatiently, "Batu! What the hell are you dawdling for! Do you want to be carried off by wolves?!"

"They're here! They're here!" The cavalryman named Baye was startled. He didn't even bother to relieve himself. He hurriedly pulled up his trousers, mounted his horse, and chased after the troops.

Lin Zhen only breathed a sigh of relief when the sound of the patrol's hooves completely disappeared into the distance.

His back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Your Highness, that was close!" Ghost Shadow breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go!" Lin Zhen didn't say much, just uttered one word.

The close call he just experienced made him even more certain that Uwi and Kong Zhiqian's plan was far more meticulous than he had imagined.

Along the secret marching route of the Golden Wolf Riders, there were patrol teams from other tribes responsible for perimeter security.

He had to be faster! He had to reach the ambush site before the enemy discovered any clues!

However, just as they quickened their pace and were about to cross the edge of the swamp, a sharp-eyed "night owl" suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed in surprise.

"Your Highness, look what that is?!"

Following the direction he pointed, everyone looked and saw what appeared to be a black flag planted in the swamp not far ahead. The flag was tattered, but the wolf's head embroidered in gold thread still looked ferocious in the moonlight.

Lin Zhen's pupils contracted!

That is... the battle flag of the Golden Wolf Cavalry of the Northern Desert Royal Court!