I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

Three days later, dawn broke.

A solemn and somber atmosphere permeated the "Wang Anju" camp. The brief peace of the past ten days had been brutally shattered. Last night's bloody battle, though Lu Zhao turned the tide, still left three young men dead and several wounded. The air still held the lingering smells of ashes and disinfectant herbs, as well as a faint, persistent stench of blood.

"Hoping for a peaceful home," but ultimately, he could not find peace.

Master Zhao stood in the center of the camp, looking at the dozens of men, women, and children before him, their faces still bearing the marks of fear after just surviving a near-death experience. His white beard trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, 'Wang Anju' is no longer a safe place. Evil spirits are lurking, and we are in imminent danger. My friend Lu and I have discussed it and decided to migrate south to 'Qingmu Town,' as mentioned by Master Liu of the Changfeng Escort Agency! There are city walls, soldiers, and rules there; perhaps we can find a glimmer of hope there!"

"The journey ahead is long and fraught with unknown dangers. But staying here means certain death! Whether you go or stay, I will not force you; the decision is yours!"

A moment of silence fell over the crowd, followed by a murmur of discussion. Stay? The grotesque zombies and the eerie sorcerer of the previous night had terrified them. Staying was tantamount to waiting to die.

"Let's go with the Master!"

"Yes! Follow Brother Lu, follow the Master!"

"Let's go to Aoki Town!"

Without hesitation, everyone chose to migrate. Even if the road ahead was long, it was better than staying in this dead land targeted by evil spirits.

Lu Zhao silently observed everything, a heavy wood-chopping knife wrapped in cloth hanging at his waist, and a simple knapsack on his back containing dried rations, a water pouch, the [damaged Yin Soul Bone Shield], and several scraps of bark talismans. His gaze swept across the makeshift camp, finally settling on the north. That was where his "arrival" in this world began, and where the secrets of the abandoned border town and the figures of the Qingyun Sect disciples lay buried. But now, he had to lead these people south.

The group quickly assembled. All they could carry were some simple bedding, earthenware pots, a few rusted farm tools, a small amount of dried meat hastily roasted the night before, and some wild fruit they had gathered. The atmosphere was heavy, but the will to survive sustained everyone.

Lu Zhao led the way, responsible for scouting and keeping watch. Master Zhao coordinated the procession from the middle, while several able-bodied young men brought up the rear and tended to the wounded. This small group of refugees, like a winding stream, slowly flowed out of the valley and merged into the official road heading south.

The official road remained dilapidated, deep ruts carved into the yellow earth, overgrown with weeds, telling tales of the desolation of a chaotic world. Compared to the numbness of their previous exile, this migrating group possessed a greater sense of vigilance and solemnity. Lu Zhao maintained his mental energy (Refining Spirit Technique) in a state of alert, his perception extending like invisible tentacles to a range of dozens of feet in front and to both sides. The sound of the wind, the rustling of the grass, the chirping of insects—no subtle anomaly escaped his notice.

The first day passed uneventfully, with only a few insignificant stray dogs that were quickly frightened away by the group's presence and Lu Zhao's deliberately menacing aura. That night, they found a sheltered earthen slope to camp on. Lu Zhao continued his night watch, while simultaneously studying the two fragments of the "Basic Corpse Control Technique." He had no intention of practicing this evil art, but understanding its principles and the key points for controlling the corpse puppets (often the mental imprint or energy core) might allow him to find a more efficient way to break it.

The next afternoon, something unexpected happened.

At the edge of Lu Zhao's mental perception, he suddenly caught a rapid and chaotic sound of horses' hooves, as well as faint shouts and cries, coming from around the bend in the official road ahead.

"Something's up!" Lu Zhao immediately signaled the team to stop and hide behind the bushes by the roadside. He then climbed a nearby tree like a nimble cat and peered into the distance.

Dust billowed along the official road. Four or five horse-drawn carts laden with boxes were fleeing for their lives, their bodies bearing obvious marks of knife and axe blows. A dozen or so men, dressed as bodyguards and wielding swords, were protecting the carts, fighting their way back in a disheveled state. Pursuing them were more than twenty bandits, dressed in haphazard clothes and with fierce faces, whistling and brandishing their weapons, constantly flanking them from both sides and firing arrows.

[Bandit Leader, Level: 8]

[Mountain bandit henchman, Level: 4-6]

[Changfeng Escort Agency Escort, Level: 10-12]

[Carriage Guard, Level: 3-5]

The disparity in strength between the two sides was obvious. Although the bodyguards were slightly stronger individually, they were outnumbered and had to be distracted to protect the carriage, putting them in a precarious situation. A stray arrow struck the trunk of the tree where Lu Zhao was hiding, its fletching still trembling.

It's the Changfeng Escort Agency! Judging by their direction, they came from Qingmu Town and headed north? They were ambushed by bandits!

Lu Zhao's heart sank. Liu Qingqing and Li Feng had been kind to him, even pointing out the way. Now that their people were in danger, how could he stand idly by?

But the enemy outnumbered them and their side consisted of the elderly, women and children. How could they possibly save them?

His gaze swept quickly across the battlefield. This was a bend in the official road, with a steep slope on one side and a relatively flat woodland on the other. The bandits, relying on their numbers, had formed a fan-shaped encirclement, but their formation was somewhat spread out, especially the level 8 bandit leader, who was riding a skinny horse, brandishing a ghost-head saber, shouting and giving orders, and was on the outside of the encirclement.

To catch the thieves, first catch their leader! If you take down the leader, the bandits will surely fall into chaos!

A daring plan instantly took shape in Lu Zhao's mind. He took a deep breath, leaped down from the tree, and quickly said to Zhao Fuzi, who was looking at him anxiously, "Fuzi, lead everyone to hide deeper into the woods over there. Don't make a sound until I return!" Before Zhao Fuzi could reply, he had already darted out like a ghost, using the bushes and mounds as cover to quickly maneuver towards the hillside on the flank of the battlefield.

He had to be quick! He had to deliver the fatal blow before the bodyguards collapsed!