From Wushan Village to Bingzhou City, they hustled all night.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Chen Tang noticed that the thin young man's body technique had noticeably decreased.

It seemed that as the starlight dimmed, the Flying Star Step body technique was also somewhat affected.

When they reached the dense forest, being carried by the thin young man all the way, Changsun Ming finally caught his breath and said a bit awkwardly, "Brother, you've worked hard, let me walk by myself."

The thin young man put Changsun Ming down as requested, observed the dense forest briefly, and then ran towards the west.

The others followed behind him.

"We need to jump over here," he said.

After running for a while, the thin young man suddenly said, then leaped forward, jumping nearly a zhang away.

Chen Tang focused his gaze and saw that the ground ahead seemed to have traces of being refurbished, covered with green grass and vegetation, making it hard to notice unless inspected closely.

Chen Tang exchanged glances with Yuwen Heigou.

This thin young man had some skills.

Not only did he know the Flying Star Step, but he was also proficient in mechanical trap techniques and had even prepared an escape route in advance, setting up traps.

Compared to this thin young man, the four of them were indeed lacking in this area.

"What would happen if someone were to step there?"

Dugu Qingcheng asked curiously.

The thin young man casually replied, "Nothing much, just some simple traps to buy some time."

Not long after running, the thin young man suddenly ducked, saying softly, "Duck down here."

When Chen Tang and the others got closer, they could see clearly that between two trees, a nearly invisible thread was connected.

The sky was still not fully bright, and visibility in the dense forest was hindered, making it difficult to notice while in pursuit.

"What if I jump over? I don't have to duck down, right?"

Dugu Qingcheng, impetuous by nature, tried to take a different approach, just about to leap up, when Chen Tang and Yuwen Heigou each grabbed an arm and pulled her down!

"There's another thread up there."

Chen Tang pointed upwards.

"That was close."

Dugu Qingcheng stuck out her tongue and patted her chest.

Actually, with these kinds of trap techniques, beyond setting up the traps, it's more important to anticipate the opponent's mindset and guess their next move.

So as to set up a second or even a third trap.

When the opponent avoids the first trap, they often breathe a sigh of relief, which is when they are most mentally relaxed and easiest to catch.

Chen Tang and the others followed the thin young man, bypassing several traps, when suddenly a few screams echoed from behind them!

…

Zhai Zhan stood at the edge of a large pit, looking back at the Cyan Dragon Guards who had just fallen into the pit and were screaming, his face turning pale, breaking into a cold sweat.

He had been pursuing Chen Tang and the other four to this location, and just as his foot touched the ground, he sensed something was off and quickly used his Qi technique to leap up.

However, the Cyan Dragon Guards of the Sixth and Seventh Grade following behind him weren't as fortunate.

Stepping into emptiness, they fell into the pit.

Inside the pit were poisonous insects everywhere, and the few Cyan Dragon Guards who fell in were immediately bitten.

The Cyan Dragon Armor could only protect the vital upper body parts, it couldn't stop the insects.

Some Cyan Dragon Guards nearby heard the noise and rushed over, lowering ropes to pull the people in the pit up.

Their faces were already looking unwell, and everyone quickly gave them antidote pills to temporarily ease the toxin's invasion, barely saving their lives.

Continuing the pursuit was out of the question for these individuals.

Zhai Zhan did not pay any more attention to them; he led the remaining Cyan Dragon Guards and some City Defense Cavalry Captains to continue the pursuit.

"Ah!"

A scream came from not far away.

When Zhai Zhan arrived, he saw a Profound Celestial Temple alchemist, seemingly having triggered some mechanism, having a wooden stick as thick as an arm and sharp as a spear on one end pierce through his chest, dying with unresolved eyes!

Another's entire face had been nailed by a few bamboo tubes, sharpened squarely until unrecognizable, collapsing to the ground, their body still twitching.

Several others were also pierced by wooden sticks or bamboo sticks from an unknown source and were struggling for help.

"Ah!"

Elsewhere, a few screams abruptly ceased, likely having triggered another trap, spelling probable doom!

Zhai Zhan frowned gloomily, staring into the unknown-occupied, trap-laden dense forest ahead, uncertain what to do next.

Pursuing this way, how many will be left?

Will there be an even more formidable trap that even he cannot evade?

"Brother Zhai, need help?"

A voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Zhai Zhan followed the sound and saw a tall, dark-skinned middle-aged man not far away, carrying a long knife on his back, staring intently at him.

White Tiger Bureau Captain, Jin Rongfei!

The White Tiger Bureau was responsible for supervising Jianghu figures who were not bound by the Court or Noble Families. They mingled in Jianghu all year round, appearing indistinguishable from Jianghu people in appearance.

The two had met once in the Capital City, thus knew each other.

Moreover, entering the White Tiger Bureau required mastering a skill: the Tracking Technique.

The Tracking Technique included numerous trap methods.

Zhai Zhan was delighted; once a White Tiger Guard had their sights on someone, no matter where those little rascals fled, they'd track them down!

"Why is Brother Jin here?"

Zhai Zhan asked with a smile.

Jin Rongfei was stationed in the Capital City and normally wouldn't be near Bingzhou City.

Unless something major had happened that required the mobilization of the White Tiger Guards from the Capital City!

"Just some official business, came over to take a look," Jin Rongfei said blandly, evading further details.

Despite his curiosity, Zhai Zhan was tactful and didn't pursue the matter further, saying, "If I could have Brother Jin's assistance, I would be greatly appreciative. Reporting to the Marshal would surely earn Brother Jin some credit."

"No problem," Jin Rongfei smiled.

Zhai Zhan asked, "How should we proceed? Do we need to dismantle these traps in the dense forest?"

"Dismantling is an option, but it would take a lot of time and isn't necessary," Jin Rongfei said. "Just call a few Fifth Grade or higher experts, and follow me."

With a Fifth Grade Inner Core, having cultivated Inner Qi, understanding some Qi Manipulation Techniques allows some traps to be easily bypassed.

…

Chen Tang and the others followed the thin young man, winding around the dense forest. Initially, they could still hear some screams.

But soon after, there were no more sounds, and those pursuing them, who knows how far behind they were left.

They continued their escape at full speed, changing directions multiple times, and after more than an hour, finally stopped, gasping for breath where they stood, regaining their composure.

"That should be enough, right?"

Changsun Ming, his face flushed, panted and said, "If we keep running, I might get lost."

Yuwen Heigou said, "It should be enough. With those traps delaying them, even if they dismantle the traps, it would take a lot of effort; they probably can't see us now."

The thin young man remained a bit cautious, hesitant to speak.

If he were alone, he'd likely shake off those pursuing him.

He was skilled in mechanical trap techniques and proficient in the tracking technique; during escape, he would set up other decoys or cover his escape traces to get rid of pursuit.

But now, there were five of them.

No matter which direction they fled, they would leave behind plenty of telltale signs.

If someone skilled in tracking were after them, it would be easy for them to trail and catch up.

Of course, as far as he knew, neither the Cyan Dragon Bureau nor the Profound Celestial Temple excelled in these skills.

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