Feng Shangkun lay on his back, his neck stained with blood, his complexion faintly cyanotic, his eyes wide open in a stare that refused to settle in death—it was indeed a frightening sight.

Though she spoke of fear, her expression remained unchanged.

Xiao Yuan appeared delicate, but having faced life and death alongside Mei Ruolan, she had seen countless corpses and possessed a fortitude far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Elder Zhang chuckled, "That old man Ouyang is here. I’ll give him a piece of my mind; living so long, his entire life has been wasted, worse than a mere youngster!"

Xiao Yuan giggled, "Elder Zhang, but you couldn't handle that fellow either, could you?"

Elder Zhang's face hardened, and he snorted, "Nonsense! This old man didn't show his true strength!"

"Hehe, he was so arrogant, and everyone got hurt one by one. If Elder Zhang still didn't use his real skills, what were your intentions?" Xiao Yuan chirped sweetly.

"This... little girl, you have a sharp tongue. Be careful you don't end up unable to find a husband!" Elder Zhang glared, his white beard bristling.

Xiao Yuan giggled again, "I'm never getting married! Elder Zhang, you're just angry from being rebuffed!"

"Go on, go on!" Elder Zhang waved his hand and huffed, "I won't talk to you, little girl! ...Heh heh, Miss, you ladies should head back first. This matter will be handled by this old man!"

Mei Ruolan knitted her delicate brows and said slowly, "Elder Zhang, this person is so young!"

"Alas... these young people nowadays, each one is more formidable than the last!" Elder Zhang nodded, deeply feeling the sentiment.

Mei Ruolan frowned, "So young, yet possessing such martial prowess. He must have studied under a renowned master."

"Indeed, that's right. At his age, with such refined skills, both innate talent and a famous teacher are indispensable!" Elder Zhang agreed.

"Then his origins...?" Mei Ruolan inquired, frowning.

Elder Zhang raised his frosty eyebrows, pausing the motion of stroking his beard, "Hmm, now that you mention it, this is indeed troublesome!"

"...It might be a great trouble," Mei Ruolan stated slowly.

Xiao Yuan blinked, unconcerned, "Could he be the Young Master of the Crimson Blood Hall?"

Saying this, her face shifted, and she looked toward Mei Ruolan, "No way... Miss, he couldn't actually be the Young Master of the Crimson Blood Hall, could he?"

Mei Ruolan frowned faintly, "It’s hard to say..."

Elder Zhang bent down to search: letters, a tinderbox, gold ingots, pills, a dagger, and even a small crossbow. Li Muzhan secretly gasped; he hadn't expected Feng Shangkun to carry this kind of weapon—utterly impossible to guard against.

Elder Zhang chuckled, "This little fellow is quite well-off. Let me see just what kind of person he is!"

Saying so, he broke the seal on the letter and unfolded two sheets of correspondence.

He quickly scanned the first one, reading it line by line. Then, looking at the second sheet, after a moment, he looked up at Li Muzhan, "Little fellow, you’ve truly stirred up a hornet's nest!"

"Who is it?" Mei Ruolan asked.

Elder Zhang handed the letters over, "That mouth of the little girl Xiao Yuan... she guessed correctly. He is indeed the Young Master of the Crimson Blood Hall!"

Xiao Yuan's bright eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in shock, "I was just joking!"

"You, you have the mouth of a crow!" Elder Zhang pointed at her and laughed heartily.

Xiao Yuan pouted in displeasure, "Elder Zhang, what time is it, and you’re still laughing!"

Elder Zhang laughed cheerfully, "It's no great matter!... The Crimson Blood Hall is used to being domineering. Whether we kill this fellow or not, they will certainly come after us with deadly intent!"

Elder Zhang added, "Zhanran killed him well. It lets the people of the Crimson Blood Hall know that our Mei family is not a soft persimmon; if they want to deal with us, they must pay a price!"

Mei Ruolan delicately furrowed her brows and remained silent.

Elder Zhang continued, "Miss, the few of us must keep this strictly secret... I just worry that the Crimson Blood Hall fellows will go mad and target Zhanran exclusively!"

Mei Ruolan nodded, "Yes, that is only right."

She glanced at Xiao Yuan and Gong Qingyun; the two immediately nodded. Xiao Yuan assured him, "Don't worry!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Elder Zhang was indeed experienced and thorough in his considerations. He had spoken his true mind; dealing with someone dull-witted, he would have had difficulty bringing up the subject himself.

Although one should take responsibility for their own actions—a true man should stand tall and upright—his own life and death were minor concerns compared to the safety of his family and friends. If the Crimson Blood Hall meticulously targeted his family, the consequences would be dire.

"Alright, Miss, you all go back first. Leave this to me." Elder Zhang urged them.

Mei Ruolan nodded, "We trouble Elder Zhang."

She glanced at Feng Shangkun on the ground, shook her head, and turned to leave.

Li Muzhan clasped his hands in a salute to Elder Zhang, then followed Mei Ruolan, returning to the carriage.

Xiao Yuan pulled him into the carriage and helped him remove his monk's robe, revealing his shoulder. He used his inner strength to expel the arrow, and after Xiao Yuan applied the medicine, she let him out.

Li Muzhan shook his head with a wry smile. The carriage was filled with a lingering, delicate fragrance, stirring the heart—truly a gentle haven.

After redressing in his robe, he sat down on a large stone beside the carriage.

The stone resembled a millstone, perhaps flint, white in texture. Sitting cross-legged upon it was like sitting on a meditation cushion. He closed his eyes to regulate his breath, assuming an air of solemn dignity.

Elder Ouyang approached, exchanged a few words with Mei Ruolan, and upon leaving, spared several glances for Li Muzhan. A faint smile touched his usually icy features, showing considerable approval.

Half an hour later, the convoy resumed its journey, and no further harassment occurred.

Towards dusk, they entered a small town called Luoma Town, comparable in size to the preceding Benma Town, and equally prosperous.

The Mei household staff entered an inn, securing several courtyards, and strictly commanded everyone to remain on alert and not venture out.

Mei Ruolan and the other two women shared a courtyard with Li Muzhan; he was allocated a separate room.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the afterglow stained the windowpanes red, casting a soft light within the room.

Li Muzhan sat cross-legged on the bed, intending to practice the Gazing at Heaven and Man Divine Illumination Scripture to repair his body and hasten his recovery, as a great battle seemed imminent.

Footsteps sounded, followed by Xiao Yuan's sweet voice calling from outside the door: "Zhanran, Zhanran!"

Li Muzhan rose and opened the door.

Xiao Yuan stood in the fading sunset, dressed in a pink silk robe, her hands clasped behind her back. Her chest rose more voluptuously, radiating a fatal allure that drew the eye irresistibly.

With dimples lightly showing and skin ivory-white, she smiled sweetly, "Zhanran, are you going to practice?"

Li Muzhan’s gaze swept over her chest, and he nodded with a smile, "I was just about to begin... Does the Miss require something?"

"The Miss asked me to bring these!" Xiao Yuan stretched out both hands, suddenly producing two bows, one in each hand.

The left was an ordinary longbow, its body deep black, iron-hued, nearly half a person’s height.

The right was strangely shaped, like two hooks joined together, about half an arm's length. Its entire body was pristine white, including the string, and it was intricately carved with complex patterns. Compared to the other longbow, it was delicate, exquisite, more like a work of art, resembling a child's toy.

It instantly captured Li Muzhan's gaze. He noticed two small characters deeply carved near the nock: Bing Yu (Ice Jade).

"This is...?" He pointed at the white bow, "This is Feng Shangkun's bow!"

Xiao Yuan nodded, "Yes. Elder Zhang brought it back... Someone just delivered this Iron-Core Bow as well. The Miss asked you to choose."

Li Muzhan reached out but picked up the Iron-Core Bow first, holding it before his eyes to stroke it lightly. He hooked the string with his index finger, drew it back briefly, and released it. With a low 'weng' sound, it vibrated through his body, as if resonating with his flesh and blood.

Li Muzhan nodded repeatedly. These past few days he had been practicing archery constantly, using captured bows and breaking more than a dozen. This was partly due to his obsessive practice—he never stopped, even taking a few draws while eating—and partly because his strength was too great; an accidental excess of power often snapped them. This bow was incomparably strong and rigid, far superior to the ones he had captured.

Xiao Yuan pursed her lips and smiled, "Even the Miss finds this bow hard to draw. You truly are immensely strong!"

Li Muzhan drew it back once more, a look of satisfaction on his face. He handed it back and reached for the other.

Xiao Yuan presented it, "This bow is called Bing Yu, and it’s a treasured artifact!"

Li Muzhan took it; it felt warm and smooth to the touch, like mutton-fat jade. However, he knew it couldn't be actual white jade; a bow made of white jade was only for display, not use. He stroked it gently; the bow seemed to integrate with his flesh and blood, making him reluctant to let go.

After stroking it for a moment, he hooked the white string with his index finger and pulled gently.

"Eh?" He immediately showed surprise.

Xiao Yuan covered her mouth and giggled, very pleased with herself, "It's quite stiff, isn't it? Surprised?"

Li Muzhan laughed, slowly drawing the bow back to a full moon shape, shaking his head as he sighed, "Appearances can be deceiving, and that applies to bows too!"

Xiao Yuan laughed, "This Bing Yu bow is much harder than the Iron-Core Bow. I risked my life, but I couldn't draw it even with my internal energy."

Li Muzhan nodded, his face filled with admiration, and gently released the string with a muffled sound like a thunderclap: "Peng!"

Xiao Yuan quickly covered her ears, then dropped her hands to ask, "Which one do you choose?"

Li Muzhan examined the white jade-like Bing Yu bow, "I'll take this one."

This bow was several times harder than the Iron-Core Bow. In Feng Shangkun's hands, it had been a pearl hidden in the dirt. If Feng Shangkun could draw this bow fully, Li Muzhan doubted he could have killed him. Once fully drawn, the arrow shot from this bow would be incredibly swift; even with his sharp instincts, evading it would be difficult.

Xiao Yuan giggled, "The Miss guessed you would choose this one! I'll head back now."

Li Muzhan smiled and nodded, stroking the white jade-like bow, feeling a satisfied joy.

"Zhan—ran—!" Xiao Yuan stamped her foot and huffed, "I'm leaving!"

Seeing that Li Muzhan was entirely focused on the bow and ignoring her, she felt quite annoyed.

Li Muzhan put the bow away, looked up, and smiled, "Thank you for your trouble. You don't need to escort me."

Xiao Yuan huffed, twisted her waist, and left the room, returning to Mei Ruolan’s main chamber.

Li Muzhan smiled, closed the door, sat upright on the bed, placed the Bing Yu bow down, formed his hand signs, entered a meditative state, and quickly found himself within the Gazing at Heaven and Man Divine Illumination Diagram.

Not long after, he awoke. He got off the bed and pushed open the window; the moon was high in the sky, like a flawless ice wheel—it was midnight.

He naturally moved to sit before the writing desk and took out two booklets from his robe.

The moonlight poured down like water, illuminating the desk. Reading was as clear as in daylight. These two thin booklets were indeed secret manuals: one was the Flying Cloud Arrow Technique, and the other was the Flying Cloud Movement Technique. It was clear they shared a common origin.

Li Muzhan weighed them for a moment, then slowly opened the Flying Cloud Arrow Technique.

Though he had killed Feng Shangkun, it was only by luck. Li Muzhan deeply admired his archery skills. Had he not possessed the Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill or the Gazing at Heaven and Man Divine Illumination Scripture, he would surely have died long ago.