"Damn it, these sons of bitches are such cowards!" Zhao Shengli slammed the table, furious. "I'm going out to curse them!"

Xiong Sihai quickly stopped him. "Chief Zhao, it's useless! ... The Flying Cavalry Camp men are notorious for being despicable, shameless, treacherous, and cunning. Even if you curse their ancestors for eighteen generations, they won't get angry!"

Zhao Shengli angrily slammed the table again, seething, practically itching to rush out.

Old Ma, who was quite strong, forcefully pushed the door shut. Outside, soldiers were shouting curses and hammering the door relentlessly, the bang bang sound suggesting it could shatter at any moment.

Old Ma braced both hands against the door, his face flushed, slightly unable to hold it any longer. He quickly turned his head. "Boss, what should we do?"

Xiong Sihai pulled his head back, closed the window, and spat a curse. "Damn it, these bastards are too sly. Even if they're exhausted, someone's covering them; they can't escape!"

"Then we fight!" Zhao Shengli grunted.

Xiong Sihai looked at Li Muchan. "Great Monk, you make the decision! ..."

He harbored a secret test. Ever since recognizing him as an elder brother, he realized this Mingkong was no ordinary person; his methods were formidable, no less than his own, and his initial feeling of unfairness gradually faded.

When Xiong Sihai said this, everyone turned to look at Li Muchan.

"..." We should hold them off first, then send someone back to fetch reinforcements."

He spoke lightly and naturally, as if the current crisis was trivial.

Influenced by him, the others stopped their panic and restlessness, calmed down, and slowly sat back at the table, letting the door be hammered with loud bangs.

Feng Dakun stepped forward to help Old Ma hold the door. Both men were similarly tall and robust, with great strength. Holding the door, they could manage for a while.

Xiong Sihai shook his head. "Great Monk, there's no way to call for reinforcements. We can't get out the door, and the windows are no good either—someone is watching downstairs!"

Xiong Sihai thought to himself that if no one were downstairs, they could climb out the window into the next room and then quietly slip away. But these cunning bastards from the Flying Cavalry Camp—forty or fifty men were standing on the street below, staring up at them.

Li Muchan said softly, "Just a moment longer. Protect me while I meditate."

Saying this, he sat cross-legged on the nearby couch, formed a hand seal, closed his eyes, and stilled his breath.

Everyone was stunned. Military martial arts involved using power while moving; sitting in meditation was useless. Only esoteric martial arts required sitting to regulate the breath. Could it be he possessed some secret technique?

Curious, everyone stared intently at him. Cai Yuzhang stepped forward to help hold the door. The three of them combined could barely hold it.

The knocking grew louder, followed by a great shout: "You brats of the Valiant Cavalry Camp, you are surrounded! Come out obediently and save yourselves the physical pain. Once we rush in, we won't show any mercy about the force we use!"

The group remained silent, focused only on Li Muchan. Li Muchan looked solemn and dignified. Suddenly, his robes puffed out like an inflated ball, causing the canopy beside the couch to sway violently as if struck by a breeze.

Xiong Sihai and Zhao Shengli exchanged glances. Xiong Sihai seemed to be asking: Is the Great Monk a man of the wulin (martial world)?

Zhao Shengli shook his head, implying he didn't know.

The two communicated with their eyes. They were kindred spirits; their ways of thinking and handling matters were similar. They needed few words; one look conveyed the other's thoughts.

Li Muchan looked inward, activating the Sangu Fa (Skill for Dispersing Power). The internal energy cultivated in the army could not circulate. However, the sarira within contained immense latent internal energy. As soon as the Sangu Fa activated, the energy surged out, like opening a chest and releasing a flood.

With a rumbling roar, the internal energy surged mightily along the meridians, completing a full circulation cycle in an instant, returning to the dantian to form a lake of internal energy.

The weak internal energy from the army was washed away by this solidified and majestic energy, dissipating outside the body.

Li Muchan felt that the internal energy solidified by the Canghai Shen Gong (Vast Sea Divine Skill) was like real lake water, while the energy refined by military methods was like viscous oil; the two could not mix.

Moreover, they could not coexist; both were extremely dominant, a case of 'either you or me.'

He let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. A flash of golden light vanished, startling everyone. He, however, was relieved that nothing unexpected had happened.

"Mingkong, what was that...?" Zhao Shengli couldn't help his curiosity.

Li Muchan said, "This is a secret technique passed down in my family."

Zhao Shengli nodded and asked no further questions. A family secret technique naturally shouldn't be discussed extensively.

Li Muchan walked to the east wall, listened intently, his expression turning grave. He turned and said, "Zi, go fetch reinforcements!"

Li Baolu immediately shook his head. "I'm not going! I want to stay with everyone!"

Li Muchan stepped forward and playfully ruffled Li Baolu's hair. "Too bad, you don't have spare clothes."

Li Baolu dodged left and right but couldn't escape Li Muchan's playful grasp.

In an instant, Li Baolu's messy hair was combed smooth. Li Muchan grabbed a pork knuckle from the plate with his left hand, smeared some oil on it, and applied it to his hair. His hair instantly became glossy and radiant.

"..."

Xiao He nodded. "What should I do?"

He had been close to Xiong Sihai, making it easy for him to be recognized. Li Muchan smiled. "You should forget it. Xiong Sihai, do you have any token?"

"That's right, Xiao He, you stay put!" Xiong Sihai pulled out a jade pendant from his robes and handed it to Li Baolu.

Li Baolu accepted it reluctantly, his face grim. "Then how do I leave?"

Li Muchan smiled and flicked his sleeve. The plates and bowls instantly flew up and landed on the ground nearby, leaving the tabletop as clean as if it had been wiped.

The table lifted up. Li Muchan moved his palm like lightning, slicing and hacking at it in a flurry. In moments, the purple wood table was reduced to scattered fragments piled before everyone.

Li Muchan sorted through them, pulling out several wooden sticks, tossing one to each person. Everyone got one; four table legs and four crossbeams. The legs were the longest, about a meter, and the crossbeams slightly shorter.

Li Muchan held two sticks, but Li Baolu was empty-handed, which displeased him greatly.

The remaining pieces were small square wooden blocks, neat and uniform. Everyone watched, slack-jawed, at his divine skill.

Li Muchan returned to the couch, sat cross-legged facing the wall, pressed his palms slowly against it, then remained motionless, slowly closing his eyes.

Soon, his robes began to inflate slightly, as if being filled with air. By now, everyone understood he was using a legendary martial art known to the common folk.

His face gradually turned white, eventually becoming an alabaster white, as if carved from jade. The others stared, not daring to breathe, while the bang bang of the door knocking outside sounded exceptionally loud.

A moment later, Li Muchan let out a soft breath, withdrew his palms, slowly opened his eyes, and turned to say, "Regarding this secret method, I hope you all will keep it secret!"

Xiong Sihai slapped his chest. "Great Monk, rest assured, we certainly will!"

Li Muchan scanned the people in the room. They all nodded. Zhao Shengli laughed. "Monk, you truly are an expert, hiding your skills so deeply!"

Li Muchan shook his head with a wry smile. "This story is long; we can discuss it another day... Zi, are you ready?"

"...Mm," Li Baolu nodded unwillingly.

Li Muchan drew a circle on the wall with his index finger, about a meter in diameter, silently and seamlessly. Then, lifting his left hand, he lifted a round cover, much like a manhole cover in later times.

A perfectly circular, flawless hole appeared in the wall.

Li Muchan lightly tapped with his right hand, and four soft whistling sounds, "Chih pu chih pu chih pu chih pu," were heard.

He set down the cover and crawled through. He beckoned Li Baolu to follow. Li Baolu stepped onto the couch, ducked, and crossed over into the adjoining room. He saw four people slumped on a table, seemingly fast asleep.

Li Baolu was startled, thinking Li Muchan had killed them. These four were also soldiers. Even though he was slow-witted, he figured out they belonged to the Flying Cavalry Camp.

Li Muchan put a finger to his lips. Baolu quickly clamped his mouth shut.

Li Muchan smiled, turned, got onto the couch, followed his method, and made another hole. He waved, signaling Li Baolu to hurry through.

Li Baolu checked the breathing of the four men; their breaths were natural, just as if they were sleeping. He stopped thinking about it, quickly reached the edge of the hole, bent low, and crossed the circular opening. On the other side was an empty room; no one was there.

Li Muchan beckoned him over. Li Baolu leaned in close.

Li Muchan whispered, "Zi, don't rush off yet. Wait until the fight starts over there, then leave calmly, just like someone watching a spectacle. Don't rush, don't panic!"

Li Baolu nodded. "You all be careful, and I'll be back!"

Li Muchan smiled and nodded, replacing the cover and pulling the curtain down over the couch. Then he turned back and replaced the cover on his side as well, pulling down the curtain.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, their eyes filled with surprise and great curiosity about what he had done behind the wall.

However, they finally relaxed, feeling that with such exquisite martial arts, they wouldn't suffer. Li Muchan smiled. "I need to cover my tracks; I can only use the martial arts of the army now."

Everyone nodded. Zhao Shengli said, "That's fine. What should we do?"

Li Muchan pointed to the pile of wooden blocks and smiled. "Everyone grab some; they'll be useful as hidden weapons later."

Everyone grew excited, thinking it fun. They filled their pockets. Xiong Sihai and Zhao Shengli, being conscientious, also helped Feng Dakun and the other two fill their pockets.

Li Muchan smiled. "If everyone is ready, let's open the door... I'll take the center. Xiong Sihai and you take the sides. Dakun and Old Ma on the flanks. Little Cai and Little He will cover the rear!"

Although he was the most junior, no one objected. They obeyed him solemnly. In the army, strength was respected; having witnessed his display of exquisite martial arts, they were convinced and compliant.

"Good, open the door!" Li Muchan commanded.

Feng Dakun, Old Ma, and Cai Yuzhang shouted in unison, suddenly pulled back, and stood behind Li Muchan, settling into a defensive posture. With the table gone, the room was spacious, suitable for a battlefield.

With a 'Boom...', the door was smashed open, and four or five people charged in. Li Muchan stepped forward, swinging his long staff.

These four men only saw a staff coming toward them before they were sent flying over everyone's heads and out of the room. Then, one after another, more people were flicked away.

Li Muchan wielded his long staff like a spear, using only subtle force; the staff strikes were incredibly fast. Before the men could utter a sound, they were already flying out.

"Not good! They have weapons!" someone shouted loudly.

"Damn it, how dare they use weapons! Let's hit them with chairs!"

Li Muchan moved like a charging steed, shouting, "Follow me!"

He strode out, sweeping aside those blocking the way. In moments, they were out of the room and into the hall, immediately surrounded by fifty-six men.

The hall was quite spacious. Li Muchan ignored everything and continued to move forward, looking determined to break through, which immediately provoked a fierce counterattack.

Li Muchan used no internal energy, only his spear techniques, relying purely on the variations of force. He wielded a stick in each hand, unleashing a blizzard of staff shadows.

However, the Flying Cavalry Camp men were not to be trifled with. They immediately formed a peculiar formation, using chairs as weapons, swinging them with formidable force.

Li Muchan was supported by Zhao Shengli and Xiong Sihai, both skilled fighters. They swung their staffs, helping Li Muchan fend off attacks, but the enemy numbers were too great, and their formation was strange—it didn't impede their own men, making it equivalent to one against ten.

In a short time, Li Muchan and his group had been hit over a dozen times. If they hadn't been tough-skinned, ordinary men would have fallen long ago.

Many upstairs watched the spectacle with interest. Some stood to the side, while others craned their necks to look down, wanting to leave the trouble spot. The Flying Cavalry Camp men didn't stop them; internal conflict among colleagues was one thing, but disturbing the common people was a major issue that could bring serious trouble.

Li Muchan deliberately slowed his pace, focusing on observing Li Baolu slip away secretly. Only then did he quicken his pace, allowing the chairs to strike his body, relentlessly pushing forward.

This relentless momentum was intimidating. The Flying Cavalry Camp men were secretly annoyed; they were only using chairs. If it had been spears or blades, they would have dealt with such an advance quickly.

Li Muchan acted as if nothing had happened. Zhao Shengli and Xiong Sihai suffered the brunt of the blows, bruised and bleeding from the head, looking ferocious but clearly nearing their breaking point.

Feng Dakun and the others weren't faring any better. Although their skills were not poor, facing ten enemies at once, they couldn't hold up. They could only rely on reckless determination to keep up with those in front.

Li Muchan's group moved forward slowly like bulldozers. Although the Flying Cavalry Camp men had the upper hand, they couldn't stop Li Muchan's charge and were constantly pushed back until they reached the staircase.

At this point, the Flying Cavalry Camp men refused to retreat no matter what. Li Muchan flicked a few men away, and immediately others stepped up to fill the gap; they would not yield a single step.

Li Muchan glanced over. Zhao Shengli's left shoulder drooped; it had been broken. Xiong Sihai's head was bleeding profusely, his face showing savage fierceness, but he looked like he couldn't hold on much longer.

If they are dragged down, their fighting spirit will scatter, and they will truly fall.

Thinking this, Li Muchan roared, his voice like a thunderclap. The wine jars vibrated, and everyone's ears buzzed, causing a momentary pause in their movements.

Li Muchan shot forward like a gust of wind, swinging both staffs simultaneously. Those he struck were sent flying. He covered four or five paces to the staircase. Zhao Shengli and Xiong Sihai, taking advantage of the stunned Flying Cavalry Camp men, charged after him.

Li Muchan laughed loudly, rushed down the stairs, flicked away the men at the head of the line, went down a few steps, and then leaped back up, positioning himself behind Cai Yuzhang and Xiao He. "Chief Zhao, Xiong Sihai, you block the bottom; I'll hold this side!"

"Good!" the others roared.

Thus, Li Muchan's group seized control of the staircase. Li Muchan blocked the ascent, wielding both staffs side-by-side, keeping back those trying to rush up.

The staircase wasn't exactly narrow, but it wasn't wide either; only three people could stand abreast. Li Muchan blocking three was no problem. Zhao Shengli and Xiong Sihai side-by-side could also hold three. Xiao He, Cai Yuzhang, Feng Dakun, and Old Ma were sandwiched in the middle and didn't need to fight.

They weren't idle, however. They pulled out the small wooden blocks from their pockets and hurled them out. The purple wood was dense and heavy, and throwing them with force made them incredibly painful on impact.

For a time, it was like one man guarding a pass that ten thousand could not breach; the Flying Cavalry Camp men were helpless against them.

Xiong Sihai burst into triumphant laughter. "You brats of the Flying Cavalry Camp, haha, why don't you just bash your heads against the wall and die? So embarrassing, so humiliating!"

The attacks from below intensified. Though angry, they dared not use real weapons, resorting only to nearby chairs or tables. Soon, tables and chairs were flying everywhere.

After throwing tables and chairs for a while and seeing they couldn't dislodge them, the Flying Cavalry Camp soldiers switched to throwing food—bowls of noodles or plates of steaming, fragrant dishes were tossed over.

Li Muchan's group was instantly disheveled. Food flew at them, and soup splattered everywhere. They could block tables and chairs, bowls and dishes, but they couldn't stop the food.

In moments, amidst the laughter of the Flying Cavalry Camp men, some of Li Muchan's group had food hanging from their heads, others on their shoulders, and soup stains splattered on their faces and clothes.

Xiong Sihai cursed loudly, calling them despicable and unfit to be soldiers. The Flying Cavalry Camp men just laughed harder and threw all the food from the tables on the first floor.

While scrambling for the food, they also tossed out silver coins. The onlookers enjoyed the show and, receiving silver, didn't pursue the matter, instead encouraging the waiter to bring out more dishes.

Li Muchan remained silent, though soup had splashed onto him as well. He dared not use internal energy to blow it off and had to let it be, his hands ceaselessly flicking two more men away.

The Flying Cavalry Camp men upstairs, seeing his prowess, also grew cautious. They surrounded the area but refrained from attacking, unwilling to provoke him.

While the men downstairs were having their fun, someone suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: "Bad news! Hurry up, the Valiant Cavalry Camp men are coming!"

"Damn it, who sent the message!" someone roared.

The common people couldn't get near the military camp, so the Flying Cavalry Camp men were confident that once they were surrounded, they could dictate terms, unafraid of reinforcements.

Now, it seemed the news had leaked, and the Valiant Cavalry Camp was arriving. Someone shouted: "Chief Li, what should we do? Fight or retreat?" A middle-aged man frowned, his expression shifting rapidly.

If they fought, they wouldn't finish quickly and would clash with the Valiant Cavalry Camp reinforcements. If they retreated, the men upstairs couldn't leave and would be surrounded, facing a grim outcome. Although they wouldn't be killed, a thorough beating was inevitable.

To stay or to abandon them—this was the most common choice a commander faced.

The middle-aged man's expression kept changing; he couldn't decide immediately. On a battlefield, such a situation would call for a quick withdrawal, but this wasn't a battlefield.

Another middle-aged man next to him urged, "Chief Li, what's the decision? ... We can't delay any longer; the Valiant Cavalry Camp men have already entered the city!"

Zhao Shengli wiped his face, flicked off a piece of cabbage, and laughed heartily. "We need to settle this score properly, haha..."