"Mingkong, are you alright?" someone asked with concern. If it were before, they might have still held a grudge because Li Muzhan had injured the Flying Cavalry Camp's honor, but now all that was forgotten, and they looked upon Li Muzhan with anxiety.

Li Muzhan’s face was pale, as if he might collapse at any moment. They understood this must be the lingering effect of a secret art; saving a life could never come without a price.

This world was fundamentally fair. "I'm fine, I won't die," Li Muzhan waved his hand.

"Don't let word of today’s events get out. I just need a rest.

Everyone, get back to your duties." "Understood." Everyone agreed, though curiosity churned within them—what kind of secret art allowed one to save a life with just a few light touches? Old Song had been run through with a sword through the throat, a fatal wound.

They had truly expected him to perish, yet he was alive. It was an unbelievable miracle.

Li Muzhan sat for a moment, then his expression suddenly shifted. He sprang up, flashed several times, and vanished from their sight, leaving them staring at each other in bewilderment.

With several quick blurs of movement, Li Muzhan reached Fan Peiyao. He drew his saber in one fluid motion and brought it down in a strike aimed at the Great Chieftain of Mount Taibai’s stronghold.

Li Muzhan hadn't anticipated that the grey-robed figure, though formidable, would fail to contain the Great Chieftain. Letting the enemy escape now would mean endless future trouble.

He had been monitoring the area within a two-mile radius, and sensing danger, he rushed over just in time. Had he been a moment later with that palm strike, Fan Peiyao's life would not have been spared.

Clink—a sharp sound rang out. The Great Chieftain had flicked his finger, striking the back of the saber.

Li Muzhan’s body shuddered. His feet spun, instantly kicking up sand and gravel that swirled like a fierce gale.

Pine needles flew, each one imbued with immense, powerful force. Li Muzhan had channeled the momentum from the saber strike directly into his footwork—a display of exquisite technique.

The Great Chieftain waved his sleeve and retreated a step, wary that Li Muzhan might seize the opportunity for a sneak attack. When the stones and sand settled and the pine needles drifted down, the Great Chieftain’s expression changed: Li Muzhan had already disappeared into the woods opposite, carrying Fan Peiyao in his arms.

A cold smile touched the Great Chieftain’s stern face. He drifted over like a phantom, pursuing Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan, holding Fan Peiyao—her soft warmth close but offering no comfort—felt the strong wind pressing against his face. While employing his lightness skill, he sighed, "Miss Fan, if things go badly, we might both be done for today." Fan Peiyao sighed softly.

"Master, please let me go and save yourself. He only wants me dead; he won't chase you." Li Muzhan shook his head.

"Say less of that. How could I be so selfish and cowardly as to abandon you?

At worst, we die together. ...At least the road to the Yellow Springs will have a beauty for company.

I should thank this Great Chieftain for facilitating such a pleasant journey." "Master, you are a monk. Do not speak such nonsense," Fan Peiyao chided lightly, her pale, delicate features flushing beautifully like a blooming flower.

Li Muzhan chuckled, shaking his head. "A man facing death gets a little reckless.

Forgive me, forgive me." He laughed inwardly. In truth, escaping wouldn't be difficult; unleashing the Burning Lamp Art would be enough to shake off the Great Chieftain.

He held back because he was reluctant to use it—his internal energy was hard-won now, and recovering it would take time; he would use the art only if necessary. Furthermore, he wanted to know the location of that ginseng root and claim it.

Although he had deployed troops for the Fan family, he held no real affection for them. Even if he felt a fondness for Fan Peiyao, saving her life was one thing; genuinely helping her retrieve the ginseng was another.

As it stood, only the Great Chieftain knew the ginseng's location. Even if they captured Mount Taibai’s stronghold, it would be useless.

Therefore, the whereabouts of this thousand-year-old ginseng lay with the Great Chieftain, meaning Li Muzhan could not simply kill him; he needed to extract information first. Fortunately, while the Great Chieftain’s martial arts were potent, his mental cultivation was lacking—he couldn't achieve a mind as clear as still water, reflecting nothing.

This gave Li Muzhan’s Mind-Sight skill a chance to work. They ran for a while before Li Muzhan suddenly stopped, placing Fan Peiyao against the trunk of a tree.

He sighed. "I'll spar with him for a moment.

Don't move rashly; if you fall, it will be disastrous." "Be careful," Fan Peiyao whispered. Li Muzhan smiled.

"Don't worry. Thirty-six stratagems, escaping is the best one.

At the critical moment, I will flee." "Mm." Fan Peiyao smiled, but she understood clearly: the more he insisted on leaving, the less likely he was to retreat. He had made up his mind to fight the Great Chieftain to the death.

Her impression of him had completely changed; he was no longer just an arrogant great monk, but a man of integrity and fearlessness. Li Muzhan floated back a dozen zhang, standing atop a treetop, watching the Great Chieftain drift toward him.

A gust of wind swept past the Chieftain's iron armor. The Great Chieftain landed on a tree opposite him and said in a deep voice, "Kid, I didn't expect you to be such a soft touch for a pretty face.

A pity." "Great Chieftain, is ruining the entire stronghold for this ginseng truly worth it?" Li Muzhan shook his head, sighing, displaying an air of pity for all beings. "Ruining the stronghold?" The Great Chieftain sneered.

"With trash like you coming here, you think you can destroy my Mount Taibai? A fool's dream!" Li Muzhan laughed.

"Great Chieftain, didn't you see? After a few charges from the cavalry, less than one in ten remain.

Hasn't the power of Mount Taibai been nearly wiped out?" "Hmph. Those fools were useless and only made trouble.

It's cleaner now that they’re dead," the Great Chieftain chuckled coldly. Li Muzhan narrowed his eyes, a chill running down his spine.

He hadn't expected the Great Chieftain to be so ruthless. It seemed he intended to use Li Muzhan to murder his own subordinates and rid himself of them.

His thoughts raced. Why did he want to break away from the men of Mount Taibai?

Was he planning to turn over a new leaf? In an instant, countless possibilities spun through his mind.

He then smiled. "Great Chieftain, where have you hidden that ginseng?" "Heh heh, you want to know?" The Great Chieftain sneered several times and shook his head.

"So you're greedy for the ginseng too?" Li Muzhan laughed. "As martial artists, how could we not desire such a thing?

It is the finest tonic for replenishing vital energy. If one is engaged in battle, having ginseng to assist would mean decades of hard cultivation saved!" Ginseng was the ultimate vital energy replenisher.

If one became utterly exhausted in combat, ginseng could swiftly restore vitality, allowing one to continue fighting. However, people rarely used it this way; it was too extravagant.

Usually, ginseng was combined with other herbs and refined into elixirs to enhance their potency, turning them into spirit pills. Such an exquisite ginseng, if made into a pill, would surely become a rare spirit elixir, a life-saving medicine.

The Great Chieftain said calmly, "Tell me, why should I tell you?" Li Muzhan smiled. "Don't tell me you carry it on your person?

Then I must defeat the Great Chieftain first." "What arrogance, boy. Come then," the Great Chieftain sneered, looking at him with disdain.

Li Muzhan understood that the Great Chieftain was stalling to recover his vital energy, which had been heavily depleted fighting the grey-robed elder. Li Muzhan was happy to play along, feigning ignorance while using Mind-Sight to probe for the ginseng's precise location.

A sudden joy lit up his face; he had found the location. He chuckled, then suddenly extended his left hand—a sharp hiss rang out.

"Eh?" The Great Chieftain swayed sideways. The branches behind him instantly disintegrated into powder.

"What powerful fingertip force!" The Great Chieftain's expression flickered slightly. Li Muzhan laughed.

"Great Chieftain, do you truly seek my life? ...We have no past grievances, nor recent enmity.

I am merely acting under military orders." "Boy, are you begging for mercy?" The Great Chieftain sneered, his face grave. Li Muzhan nodded with a smile.

"Indeed. I ask the Great Chieftain to spare our lives.

How about it?" "Very well," the Great Chieftain said with a cold smile, glancing into the distance. "That little girl from the Fan family must die.

You may leave." Li Muzhan sighed, shaking his head. "It seems the Great Chieftain has no intention of letting us go, has he?" "Is it worth it for one woman?" The Great Chieftain stared at him coldly.

Li Muzhan sighed. "Whether woman or man, in this situation, I have no choice.

Come, let us settle this with our hands." Saying this, he raised his left hand again. The Great Chieftain quickly swerved, drifting out a foot.

His stern face immediately flushed red, his eyes shot out chilling light, filled with murderous intent. He hadn't expected that when Li Muzhan raised his hand, he did nothing—just a faint gesture.

This empty gesture startled him into drifting back a foot. He felt deeply humiliated; his face darkened, as if frost could flake off, and he glared coldly at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, unconcerned, and pointed his left hand again. Hiss—a light whistle sounded as a stream of fingertip force shot through the air.

The Great Chieftain quickly swerved, narrowly avoiding it, which startled him. Li Muzhan chuckled.

"Feigned emptiness, actual substance; actual substance, feigned emptiness. Great Chieftain, how is my fingertip force?

I would value your critique." "Good... finger...

force," the Great Chieftain grunted heavily. Li Muzhan pointed with his left hand again.

Hiss—another whistle as the force arrived near him. He shifted sideways half a foot, narrowly evading it.

Li Muzhan then pointed with his left hand, followed immediately by his right. Two streams of force shot out simultaneously—one whistling sharply to intimidate, the other silent and unseen.

Hiss—a small hole appeared in the Great Chieftain's sleeve. He jumped, quickly swerving away again, landing on another tree, his expression shifting.

Li Muzhan took a deep breath. His eyes flashed, and suddenly both hands moved together, sending out wave after wave of fingertip force, weaving them into a net that enveloped the Chieftain.

The Great Chieftain's face changed drastically. He rapidly retreated, using the treetops to shield his body.

After the fingertip forces passed, the trees sizzled and burst, shattering into fine powder that drifted down. Amidst the powder, the Great Chieftain’s figure vanished.

Li Muzhan let out a long breath and immediately began circulating the Heavenly Origin Breathing Technique to restore his internal energy. When casting this Vast Sea Divine Finger, he needed all five apertures active, preventing him from using the Heavenly Origin Breathing Technique concurrently.

Without it, the Vast Sea Divine Finger consumed internal energy too rapidly; recovery would take time, which he currently lacked. He floated over to Fan Peiyao.

Leaning against the tree, she had witnessed the entire exchange and looked at him strangely. "Master, what exactly are you...?" Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed.

"Miss Fan, I beg you to keep this a secret." "So, Master is a martial artist," Fan Peiyao replied, her gaze still curious and unreadable. Li Muzhan nodded.

"Yes. I was originally a disciple of the martial world, but I was pursued by enemies and had to hide in the military camp.

I never expected to escape these feuds." Fan Peiyao asked, "Who exactly is Master?" Li Muzhan smiled. "My monastic name is Mingkong." "You're not serious, are you?" Fan Peiyao shook her head and laughed.

"Master isn't hiding his true name?" Li Muzhan laughed. "Call me Mingkong for now.

A name is just a symbol; don't take it too seriously. Miss Fan, let's go.

Your second grand-uncle..." He noticed that the grey-robed elder, losing ground to the Great Chieftain mid-fight, had actually fled, putting Fan Peiyao in peril and forcing Li Muzhan to risk his life to save her. Still, he admitted that overwhelming the Great Chieftain with his current level of internal energy was a stroke of luck, relying heavily on the exquisite and potent manifestation of the Nine Fingers of the Vast Sea, which kept the Great Chieftain from daring to press the attack.

However, without the grey-robed elder’s distraction, the Great Chieftain wouldn't have been injured, and Li Muzhan certainly wouldn't have been able to hold him off. The world was vast, and the masters of the martial world were countless—it was truly an eye-opening experience.

Fan Peiyao suddenly asked, "Master, military internal energy and martial world internal energy cannot coexist. How did you manage it?" Li Muzhan shook his head, smiling bitterly.

"I ruined the military internal energy. Nothing mysterious about it." Fan Peiyao paused, looking at him in surprise.

"You ruined your military internal energy?" Li Muzhan nodded. "My practice in the military energy was still short.

If it's ruined, it's ruined. Let's go.

It won't be good if that Great Chieftain returns." He also practiced the Small Dragon Form, which greatly increased his cultivation speed, allowing him to recover the lost energy in a few days. Otherwise, losing his military power would have been heartbreaking.

"Mm, let's go." Fan Peiyao's expression changed, and she nodded quickly. She glanced around.

"I wonder if Second Grand-uncle managed to escape..." "That old fellow ran off long ago, disappeared without a trace," Li Muzhan shook his head, sighing. "You are the eldest daughter of the Fan family; he didn't need to fight to the death to save you, did he?" Fan Peiyao showed a wry smile.

"I am merely a daughter. I am insignificant to the Fan family.

Second Grand-uncle is more important; he is our family's top master." "A fine 'top master' indeed," Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed. "It seems your life in the Fan family is not as comfortable as it seems." "It's nothing.

Life is hard for everyone," Fan Peiyao shook her head, revealing a clear understanding of worldly matters. Li Muzhan chuckled.

"Good, a fine Miss Fan! Truly extraordinary wisdom."