If it had been before, they might have overlooked it because Li Muzhan had embarrassed the Flying Cavalry Camp, but now they cast that aside, all looking toward Li Muzhan with concern.

Li Muzhan’s face was pale, as if he might collapse at any moment. They understood this must be the aftereffect of the secret art; saving someone could not come without a price—this world was fair.

"I'm fine, I won't die," Li Muzhan waved his hand. "Don't let word of today's events get out. I'll rest for a bit, and then everyone should go back to what they were doing."

"Yes." Everyone agreed, inwardly wondering what secret art it was that could save a life with just a few light touches. Old Song had been run through the throat, a fatal wound; they had truly believed he was finished, yet he was saved. It was an inconceivable miracle.

Li Muzhan sat for a while, then his expression suddenly changed. He sprang up, flickered a few times, and vanished before their eyes, leaving behind only their stunned, perplexed faces.

Li Muzhan flickered several times, arriving before Fan Peiyao, drawing his saber in one swift motion, and bringing it down! The blade flashed like lightning, instantly targeting the Great Chieftain of Taibai Stockade.

Li Muzhan hadn't expected that the Gray Yong man, despite his skill, couldn't hold the Great Chieftain, allowing him to escape—a future menace. It was fortunate that he had been monitoring the surrounding two li, and seeing the situation turn sour, he had rushed over a step ahead of time. Otherwise, with the blow he had just delivered, Fan Peiyao’s life would have been forfeit.

Clang… a crisp sound echoed; the Great Chieftain had flicked the back of the saber with his finger.

Li Muzhan’s body trembled, his feet pivoting, instantly kicking up gravel and dust that swirled like a fierce gale, sending pine needles scattering, each imbued with tremendous force. Li Muzhan had channeled the force from the saber into his kick—a truly masterful move. The Great Chieftain swept his sleeve aside and stepped back, wary that Li Muzhan might seize the opportunity for a sneak attack.

When the sand and stones settled, and the pine needles drifted down, the Great Chieftain’s expression shifted; Li Muzhan had already vanished into the woods opposite, carrying Fan Peiyao.

A cold sneer touched the Great Chieftain’s usually stern face. He ghosted over like a specter, giving chase to Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan, holding the warm, soft body of Fan Peiyao, had no inclination to savor the moment. A gust of wind hit him in the face. As he employed his Qinggong, he sighed, "Miss Fan, if we can't escape today, we'll both be going to the next life!"

Fan Peiyao sighed softly, "Master, just put me down and go yourself. He wants to kill me; he won't pursue you."

Li Muzhan shook his head. "Say less of such things. How could I be so selfish as to abandon you? At worst, we both die together… It wouldn't be so bad to have a beauty accompany me on the road to the Yellow Springs. I should thank this Great Chieftain for fulfilling the wish!"

"Master, you are a monk; stop speaking such nonsense!" Fan Peiyao chided lightly, her pale, delicate face flushed a rosy color, beautiful as a flower.

Li Muzhan chuckled and shook his head. "A man facing death allows himself a moment of recklessness. Forgive me, forgive me!"

……………………………………………………………………, he chuckled inwardly. In truth, escaping wouldn't be difficult; deploying the Burning Lamp Technique would be enough to shake off the Great Chieftain. He hadn't used the Burning Lamp Technique primarily because he was reluctant to—his internal energy was hard-won, and recovering it would take time. If he could avoid using that technique, he would. Secondly, he wanted to ascertain the location of that ginseng root to obtain it.

Although he had mobilized troops for the Fan family to retrieve the ginseng, he felt no real attachment to the Fan family. Even if he felt some connection to Fan Peiyao, saving her life was one thing, but genuinely helping her secure the ginseng was another.

Now, only the Great Chieftain knew the location of this ginseng root; no one else did. Even if they conquered Taibai Stockade, it would be useless. Thus, the whereabouts of this thousand-year ginseng depended entirely on the Great Chieftain. Naturally, he couldn't simply kill him; he needed to extract more information first.

The Great Chieftain's martial arts were formidable, but his state of mind was lacking; he couldn't achieve a heart like clear water, reflecting nothing. This made his Heart-Reading Skill useful.

After running for a while, Li Muzhan suddenly stopped, placed Fan Peiyao on a tree, and sighed. "I’ll exchange a few moves with him. Don't move around, or you might fall, which would be disastrous."

"Be careful," Fan Peiyao whispered.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Relax. Thirty-Six Stratagems dictate that fleeing is the best policy. At the critical moment, I will escape!"

"Mm," Fan Peiyao smiled, but she understood in her heart: the more he said this, the less likely he was to flee. He had clearly resolved to fight the Great Chieftain to the death. Her impression of Li Muzhan had completely changed; he was no longer that arrogant, great monk, but a man of integrity, fearlessness, and true heroism.

Li Muzhan floated backward more than ten zhang, standing atop a treetop, watching the Great Chieftain drift toward him. A gust of wind blew, rustling his iron armor.

The Great Chieftain stood on the opposite tree and said in a deep voice, "Little monk, I didn't expect you to be such a tender-hearted fellow. What a pity."

"Great Chieftain, is it truly worth destroying the entire stockade for this ginseng root?" Li Muzhan shook his head, sighing, displaying an expression of pity and compassion.

"Destroying the stockade?" The Great Chieftain sneered. "Relying on your ragged band of riff-raff to destroy my Taibai Stockade is just a fool's dream!"

Li Muzhan smiled. "Great Chieftain, didn't you see that after a few charges from the cavalry, fewer than ten out of a hundred remained? Hasn't the strength of Taibai Stockade been almost entirely wiped out?"

"Hmph, those fools were useless and disruptive. It's cleaner that they died," the Great Chieftain sneered coldly.

Li Muzhan narrowed his eyes, inwardly chilled. He hadn't expected the Great Chieftain to be so heartless. It seemed he intended to use others' hands to kill and shake off the men of Taibai Stockade. His mind raced, wondering why he wanted to discard the men of Taibai Stockade—perhaps he intended to turn over a new leaf?

……………………………………………………………………………… In the span of a breath, countless thoughts raced through his mind.

He then smiled and asked, "Great Chieftain, where have you hidden that ginseng root?"

"Heh heh, you want to know?" The Great Chieftain sneered several times, shaking his head. "So you also came seeking this ginseng?"

Li Muzhan laughed. "As a martial artist, who wouldn't desire such a supreme tonic for replenishing Qi? If one engages in combat, having ginseng assistance would be equivalent to decades of arduous practice!"

The ginseng was the ultimate tonic for replenishing Qi. If one were depleted in battle, it could swiftly restore vital energy, allowing for continued fighting. However, people rarely used it this way; it was too extravagant. Usually, ginseng was combined with other herbs to refine elixirs, thereby enhancing medicinal efficacy and creating miraculous cures. If such a supreme ginseng could be refined into a pill, it would surely be a rare elixir, a life-saving medicine.

The Great Chieftain said calmly, "Tell me, can I tell you?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "It shouldn't be difficult, Great Chieftain. If you carry it on your person, then I must defeat you."

"Impudent brat! Come then!" The Great Chieftain sneered, looking at him with disdain.

Li Muzhan understood the Great Chieftain was wasting time with him to recover the vital energy depleted while struggling with that old man in gray. However, Li Muzhan was content with this delay, pretending ignorance while using his Heart-Reading Skill to probe for the ginseng's exact location.

A joy sparked in his eyes. Having pinpointed the location, he chuckled, suddenly extending his left hand—*Chi—*a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out.

Crack! The Great Chieftain twisted his body away, and the branches behind him exploded into dust.

"Formidable finger strength!" The Great Chieftain's expression subtly changed.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Great Chieftain, do you truly wish to take my life? We have no past grievances or recent feuds. I am merely acting under military orders."

"Brat, are you begging for mercy?" The Great Chieftain sneered, his expression grave.

Li Muzhan nodded with a smile. "Indeed. I request the Great Chieftain spare our lives. How about it?"

"Hmph!" The Great Chieftain scoffed, glancing into the distance. "That little girl from the Fan family must die! You may leave!"

Li Muzhan sighed and shook his head. "It seems the Great Chieftain has no intention of letting us go?"

"Is it worth it for a woman?" The Great Chieftain stared at him coldly.

Li Muzhan sighed. "Whether it's a woman or a man, in this situation, I have no choice. Come, let us settle this with our hands!"

With that, he raised his left hand again. The Great Chieftain hurriedly swayed aside a chi, his stern face instantly reddening, his eyes shooting out icy glints, his killing intent profound. He hadn't expected that Li Muzhan’s mere raising of his hand did nothing—it was just an empty gesture.

……………………………………………………………………, this empty gesture scared him enough to drift a chi away. He felt deeply humiliated, his face instantly sinking, looking as if frost could be scraped from it, glaring coldly at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled slightly, unconcerned, and pointed his left hand again.

Chi! A sharp whistle sounded, and a stream of finger force cut through the air. The Great Chieftain quickly swayed, narrowly dodging it, startled.

Li Muzhan laughed heartily. "Great Chieftain, this mix of real and feigned attacks—how do you rate my finger strength? I welcome your critique!"

"One Finger Force," the Great Chieftain grunted in a deep voice.

Li Muzhan pointed with his left hand again. Chi! Another sharp whistle, and the finger force arrived before him again, which he narrowly avoided by shifting sideways half a chi.

Li Muzhan then pointed with his left hand, followed immediately by his right hand—two streams of finger force shot out simultaneously, one whistling menacingly, the other silent and invisible.

Chi! A small hole appeared in the Great Chieftain’s sleeve. He was startled and quickly swayed aside again, landing on another tree, his expression subtly changing.

Li Muzhan took a deep breath, his eyes flashing. He instantly unleashed both hands, shooting out streams of finger force that wove into a net, enveloping the Great Chieftain.

The Great Chieftain's expression drastically changed. He rapidly retreated, using the treetop to shield himself.

As the finger force passed, there were chih-chih sounds, and the branches exploded into dust that drifted down. Amidst the powder, the Great Chieftain’s figure disappeared.

Li Muzhan let out a long breath and hurriedly activated the Heavenly Origin Breathing Technique to recover his internal energy. When using this Vast Sea Divine Finger, he had to engage his five centers simultaneously, preventing him from using the Heavenly Origin Breathing Technique. Without it, the Vast Sea Divine Finger consumed internal energy too rapidly, and recovery required time, which he lacked.

He floated over to Fan Peiyao. Leaning against the tree, she had watched the entire process and looked at him with strange wonder. "Master, what kind of… magic are you?"

Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed. "Miss Fan, I implore you to keep this a secret!"

"Master is actually a martial artist," Fan Peiyao said, her gaze still curiously focused on him.

Li Muzhan nodded. "Yes, I was originally a disciple of the martial world. Later, pursued by enemies, I had to hide in the military camp. I never expected to escape karma and grudges."

Fan Peiyao asked, "Who exactly are you, Master?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "My Dharma name is Ming Kong!"

"You’re not serious, are you?" Fan Peiyao shook her head and laughed. "Master isn't hiding his real name?"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "For now, call me Ming Kong. A name is just a symbol; don't take it too seriously. Miss Fan, let's go. Your Second Grand-uncle..."

…………………………………………………………………… He realized that the old man in gray had been losing to the Great Chieftain and had fled midway, thus putting Fan Peiyao in grave danger, necessitating his desperate rescue. However, relying on his current reserve of internal energy to subdue the Great Chieftain had been purely a matter of luck. It was thanks to the supreme wonder and formidable power displayed by the Nine Fingers of the Vast Sea that the Great Chieftain dared not take chances. But if not for the man in gray, the Great Chieftain wouldn't have been injured, and Li Muzhan couldn't have held him off either. The world was vast, and martial arts masters were countless—it had truly been an eye-opener.

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 and gave a wry smile. "I abolished the military internal energy. There's no mystery to it."

Fan Peiyao paused, looking at him in surprise. "You abolished your military internal energy?"

Li Muzhan nodded. "My training in military internal energy was brief. If it's gone, it's gone. Let's go. If the Great Chieftain returns, it won't be good!" He had also cultivated the Little Dragon Form, greatly accelerating his cultivation speed; he could recover in a few days. Otherwise, abolishing the military internal energy would have been a serious blow.

"Mm, let's go," Fan Peiyao said, her expression changing, and she nodded hastily. She turned to survey the surroundings. "I wonder if Second Grand-uncle escaped…"

"That old fellow ran off long ago, not a trace left!" Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed. "You are the Eldest Miss of the Fan family; he didn't need to risk his life to save you?"

Fan Peiyao offered a bitter smile. "I am just a daughter; I am inconsequential to the Fan family. Second Grand-uncle is more important; he is our family's foremost expert."

"The foremost expert!" Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed. "It seems you haven't had an easy time in the Fan family!"

"It's nothing. Life is hard for everyone," Fan Peiyao said, shaking her head, revealing a clarity that seemed to see through worldly affairs.

Li Muzhan chuckled. "Miss Fan is indeed wise beyond her years…"