As Li Muzhan thrust his fingers forward, he retreated, quickly reaching the small courtyard wall. From his high vantage point, he used his finger force to suppress the Bandit Chief.

Yet, the Chief’s palm strikes were overwhelmingly powerful. While deftly evading, he unleashed his own palms, his feet driving him toward Li Muzhan.

Suddenly, the Chief offered a peculiar smile and abruptly stepped back, positioning himself right before Fan Peiyao. He shot out one palm to parry the barrage of incoming finger strikes, while his other palm lashed toward Fan Peiyao.

Li Muzhan, also with a strange smile, flashed forward, appearing instantly beside Fan Peiyao, and delivered a powerful strike of his own. "Bang!" Their palms collided, and both men were sent flying backward simultaneously.

Fan Peiyao’s expression shifted drastically, and she turned to look at Li Muzhan. She saw Li Muzhan suspended in mid-air, his legs suddenly circling, executing several phantom steps, while his index finger aimed another strike.

"Hiss!" A sharp whistle cut the air, and a ripple appeared in the atmosphere, rolling like thick smoke, traveling from his front straight to the Bandit Chief. It arrived in an instant; though it looked slow, it was incredibly fast.

……………………………………, ………… The Bandit Chief’s face contorted in alarm. He roared in fury and thrust both palms forward at the same moment.

"Boom," came a muffled explosion, like a sudden squall arising from flat ground. Sand and stones whipped up within the courtyard, and debris flew high into the air.

Fan Peiyao’s robes billowed around her. She quickly turned toward Li Muzhan, only to see him slammed against the wall, partially embedded in it.

Cracks webbed across the wall surface, betraying the sheer force of the impact. "Master!" Fan Peiyao cried out, her face draining of color.

Li Muzhan expelled a heavy breath, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "I won't die. Do what you need to do!" He turned to look; the Bandit Chief had been sent flying outside the wall.

That last finger strike had been the most potent one, held in reserve specifically for a surprise attack. The Bandit Chief, too, had held back power; otherwise, that final thrust would surely have ended his life.

Indeed, no one could be underestimated, nor could one presume to be the only clever person present. It was a good thing that this final move forced the Bandit Chief to reveal his true strength, seizing the initiative.

Otherwise, if the Chief had launched a killer blow while he was unprepared, dealing with it would have been far more difficult. He felt the true marvel of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art.

The power of that final palm strike had been channeled directly into the wall behind him. Though the display looked fearsome, he remained unharmed.

Li Muzhan sighed inwardly at his good fortune in cultivating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art. Otherwise, even with his exquisite control over internal force, injury would have been unavoidable.

When force assaults the body, one attempts to transmute it, usually internally. If the physical structure isn't tough enough to withstand such violent disruption, injury occurs long before transmutation can take place.

Having been ambushed once by the Bandit Chief, Li Muzhan was prepared for another attempt. While fighting, he constantly guarded against a repeat of that move; human thinking often falls into set patterns—if one attempts something once, they often try it a second time.

He remained close to Fan Peiyao, remaining highly vigilant. When he moved to strike, he managed to intercept the Chief's attempted sneak attack, but it ultimately failed.

There was no sound from outside the wall; the Bandit Chief seemed to have been subdued. Li Muzhan gently closed his eyes while waving his hand.

Fan Peiyao slowly entered the room, went to his bedside cabinet, and quickly located a wooden box, letting out a soft cry of delight. ………………………………………………………… She slowly opened the wooden box and hurried to turn back.

"I found it!" "Mhm, take it and go," Li Muzhan nodded, still keeping his eyes closed. Suddenly, he flashed into the air as the Bandit Chief charged back in, the two meeting mid-flight.

The Bandit Chief twisted his body, evading Li Muzhan, and lunged toward the room. His face was ashen; only then did he realize their objective had been achieved.

He felt both bitter anger and profound resentment. He should have kept the ginseng on his person at all times; even severe injuries could be healed by it.

A moment’s lapse in judgment, and they had succeeded. Li Muzhan remained unhurried.

Still airborne, he suddenly drew a bow and released an arrow. "Hiss!" A sharp, mournful whistle pierced the air, like the wail of a ghost.

This was the true Flying Cloud Arrow; he utilized the Arrow Controlling Art, imbuing the projectile with internal energy, granting it immense power. It arrived instantly, forcing the Bandit Chief to slow his momentum and drift aside to avoid it.

Using the moment the Chief was delayed, Li Muzhan reached Fan Peiyao, bent down, and said, "Get on!" Fan Peiyao clung to his back. Li Muzhan flashed, reappearing on the wall.

The Bandit Chief roared and flicked his wrist, sending a silver needle flying toward them. Li Muzhan swayed his body sideways to evade it, then flashed again, vanishing from the wall.

His feet pounded the ground as he unleashed his movement technique, accelerating to maximum speed. The Bandit Chief pursued relentlessly, unable to close the distance, yet equally unable to shake him off.

Li Muzhan sprinted toward the front gate of the stockade. The men of Taibai Stockade were blocking the entrance to a narrow valley.

From the opposite side came the sounds of horses neighing and men shouting, loud calls ordering the people of Taibai Stockade to surrender immediately, or they would seal the mountain and starve them all out. The men of Taibai Stockade responded with a torrent of curses.

The two factions hadn't even clashed physically before the verbal battle began, an unrestrained exchange of insults. Li Muzhan skimmed over the heads of the Taibai Stockade defenders, simultaneously loosing arrows backward and downward.

Each shot drew cries of pain from those struck. The Bandit Chief continued his pursuit.

When arrows came his way, he simply cleaved them apart with his saber. The flash of the blade was like lightning; he had snatched the weapon from a Taibai lackey midway through the chase, and he wielded it with terrifying efficacy.

Li Muzhan shot through the valley where several men stood blocking the passage, facing off against the soldiers of the Divine Martial Camp outside. They held the bottleneck, a defense that few could breach.

As Li Muzhan passed, he casually assisted them: his arrows rained down, and before the defenders could react, they were struck and fell, incapacitated. Li Muzhan kept running, the Bandit Chief still right behind him.

Li Muzhan simply retracted his bow, tore another strip from his already tattered robe, and tied Fan Peiyao securely to his body. Though Li Muzhan ran swiftly, creating a strong wind against her face, there was no jarring movement.

Fan Peiyao held tightly to his neck, able to maintain her grip; had the ride been bumpy, her arms would have gone slack and weak long ago. This maneuver saved Fan Peiyao a great deal of effort, and she let out a long, relieved breath, relaxing her hold.

………………………………………………………………, after her injury, her physical strength had plummeted, leaving her weak all over. Even the true qi Li Muzhan had channeled kept her going, but her muscles ached, and exertion immediately exhausted her.

Li Muzhan let out a loud laugh, suddenly veering east and plunging into the woods. The Bandit Chief’s face darkened, and he immediately increased his speed.

His face was grim; he was wounded, or he would have already caught this young monk and subjected him to a thousand cuts—even death would be a mercy denied. Li Muzhan deliberately headed that way, fearing he might lead the Chief toward his companions and bring disaster upon them.

He intentionally slowed his pace, allowing the Bandit Chief to gain ground. Fan Peiyao grew anxious.

"Master, is your internal force running low?" Li Muzhan smiled. "It's fine; he won't catch me!" Fan Peiyao suspected he was just being stubborn and whispered, "If you can't manage it, just set me down.

Take the ginseng and go first, and deliver it to the Fan family for me." Li Muzhan frowned and scoffed, "Nonsense. While the ginseng is important, is it more important than your life?"… He utterly detested such self-sacrifice for family honor.

Fan Peiyao sighed, then smiled faintly. "This ginseng was being guarded for a very powerful person.

The monetary value is secondary; if we anger him, the repercussions will be endless, bringing great disaster upon all hundred souls of our Escort Agency." "Who?" Li Muzhan frowned. Fan Peiyao shook her head.

"Never mind. It’s best you don’t know." "But this shouldn't concern you, should it?" Li Muzhan pressed.

"You are the eldest daughter; the fate of the agency shouldn't weigh on your mind. What about those men?" "This escort mission was my responsibility to lose," Fan Peiyao sighed.

Li Muzhan gave a wry smile. "You certainly have the worst luck." "Yes…" Fan Peiyao nodded, sighing.

"This is the first escort mission I’ve ever led, and such a disaster has occurred. If this brings ruin to the agency, a hundred deaths wouldn't atone for it!" Li Muzhan laughed.

"Enough. Stop overthinking.

I was trying to lead him away!" Fan Peiyao looked at him intently, saw that his expression was genuine, let out a long breath, and playfully punched his arm. "You should have said so earlier!" Li Muzhan chuckled.

"I had to lure him away, otherwise my comrades would suffer for it... Alas, knowing how troublesome Taibai Stockade is, I shouldn't have agreed to your request!" Fan Peiyao pouted with a smile.

"Master, that speech lacks the spirit of a true hero!" Li Muzhan countered, "An ordinary soldier meeting this Bandit Chief would simply be sending himself to death; your Second Grand-Uncle is likely no match for him either…" Fan Peiyao replied, "Second Grand-Uncle did his best; otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten the ginseng." Li Muzhan smiled without arguing; she had a point. It was fortunate that someone else had managed to wound the Bandit Chief; otherwise, he would have been forced into a desperate battle.

He ran due east without stopping, crossing the mountain, continuing east along the official road, maintaining a breakneck pace for two full hours. Finally, the Bandit Chief abruptly halted, his face livid, staring coldly at Li Muzhan.

…………………………………………………………, Seeing the Chief stop, Li Muzhan also paused, looking at him with a smile, the two separated by about thirty yards. The Bandit Chief sneered.

"The Fan family! I’d like to see what makes the Fan family so formidable that they dare provoke my Taibai Stockade." He stared darkly at Li Muzhan, glancing briefly at Fan Peiyao, clearly recognizing her now.

Fan Peiyao's face flickered slightly. She whispered, "Master, can you kill him?" Li Muzhan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and sighed.

"Difficult!" Fan Peiyao nodded and murmured, "Then forget it. Let's go." Li Muzhan said no more, turned, and walked away.

In a flash, he disappeared from the Chief's sight. Li Muzhan was confident that if he fought to the death, he could kill the Bandit Chief, but a cornered beast fights with terrifying ferocity, and he had to be cautious.

Even if he managed to kill the Chief, he himself would not escape unscathed. This Bandit Chief was both highly skilled and treacherously cunning—impossible to guard against entirely.

For such a man, it was best not to engage in a final, life-or-death struggle. Weighing the risks, he ultimately decided against attacking, trusting that the Fan family would eventually deal with him; otherwise, the Fan family would never know peace.

The two returned to the original grove of trees. The six elders were seated on the ground, circulating their energy to recover.

Li Muzhan sat cross-legged for a while before donning his iron armor once more. Before leaving, he whispered, "Miss Fan, stay hidden for a while; do not leave the mansion!" Fan Peiyao smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Yes, I understand. I will be on guard against him." "Also..." Li Muzhan smiled and cupped his fists.

"Keep today's events a secret for me!" "Yes, I understand," Fan Peiyao nodded. Li Muzhan laughed heartily, turned, and strode away to rejoin the Right Commander.

After receiving a scolding from the Right Commander, Li Muzhan smiled wryly. This entire venture had yielded nothing.

He had intended to take the ginseng, but he ultimately abandoned the plan because of Fan Peiyao. Fan Peiyao gazed deeply in the direction Li Muzhan had vanished.

The six elders also watched Li Muzhan leave. One elder said, "Miss, we old fellows are truly useless, letting the young lady suffer such a fright." Fan Peiyao kept watching where Li Muzhan disappeared, shaking her head.

"It's nothing. The Bandit Chief was simply too formidable; even Second Grand-Uncle couldn't manage him." "Miss, this Great Monk is quite a character," one elder chuckled.

Seeing his strange smile, Fan Peiyao shot him a look and huffed, "Uncle Zhang, he is a monk!" The elder shook his head with a sigh. "Indeed, he is a monk.

What a pity…" Another elder nearby said coldly, "Miss, in my opinion, this monk has questionable intentions. Perhaps he was also after the ginseng?" Fan Peiyao smiled faintly.

"Perhaps…" She was acutely aware and vaguely guessed that his initial agreement to come had indeed been motivated by the ginseng; clearly, he had wanted it too, yet he ultimately gave it up. This thousand-year-old ginseng was priceless.

Why did he abandon it so suddenly? ………………………………………………………… "Old He, you are far too small-minded!" the first elder frowned in displeasure.

"I thought the Great Monk was upright and honorable; he doesn't seem like a villain!" "Hmph. You can know a man’s face, but not his heart!" Old He stated grimly, his expression cold.

"But he’s a monk!" the first elder insisted. Old He retorted coldly, "So what if he’s a monk?

There are plenty of degenerates in Buddhism!" Fan Peiyao found the exchange jarring and frowned slightly, shaking her head. "Enough, let's stop talking about him.

We should head back." "Signal for them, Miss." One elder suggested. Fan Peiyao nodded, pulled a bamboo tube from her bosom, and yanked the string at the bottom.

A sharp, high whistle shot into the sky, like the cry of a crane soaring through the heavens. Li Muzhan glanced back.

In less time than it takes an incense stick to burn, more than a dozen burly men arrived, all clad in tight-fitting armor and carrying sabers, radiating a formidable aura. They found Fan Peiyao in the woods and escorted her away.

As they were leaving, Fan Peiyao called Li Muzhan over for a private word. Li Muzhan smiled.

"Miss, your arrangements are truly thorough; you left a backup plan. I am impressed, truly!" Fan Peiyao offered a wry smile.

"Those are men sent by Grandfather. If the ginseng hadn't been retrieved, they wouldn't have appeared." Li Muzhan frowned, feeling a touch of distaste for this Old Master as well.

"I used to think the old gentleman was a true hero... Unsentimental is not necessarily true heroism, alas…" "Grandfather invites you to visit sometime," Fan Peiyao added.

Li Muzhan waved his hand. "I appreciate the sentiment, but perhaps some other time."

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