Feng Dakun charged forward, brandishing his long spear, intending to close the distance and slay a few men, even if it meant mutual destruction. The ten Black Eagle Riders, however, merely shifted their horses' heads and slipped past him on either flank, parting like water around a stone.

Feng Dakun tried to pursue, but he couldn't keep up; all he could do was swing his spear, continually deflecting the incoming arrows. He managed to ward off six or seven of the ten shafts, and though he was struck by more than a dozen, they failed to pierce his torso, leaving him in no mortal danger.

This charge of his distracted the ten riders just long enough for Li Baolu to scoop up Zhao Shengli and flee forward at a desperate pace, blood continuously pouring out and soaking into the mud.

A long cry echoed again, and a small black speck appeared in the distance. Li Baolu was overcome with joy: "Head Zhao, the Monk is here! The Monk is here!"

Everyone turned their heads to look, and Li Muchen’s figure flickered, flashing in and out of sight until his silhouette became clear in an instant. ……………………………………………………，……………… Li Muchen let out another furious roar, and before an arrow’s light could even whistle across the mile separating them.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!—” Ten streaks of light like birds tore through the air, striking the ten riders respectively. They were flung skyward as if yanked violently by unseen ropes from behind.

Zhao Shengli and the others instantly relaxed. Li Baolu shouted, "Monk, you’ve finally arrived!"

Li Muchen flashed forward, appearing before Li Baolu, his expression grim, his brow furrowed: "Head Zhao, is he...?"

Li Baolu looked down; Zhao Shengli had already lost consciousness, utterly still. He gasped in shock: "Head Zhao! Head Zhao! Head Zhao!"

Li Muchen reached out and pressed a hand to Zhao Shengli’s neck: "Put him down. He still has breath!"

As he spoke, the Cold Jiao Bow did not cease its work; with every "bang" of the string, streams of arrow-light whistled out, rushing toward the dozen or so Black Eagle Riders behind them, appearing like vengeful specters come to claim souls.

The dozen or so Black Eagle Riders violently reined in their steeds, spun their horses around, and prepared to flee. Li Muchen sneered, and arrows streaked forth like meteors, striking these dozen men.

The Black Eagle Riders’ armor was thick and heavy; normally, when fighting adversaries, they never bothered to dodge arrows, as the shafts couldn't penetrate. They had never encountered arrows as sharp as Li Muchen's.

Li Muchen expertly gripped three arrows at a time, dividing his consciousness into three distinct streams, controlling each one separately, achieving both speed and precision. His hand speed was extreme; the moment an arrow left the string, he had already nocked the next three and shot again, an endless cycle—the arrows flew as continuously as beads on a string.

This group of Black Eagle Riders totaled fourteen men, with twenty-eight horses. In the brief time it took Li Baolu to slowly lay Zhao Shengli down and straighten up, all fourteen men were flying high, crashing down with dull thuds; their fates unknown, the entire contingent annihilated.

Several riders on the east and west flanks, observing the situation from a safe distance, turned tail and bolted as soon as they saw how dire things were. Li Muchen let out a cold laugh, flashed his form dozens of zhang away, and loosed arrows like meteors, firing several at once, sweeping them away without a single survivor.

He flashed again to the opposite direction and shot once more. Despite the vast distance, he hit his targets with unerring steadiness. In the blink of an eye, every Black Eagle Rider lay fallen.

Li Muchen returned to Zhao Shengli's side and sat down cross-legged. He glanced over the others and smiled faintly: "Done. Everyone can rest now."

"Thump!" A dull sound echoed as Feng Dakun collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"Monk!" Li Baolu called out hastily.

Li Muchen rose and approached, checking him over, then nodded: "Mmm, still alive. Just wait a moment!"

Saying this, he returned to sit cross-legged beside Zhao Shengli, his eyes gently closed, perfectly still. After a moment, he brought his fingers together into the shape of a crane's beak and gently pecked a few times.

Zhao Shengli’s body convulsed as if struck by electricity, and he opened his eyes moments later. …………………………………………………… Li Muchen’s face was ashen white as he opened his eyes and laughed: "Head Zhao, how did it feel to die for a moment?"

Zhao Shengli gasped for breath: "Damn it, Monk, why didn't you come sooner? You could have saved me all this agony... What happened to Dakun?"

Li Muchen said: "It's nothing. He just passed out."

He stood and went to Feng Dakun, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. A moment later, he pecked again with his fingers in the crane-beak shape, and his face immediately turned deathly pale, like a sheet of white paper.

This time, even the dullest among them understood that his method of saving lives was profoundly taxing upon himself.

Feng Dakun also awoke, blinking left and right: "Monk, I’m alive again?"

Li Muchen smiled: "Dakun, you have a great destiny; you won't die!"

Zhao Shengli rolled over and sat up, stretching his arms and legs, and then stood directly, asking in amazement: "Monk, what kind of technique is this? It’s so miraculously effective?"

Li Muchen smiled: "This is my unique secret art, used for saving lives."

Zhao Shengli pressed: "If you can bring back someone who was half-dead, can you save anyone?"

Li Muchen nodded with a smile: "As long as there is breath remaining, they can always be saved."

Zhao Shengli shook his head in awe: "Good heavens, there’s such a marvelous method. This is truly profound!"

Xiong Sihai pondered for a moment and said: "Great Monk, such an astonishing art is indeed beyond imagination, but saving a life must come at some price, mustn't it?"

Li Muchen nodded casually: "Yes, it depletes some lifespan. Nothing major... Are none of your injuries serious?"

"Heh heh, nothing serious, we won't die!" Li Baolu chuckled, though over twenty arrows were lodged in his back, making him look like a porcupine.

Li Muchen said: "Still, let’s treat them first. It would be bad if those arrows were poisoned."

The others immediately began pulling out their arrows, then unbuckled their armor, and smeared on the trauma salve. The army's trauma salve was remarkably effective; once applied, the wounds that had been trickling blood instantly congealed.

When drawing the arrows, they didn't even twitch an eyebrow, as if the pain wasn't coming from their own bodies, and since the arrows carried no poison, none of them were in mortal danger.

Li Muchen marveled inwardly; these companions of his truly could not be underestimated. When facing the arrow storm, he had been consumed by rage and annihilated the enemy in one swoop.

He hadn't expected them to be out of mortal danger. Although wounded, which looked terrifying, none of the hits were to vital spots, and coupled with the miraculous effects of the trauma salve, they were all fine—just a bit bloodless and weaker. ……………………………………………… Zhao Shengli, bare-chested, pointed at the black horses in the distance and laughed loudly: "Haha, Monk, we’ve struck it rich again this time!"

Li Muchen nodded with a smile and slowly rose.

Xiong Sihai asked thoughtfully: "Great Monk, I want to know, how much lifespan is lost saving someone once?"

Li Muchen smiled and waved his hand: "Not much. Let’s go, let's retrieve the horses!"

"Right then!" The group ran out excitedly to gather the black horses.

These black horses were remarkably intelligent. After their masters fell, they had not fled but remained standing beside them, seemingly waiting for them to awaken.

Xiong Sihai did not leave but stayed by Li Muchen’s side: "Great Monk, how much exactly?"

Li Muchen looked at him and smiled: "Ten years... Why do you ask?"

Xiong Sihai nodded, shaking his head with emotion: "It is as I suspected! ...Ten years. Great Monk is truly willing to sacrifice that much. This is truly transcending life and death."

Li Muchen laughed: "Exchanging ten years for a life is very worthwhile; it’s nothing major... If I had truly transcended, I would have become a Buddha already, not standing here."

"Great Monk, I am truly impressed!" Xiong Sihai cupped his hands in salute.

Li Muchen waved his hand and turned: "Head Zhao, let’s take these black armors too." Zhao Shengli snapped to attention: "Right! Look how muddled I am!" These black armors are incredibly formidable; let’s take them, let’s take them!" The others immediately began stripping the black armor. Taking the spoils from the dead was generally considered disrespectful and taboo, but the group ignored this, fueled by the sea of hatred from being hunted moments before.

Li Muchen, however, took a knife and dug a pit. He found a large stone nearby and carved an inscription on it: "Thirty-six Black Eagle Riders, perished here."

They tossed the corpses into the pit. Li Muchen personally chanted sutras for their liberation. The sound of his chanting was like clear, round pearls, pure and mellow. The listeners felt peace descend upon their hearts, and the fierce resentment from moments before vanished without a trace.

Driving the seventy-two black horses, laden with black armor, the group slowly began their trek back. Just then, neighing sounds echoed repeatedly, and Chi Ying arrived as if treading on the wind, steam billowing off his body.

Upon reaching Li Muchen, Chi Ying abruptly stopped, reared up on his hind legs, whinnied a few times, then planted his front hooves back down and repeatedly rubbed his head against Li Muchen’s body.

Li Muchen laughed and patted his neck. Chi Ying’s ability to track him down proved impressive; Li Muchen had assumed Chi Ying would be unable to keep up and would have returned to the city gates to wait.

Zhao Shengli, sitting astride his horse, looked at Chi Ying smugly and laughed: "Monk, when you run, you’re even faster than Li Zi. There’s always someone better!"

Li Baolu chuckled slyly: "I’m far behind the Monk!" Li Muchen smiled, and Cai Yuzhang laughed: "I thought Li Zi’s speed was frightening—almost as fast as a horse—but the Monk is even quicker!" Li Muchen swung onto Chi Ying’s back and changed the subject: "Head Zhao, what are we going to do with these horses now? Sell them all?" Zhao Shengli replied: "Sell them, of course! What else would we do? If we keep them, they’ll bankrupt us!"

The others nodded in agreement. Fine steeds were indeed valuable, but they were hard to maintain; fodder was expensive, and keeping one horse was harder than supporting a whole family. Seventy-two horses would certainly drain their resources. ……………………………………………… Li Muchen mused: "How about we organize our own caravan?" "No way," Zhao Shengli shook his head. "Too much trouble. Let’s sell these horses and use the silver to buy a tavern, perhaps?" "A tavern sounds good, like Changping Tower," the others nodded in unison.

Zhao Shengli grinned: "With a tavern, we can eat and drink for free, nothing better! Haha..."

"Right, right!" the others chorused, overjoyed.

Having narrowly escaped death, they rediscovered the sheer beauty of life. The wind on the plains felt fresh, the sunlight soft, and everything before their eyes seemed both familiar and strangely new—a beauty they had never known before.

Li Muchen pondered for a long moment, then shook his head and smiled.

Zhao Shengli said: "But the silver is yours, Monk. Whatever you decide is fine with us; we were just tagging along for the excitement."

Li Muchen smiled: "That won't do. This silver belongs to the whole group, split evenly." Zhao Shengli waved his hand and snorted: "If you hadn't come, we’d all be dead, and there would be no joy. Being greedy for more silver now would be heartless!" Li Muchen shook his head, smiling, and said no more.

The group chatted and laughed, asking him about his campaign against the bandits at Taibai Stockade. Li Muchen briefly mentioned it, saying there wasn't much to tell, only that the Great Chieftain was formidable.

They soon returned to the city. As they entered Tenglong City with seventy-two black horses laden with black armor, more and more people rushed out to gawk.

Li Muchen gave a helpless, wry smile, while Zhao Shengli looked smug, waving to the crowds in the manner of a triumphant hero returning from battle. The others followed suit.

This time, the sheer quantity of horses created a sensation far surpassing the last time; the news spread throughout the entire Black Tiger Camp.

When Li Muchen and his group arrived at the training grounds, the Commandant appeared, with Vice-Lieutenant Li following behind.

They immediately tallied the warhorses and the black armor, recording them for military merit. At Li Muchen’s insistence, the merit was credited to their entire faction, not solely to him.

Li Muchen directly proposed selling all the horses to the Black Tiger Camp. The Commandant beamed with delight and immediately agreed to purchase them at a high price. They each kept one set of the black armor, and those were also sold to the Black Tiger Camp.

In addition to the armor, there were the bows and arrows, all of the Jing grade. The Black Eagle Riders were an elite unit, and their weaponry was the finest in West Zhao.

West Zhao’s weaponry was superior to Great Yan’s, yet Great Yan’s master craftsmen could never replicate it, as if some crucial element were missing.

Seeing these items, the Commandant treated them like priceless treasures. Although the quantity was small, equipping his personal guards with them would still grant immense power and greatly increase his own safety.

He praised Li Muchen profusely and then left, filled with excitement.

In the following days, Li Muchen diligently practiced the Minor Dragon Form. His internal energy surged, flowing like a mighty tide, quickly filling his body. A sound like a thunderclap echoed in his mind, and a Qi Membrane formed.

After the Qi Membrane formed, his internal energy progress slowed drastically. Despite practicing diligently every day, he saw no growth. The vast, river-like internal energy, once it entered the Qi Membrane, became almost imperceptible—like pouring a bowl of water into a lake.

While practicing the Minor Dragon Form, he patrolled on guard duty every three days.

His group of eight men went out on a mission once a month for external patrols, but the Black Tiger Camp dispatched a squad of ten men every three days for patrol duty.

Every ten men went out every three days, and Li Muchen accompanied them every time to guard against the Black Eagle Riders.

Li Muchen had killed over two hundred Black Eagle Riders, severely damaging their strength, but they had also incurred a deep, mortal enmity, causing them to grit their teeth at the Black Tiger Camp men, desperate to strike back and reclaim a victory.

Subsequently, the Black Eagle Riders organized three counter-ambushes aimed at killing the Black Tiger Camp patrols. Unaware that Li Muchen was protecting them, even though he used the Minor Dragon Form instead of the Vast Sea Divine Skill, his arrows still rained down like showers, killing dozens of their men.

After these three attempts, the Black Eagle Riders dared not show their faces again, keeping a wide berth from the Black Tiger Camp patrols.

In a swift month, Li Muchen’s Minor Dragon Form practice achieved mastery. His internal energy circulated within his body like the great Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, and the Qi Membrane showed slight growth, but touching the skin remained a distant prospect.

One morning, he requested leave from the Commandant, stating he needed to enter closed cultivation to begin practicing the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Scripture.

The Black Eagle Riders had been beaten into submission and kept out of sight, so the Commandant readily granted his request for leave.