Li Muzhan finished transmitting the secret art, and amidst the astonishment of the onlookers, he gracefully departed Taibai Stockade, vanishing in a flash on Chi Ying, disappearing from their sight.

The crowd followed Fan Peiyao, watching him leave, then turned to look at her.

Fan Peiyao ignored their puzzled gazes, waved a hand, and said lightly, "Disperse."

The group sighed with reluctance and dissatisfaction, yet dared not disobey, leaving sluggishly to return to their former tasks.

Fan Peiyao's authority was absolute, her command skillful; they did not underestimate her because of her youth. She had swept through the twelve surrounding stockades like a storm felling clouds—a feat even men would struggle to achieve.

The next day, a middle-aged man arrived outside Taibai Stockade. He was lean, with a refined appearance, one hand stroking his short, clean beard, the other resting behind his back, standing outside the stockade with an air of scholarly elegance.

He announced his surname was Zhang, and soon, Fan Peiyao, surrounded by her people, personally came out to greet him.

……………………………………, the crowd wondered who this new arrival was, capable of drawing the Chieftain's personal welcome; his status must be extraordinary. Yesterday a monk arrived, and today a middle-aged man; their curiosity was boundless.

But since the Chieftain said nothing, they dared not pry, lest they suffer another reprimand.

Observing the Chieftain's warm demeanor as she took the middle-aged man's hand and led him inside, they assumed he must be a relative, an elder of the Chieftain, someone they certainly could not afford to offend.

Fan Peiyao led the middle-aged man into the main hall and waved her hand, dismissing the crowd.

"Sister Zhang!" Fan Peiyao said, smiling as she held the middle-aged man's hand, "I never expected we would meet here; life is truly full of surprises."

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled, "Little sister Fan, what a coincidence indeed."

His voice was slightly husky, gender-ambiguous, yet possessing a magnetic quality that was incredibly pleasing to the ear.

Fan Peiyao asked, "Has the Master already departed?"

The middle-aged man nodded, his eyes flickering, and sighed, "I hear he leaves today. This departure was too rushed."

Naturally, this was Zhang Jinglan in disguise, transformed into a middle-aged man with such convincing accuracy that there were no flaws—clearly not the first time she had attempted such a deception.

For her to evade the Heavenly Demon Sect for so long, such basic maneuvers were second nature to her.

"I wonder if he will be alright," Fan Peiyao sighed.

Zhang Jinglan shook her head and smiled, "It's fine. His abilities are immense; no one can kill him."

In her eyes, Li Muzhan, who could wound their master, was virtually invincible in the world. Such a master did not need to worry about numbers; truly, no one could kill him.

Fan Peiyao sighed, "Though his martial arts are strong, the battlefield is different from martial disputes. Too many people; a stray arrow, one slip, and life is forfeit."

Zhang Jinglan smiled, shaking her head, "That applies to ordinary martial arts experts. Mingkong’s skill transcends the ordinary; rest assured!"

"I suppose that is all we can do," Fan Peiyao sighed, her brow furrowed with worry.

………………………………………………………………

The thunder of hooves roared, shaking the ground, with yellow dust billowing up as over two hundred horsemen sped forward. Clad in dark armor, they radiated a grim aura that startled the surrounding birds and beasts into frantic flight.

A mile ahead of the cavalcade, Li Muzhan and the seven others, including Zhao Shengli, rode onward. The strong wind whipped against their faces as they sat astride their horses, their eyes sweeping around like those of eagles or great mountains.

Li Muzhan, mounted on Chi Ying, positioned himself centrally among the seven. His expression was detached and content, the complete opposite of the tension displayed by Zhao Shengli and his companions.

Chi Ying was equally relaxed, occasionally snorting and cantering with a certain casualness that drew laughter from Zhao Shengli and the others.

Feng Dakun and Li Baolu rode at the front, Zhao Shengli and Xiong Sihai beside them, with Cai Yuzhang and Xiao He riding at the rear, the eight men spaced out in three ranks, separated by a few meters.

Zhao Shengli sighed, "Mingkong, who knows when we’ll arrive. This cursed forced march is going to kill us!"

Li Muzhan opened his eyes and smiled, "Commander Zhao, we should be close."

Zhao Shengli grunted in dissatisfaction, "The way we’re traveling is absurd! We could reach the destination fastest by cutting diagonally, but we have to go to the northernmost point first, then head east!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly and said nothing more, looking up at the sky where two eagles were circling high above.

Zhao Shengli suddenly lowered his voice, glancing left and right stealthily, "My guess is the Left Commandant is delaying us, trying to make us arrive as late as possible!"

Li Muzhan laughed, "Not necessarily. The Left Commandant must have his reasons. We know too little; we are blind, we can only obey orders and shouldn't speculate too much on these matters!"

"Fine!" Zhao Shengli sighed resignedly.

The men of the Flying Cavalry knew of Li Muzhan's capabilities. Because of past mistakes and accumulated debts, he had earned significant merits but could not be promoted.

However, the army inherently respected strength, and though Li Muzhan was merely a private, the others did not treat him as such. They felt secure being assigned scouting duty under his lead.

Li Muzhan had the eagles in the sky but hadn't used them. As his eyes remained slightly closed, everything within ten li manifested in his mind. His six Heart Pearls vastly augmented his senses.

This was why his demeanor was relaxed and unhurried. But telling others about this power would be too incredible and only invite trouble, so he chose the lazy route and kept it secret.

Moreover, if he told them, they would grow dependent and lax, leading to regression—which was harmful. On the battlefield, one must keep watch in all directions, hearing every rustle, instantly alerted by the slightest change.

Since they were at the vanguard, they would report immediately if anything arose; otherwise, a report once every two hours was sufficient—a rather easy task. Compared to marching with the main body, this pace was much lighter, and they enjoyed the assignment.

…………………………, at noon that day, the sun hung high, beating directly down upon the earth.

Li Muzhan's party crossed a vast grassland and gradually began to see fields; civilization was clearly near. At this moment, Li Muzhan's expression abruptly changed.

He sat upright suddenly, his leisurely expression instantly hardening.

"What is it?" Zhao Shengli, next to him, quickly asked upon seeing the change.

Li Muzhan's face grew as dark as water, "Commander Zhao, we need to quicken our pace. There are Eastern Chu people ahead!"

"How many?" Zhao Shengli pressed.

"Forty or fifty," Li Muzhan frowned, saying gravely, "They are massacring a village!"

Zhao Shengli's face changed, "Damn it, massacring a village?!"

Li Muzhan nodded, "Look over there!"

The others had stopped and turned to look in the direction he pointed. Faint plumes of black smoke were visible, indistinct, but with Li Muzhan's guidance, their preconceptions established the anomaly, and they noticed something was amiss.

"Li Zi, hurry and notify Commandant Hu!" Zhao Shengli waved his hand.

Li Baolu quickly responded, "Got it!" and spurred his horse away. Zhao Shengli then asked, "Monk, what do you propose?"

Li Muzhan's face was like stagnant water, and he said sternly, "Charge in and slaughter them!"

"Good!" Zhao Shengli nodded forcefully, bitterly stating, "Damn them, they all say the Eastern Chu are brutal, now we’ll see for ourselves!"

Xiong Sihai hesitated slightly, "Great Monk, Commander Zhao, perhaps we should wait?" Facing forty or fifty men with only seven, even with Li Muzhan’s strength, it was too risky. It would be safer to wait for the main force to arrive and attack together, ensuring success.

Li Muzhan nodded, "Yes, you have a point. Commander Zhao, you wait here for a moment, I’ll take a look!" Then he added, "Get me two quivers of arrows!"

"Monk, let's go together!" Zhao Shengli quickly offered.

Li Muzhan waved his hand, accepting the quivers offered by Xiong Sihai and Feng Dakun. "Distract them, keep them from killing anyone immediately—I alone am enough... With Chi Ying, they can’t harm me. Having everyone together would just be a hindrance. It’s settled!"

Without waiting for Zhao Shengli to reply, he slapped Chi Ying. The horse gave a light whinny and suddenly transformed into an arrow of light, shooting out and quickly becoming a tiny black dot in the distance.

They stared, dumbfounded. Though they knew Chi Ying was fast, they hadn't imagined it could run this quickly. Chi Ying had been cultivating internal energy, and because its mind was simple and focused, its progress was rapid; its speed had doubled—absurdly fast, almost unbelievable.

Chi Ying raced onward, letting out a loud, clear neigh to express its exhilaration. It had been stifled lately, unable to run freely, and felt deeply constrained.

Li Muzhan felt anxious and heated. From afar, he saw a small village engulfed in rolling smoke, filled with continuous screams of agony. He let out a long howl toward the sky, like rolling thunder.

Chi Ying dissolved into a shadow and reached the village front in an instant. Due to the immense speed, about a dozen riders were already stationed outside the village, blocking the only narrow path in from a distance.

To enter the village, they would have to force their way through; there was no other route.

Li Muzhan glanced at them: these men wore light gray armor, possessed strange features, with prominent noses and deep-set eyes, and their irises were brown or blue.

Li Muzhan paused in surprise, not expecting the Eastern Chu people to look this way; he had assumed they would resemble the people of Xi Zhao, similar to those of Da Yan.

It turned out the Eastern Chu were entirely different in appearance from the Da Yan people—they were clearly a different race.

"Ssh! Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!" Arrows flew like locusts. Li Muzhan moved continuously, unleashing arrow after arrow. The dozen men were startled as their bodies were flung into the air, landing back down with sharp cries.

They had been preparing to charge Li Muzhan, not expecting that arrows could reach them from such a distance.

Li Muzhan maintained his furious pace, charging straight through. The dozen riders, struck in the shoulders, collapsed to the ground. Chi Ying suddenly leaped high, soaring over ten meters in the air, clearing them entirely and entering the village.

Inside the village, thick smoke billowed everywhere, fires raged, and mournful cries, pleas for mercy, angry curses, and booming laughter mingled together, creating a soundscape like hell itself.

Blood stained every part of the main street. Some elders lay decapitated; some children were hung up; women, naked, met even more gruesome ends.

Li Muzhan's expression turned grim. He leaped up, closed his eyes, and glided like a great bird. While airborne, he continuously drew and loosed his bow, the long arrows seemingly guided by eyes, piercing every Eastern Chu person they encountered.

The village was small, and Li Muzhan’s speed was incredible. In the time it took to cross from south to north, he missed none of the Eastern Chu present.

His arrows were long-ranged and accurate, like an adult swatting children; the enemies had absolutely no power to retaliate. Before they could even register Li Muzhan’s presence, the arrows had already struck.

Li Muzhan kept his eyes closed, surveying the scene with his Void Gaze; not a single Eastern Chu man escaped.

When Zhao Shengli and the others finally reached the village, all the Eastern Chu fighters inside were struck by arrows and lying on the ground, but none were dead. Seeing the carnage within, Li Muzhan decided he didn't want them to have such an easy demise.

Such inhuman slaughter, perpetrated against the weak, stripped them of their humanity in his view; killing them with a single arrow was too lenient.

The two hundred-plus riders arrived before the small village. Upon seeing the horrors inside, their eyes widened, turning bloodshot. Looking at the fallen Eastern Chu men on the ground, they wished they could tear them limb from limb.

Commandant Hu, clad in iron armor, stood at the forefront of the crowd, his face as cold and impassive as his armor, almost merging with it.

Li Muzhan drifted over, paid his respects to Commandant Hu, and said with a grave expression, "Commandant, no one escaped; they are all inside. Everyone, begin the rescue." Commandant Hu spoke, "Song Shiqi, take one hundred men and go rescue the survivors!" "Ye Wuhen, take one hundred men and drag these Eastern Chu whelps out here!"

"Yes!" The two men stepped forward, cupped their fists, and shouted their assent.

……………………………………, one of these men, tall and burly with a pale, clean-shaven face, was Song Shiqi; the other, stout and stocky with a rough countenance, was Ye Wuhen. Both were Lüshuai (Regimental Commanders), each commanding a hundred men.

The two contingents quickly entered the village. Ye Wuhen’s group was fastest; one man after another dragged an Eastern Chu soldier out and threw him near the village entrance before returning for another.

In a short time, forty or fifty Eastern Chu men were piled together, groaning faintly; the arrows had all struck their collarbones, rendering them immobile.

The other rescue team spent more time searching the village and managed to save only about a dozen people in the end. Li Muzhan had arrived too late; the massacre was already winding down.