Seeing his pale, paper-white complexion, Commandant Hu shook his head. "You don't look well; perhaps you should just forget it and avoid trouble!" "Exactly, exactly," Zhao Shengli nodded hastily.

Li Muzhan smiled. "I've only injured my spirit; my body is fine. Perhaps killing a few more Eastern Chu men will actually invigorate me."

"Nonsense," Commandant Hu shook his head, clearly unconvinced.

Li Muzhan dropped his smile and sighed. "It seems they've captured some people—they are from our Dayen."

"Hmm—?" Commandant Hu's face darkened.

Li Muzhan sighed again. "I'll go try. I'll do my best. If I can save one, that's one saved."

Commandant Hu remained silent, his expression shifting constantly, his gaze flickering up towards Li Muzhan now and then. After a long moment, once most of the others had quickly withdrawn, he finally let out a long sigh. "Fine, you try it then!" But, you are number one in the entire army, don't overexert yourself!" Li Muzhan smiled and nodded. "Rest assured, Commandant, I treasure my life!" ............................................,…………

Zhao Shengli quickly interjected. "Monk, we'll go with you!" Li Muzhan shook his head. "Head Zhao, I'm playing hide-and-seek with them; it's simplest alone. I have Scarlet Shadow, making movement easy."

"What about your arrows?" Zhao Shengli asked. "One person can't carry too many."

"I'll just have Scarlet Shadow carry more," Li Muzhan chuckled.

"...Alright then, be careful!" Zhao Shengli said helplessly.

Li Muzhan laughed. "Don't worry, if I can't beat them, I'll run."

Commandant Hu asked, "Mingkong, if we get separated, go straight to the Divine Light Camp. You know the way, right?"

"I'll ask around; I should be able to find it," Li Muzhan replied with a smile. He got off the carriage, let out a whistle, and with a flash of red, Scarlet Shadow arrived nearby, startling Commandant Hu.

Zhao Shengli and the other seven handed him quivers; Li Muzhan took them—more than twenty arrows in each. He draped them on both sides of the saddle, which drew a few dissatisfied snorts from Scarlet Shadow.

Li Muzhan patted its neck; it snorted once and settled down.

He ended up hanging ten quivers, almost covering both sides of the horse, making it look armored. Li Muzhan first removed his own armor, placing it on the carriage, returning to his plain blue robe.

He swung onto the horse and smiled. "Commandant, Head Zhao, and everyone else, rest assured, I'm off!" With that, he pulled the reins, cupped his hands toward the group, and with a hearty laugh, Scarlet Shadow snorted and bolted away, vanishing from sight in an instant.

Watching him disappear, Zhao Shengli shook his head. "I hope he doesn't cause major trouble." "Relax," Cai Yuzhang laughed dismissively. "With Scarlet Shadow, who could possibly catch him?"

Feng Dakun asked, "Guess how many men the Monk can actually kill?"

Cai Yuzhang smiled. "It depends on how many arrows he takes. His archery—not a single arrow misses, one life per arrow, guaranteed!"

"Can he wipe them all out?" Li Baolu wondered slowly.

Xiong Sihai nodded slowly. "Given the Great Monk's skill, it's possible he really could!" ............................................,……………………………………

Li Muzhan spurred his horse onward. Ten li was merely the blink of an eye under Scarlet Shadow's galloping hooves. Through the Eye of the Void, he surveyed the scene: over two hundred cavalrymen were clearly visible.

The riders all wore light grey armor, their eyes either blue or green, and their features deeply set—they were clearly Eastern Chu men. In the middle of the formation, two groups of people, bound at the arms and chained together, stumbled along, barely keeping up with the cavalry—about a hundred or so people.

Most of these captives were young or middle-aged; no elderly men were present. Li Muzhan's heart sank as he vaguely sensed that there must have been older men originally, but they had all been eliminated. Looking at the young men, they were all skeletal, faces sallow and thin, their eyes numb, utterly broken by torment. The old ones wouldn't have lasted. Though Li Muzhan maintained his composure, seeing such a scene ignited a hidden fire of rage, which he quickly suppressed.

Keeping a safe distance, where he couldn't be seen by the naked eye, he suddenly yanked the reins. Scarlet Shadow left the main road, plunging into the nearby grassland, heading diagonally north. After running for a couple of li, it abruptly turned and headed due south, directly toward the Eastern Chu cavalry contingent.

The two hundred-plus riders were not in a tight formation; it was somewhat loose. However, Li Muzhan would not underestimate them; while they lacked tight ranks and strict discipline, they were ferociously fearless. Li Muzhan was only one rider, and Scarlet Shadow's hoofbeats were light, its speed astonishing. In the blink of an eye, they hadn't seen Scarlet Shadow; when they opened their eyes again, it was already three hundred meters away.

Only then did they notice, and a dozen or so men immediately broke away to meet Li Muzhan.

"Hahahaha..." Li Muzhan roared with laughter, drawing the Flying Dragon Spear and whirling it into a blur. Over a dozen Eastern Chu riders drew their bows, raining arrows down, but they couldn't penetrate the shadow formed by the spear. Scarlet Shadow was incredibly fast; before they could loose a second volley, the spear tip had already sliced across their throats, and they tumbled from their mounts as if falling dumplings.

The riders behind them were furious at the sight. Li Muzhan checked his reins, halting. He gave the Flying Dragon Spear a light flick, sending droplets of blood flying from the tip. The enemy cavalry became even more incensed, their killing intent palpable. Li Muzhan stood just outside effective arrow range. Unarmored, he didn't look like a soldier, yet thirty more riders charged him.

Before the men arrived, the arrows did. Li Muzhan swung the Flying Dragon Spear, whirling it into a storm, forming a shield of light that enveloped both himself and Scarlet Shadow. Arrows rained down ceaselessly, striking with sharp dings, but not one grazed their bodies.

"Hahahaha..." Li Muzhan laughed loudly, feeling immensely proud, glancing disdainfully at the thirty-odd riders and shaking his head.

...………………………………………………………………

Such provocation enraged the thirty-odd riders. With cries of "Wu-wah!", they drew their curved sabers and charged. In a flash, they were close, their blades flashing like lightning, several arcs of light striking simultaneously. Li Muzhan laughed amidst the flurry, his spear sweeping left, striking first, the tip grazing five throats. A sweep to the right followed, gliding across five more throats. As the Flying Dragon Spear circled once, the ten men in the inner ring fell from their horses.

The remaining twenty-odd men paused, seemingly surprised, then their eyes turned blood-red, charging forward with mad abandon. Having witnessed Li Muzhan's terrifying might, they were not deterred but became even fiercer.

Li Muzhan smiled, swung twice more, his spear tips moving like phantoms. Though they were valiant, they weren't foolish. Their curved blades flashed like lightning, protecting their throats, but the Flying Dragon Spear passed through without resistance. After another sweep, another ten men fell.

Only a dozen or so remained. They showed no sign of retreat, prepared to meet death, daring him to strike while they aimed only to cleave him with their sabers. This suicidal tactic, devastating against ordinary foes, was utterly useless against Li Muzhan, making it even easier for him. The spear tip’s pass across the throat looked light, seemingly effortless, yet it held a strange power. Once touched by the tip, the body felt instantly paralyzed, as if electrocuted.

In the span of a breath, Li Muzhan dealt with these thirty-odd riders, leaving only riderless, fine horses and a carpet of bodies on the ground—a blooming, blood-red flower, with Li Muzhan standing at its heart.

"Hahahaha..." Li Muzhan laughed several times, shaking his head, then turned to leave—as if satisfied, having fought enough to justify his presence. He laughed continuously, not just putting on an act, but because he felt genuinely exhilarated.

But having lost over fifty men, the Eastern Chu knights would never let him escape. Over a hundred of them immediately charged out, leaving about fifty to guard the prisoners. These hundred captives were all sallow and thin; even if given weapons, they probably couldn't wield them, so the knights were unconcerned, their focus entirely on the distant Li Muzhan.

Seeing a hundred men behind him, Li Muzhan laughed heartily. Scarlet Shadow increased its pace slightly, seemingly running at full tilt. The might of the Eastern Chu heavy cavalry became evident as their speed increased, closing the distance rapidly. Li Muzhan occasionally glanced back, appearing anxious and helpless, only able to whip his horse desperately. Yet, the horse's speed didn't increase; it actually slowed. The knights laughed wildly, overjoyed, as if picturing his agonizing end pierced by a hundred arrows.

When dealing with the first fifty riders, the others had blocked the view; these pursuing Eastern Chu knights hadn't witnessed Scarlet Shadow's terrifying speed. Li Muzhan inwardly chuckled, making his performance even more convincing. He kept looking back, then spurred his horse hard, yet he intentionally withheld his strength. Scarlet Shadow felt absolutely nothing from the slaps. His control over internal force was consummate, making this posture flawless, and the knights didn't notice.

Slowly, they closed in, nearer and nearer, until they were about two hundred meters away. The knights began drawing their bows, raining arrows down like a deluge. Li Muzhan swung the Flying Dragon Spear, forming a shield of light to protect himself and Scarlet Shadow. The arrows were dense and fierce but failed to pierce the light shield; they remained unharmed. This enraged the knights further, and their archery became more frantic, like a storm of wind and rain.

…………,…………………………………………，Li Muzhan continued to swing the Flying Dragon Spear while pretending to whip his horse vigorously. Scarlet Shadow's speed didn't increase; instead, it slowed, allowing the knights to draw ever closer. Li Muzhan seemed helpless; suddenly, he yanked the reins, and Scarlet Shadow wheeled around, charging toward the one hundred-plus grey-armored knights, a seemingly tragic act of suicide.

Just as they prepared to laugh, Scarlet Shadow suddenly accelerated. A flash of crimson streaked by, and Li Muzhan and the horse plunged into the crowd. The Flying Dragon Spear danced; wherever the tip passed, no one survived. By the time the knights reacted, over a dozen men were dead. They roared, drawing their curved sabers and charging forward, but unfortunately, only a dozen or so could engage at once; any more were simply squeezed together behind them. As they jostled for position, another ring of men fell, another dozen dead.

"Wu-wah! Tu-la! Tu-la!" someone shouted loudly. The situation immediately shifted. A dozen men encircled Li Muzhan, waving their sabers, while those on the periphery lowered their sabers and drew their bows, raining arrows down to cover Li Muzhan simultaneously. Their archery was also superb, far surpassing that of the Xiaoji Camp; not a single arrow missed its intended target—all were aimed at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan laughed loudly, his spear shaft sweeping, the tip quivering like a snake, forming circles of white light. The arrows that absorbed this white light were violently deflected, shooting out in all directions. Not only was he unharmed, but the men swinging their blades nearby were thrown into chaos.

Li Muzhan gave Scarlet Shadow a slight nudge. The horse suddenly charged forward, directly knocking over two horses, exhibiting brute force like a rhinoceros; having cultivated internal energy, it was not only fast but also immensely strong. Li Muzhan spun the Flying Dragon Spear, laughing loudly, and in a moment, burst out of the arrow range, then circled around them, moving in rings. He sighed inwardly; indeed, strength in numbers mattered. This was only a hundred men. If there were significantly more, he worried he wouldn't be able to charge in and out so easily, maneuvering with such freedom. (To be continued)