The battlefield inevitably brings casualties to the Xiaoji Battalion; without him here, prompt medical aid might fail, leading to unnecessary deaths. The Eastern Chu cavalry is truly elite, worthy of its title as the world's second-best.

In contrast, the cavalry of Dayuan falls far short; even fighting two against one, they can barely manage a draw.

The people of Eastern Chu possess a peculiar mindset, viewing death in battle as a blessing and a pursuit of faith. Every soldier is fiercely brave, meeting death willingly, always aiming to take at least one enemy down with them.

Such enemies are the most terrifying—not because they are strong, but because they fight with reckless abandon. A man willing to die acts without sense, his movements unpredictable; one misstep and you could be dragged down with him.

For him to sacrifice his presence on the battlefield to keep the Xiaoji Battalion safe would be the best outcome.

……General Hua waved his hand, chuckling, "Old Hu, you go ahead first. Rest assured, Mingkong will not be slighted." Commandant Hu patted Li Muzhan’s shoulder and laughed, "Heh heh, Mingkong, keep your eyes wide open and do your job well. You can leave the Xiaoji Battalion to me!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Yes, if anything comes up, just call for me." Commandant Hu chuckled again, "Of course, you are one of us in the Xiaoji Battalion!" He snapped a crisp military salute to General Hua and turned, lifting the tent flap, and stepped out.

Only two people remained in the large tent. General Hua sat in a nearby chair, waving a hand. "Sit down and talk... Mingkong, I have heard your great name. Your Buddhist doctrine is profound, and your martial arts are exceptional—you single-handedly slew two hundred of the White Fang elite cavalry!" Li Muzhan sat in the chair to General Hua's lower left. "It was merely a matter of chance, General. Have you met Young Master Jiang and the others?" General Hua nodded, smiling faintly, "One of my nephews was with Young Master Jiang and was saved by you. He told me about the incident and praised you beyond measure!" Li Muzhan smiled but remained silent.

General Hua shook his head with feeling, "My nephew is conceited and proud; he rarely looks up to anyone. I have never heard him praise a person so highly." Li Muzhan replied, "General, that is understandable. Appearing exactly when they were in despair and saving them would naturally inspire deep gratitude. It is only human nature." General Hua laughed, "Mingkong, the group you saved are no ordinary people; every one of them is from a prominent family in Tianbei. Repaying a debt of this magnitude will not be easy for them." Li Muzhan smiled, saying no more.

General Hua glanced at him subtly, his eyes flickering a few times, then smiled faintly, "The Eastern Chu assassins are extremely skilled. A month ago, I was assassinated and gravely wounded, which led to the rout of the Divine Light Camp. It is all my fault." Li Muzhan said, "The General was injured, causing the defeat; it is not your fault." General Hua shook his head, "As a commander, failing to anticipate the enemy's moves, being careless, and thus bringing harm upon myself and implicating the army—that is dereliction of duty!" Li Muzhan gave a wry smile and slowly nodded.

General Hua sighed, "My guards often warned me that the martial arts masters of Eastern Chu were fearsome and that I should be extremely careful. I paid them no mind, leading to this assassination attempt... A commander’s life is not his own; it concerns the entire army and cannot be taken lightly. This lesson has been painfully learned!" Li Muzhan nodded slowly, "What the General says is absolutely right. The commander's life sustains the entire army and must not be treated lightly." "..."

General Hua smiled faintly, "Mingkong, though you cannot fight on the front lines, protecting this general and keeping me safe from Eastern Chu assassinations will be a contribution to the whole army. I hope you will not hold any resentment toward this general for assigning you this task." "General, you are too kind; your subordinate understands!" Li Muzhan rose and executed a military salute.

"Good!" Hearing the word "subordinate," General Hua knew his mind was settled and he was completely at ease. He called out loudly, "Xiao Ji!"

"General!" The tent flap moved, and a powerfully built figure squeezed in—a middle-aged man who descended like an iron tower. He had a black beard like a twisted vine, eyes like bronze bells, a lion-like nose, and a mouth tucked in, making him look as formidable as a temple guardian.

He strode forward in two quick steps, offered a military salute, his expression respectful.

General Hua said gently, "Xiao Ji, this is Mingkong. Starting today, he enters the Inner Guard Camp. Make the necessary arrangements." "As you command, General!" Xiao Ji replied in a deep voice. His bell-like eyes swept over Li Muzhan once, and he turned to leave: "Mingkong, follow me!"

Li Muzhan saluted General Hua and turned to follow Xiao Ji out of the tent.

Following two steps behind, he cupped his hands and smiled slightly, "Big Brother Ji, thank you for the trouble... I am new here, so I hope you will look after me."

"Don't be so formal. Heh heh, I can see you are a capable man. We are family from now on; no need to be polite with the rest of us," Xiao Ji waved his hand and chuckled.

Li Muzhan smiled and nodded. Seeing the smile in his eyes but a hidden scrutiny deep within, he knew he would have to demonstrate some real skill to truly establish himself.

This Xiao Ji, while appearing straightforward, hearty, and rough, possessed considerable depth; he was likely rough around the edges but meticulous inside.

Xiao Ji laughed heartily, "My name is Ji Wuming. You can just call me Old Ji!"

"That works," Li Muzhan agreed with a smile.

The two quickly reached a large tent directly ahead. Lifting the flap and entering, they were immediately met with a sharp, murderous aura that rushed at them, feeling like real cold air that made the hairs on one's body stand on end and the whole body tense up.

Li Muzhan acted as if nothing had happened. He scanned the interior: there were six men, two in the front, two on the sides, and two in the back, forming a perfect hexagon.

These six men were of similar build—all lean, swords hanging at their waists, with long arms. Their demeanor was as deep and still as an abyss, and a surging killing intent permeated their entire beings. Ji Wuming waved his hand and chuckled, "Alright, alright, stow it away. This is our new young brother, his monastic name is Mingkong!"

Li Muzhan joined his palms in greeting, smiling slightly, "Greetings to all seniors." A thin man stepped forward. He had an ordinary appearance, unremarkable, like an honest, down-to-earth neighbor whom people instinctively liked.

He sized up Li Muzhan: "Mingkong?" Hmm, he looks very young. I wonder how his martial arts are. Ji Wuming waved his hand dismissively, "Hey, Old Zhao, isn't that a given? If his skills were poor, would the General personally take him in?!" Old Zhao stared at Li Muzhan and slowly nodded, "Hmm, that is true..." "Less talk, let's go inside and sit down first!" Ji Wuming urged.

The others made way, forming a clear path. Li Muzhan followed Ji Wuming to the interior, where ten beds were set up, three of them empty.

Every tent had ten beds, regardless of occupancy—that was the logistics department's affair.

"Here, pick any one you like," Ji Wuming pointed toward the three empty beds.

Li Muzhan nodded, chose one at random, and sat down immediately, testing the feel. It was identical to the beds in the Xiaoji Battalion, all standard issue from the Dayuan Military Department. Li Muzhan suddenly frowned, his gaze flickering.

"What is it, Mingkong?" Ji Wuming, observant, quickly asked.

Li Muzhan said, "Two people are sneaking close to the main command tent." "Oh?" Ji Wuming was startled and turned to look at the other six men.

The six frowned and strained their ears, then shook their heads. Old Zhao laughed heartily, "Perhaps it’s a hallucination. Why would anyone sneak close at this hour?" Li Muzhan said, "Due East." Ji Wuming's eyes flickered, and he quickly said, "Better safe than sorry. Old Zhao, you and the others go to the General's tent. I'll go with Mingkong to check!" "This..." Old Zhao hesitated.

Ji Wuming waved his hand, "Enough said, it's settled. Hurry up and go!" Old Zhao nodded, glared at him, and huffed, "Fine, let's go!" He gestured, and the other five followed him, moving as one, their coordination perfect. Li Muzhan nodded secretly; clearly, the six practiced a joint combat style.

The six left the tent. Ji Wuming asked, "Mingkong, can you still sense them?" Li Muzhan slowly nodded, "They are approaching slowly." Ji Wuming said, "Good, let's go. We'll set up an ambush quietly. These Eastern Chu brats have gotten a taste of success and are now addicted. Truly outrageous!" He did not question Li Muzhan’s claim but believed him immediately. A monk who cultivates all day might indeed learn strange abilities; Buddhist teachings certainly hold incredible divine powers—there was no doubt about that.

The two left the tent, Li Muzhan leading, Ji Wuming following close behind. The area around the large tents was quiet; the soldiers were all out drilling, and no one was nearby.

The two first walked about a hundred paces south, then circled east.

Li Muzhan's steps were light and silent, his movements graceful and natural, fully exhibiting the bearing of a high monk. Ji Wuming watched from the side, nodding silently—he truly was a master.

……Li Muzhan suddenly stopped, raising his right hand slightly. Ji Wuming immediately halted, suppressed his breath, lightened his steps, and stood motionless, staring at him.

Li Muzhan closed his eyes, standing perfectly still, like a statue.

After a moment, he hooked his right hand forward, then began to walk ahead. Ji Wuming followed closely, his steps silent as a phantom.

Li Muzhan secretly smiled to himself. He was deliberately acting mysterious to disguise his Void Sight, lessening its astonishing power so as not to frighten them too much. Otherwise, he could simply walk over there; there would be no need to pretend it was so strenuous.

The more difficult an action appears, the more appreciation people show when it's performed; yet, if a difficult task is made to look easy, people take it for granted—this was human nature, which he understood perfectly.

The two entered an empty tent. Li Muzhan lightly tapped the thick canvas twice with his index finger. It parted like thin paper, creating two small holes effortlessly.

Ji Wuming leaned forward, stretching his neck. The two circular holes were perfectly spaced so he could press both eyes against them.

His eyes immediately widened, and he quickly pulled his neck back, turning to look at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan opened his mouth, making no sound, only forming words with his lips.

Ji Wuming understood his lip movements, nodded, his face grim, wearing a fierce expression.

Li Muzhan nodded, unhooked his bow from his back, plucked two feathered arrows, nocked them, drew the string slowly, and released gently.

The two feathered arrows passed silently through the two circular holes, precisely where Ji Wuming had pressed his eyes moments before.

……Two muffled thuds sounded, and Ji Wuming shot out of the tent like a whirlwind.

Li Muzhan smiled, casually lifting the tent flap and stepping out.

Ji Wuming was holding two lean figures, laughing heartily, filled with triumphant joy.

The two men had arrows in their shoulders, were motionless, and their faces were ashen gray. They glared fiercely at Li Muzhan, and seeing the bow on his body, they knew he was the one responsible.

"What a Mingkong, truly formidable, ha ha ha..." Ji Wuming laughed loudly, carrying the two men as if they were small chickens, eagerly saying, "Let's go! We'll hand them over to the General for judgment!"