The mounted knights reined in their horses, maintaining a slow pace some twenty paces behind General Hua, while Ji Wuming and the other six remained ten paces away from him. General Hua rode abreast with Li Muzhan.

General Hua was clad in simple, elegant brocade, his face youthful and handsome; he looked less like a commander and more like a young gentleman out for an excursion.

The two rode leisurely out of the Divine Radiance Camp, unhurried. After the great battle, the pace of life settled back down, allowing for deliberation in their actions.

General Hua turned his head towards Li Muzhan and smiled, "Master, what are your plans once you return to the capital?"

Li Muzhan returned the smile, "The capital is filled with eminent monks from the Sacred Seclusion Temple. I have long admired them and intend to pay my respects upon arrival, to listen to their teachings."

He wore a simple grey monk's robe, his expression serene, his right hand resting on the reins while his left gently turned a string of prayer beads.

General Hua replied, "The Sacred Seclusion Temple indeed houses many great masters whose wisdom illuminates countless beings—Masters Chengfeng, Xuefeng, Miaonan—all profound in the Dharma and insightful into the human heart... However, Master, I find you no less accomplished than those high monks."

Li Muzhan chuckled, "I still have a long way to go. Where will you be heading, General?"

If nothing unexpected occurred, General Hua would no longer command the Divine Radiance Camp. His prestige was now too high; he could form his own army, inevitably inviting suspicion from the court officials.

This was only natural. Putting himself in their shoes, as a court minister, he too would worry about a general accruing excessive military power—the army should belong to the Emperor, not one man. While the current Emperor honored Buddhism, he prioritized military authority and would never stand by while internal dissent brewed, crushing it in its infancy being an act of mercy.

The fact that General Hua remained in his post made one worry that the Emperor might already harbor ill intentions, or that someone else sought to harm him.

……………………………………”………………………………, General Hua suddenly pulled his reins, halting his horse. He turned to look back; the Divine Radiance Camp stretched out in a vast expanse, meeting the Divine Radiance city walls, banners fluttering proudly, radiating palpable martial spirit.

After gazing silently for a long moment, General Hua abruptly wheeled his horse around and spurred it onward.

Li Muzhan gently nudged his own reins, and Chiying let out a soft whinny before galloping after him.

He vaguely understood the General's complex emotions. Having poured five years of his heart and soul into the Divine Radiance Camp, sudden departure was not something easily accepted with equanimity.

As General Hua accelerated, the others followed, their horses' hooves striking the ground with muffled thunder. In a flash, they were distant figures, swallowed by the swirling, dispersing dust.

The two horses rode side by side, Chiying moving with effortless grace, occasionally snorting proudly and casting a disdainful glance at the white-maned horse beside him.

General Hua and Li Muzhan sat atop their mounts, seemingly fused with the beasts, their bodies rising and falling rhythmically as their robes snapped in the wind, the landscape rushing backward, vanishing in blurs.

General Hua stared into the distance, silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, "Master, if nothing unexpected happens, after returning to the capital, I am to be transferred to the Divine Might Camp."

The strong wind brushed against their faces, but the profound internal energy of both men kept their voices anchored, preventing the wind from dispersing them, carrying the words clearly to each other's ears.

Li Muzhan started, his left hand paused its movement over the beads, and he turned to look at the General.

General Hua's silhouette rose and fell as his eyes scanned the distance: "I hear that Western Zhao has been restless lately. His Majesty certainly holds me in high regard!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, "His Majesty wishes to cultivate you, General."

"How could I not know my own limitations? Without Master, what chance would I have..." General Hua let out a wry smile, turning his head, "It's a pity, Master, that when you return to the capital this time, you are certain to stay."

Li Muzhan laughed, "What makes you so certain I will remain in the capital?"

General Hua explained, "His Majesty is deeply devoted to the Dharma. Master, not only is your martial skill peerless, but your spiritual power in Buddhism is also immense. His Majesty will undoubtedly wish to keep you close and will never let you leave the capital!"

Li Muzhan shook his head and laughed, "His Majesty's kindness is too much for me to deserve."

General Hua smiled, "I will try to petition His Majesty for mercy... Master, would you be willing to continue accompanying me?"

"I couldn't ask for more," Li Muzhan replied with a smile.

General Hua let out a long breath, laughing heartily, "With Master's assistance, I can rest easy!"

They were passing through a dense pine forest; the birds erupted in startled flight after their laughter subsided.

The heavy stone weighing on General Hua's heart lifted, and he instantly felt relaxed, gaining the leisure to point out the surrounding scenery and recount anecdotes and geographical details, as if reciting a treasured inventory.

Having spent five years here, he knew the area intimately; he could weave tales of history and current events for any spot they passed, telling them engagingly.

Li Muzhan nodded continuously, interjecting with brief, insightful comments that elicited hearty laughter from General Hua. The two chatted animatedly, filling Ji Wuming and the others with envy.

Ji Wuming, astride his horse, watched Li Muzhan and General Hua, shaking his head silently.

Though he considered himself unconstrained and free-spirited, facing the General felt like confronting a colossal mountain, an oppressive pressure washing over him, making him instinctively tense and constraining his speech, preventing any natural ease.

Every time he finished speaking with the General, he felt frustrated with himself for being so unworthy. Why be so nervous when the General was so amiable? Why act that way?

Before every conversation with the General, he would strive to relax, but the moment he approached, his old demeanor returned—tense and restrained, afraid to speak much.

Master Mingkong could converse with the General as easily as with an ordinary person; truly worthy of his title, with profound cultivation. Ji Wuming admired him deeply.

They traveled south along the official road, which was wide and smooth. At this time of day, there were few people, allowing them to ride freely without obstruction, a thoroughly exhilarating experience.

Riding hard, time seemed to merge with the highway; time flowed rapidly, and the distance melted away. They galloped for about a hundred li.

The official road was flanked mostly by pine forests, lush and green, lending vitality to the desolate fields.

Li Muzhan, clad only in his grey monk's robe, appeared slight. It was already early winter; the leaves of deciduous trees had fallen, leaving only the green pines.

The sun hung high in the sky, its light bright yet soft, warming their bodies pleasantly, making one feel drowsy and sluggish.

The first few ranks of knights suddenly slowed their pace, tightening their formation, their eyes fixed keenly on the flanking pine woods, alert and tense.

General Hua also reined in his horse, slowing down, his brow furrowed as he stared into the undergrowth.

Li Muzhan shook his head, reached down, and retrieved a bow and arrows from the saddle. His original bow had shattered; this new one was newly forged and even superior to the last—similar in appearance, with a silver-grey body and black string, simple and unadorned.

He drew the bow taut into a full moon and released. A streak of black light zipped into the woods, followed by a muffled thud.

"There really are people?" General Hua asked.

Li Muzhan picked up four short arrows but lowered his bow without moving, gazing into the distance. A moment later, he nodded, "Thirty of them. They are coming for us."

Under the gaze of his Eye of the Void, he perceived a group ambushing deeper in the woods, nearly thirty individuals, all armed with powerful crossbows, lying prone among the pines, their heads hidden by needles, clad in brown garments that blended seamlessly with the forest, like chameleons.

If not for the faint killing intent they emitted, they would almost have escaped Li Muzhan’s notice. There was always a higher peak; he couldn't help but admire them.

The fact that General Hua’s guards could sense the killing intent also impressed Li Muzhan; truly battle-hardened, their intuition was astonishing.

His own intuition was honed through cultivation; theirs was awakened potential from combat experience. Though their paths differed, they were not to be underestimated.

Without any command from General Hua, the knights automatically shifted into a circular formation, creating four concentric rings with the General at the center.

Each man raised his shield, linking them together to form a massive carapace. They controlled their mounts to slow their gait, maintaining the integrity of the formation.

If they stopped, they would be reduced to defending their heads, with no chance to counterattack.

"Master, thirty men trying to assassinate me? They truly underestimate us!" General Hua looked quite composed, turning to smile at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled, looking thoughtful.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..." Streaks of heavy crossbow bolts emerged from the woods, striking the shields with loud 'dings,' while some glanced past the shields and struck the men behind.

All the knights wore the Luminous Armor, impervious to the bolts; their only concern was protecting their horses. They did not charge out but continued moving forward under the 'turtle shell' of shields, inching ahead.

Li Muzhan looked down through the Eye of the Void. These thirty or so men were excellent shots, launching a dense, intimidating volley in this short span.

Having survived the previous battle, the knights maintained a steady composure; the formation held.

…………………………………………………………

Although the arrow rain was fierce, piercing through to reach General Hua was exceedingly difficult, blocked by four layers of shields that covered nearly all angles.

The group advanced under the arrow storm, quickly covering ten zhang or so, yet the volley intensified.

With his bow resting across his knee, Li Muzhan slightly lowered his eyelids, appearing to doze. With arrows falling everywhere, he paid them no heed.

Suddenly, he raised his bow to a full draw. With a sharp 'Chih!' sound, four streaks of black light flashed, striking the ground about a zhang away.

'Bang!' The ground exploded, kicking up dirt and dust.

Several knights were flung outward, instantly disrupting the formation. The arrow rain poured in, creating a cacophony of 'dinging' sounds as bolts struck the Luminous Armor.

Six figures burst from the dust cloud, low to the ground like venomous snakes slithering through grass, shooting toward General Hua. They arrived with impossible speed, faster than lightning; even Ji Wuming and the other six couldn't react in time.

The six men brought their palms down, sealing off General Hua's avenues of escape.

General Hua reacted quickly; the instant Li Muzhan’s arrow light flashed, he knew trouble was brewing and moved to meet the six attacks head-on with his palms. But a tremendous force struck him, sending him flying involuntarily.

With a dull 'thud,' the six assailants staggered back two steps. Li Muzhan stood planted in the fray.

General Hua saw it clearly and was instantly shocked. Li Muzhan had absorbed two full palm strikes, while the remaining four had connected solidly with his body—two on his ribs and one on his back.

Having withstood four blows, Li Muzhan's expression remained unchanged. He instantly vanished behind one attacker and brought his palm down, but struck only an afterimage.

He was not surprised. He flickered again, evading the six men’s sweeping palms, reappearing behind another, and struck again—another afterimage. These six possessed superb lightness skill, no inferior to his own.

The seven figures spun like tops, appearing as seven streaks of fluid, shifting light, their forms indistinct to the onlookers.

From those four earlier strikes, Li Muzhan grasped the depth of their internal strength, only slightly less than his own. Fortunately, the power of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art was supreme, allowing him to endure the impact.

Their skill in concealment, buried beneath the earth, was profound. Had he not felt a deep sense of wrongness and trusted his persistent intuition, barely sensing something unusual underground, he would never have detected the six men.

Each of these six men was exceptional. Against one, he had a winning chance; against two, using the Lamp-Lighting Art, he could still win; three would be difficult; but six—he had no chance of victory. Their lightness skill was so superior it would prevent him from fully deploying the Great Bright King Sutra.