Hundreds of martial arts masters had already gathered here, each with a grave expression, gazing into the distance where Li Muzhan had fled.

People muttered in low voices, speculating whether Great Hero Song and Great Hero Feng would manage to kill Li Muzhan.

“With the two Great Heroes fighting side-by-side, even if the Monk Mingkong were a three-headed, six-armed fiend, he couldn't escape.

Don't worry!” “I disagree.

I think the bald donkey Mingkong is supremely skilled and shouldn't be underestimated.” “Well, how could General Ximen's guards have poor martial arts? Even if they aren't quite on par with Great Hero Song and Great Hero Feng, they can't be far off, right?” “Stop tempting fate with such talk! Don't let their morale rise while ours falls!” “You just can’t stand to hear the truth!” “Talk nonsense! What kind of truth is that…” “Damn it, you’re asking for death! Take this punch!” “You’re the one asking for death! Take mine!” The two middle-aged men began to fight, their fists whistling with fierce, explosive power.

The onlookers tried to pull them apart, but when the noise became too much, they slowly stopped, faces red and necks stiff, pointedly ignoring each other.

……………………………………………… People shook their heads and smiled.

This was routine.

Both men had fiery tempers, and among martial artists, drawing blades at the slightest disagreement was commonplace.

Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the crowd: “Look! They’re coming back!” The people turned their gaze, spotting several tiny black dots in the distance.

They couldn’t make out who it was, but they saw the dots drifting, clearly employing their movement skills.

The crowd bolted forward to meet them, running in moments.

In the blink of an eye, they stood before the group of a dozen or so people.

Every member of this returning party kept their heads down, hurrying along.

Only when the onlookers drew close did they finally look up, revealing ashen faces, their eyes bloodshot, etched with sorrow and indignation.

Seeing their appearance, an ominous feeling rose among the crowd.

An elder stroked his beard, frowned, and took a step forward, saying in a deep voice, “Brothers, you failed to intercept the bald donkey Mingkong…” The elder’s gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked past the dozen figures behind them: there were two makeshift litters made of branches, each bearing a motionless body.

He cried out involuntarily, “Great Hero Song? Great Hero Feng?” The middle-aged man in grey leading the group shook his head: “The bald donkey Mingkong is truly formidable.” His face was square, his complexion dark, radiating righteous authority.

He sighed, “Great Hero Song and Great Hero Feng could not hold him.” “Ah!” The crowd immediately erupted into discussion, the air buzzing around them.

Although they had guessed that the bald donkey Mingkong might escape, they never imagined he would injure Great Hero Song and Great Hero Feng.

Those two were top-tier experts; combined, few others in the martial arts circles of Eastern Chu could stand against them.

“Damn it, did that bald donkey Mingkong use treachery?” one of the middle-aged men who had been fighting earlier spat out a curse, his face flushed scarlet.

The middle-aged man in grey shook his head: “His internal power was vast… unstoppable…” At that moment, two weak moans sounded, and Great Hero Song and Great Hero Feng slowly opened their eyes.

………………………………”………………………… Their narrow eyes opened, the light within them dim, slowly sweeping over the crowd.

“Great Hero Song, are you alright…” The elder stepped forward, asking with concern.

Great Hero Song tried to prop himself up on his arm but ultimately gave up, shaking his head and sighing, “How formidable is Mingkong! Elder Ge, you came in person…” The elder surnamed Ge stroked his beard: “It’s good to see you unharmed.

I merely came for the excitement, but I’m too old to chase now; I could only cheer from the sidelines.

Just how high has this Monk Mingkong’s martial arts reached…” Great Hero Song managed a bitter smile: “We exchanged barely a dozen moves.

He didn't try to kill us, or we wouldn't be here to see you, Elder Ge…” “That strong?!” Elder Ge sucked in a sharp breath.

He knew better than anyone the martial prowess of Great Hero Song and Great Hero Feng; they were absolute masters.

That the two of them together could only withstand a dozen moves was truly unbelievable.

“Alas, Elder Ge, we are not his match,” Great Hero Song sighed with a wry smile, slowly closing his eyes again.

Elder Ge waved his hand, and two people carried the injured heroes away.

The crowd gathered, murmuring amongst themselves.

“Elder Ge, what shall we do? Do we still pursue, or not?” a short, sturdy middle-aged man asked in a low voice; he had an honest, simple look.

Elder Ge shook his head: “We can’t catch him even if we try.

Let it go.” The others hung their heads, their expressions grim.

They had finally gotten a chance to make a name for themselves, only to lose it, left watching him escape, utterly helpless.

If this news got out, how could they ever hold up their heads? “Send word out that this news is spread; someone else will deal with him.

Let’s disperse,” Elder Ge swept his gaze over the group and sighed.

The crowd nodded silently and slowly dispersed.

……………………………… Deep within the woods, Li Muzhan sat in a tree, lost in thought for a long time.

Suddenly, he let out a long cry that rolled away into the distance, followed by the sound of a horse neighing far off, like the roar of a dragon.

In an instant, a streak of red light shot from afar, plunging into the forest and stopping beneath his tree—it was Chi Ying.

Li Muzhan floated down onto the horse, patted its flank, and Chi Ying shot forward, dashing out of the woods, vanishing into the distance in a flash, moving with lightning speed.

The strong wind rushed against his face as the world around him retreated rapidly.

Li Muzhan’s mind churned with a thousand thoughts.

Su Yunyun’s move was malicious.

Yu Han Palace must have secret communication techniques.

Chi Ying ran faster than a soaring bird; even carrier pigeons couldn't match this speed.

However, with Su Yunyun’s ability, she wouldn’t rely on just one trick; she must have a fallback plan.

He rode swiftly while deep in thought, wanting to flee Eastern Chu as quickly as possible.

Eastern Chu was too dangerous for him now.

Although he had cultivated the second level of the Nine Revolutions Cleansing Sutra, doubling his internal strength, he dared not boast of being invincible throughout Eastern Chu.

The martial arts of Eastern Chu surpassed those of Da Yan, and his own skill wouldn't let him run wild even in Da Yan, let alone Eastern Chu.

If he fled too slowly, his life would be forfeit—this was no light matter.

For the next few days, he never entered a city, remaining strictly in the wilderness.

Sometimes, passing a village, he would stop briefly to get food and then continue on his journey.

Chi Ying was incredibly fast.

It possessed internal strength, boasting sustained qi circulation, and with Li Muzhan’s assistance, it could run for several hours without tiring.

Because of this, their travel speed was astonishing.

In just four days, they were nearing the border between Eastern Chu and Da Yan.

One evening, as twilight began to fall and the weary birds returned to their nests, Li Muzhan halted just as he was about to pass through a narrow valley.

This valley was like a slit in the earth—the passage in the middle was so narrow only two horses could pass side-by-side.

The sides were sheer cliffs, rising straight up into the clouds, impossible to scale.

At the mouth of the gorge stood several figures.

The one leading was dressed in flowing white, her face partially obscured by a white veil, her features faintly visible—like a celestial fairy gliding over water, possessing a graceful and alluring figure.

Behind her stood about ten others: two middle-aged women and eight elderly women, all clad in white.

Li Muzhan sat on his horse, cupped his hands, and smiled: “It turns out to be Grand Mistress Su.

Coming all this way to see me off, you are far too polite!”