When this thought crossed Yang Ping’s mind, Yang Ping became less excited and fell into a bad mood.

　　The five hundred riders from Flying Cloud Cavalry had no desire to continue fighting, so they were halfheartedly warding off their opponents while making their way to Chu Li and his men to stop them from getting away.

　　Even so, the eight hundred riders of Soaring Eagle Cavalry who had been pressing on with their attacks were unable to do much harm to them. They were no match for Flying Cloud Cavalry in terms of their archery skills, so the moment they got closer to their opponents, they would expose themselves to the risk of being shot to death. On the other hand, there was nothing they could do either if they were too far away from their opponents.

　　As Soaring Eagle Cavalry slowly began to lose their morale, they became increasingly demotivated in pursuing their enemies.

　　Chu Li continued to run as fast as a sprinting horse and managed to catch up with Xu Cihang and the others. Then, he laughed heartily and said, “We’ve succeeded. Let’s get on our horses and head eastward!”

　　“We’re not going back?” Xu Cihang asked.

　　Chu Li shook his head. “Our path back to the city has been cut off. Let’s head into the mountains first!”

　　“Okay!” Xu Cihang laughed and said, “This was a satisfying battle!”

　　“Indeed, it was very satisfying!” Fan Yang laughed happily.

　　The others could not suppress their excitement too. The twenty of them had actually managed to accomplish something that could not be done by a thousand men. They had killed the general of Flying Cloud Cavalry, and this was a truly rare meritorious achievement.

　　They rushed into the forest at the bottom of the hill and leaped onto their horses before galloping away and changing back into their original armors at the same time. After that, they spurred their horses toward another mountain.

　　By the time the remaining four hundred over soldiers behind them rushed over, they had already entered the mountain and released their horses into the wild. Therefore, their pursuers lost sight of them completely.

　　There were no longer any military flags around to suppress their inner energy after they entered the mountain, so they were able to move much faster.

　　With the usage of both the Omniscient Mirror and Nature Restoration Manifestation simultaneously to observe and anticipate his enemies’ movements, Chu Li began to play hide-and-seek with more than four hundred people. Occasionally, he would also leave some false tracks to throw them off his trail.

　　Nonetheless, Flying Cloud Cavalry had their own master trackers, so they managed to stay on his tail.

　　However, they ended up dying at his hands one after another as Chu Li managed to soundlessly kill over ten of them with his quick and unpredictable light-body technique as well as his extraordinarily powerful Light Blade.

　　As time passed by, the riders’ rage and indignation subsided. Their rational mind finally got the better of them, and they realized that they still valued their lives. Thus, as fear began to fill their hearts, they did not dare to keep chasing after him.

　　Soaring Eagle Cavalry started to set up camp on the path leading to the eastern gate. Flying Cloud Cavalry remained five hundred meters away from them, and both armies were locked in a standoff as they waited for Chu Li and his men to show up.

　　Flying Cloud Cavalry would try to kill them the moment they appeared while Soaring Eagle Cavalry would come to their aid. That would be another round of intense battle.

　　This would forever be a disgrace to Flying Cloud Cavalry if they failed to kill Chu Li and his men. At present, grief and indignation hung over the entire Flying Cloud Cavalry like a heavy cloud, and it seemed as if their men would go crazy at any moment. Even Soaring Eagle Cavalry’s high spirits came to be stifled by their grief.

　　It was said that an army burning with righteous indignation was bound to win. This made Yang Ping feel uncertain about their situation.

　　Eventually, the rest of Flying Cloud Cavalry’s teams returned. With more than eight hundred men still alive, the size of their army was roughly the same as Soaring Eagle Cavalry.

　　Yang Ping knew that if both armies were to engage in battle again, Soaring Eagle Cavalry would still be on the losing end. Thus, he had no choice but to request assistance from the Grand General.

　　Time continued to pass by but Chu Li and his men still did not appear. It was as though they had vanished deep into the mountains.

　　Everyone at Soaring Eagle Cavalry started to feel worried. If it were not for the fact that Flying Cloud Cavalry was still there waiting as well, they would have assumed that Chu Li and his men had already been killed.

　　After having learned his lesson from what had happened to Zhu Wuji, Yang Ping decided to pitch his tent in the middle of his military encampment.

　　Then, he met with all his centurions in the central army tent to discuss what to do next.

　　They had received orders from the Grand General to recall their troops and go back to the city because the Qiu Dynasty was going to attack their city soon.

　　The Qiu Dynasty’s cavalry was thoroughly enraged after having lost a general. As a result, their Grand General issued a kill order and commanded the massacre of the entire city once they took possession of Falling Autumn City. Seeing as a huge war could break out at any moment, Soaring Eagle Cavalry might not be able to make it back to the city if the Qiu Dynasty’s cavalry tried to outflank them and attack them from the rear. Therefore, they had to head back to the city right away.

　　Although Chu Li and the other twenty-two men had performed a great meritorious deed, they had no other choice but to leave them behind first while holding on to the hope that these men would be able to make it back safely on their own.

　　…

　　The moon hung high up in the sky.

　　The group of men sat around a bonfire in a deep part of a forest. Pieces of roast meat were sizzling over the fire, and as some oil from the meat began to drip over the embers, the meat’s fragrance wafted everywhere.

　　The light from the burning flames illuminated their faces, which were glowing with health and vigor. The men did not appear to be battered and exhausted after having been hunted down earlier. Instead, they all seemed relaxed and at ease.

　　“We finally threw them off our scent once and for all!” Xu Cihang sighed and said, “That wasn’t easy at all!”

　　Chu Li nodded. “We can go back now.”

　　Huang Hu laughed and asked, “Master Zhao, will we be allowed to leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion if we go back?”

　　Chu Li shook his head.

　　Huang Hu anxiously asked, “We can’t leave?”

　　Chu Li replied, “Your situation will become even more dangerous!”

　　“Why?” Huang Hu asked indignantly. “We beheaded a general who led a thousand-man army. Isn’t that a great meritorious deed? Why can’t we leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion?”

　　Chu Li replied, “I’ll be promoted to the position of a centurion, and that will allow me to leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion. However, the merits you’ve gained from this battle won’t be enough. After all, there are so many of you. If you wish to leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion, you’ll have to perform another meritorious deed first.”

　　“I see…” They sighed in resignation and knew that Chu Li was right.

　　After all, they had only assisted him with the assassination and had not directly attacked Zhu Wuji. It was Chu Li who caught up to Zhu Wuji and killed the man at a crucial moment, so their success was mainly a result of his individual capabilities. No one else could have managed to accomplish what he did.

　　“Well then, let’s try to perform another meritorious deed!” Xu Daxing said with a smile. “It’s no big deal!”

　　Chu Li shook his head.

　　Xu Daxing continued, “Master Zhao, we can use the formation you taught us. It won’t be difficult for us to perform another meritorious deed!”

　　“It’s not going to be that simple,” Chu Li replied and shook his head. “The general hasn’t been dispatching the Sharp Vigor Battalion because he doesn’t want to give me a chance to gain any merit. He’s also afraid of the consequences that will follow if anything bad happens to me because of my identity as a disciple from the Holy Church of Light. However, once I get promoted to the position of a centurion and leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion, he has nothing more to fear. Do you think he’ll allow all of you to be sent out together?”

　　Chu Li’s words caused their expressions to turn grim.

　　Xu Cihang sighed and said, “Indeed, the Sharp Vigor Battalion is usually dispatched in groups of three. We won’t be sent out altogether in one go! … That’s why it’s impossible for us to try to leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion by gaining merits. It’s all because of Master Zhao that we’ve managed to survive this battle!”

　　Fan Yang let out a sigh and muttered, “It’s not just the twenty of you. Both of us are stuck with the same fate as well!”

　　“Well then, what should we do?” Huang Hu asked. “Master Zhao, you won’t just stand aside and watch us die, right?”

　　Chu Li replied, “There’s a way to get out of this situation. It just depends on whether or not you’re willing to take that path.”

　　“What can we do? Master Zhao, please tell us what to do!” Xu Daxing responded anxiously. “Master Zhao’s ideas can never go wrong.”

　　Chu Li pointed at the mountaintop. “There’s a stockaded village at the top of this mountain. You guys can enter this village and seek refuge there!”

　　Their identities were a big problem because they were all convicted murderers. If they had not assisted him in gaining his merit earlier, he would not have been bothered to care about their lives.

　　Bad guys always seemed to live longer than good people. None of them had died during the assassination attempt this time. They were very tough and lucky indeed.

　　“Good idea!” Xu Cihang said happily.

　　“I suppose we’ll be living the rest of our lives as fugitives then?” Xu Daxing said and shook his head. “This mountain village is located within the territory of the Qiu Dynasty, right?”

　　“The people in this village have done all kinds of bad things. We can just go and end their lives first,” Chu Li replied. “If you don’t wish to keep being on the run as fugitives, then try to find a way to enter into the Qiu Dynasty and settle down there for the rest of your lives. You can forget about returning to the Li Dynasty. I’ll tell them that you’ve all been killed in action!”

　　“Master Zhao, I still have an aging mother waiting for me at home,” Xu Daxing hurriedly said.

　　Chu Li frowned. “You wish to go back and look after your mother?”

　　“Yes.” Xu Daxing nodded eagerly.

　　Chu Li exhaled sharply and muttered, “You’re a convict who has been sentenced to death. You’re supposed to be dead already!”

　　“Master Zhao!” Xu Daxing anxiously replied. “I only have one mother. Will it be possible for me to bring my mother over to live with me?”

　　“It’s going to be a very long journey. She might not be able to handle such a long trip due to her old age,” Chu Li said. “You should let your mother live in comfort and ease. Are you an only child?”

　　“… I have an elder brother,” Xu Daxing replied.

　　Chu Li cast him a sidelong glance and said nothing more. Then, he turned his head and swept his gaze over the rest of them. “Is there anything else you wish to say?”

　　They saw his attitude toward them and realized that there was nothing they could say to change his mind, so they shook their heads.

　　Chu Li huffed and said, “You assisted me in performing a meritorious deed, and I’m helping you find a way to stay alive. We can consider this a fair bargain. Don’t go back to the Li Dynasty, or you’ll find yourselves in a troublesome situation. If you really can’t stand living there, tell Fan Yang and Xu Cihang, and they’ll contact me!”

　　“Understood.” They nodded.

　　“Hurry up and finish your meal. Then, let’s go and destroy that village!” Chu Li said calmly.

　　“Understood.” They picked up the chicken meat and alpine musk deer meat that were still being roasted over the fire and devoured them.