Hong Zuer walked away without so much as a glance back at Chen Ji, as if too disdainful to spare him another look.

Dozens from the Night Patrol followed closely behind. Only Ah Sheng reined in his horse and stopped in front of Chen Ji to explain on behalf of Hong Zuer, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Hong and the others just hate Yuan Cheng too much..."

Chen Ji's expression remained unchanged, "It's alright."

Ah Sheng hesitated several times before finally saying, "Mr. Chen, would you consider coming with us to Tiger Ridge? Mr. Hong and Uncle Bai Zi are still injured, and they..."

Chen Ji shook his head, "I'm sorry, I must escort Princess Liyang to Chongli Pass."

Ah Sheng looked disappointed and tried to persuade him further, "Mr. Chen, the Night Patrol is ultimately just the Night Patrol, we do not have powerful official doorways..."

But then Zhang Baishi turned his horse around in front and shouted angrily, "Ah Sheng, why bother saying so much to the big shot from the Imperial Capital? We of the Night Patrol have been in the border town for so many years and have never relied on others. We won't get involved with Lord Jing; we can't reach that high."

Ah Sheng sighed and clasped his hands towards Chen Ji, "Take care, Mr. Chen."

Chen Ji softly replied, "Take care."

The mountain fire raged.

The flickering flames were blown several feet high by the mountain winds, painting the night with an orange-red hue. Several fire dragons advanced side by side, moving with the wind.

Chen Ji stood in the night breeze, watching the Night Patrol depart.

Princess Liyang teased beside him, "The Emperor of Ning Dynasty sent you, surely having thought it through. A wasted Yuan Cheng is useless in hand, killing him would be a pity. It'd be better to exchange for five thousand warhorses or several gold, silver, and copper mines. Yet the common people don't understand this, they only want momentary satisfaction, to vent their hatred... Just unfortunate for Mr. Chen, to have to bear the brunt of the blame."

Xiao Man glared at her, "Why speak such chilly words; this is not the time for you to talk."

Princess Liyang smiled slightly, "Alright, Mr. Xiao Man."

Xiao Man turned to Chen Ji, "Master, don't take it to heart; we know you're not doing this for the merit."

Chen Ji calmly said, "It doesn't matter."

Zhang Xia knew that what Chen Ji meant by "it doesn't matter" was not that the merit didn't matter, but that "how others see him" never mattered at all.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ji asked, "Who started the fire? It couldn't be the Jing Dynasty troops; the wind is blowing north, and setting fire would burn their own path... But if it's the Night Patrol, why would they set the mountain on fire?"

Without waiting for answers, Chen Ji continued thinking, "Da Ma Mountain is a place the Night Patrol knows very well, their natural barrier; unless utterly helpless, they would never set it ablaze on purpose... It must be an overwhelming situation that's forcing them to use fire to block the Jing Dynasty troops."

Zhang Xia whispered, "120 miles west of Baidadan City is the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry camp. If they also side with Lu Jin, it won't just be a hundred or two hundred men coming."

Chen Ji turned to Princess Liyang.

Princess Liyang answered honestly, "The Great Commander Yuan Heng Lizhen of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry has no daily dealings with Lu Jin, but I believe he has already sided with Lu Jin."

Chen Ji was puzzled, "Why are you so sure? Is Lu Jin that formidable?"

Princess Liyang sighed lightly, explaining, "Because the Temple of Martial Arts has already taken Lu Jin's side."

Chen Ji had more questions, "What's the connection?"

Zhang Xia explained from the side, "Because Yuan Heng Lizhen comes from the Temple of Martial Arts, belonging to this generation that walks the mundane world from there."

Chen Ji suddenly understood, "I see... But why would the Temple of Martial Arts support Lu Jin?"

Princess Liyang looked somewhat desolate, "Lu Jin can see into people's hearts and is extremely adept; even before his revival, though I was prepared against him, I never expected he could gain the support of Changbai Mountain's Temple of Martial Arts; he must have offered something irresistible to Mountain Master Lu Yang."

Chen Ji remained expressionless, "What condition?"

Princess Liyang explained, "What Lu Jin and the Temple of Martial Arts discussed remains confidential. No one knows what Lu Jin promised Master Mountain after he went up the mountain, only that the Mountain Master left the Temple of Martial Arts afterward, his whereabouts unknown."

Princess Liyang added, "With the aid of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and Hu Ben Army, two of the three major camps in our Jing Dynasty back Lu Jin... That's why I said, even if Yuan Cheng returns, it's useless."

She looked northward, "Yuan Xiang is old, no longer the mighty tiger he once was. When people grow old, they tend to make foolish decisions; they no longer have ideals, only wishing to tightly hold onto the power they struggled to gain throughout their lives, like aged stray dogs burying bones they snatched in the earth to rot alongside them. Emperors are thus, and powerful ministers too."

Zhang Xia looked towards Princess Liyang, "If you were Yuan Xiang, what would you do?"

Princess Liyang smiled, "If I were him, I would proactively welcome Yuan Cheng back because his current enemy isn't Yuan Cheng anymore; it's Lu Jin. Yuan Xiang found himself a political enemy, one more formidable than Yuan Cheng."

Chen Ji brought the topic back, "Earlier, they mentioned Divine Machine Camp and Yulin Army ahead. It seems the Yulin Army detected Night Patrol's unusual activity and came out of Chongli Pass... Li Xuan, Qi Zhenzhuo are in danger."

Zhang Xia understood, "Let Xiao Man and the others go first, wait at the Peace Gate of Chongli Pass at dawn. I will accompany you, covering the withdrawal of the Yulin Army."

Princess Liyang curiously asked, "Now that the task is done, Mr. Chen can escort me to Ning Dynasty, why take risks again? Didn't Mr. Chen say before he didn't plan to face the enemy alongside the Night Patrol?"

Chen Ji glanced at her and moved north.

Only Zhang Xia knew that from the beginning, Chen Ji never intended to remain an outsider. He would definitely undertake this journey, just not in the company of the Night Patrol.

Otherwise, Chen Ji wouldn't be Chen Ji.

Princess Liyang watched their backs, remarking, "I thought he was a clever man, but it turns out he's just as impulsive."

Xiao Man glared at her again, "What do you know, my master is different from you all."

Princess Liyang smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao Man, no need to be angry; I didn't mean it in a derogatory way. 'Clever man' isn't necessarily a compliment either. To have your master as a friend is a great fortune. Though people say everyone for themselves, heaven condemns the selfish, who wouldn't want a friend they can truly trust?"

Xiao Man snorted coldly, "As long as you understand."

Princess Liyang earnestly said, "But don't ever become like him, or you'll suffer a lot."

The little monk clasped his hands together, "Benefactor, then you won't be able to make friends like this."

Princess Liyang pondered for a moment, then smiled gently, "The little master makes a good point."

...

...

9 to 11 PM.

When Zhang Xia and Chen Ji climbed up a mountain ridge, they finally saw the full scale of the mountain fire side by side.

The two were very close to the mountain fire, ashes and the smell of burning pine resin wafting into their noses, just as intense and choking as the words spoken by Hong Zuer.

Tiger Ridge was split in two by a bright orange-red line of fire, below the mountain still verdant with pines, above the mountain lay only devastation, billowing thick smoke.

From behind Tiger Ridge, faint sounds of battle could be heard.

Zhang Xia whispered, "The fighting hasn't ended, the Night Patrol should have blocked the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in the north."

Chen Ji looked down the mountain, watching as Hong Zuer and others urged their warhorses eastward along the spreading fire line below, seemingly attempting to bypass the mountain fire on Tiger Ridge to rush to the aid of the Divine Machine Camp and Yulin Army behind the mountain.

He and Zhang Xia hurried down the mountain together, it was harder to descend than to climb, and all the way he held tightly to Zhang Xia's wrist to prevent Zhang Xia from moving too fast and accidentally tumbling down the mountain.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Chen Ji's pupils contracted slightly.

He saw a horse with its head separated from its body, its massive head cleaved off by something.

Zhang Xia crouched beside the horse carcass and solemnly said, "It's the Mo Blade Camp of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. It's said that the Mo Blade Camp is unstoppable, with one swing, both man and horse are split... Mo Blade Camp is the trusted aide of the Central Army of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, Yuan Heng Li Zhen might be personally present."

Chen Ji searched ahead, finding three more scattered corpses of the Divine Machine Camp's Night Patrol on the mountain path, all split along with their horses.

After walking several more yards, he saw a trusted aide of the Mo Blade Camp lying on the ground, breathing heavily, a long sword pierced through the gap in his armor at his waist, blood oozing from the wound.

The Mo Blade soldier still grasped a double-edged Mo Blade over seven feet long, standing taller than a person, its blade stained with blood and flesh.

Seeing Chen Ji approach, the soldier struggled to rise and face him.

Chen Ji pulled an arrow from the quiver at Zhang Xia's waist, and before the Mo Blade soldier could get up, he darted forward, thrusting the arrow into the soldier's chin.

Pressing the Mo Blade soldier back to the ground, the soldier, at the brink of death, still gazed at him fiercely, with no fear of death, only a savage unwillingness.

The Mo Blade soldier passed away, and Chen Ji sighed inwardly, placing his hand over the soldier's eyes, closing the eyelids.

Zhang Xia crouched beside him, beginning to remove the armor from the Mo Blade soldier.

Chen Ji was taken aback, "You..."

Zhang Xia silently removed the shoulder guards, arm guards, neck guard, and armor skirt one by one.

She looked up at Chen Ji, "Stand up, turn your back to me."

Chen Ji stood and spread his arms, having intended from the start to disguise himself as a Mo Blade soldier, a fact Zhang Xia had guessed from the beginning.

Zhang Xia stood behind Chen Ji, taking up the black armor skirt, her hands wrapping around him from the front, fastening the straps. Then came the shoulder guards, neck guard, abdominal mirror armor, and chest plate armor.

For a moment, Chen Ji felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he was back at the Zhang Mansion in Luocheng City, with Zhang Xia trembling in the night as she put the heavy armor of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry on him.

But this time, Zhang Xia no longer trembled.

Amidst the crackling of burning trees, the world was not noisy, but rather silent.

Zhang Xia moved to stand in front of Chen Ji, placing a helmet on his head.

While tying the strap under his chin, she softly cautioned, "We're very close to the Zhengou River, walk two miles east and you'll reach it. The water there is swift, hard for cavalry to pursue. I'm not yet at the Seeking Dao Realm, I won't add to your troubles by coming, but I'll wait for you by the Zhengou River. If any Seeking Dao Realm Executive Officer spots you, run that way, they will not risk chasing you across the river."

Chen Ji acknowledged with a hum, picking up the Mo Blade from the ground with the tip of his foot, holding it in his hands, giving it a shake, causing the heavy blade to hum deeply.

Zhang Xia wiped some blood from the wound of the Mo Blade soldier, smearing it on Chen Ji's face, "When using the sword seed, don't let anyone recognize you, or you won't even be able to sleep peacefully."

She stood in front of Chen Ji, carefully inspecting him for any overlooked details, pondering whether anything had been missed.

But at that moment, a massive explosion erupted behind Tiger Ridge, shaking the ground and causing warhorses to neigh.

Zhang Xia abruptly turned towards the sound, but they were separated from the explosion by a mountain, unable to see what had happened.

Chen Ji said solemnly, "It's the sound of firearms."

The Ning Dynasty's firearms lacked purification techniques, requiring an unknown amount of gunpowder to create such noise; this gunpowder was not carried but buried in advance.

Once the mountain fire reached them, it would naturally ignite the buried firearms.

Zhang Xia patted the armor on Chen Ji's chest, "Go, I'll wait for you by the Zhengou River."