"Rest assured, the oath we took stands firm. More and more people will rise in strength. It won't be easy for anyone to threaten our nation. Even if I can never practice martial arts in my lifetime, I'll watch our nation prosper."

After finishing a bottle of wine, Shao Qi stood up and felt a bit dizzy. "This body is really weak now. wonder if boastful words will come back to haunt me."

He saw Zhou You carrying back a wild beast and curiously asked, "Hungry?"

Zhou You tossed the mutated bull onto the ground, clapped his hands and said, "No, I just ran into it. It attacked me, so I killed it."

"Are there many mutated creatures around here?"

"Not many. Your explosion the other day scared off most of the mutants nearby. Some are hiding in the base, but they're not significant threats. Given time, they'll naturally return."

"Do you have any other plans for this visit?" Shao Qi inquired.

Zhou You sat on the mutated bull, crossed his arms, and replied, "There's always been a lingering threat here. Initially, I wanted to explore a bit, but Qin Xun mentioned they're planning to rebuild a fortress in a few days. Seems I don't need to intervene."

Zhou You carried him towards the border. He had once found a picturesque canyon on this route, complete with a cave suitable for a few days' stay.

It was the perfect spot for Shao Qi to rest after his injury.

The place was secluded; no one had searched there before.

"We're here. There's a nest of small animals inside, doesn't seem to be mutants. I'll check it out."

After a short while, Zhou You emerged and said, "All clear. Come on in. Once it's daylight, we can find some decorations."

The cave is quite spacious and seems to have another exit, given the circulating air. Inside, it's dry, making it quite suitable for habitation.

"Did you really spend ten years living in a cave like this?"

"Yes, it's astonishing, isn't it?"

"What's even more astonishing is that you managed to survive a decade in the mountains unscathed. Were there no mutated creatures that found that cave?"

"I wasn't aware of much happening outside when I was in seclusion. The entrance was blocked by a large boulder, perhaps they just didn't notice it."

The paths to advancement for the two were distinct; Shao Qi advanced through constant combat, while Zhou You progressed by cultivating his internal energy over the years. Who else possesses such perseverance?

"Stretch out your hand." After taking his pulse, Zhou You remarked, "The 'Taiyi Heart Sutra' has the ability to repair and expand meridians. I'm not sure if it'll work for you, but it's worth a try."

Previously, the energy Shao Qi cultivated was fundamentally different from the Taiyi Heart Sutra; they were irreconcilable. Now that he has lost all his energy, it might be worth exploring a new technique.

Zhou You recited the mantra to him, along with his interpretation. Given that it took Xuan Jue several days to grasp it initially, Zhou You's elucidation must be quite accessible.

"Alright, I'll give it a go." Shao Qi sat cross-legged, immersing himself in the world of cultivation.

Soon, I felt my body enveloped by spiritual energy, drawing it inward. He had performed this step countless times before, always succeeding.

However, once inside, the spiritual energy couldn't coalesce; with severed meridians, the energy dissipated swiftly.

He repeated the process until dawn. Opening his eyes to meet Zhou You's expectant gaze, he smiled, "Such a challenging technique won't be mastered in a day or two. Give me a few more days."

Seeing Zhou You's skepticism, he stood up and stretched, "Feels good, though. Even if I haven't cultivated any internal energy, the nourishment from the spiritual aura seems beneficial. I feel significantly lighter."

Zhou You checked his pulse again, finding no discernible change, and consoled himself with the thought that there's always tomorrow.

The duo went outside, gathering dry grass and stones. They set up a stove near the entrance and prepared a bed inside the cave, even procuring some makeshift household items.

Once everything was in place, the cave truly resembled a long-inhabited dwelling.

"If I had been the one living with you in that cave back then, I imagine we would have been quite happy," Shao Qi mused.

"Ah, then we'd truly become rustic mountain dwellers."

"Being rustic mountain folk sounds delightful and carefree."

"Is it truly liberating to leave the cave, only to be immediately threatened?" Like here, if Shao Qi were the only one living, an encounter with a mutated beast would certainly spell his doom.

Hence, Zhou You set up traps at the entrance, fashioning several sharp wooden stakes into long spears, which at first glance, seemed rather intimidating.

"Everything is ready, we just need the right moment."

Early the next morning, Qin Xun noticed Zhou You's absence from the base. However, he wasn't worried and merely instructed the patrolling team to check the scorched lands during their rounds.

When the patrol returned that day, they reported finding ritualistic items beside a large pit and the corpse of a recently killed mutated buffalo.

"Was Mr. Zhou not there?"

"No sign of him; he might have already left."

Qin Xun wasn't overly concerned, simply instructing the patrol to keep an eye out, lest Zhou You was hiding somewhere, possibly in distress.

It wasn't until the fifth day, as they were traveling to the border to establish new defenses, that someone noticed human footprints during their overnight halt.

The footprints were scattered, some already fading, likely not recent.

Guessing it was Zhou You, Qin Xun led a group to investigate, and at the base of a canyon, they found two men sitting by a fire, roasting meat.

One of them was, of course, Zhou You. But the man sitting close to him, sharing intimate gestures was...

"General Qin!" Zhou You, spotting them, waved.

Qin Xun hurriedly approached, his gaze fixing on the man beside Zhou You. Despite his disfigured face, Qin Xun recognized him instantly.

"Mar... Marshal?" Qin Xun was taken aback.