As the rain of arrows fell upon the enemy from the front lines, the cavalry hidden in the left and right camps swiftly mounted their horses and charged out with a roar, forming a large encirclement.
"Retreat quickly!" Zhang Liao desperately swatted away the incoming arrows. Despite his efforts, after deflecting several massive ballista bolts, his strength waned, and he was hit by a few arrows. Fortunately, Zhang Liao was strong enough to pull out the arrows, suppress his injuries, and use his inner energy to lead his troops in a slanted charge away from Guan Yu's camp.
"If you've come, don't think of leaving!" Guan Yu's powerful voice echoed through the battlefield, its imposing presence striking fear into Zhang Liao's elite troops.
Zhang Liao didn't respond. A hint of dread crept into his heart as he glanced in Guan Yu's direction. Silvery-gray inner energy began to flow into his spear, but it didn't emit any visible glow. Instead, it condensed into thin, silvery threads within the weapon.
"Take this!" Guan Yu shouted, wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. With a mighty swing, he unleashed a hundred-meter-long blade of green energy that sliced through the air.
"Break it!" Zhang Liao, seeing the enormous energy blade, swept his spear with all his might. The countless thin threads of energy exploded outward, violently clashing with Guan Yu's attack, diverting it just before it reached him.
A loud boom echoed across the battlefield as Guan Yu's energy blade slammed into the ground, carving out a massive trench over a hundred meters long.
"Go!" Zhang Liao had already noticed the cavalry charging in from both flanks. Without hesitation, he spurred his horse and led his men to retreat in the direction they had come from.
"General, mighty indeed!" Zhou Cang immediately shouted, and the soldiers in the front camp, unaware of the plan to lure Zhang Liao in, echoed his cry, rallying without a hint of panic.
"Hmm!" Guan Yu was surprised. He had encountered enemies who dodged his attacks, those who blocked them, and those who met them head-on. But this was the first time he had seen someone like Zhang Liao.
"Send word to Li Fu and Chen Chuang to pursue them for twenty miles. If they can't make any kills, have them return," Guan Yu ordered Zhou Cang.
"Is something wrong?" Guo Jia asked curiously. His understanding of inner energy was superficial compared to Guan Yu's, and he had no idea what had just happened.
"That man uses soft inner energy. He's the only martial artist I've ever seen with soft inner energy," Guan Yu replied, frowning. While soft inner energy had many benefits, all martial artists knew that it wasn't suitable for combat—it lacked the offensive power needed.
"Oh?" Guo Jia, though not well-versed in inner energy, understood the basic concept. In short, hard inner energy was meant for fighting, while soft inner energy was more for health and longevity—not for battle.
Guan Yu furrowed his brows, thinking about how long it had been since he'd returned to his hometown of Xie County in Hedong. It had been over a decade since he'd heard his native dialect.
Zhang Liao had come and gone quickly. In one swift encounter, half of his thousand-strong wolf cavalry had fallen. Although falling didn't necessarily mean death, those who had fallen had little chance of escape when Zhou Cang's elite troops charged in. They were quickly captured.
Chen Chuang and Li Fu led two thousand cavalry in pursuit, but the distance between them and Zhang Liao's fleeing wolf cavalry only grew. After chasing them for nearly twenty miles, they gave up and returned to the camp.
Looking back at Guan Yu's troops, Zhang Liao steadied the morale of his remaining soldiers. Initially, he had planned to keep drawing out the enemy, stretching their lines, and then launching a counterattack to avenge the earlier arrow strikes. However, his enemies had turned back just as their ranks were beginning to stretch.
As Zhang Liao slowed his pace, he began counting his men. He ordered those uninjured to tend to the wounded, while sending scouts to monitor their surroundings and prevent Guan Yu from launching a surprise attack.
"General, it seems the enemy has indeed retreated. They don't seem interested in pursuing us," Zhang Xing reported cautiously. Earlier, he had mocked Guan Yu's troops, only to realize now how foolish he had been.
"Continue advancing slowly and bring the severely wounded along," Zhang Liao replied with a bitter expression. After years of battle, this was the first time he had been so thoroughly defeated without even touching the enemy. If not for the reflected light from their arrowheads, he might have fallen with the rest.
Zhang Liao infused a trace of his inner energy into each of the gravely injured soldiers, stabilizing their conditions. Soft inner energy had its advantages—it was excellent for healing and maintaining health—but its low combat effectiveness made its users vulnerable in battle.
As Zhang Liao advanced, he pondered over where he had gone wrong. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand how they had been discovered. He had carefully chosen the time, location, and taken all necessary precautions. How could they have been detected?
"Maintain regular patrols and sentries tonight. They won't come again; their numbers are too few. Not everyone has Gan Xingba's crazy boldness," Guo Jia said to Guan Yu after Zhang Liao's retreat.
"Gan Xingba…" Guan Yu frowned. Although he didn't care much for the brash and reckless Gan Ning, even he had to admit that Gan Ning's courage was beyond ordinary.
"That man has the greatest courage I've ever seen, but don't underestimate him, General. His carefree attitude is just a facade," Guo Jia remarked with a laugh before turning to return to his tent for rest.
Guo Jia silently mused.
Guo Jia held Gan Ning in high regard. He had carefully studied Gan Ning's records and found something intriguing—while Gan Ning's actions seemed reckless, almost every move was carefully calculated in advance. It was only due to the chaotic nature of the battlefield that his actions appeared haphazard.
Guo Jia continued to evaluate Zhang Liao. However, not knowing exactly how Zhang Liao had sensed the ambush, Guo Jia could only attribute it to the man's sharp instincts.