Start with a red name

As the morning sun rose at dawn, it shone on the vast, desolate sandy plain more than thirty miles south of Yanlai Peak.

Apart from the mess on the ground and the bloodstains that had soaked a large area and were gradually congealing like pools of blood, there was nothing else.

Oh, next to this mess of blood and gore, there was a very hastily made mound of earth.

Simply peel it open, and you'll see that it's like a human body general store, where you can find all sorts of "parts" that come from the human body, from broken limbs and half-body parts to severed heads, intestines, and half a heart.

With a little effort, it's easy to assemble them into complete human figures.

Besides these broken "parts," there were mostly corpses in relatively good condition.

In such an urgent moment, the Black Wind Gang developed a fine habit of burying the corpses together while cleaning up the battlefield.

It is inappropriate to leave thousands of corpses lying in the wilderness without any treatment.

This wilderness may seem desolate, but it is not truly devoid of life.

If no action is taken, flies, vultures, wolves, and hyenas will all flock to this place using their amazing sensory abilities.

That kind of scene doesn't look very appealing.

More importantly, this could easily become a breeding ground for disease outbreaks.

Therefore, even in an emergency, at Geng Xuan's request, the Black Wind Gang would not turn a blind eye to such a large number of corpses and abandon them.

Logically speaking, centralized incineration is the most convenient and hassle-free method.

But that would cause too much commotion; it would be more appropriate to dig a pit and bury it.

This wouldn't take much effort for the Black Wind Gang, which has tens of thousands of cultivators.

……

Aside from the devastation, pools of blood gradually congealing, and a massive pile of corpses hastily buried, the scene was chaotic.

Nothing else was left at the scene.

Even the fragments of weapons that broke in two or were scattered into more than a dozen pieces during the battle, and the corpses of the dead Xuanyou horses, were not left at the scene.

About ten miles north of this battlefield, a force of over ten thousand men, each covered in blood, still exuding a fierce aura, and radiating a high-spirited energy, was rushing towards "Yanlai Peak" at top speed.

Compared to when this team rushed south not long ago, this team is much smaller in size.

However, in contrast to the past, this moment gives people a sense of clarity, as if the clouds have parted and the sun has shone through.

It perfectly matches the atmosphere of their environment.

When the black wind swept south, the surrounding area was pitch black.

The crowd couldn't see the road ahead at all; they just followed the crowd and rushed forward, with Geng Xuan leading the charge.

At this moment, the sun rises and shines brightly.

They no longer need Geng Xuan to "lead the way"; they can try to see the road ahead on their own.

This is a change that Geng Xuan is happy to see. Feeling this, he took the initiative to step aside and gradually hand over the "stage" to others.

Fear of being stripped of power?
Geng Xuan had no such concerns at all.

On the contrary, he hoped that the Black Wind Gang could transform from its current model of being forcibly driven forward by him into a cause that all members would gladly pursue, even without any external motivation.

If that's the case, he would immediately choose to be a hands-off manager.

……

Although the number of people has decreased significantly, there are still many seriously injured or disabled individuals.

There were also some Xuanyou horse carcasses, as well as food and supplies seized.

However, with the addition of over a thousand Xuanyou horses to serve as transport, the northward return speed was much faster than the southward journey.

An "interesting" phenomenon is that the Black Wind Gang on the "Yanlai Peak" side is much smaller in both overall size and number of elite members than the one on the "Wild Wolf Gorge" side.

However, compared to the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry that arrived at "Wild Wolf Gorge", this Xuanyou Iron Cavalry that came to "Swallow Peak" had a much weaker overall will to resist.

Furthermore, from top to bottom, everyone appears slow to make decisions.

Geng Xuan guessed that the main reason was the lingering effect of the thirty-five points of dark luck he had scattered into the team.

Although the series of minor incidents that had significantly hampered their northward progress had ceased by the time they gathered and rested at their encampment south of Yanlai Peak, the situation had improved.

However, the shock this event caused to everyone who experienced it did not subside. Instead, as everyone gathered together and discussed it, it created an even greater upheaval in people's hearts.

In addition, Geng Xuan personally led the charge into the enemy camp.

Therefore, even when they realized they were under night attack, they quickly made the most reasonable response to the situation, in accordance with the regulations.

But behind this meticulous adherence to military regulations, one can see a bewildered and confused mind, still in a daze.

If given some time, they might be able to adjust.

Unfortunately, reality didn't give them time to make the necessary adjustments.

For these reasons, this Black Wind Gang, which had 10,000 fewer members than the one at Wild Wolf Gorge, fought a shorter battle.

The number of Xuanyou riders who surrendered was also greater.

After quickly clearing the battlefield and the entire team swiftly headed north, Tie Lang and his men were also racing against time to further "persuade" the surrendered Xuan You riders.

Now, even the most elite members of the Black Wind Gang know that what they need is not surrendered prisoners, but new members willing to join the Black Wind Gang.

Just surrendering?

No need.

What we need is fresh blood.

I am willing to join the Black Wind Gang, a large and united group, and to fight, live, and die alongside everyone.

This is clearly more difficult than getting people to throw down their weapons and surrender.

Even though the Black Wind Gang possessed a very effective "persuasion method," they still faced the imminent threat of death.

Not all those who surrender will choose to board the Black Wind Gang's "pirate ship".

Those bandits were all like that.

These Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, who had been bathed in Dong Guan's "glory" for many years and had a more tangible feeling for his power, faced even greater psychological pressure when confronted with this choice.

For this reason, after the team returned to "Yanlai Peak", the recruitment ceremony held immediately for the 568 Xuanyou riders was only successfully passed by 245 people.

There were 326 people who did not switch sides and become "one of us".

At this point, Geng Xuan could not afford to waste any more time on them.

Since they are unwilling to board the Black Wind Gang's "pirate ship" and become enemies with Dong Guan, the only option is to send them to their deaths.

With these 326 people killed, the gains and losses of this battle finally became clear.

In this battle, the enemy had a total of two thousand Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, or more precisely, two thousand five hundred cavalry.

Among them, 1389 people died in the battle against the Black Wind Gang's fierce attack, while another 568 chose to surrender.

However, during the subsequent recruitment ceremony, another 326 people gave up the conditions for survival.

Therefore, of the 2057 Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, only 245 survived to join the Black Wind Gang, while the other 1812 perished.

These Xuanyou Iron Cavalry members all had a high level of red names, far exceeding the concentration of red names among the sand bandits who made a living by plundering and killing.

They are all the "essence" of the Xuanyou and You states.

They brought Geng Xuan a total of 77,010 points of good luck and 5436 points of bad luck.

—The amount of black luck contributed per person far exceeds that of those bandits whose average amount of black luck decreases as the number of killings increases.

The Black Wind Gang, with its larger numbers and scale, was the ultimate victor. Even with Geng Xuan's intervention, they still managed to take down many tough opponents in order to conquer these two thousand-plus "iron cans."

In terms of casualties alone, the Black Wind Gang paid a greater price than the surrendered Xuan You Iron Cavalry.

The death toll alone is as high as 2350.

Of the nearly 14,000 members of the Black Wind Gang who went south this time, only 11552 returned alive.

Among them were many seriously injured or disabled people.

Even including the 245 new recruits, the total number is only 11797.

After a fierce battle, the Black Wind Gang not only failed to expand but shrank by about 15%.

Fortunately, the massive loss of "his own people" also brought Geng Xuan a windfall of 75,200 points, which soothed his somewhat wounded heart.

Judging from the change in the number of people, this was undoubtedly a losing proposition.

It’s my fault that I went to my grandma’s house.

Those with combat strength above the Marrow Refinement level also suffered significant losses.

There were 68 people in the early stage of Marrow Refinement and 15 people in the middle stage of Marrow Refinement, which is fine.

There are also three late-stage Marrow Refinement cultivators and one peak Marrow Refinement cultivator, which is quite alarming.

If this pattern continues, the Black Wind Gang will be wiped out in just a few battles.

In order to maintain high morale within the team and encourage everyone to look upwards and towards the future.

Geng Xuan directly encouraged him with generous "good fortune blessings".

This time, he used up a total of 34,094 points of good luck.

Judging solely from the consumption of good fortune, there doesn't seem to be a significant increase compared to the past.

However, if you observe more closely, you can see obvious differences.

Previously, once the Black Wind Gang gained initial momentum, any attack on a bandit stronghold would result in a situation of "the big bullying the small and the strong oppressing the weak."

In that situation, the bandits, who were very sensitive to the "wind direction," were all able to display a fearless and ruthless attitude.

Even though Geng Xuan could see everyone's emotional changes, as well as more subtle "ripple" changes.

In this respect, he didn't see much difference.

Therefore, the primary criterion he bestowed upon Hongyun was "loyalty," which is the ability to execute orders.

Secondly, it depends on the specific aspects such as the level of contribution made by people of different cultivation levels in the entire operation, and the number of enemies killed.

In other words, the ability to "get things done".

This time, however, they faced the renowned Xuanyou Iron Cavalry.

Who truly dares to fight to the death, and who merely proclaims loyalty and willingness to die for their cause but is incredibly slippery in action, prioritizing survival or even shirking responsibility throughout... The myriad aspects of human nature are gradually revealed.

As the saying goes, "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked."

Therefore, when bestowing good fortune, Geng Xuan gave greater preference to those who dared to "swim for real".

Those who "fake swimmers" and went too far were basically included among the more than two thousand who died.

Many elite marrow cultivators who died did so for this very reason.

Geng Xuan did not take direct action against these people.

But after seeing their true colors, he didn't just stand by and watch. Instead, he secretly used some methods to leave them no room to slack off and forced them to fight to the bitter end.

They used their own lives as a bargaining chip to create a situation more favorable to the Black Wind Gang.

The deceased peak-stage Marrow Refinement cultivator is the most typical example of this.

Therefore, those who receive the most good fortune are those who are "loyal," "good at doing things," and dare to "swim for real."

After this "blessing of good fortune," it was all these people who experienced a rapid increase in their cultivation and strength.

Geng Xuan did not explicitly state the change in the "blessing" standard, but he had no doubt about everyone's intelligence in this regard.

He believed that it wouldn't be long before everyone would be able to appreciate the meaning behind it.

Geng Xuan hopes to use this method to gradually "improve" the genes of the Black Wind Clan, allowing it to grow into the shape he desires.

Thanks to the "Blessing of Fortune," the Black Wind Gang's losses in this battle were largely recovered.

Speaking only of combat power above the Marrow Refinement level, they lost one peak Marrow Refinement cultivator, but gained three more.

With this decrease and increase, the number of peak Marrow Refinement cultivators has increased by two.

Similar changes occur more frequently in the early, middle, and late stages of marrow refinement.

Moreover, even if one's cultivation level does not break through, as the level of skills and body tempering techniques improves, all those who have received the "Blessing of Good Fortune" will experience a significant increase in strength.

Therefore, the "power gap" caused by the deaths of more than two thousand members was completely filled by Geng Xuan's more than 30,000 points of luck.

Furthermore, the results even subtly demonstrate a profound refining effect of "eliminating the weak and retaining the strong" and "removing the dross and keeping the essence."

This is not a bad thing for the Black Wind Gang.

This only reflects changes in team size and cultivation level.

If we also include the 1685 Xuanyou horses that survived intact and were taken over by the Black Wind Gang, as well as an even larger number of barely usable armors.

The Black Wind Gang is no longer just "not losing money," they've made a fortune!
Returning to "Yanlai Peak," recruiting new members, and receiving "Hongyun Blessing"—this series of actions did not take much time.

Soon, the grand procession set off again.

Heading eastward.

Because all the useful supplies at Yanlai Peak were taken away, it inevitably slowed down the team's progress.

Therefore, only eight hundred of the precious Xuanyou horses were used to build the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry.

The remaining 885 horses were all allocated to power carriages.

This significantly improved the team's speed.

Just as Geng Xuan, Tie Lang, and others led a large group away from Yanlai Peak and headed east.

Just two hundred miles north of Yanlai Peak, another supply train of over four thousand men was also heading east.

If you look closely, you can also see that after the team passed the northern extension of "Yanlai Peak", its original horizontal eastward direction began to shift southward little by little.

If this trend continues, the supply train will eventually rendezvous with Geng Xuan and Tie Lang's team, which left Yanlai Peak and moved eastward, about 300 li east of it.

This supply train, naturally, was the team that set off from "Sanyakou" yesterday morning, led by Fu Yunfeng.

After a day of arduous trekking, we finally crossed the 800-li distance between "Sanya Pass" and "Yanlai Peak".

However, in order to avoid being tracked by the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry that might come from the direction of "Sanyakou", they did not choose the route that went straight east.

Instead, it traces an arc pointing northward, bypassing "Yanlai Peak," and converges further east.

—Once the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry arrives at "Sanya Pass" and finds it to be an empty city, while arranging for their cavalry to scatter and search for clues, they will also arrange for riders to explore to the left and right, namely "Baimagang" and "Yanlaifeng", and make contact with other companions.

If the supply train leaves the "Three Passes" and heads directly towards "Yanlai Peak", no matter how well they conceal their movements, they will be exposed to the sight of these Xuanyou riders.

Having led the main force, not long after leaving "Yanlai Peak," Geng Xuan said to Tie Lang:
"You lead the team eastward."

Iron Wolf understood and asked, "Are you going back to 'Wild Wolf Gorge'?"

Geng Xuan nodded, but then said, "However, before that, let me help you solve some minor problems."

"A minor trouble?" Iron Wolf asked, seemingly puzzled.

As he spoke, Geng Xuan had already vanished from his side.

When Tie Lang reacted, he turned his head sharply and saw Geng Xuan's figure rushing towards "Yanlai Peak".

Why did the regimental commander go back as soon as he left "Yanlai Peak"?
Iron Wolf's mind raced, and soon, he thought of a possibility.

The idea of ​​being active was firmly established.

However, despite some concerns, he restrained himself and escorted the group eastward at breakneck speed.

This speed might not be much to Geng Xuan, but with a large number of Xuan You horses used as draft animals, the team's speed was not much slower than the Cang Lan horses running at full speed.

About an hour passed.

Iron Wolf heard the faint sound of horses' hooves behind him.

And the previously indistinct sound was rapidly becoming clearer.

He quickly turned his head and saw dozens of Xuanyou horses galloping wildly toward him from the direction of "Yanlai Peak".

There was no one on horseback.

Yes, there was a person sitting on the back of the dark, shadowy horse that was running at the very front.

Who else could it be but their own commander?! (End of Chapter)