The next events unfolded without need for further words from Fu Xinci; Qi Yuanshan knew what needed to be done.
He was on familiar terms with Long Teng, so he asked directly, "Long Teng, how many horses do you need from our side?"
"Our Dragon Town needs about one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty."
"And your place?" Qi Yuanshan then asked Lan Tianyao.
"Our Qilin Town has more people, so we'll need at least two hundred horses."
"Combined, I'll leave you three hundred and fifty horses, and I'll take the rest with me."
"Thank you, Commander Qi." Lan Tianyao had not expected Qi Yuanshan to be so magnanimous, not putting on airs of an official or making things difficult for them.
"You are all Xinci's friends, so we are family," Qi Yuanshan said. He then pointed to the furs and cloaks that had been stripped from the Tartars, distributing some of that wealth to them as well.
These items were not something they lacked, but they accepted them, considering the many expenses they would face in this region going forward.
After the soldiers had properly dealt with the Tartar corpses, Qi Yuanshan, with all the soldiers from his thousand-man command, returned victoriously.
Before leaving, he cast a reluctant gaze towards the Captain and Lan Tianyao, as if asking a question.
Lan Tianyao spoke their collective sentiment with cheerful frankness, "We like freedom, and we are accustomed to living at ease."
Hearing this, Qi Yuanshan felt a sense of helplessness.
"However, if any jackals dare to invade the land beneath our feet, we will fight them to the death."
The Captain had wanted to say: They would never return.
But seeing the Ming soldiers, he revised his last sentence.
If they ensured invaders had no return, would these soldiers become complacent, or would some hotheads use it as a reason to attack them? That would be problematic.
Indeed, the Captain's words resonated with the soldiers, making them look upon the Captain and his group with greater favor.
Especially recalling how, upon their arrival, these individuals had fought the Tartars fiercely even when outnumbered, it was exactly their kind of spirit.
The Captain had not expected that a deliberate action on his part would immediately win him a group of loyal friends.
Qi Yuanshan nodded repeatedly as he listened to their words, privately admiring them: They were truly Xinci's friends, possessing unyielding spirit and keen intellect.
As they prepared to depart, he thought of how they had annihilated nearly a thousand Tartar soldiers, with his thousand-man command suffering only a few minor injuries.
He stated without reservation, "I look forward to our next cooperation."
"Indeed." The soldiers from the thousand-man command who had just cooperated with Dragon Town and Qilin Town felt the same way.
They too looked forward to it; it had been incredibly satisfying.
Glancing at the soldiers' gleeful, rough faces, Qi Yuanshan then looked at Fu Xinci, his gaze like that of a doting father, inquiring if she wanted to return with them.
Fu Xinci shook her head silently, her smiling eyes turning towards her companions.
Qi Yuanshan understood instantly and said no more. Before leaving, he reminded the Captain and Lan Tianyao, "If you need anything, come find me at the Eagle's Beak Cliff Thousand-Man Command."
"Thank you, Commander Qi."
"You're welcome," Qi Yuanshan replied. Then, he turned his horse and led the soldiers of the thousand-man command back victoriously.
The companions watched the soldiers' retreating figures and then bid farewell to Lan Tianyao, "We should be heading back too."
"Hey, Long Teng, could you stay with us for a few days?"
"It's unlikely lately; the heavy snow will be sealing the mountains soon." Before the Captain could speak, Fu Xinci, as if a local, answered for the Captain.
"..." Yan Feng desperately wanted to strike up a conversation with Long Teng but had never found an opportunity.
Seeing that Long Teng and his group were about to leave, she wanted to step forward with a pretext.
However, the Captain gave her no chance, "Over a hundred horses. This journey will keep us quite busy."
"Yes, it's fortunate Xinci stayed. With Xinci helping us share some of the burden, it's good."
Prompted by the Captain and Xu Jiacan, Fu Xinci ran ahead. The vines in her hand splashed countless droplets from the stream within her space.
When she pulled the vines out of her space, the horses began to follow her.
Fu Xinci had not anticipated that the stream water in her space would have such a captivating effect on these horses.
"Heh heh, this is excellent," Fu Xinci used the stream water from her space to lead the way. The horses neighed in response, closely following her white horse.
Her companions also looked pleasantly surprised, urging their mounts forward to cover the rear.
Not only Yan Feng, but Lan Tianyao also felt a sense of disappointment.
And there was more disappointment to come. Someone remembered, "We still haven't asked Long Teng and the others how they cultivate!"
"That's right, how did we forget to ask just now."
"We forgot such an important matter, we deserve a beating."
"I don't know what my brain was thinking just now," someone began to pat their forehead.
The companions, however, were amused, especially the Captain. "I was just worrying about how we would manage to get all these Tartar horses back."
"Xinci alone solved this problem. Hahaha, it feels good to have done something useless," Xiao Ai said smugly from her horse.
"Yes, Lan Tianyao and his people must be filled with envy and jealousy."
With Yang Xinjie's reminder, the companions turned back and vaguely saw someone pounding their chest in frustration.
"We've agreed, no laughing. Otherwise, if we scare these horses away, chasing them will be very difficult."
Hearing the Captain's reminder, Pang Duner was the first to cover his mouth. If the Captain had warned him even a moment later, he would have burst out laughing.
Fu Xinci, however, couldn't afford to be distracted. She dared not lose focus, wanting only to bring these horses back to Dragon City as quickly as possible.
"We galloped wildly last night, plus that unusually tough battle. I'm feeling quite hungry now."
They were told not to laugh, but they couldn't be stopped from feeling hungry. With Pang Duner's reminder, everyone began to rub their stomachs.
"Ah, if Pang Duner hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten."
"I still have some dried meat and preserved fruits here. Everyone, take some to stave off your hunger," the Captain said, taking food from his ring and distributing it.
"Alas, Xinci is so close, yet we can only watch. Sigh!"
"Pang Duner, judging by your words, it sounds like Xinci is that exquisite delicacy."
"Xinci is not a delicacy; it's that Xinci has good things to eat."
After saying this, Pang Duner kept staring at Xinci's retreating back and muttered, "If there weren't these horses in the way, I would have at least gotten a bag of five-spice chicken wings."
"Tch, even if Xinci gave you five-spice chicken wings, would you dare eat them in this cold winter weather?"
Pang Duner was about to retort, "Why wouldn't I dare to eat them?"
But he remembered the howling north wind, the cold air biting straight into his throat. If he were to eat in such conditions, he would surely choke on the wind.