Without the vitality tonic, the large pot of hot water on the stove was useless.

Xiangzi halfheartedly practiced his stance work, feeling a bit better after gaining a few more proficiency points.

After a hot bath, he washed the bloodstained shirt.

Even the bloody water was poured under the locust tree at dusk.

Dressed in his guard’s short tunic, Xiangzi headed to the front yard.

Harmony Rickshaw Yard felt unusually quiet.

The rickshaws had been rented out early, and even the half-shift pullers wouldn’t return until late at night.

The cargo from the Li Family Mine had been delivered to the embassy district before sunset.

Fourth Master Liu, draped in a sheepskin vest, lounged in his grand chair in the courtyard as usual.

Normally, he’d head inside only when the kerosene lamp was lit.

South City had its share of rickshaw bosses across its eight main streets, but few were as hands-on as Fourth Master Liu.

Soon, the kerosene lamp at the yard’s entrance flickered to life. As Fourth Master straightened up, he spotted Xiangzi striding in.

“Xiangzi’s here?”

“Greetings, Fourth Master.”

“Not bad. Heard you awakened your vitality?”

“Thanks to your blessings, Fourth Master.”

Fourth Master Liu nodded with a smile.

But when his gaze fell to Xiangzi’s feet, a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Xiangzi’s steps had a certain lightness, almost as if they barely touched the ground.

This stance… he’s made real progress with his foundation work!

A few days ago, when Liu Tang reported Xiangzi’s vitality awakening, Fourth Master had been skeptical. Seeing it now, he was genuinely shocked—this big lug managed to achieve something in just a month?

Moreover, judging by his stance, Xiangzi might actually reach “Full Vitality” and break the Vitality Barrier before twenty.

Pity, though—martial arts demanded a foundation built from youth. Starting at eighteen, even if Xiangzi broke the barrier, he’d likely never reach a ranked realm in his lifetime.

But that was fine.

That way, Xiangzi will stay tied to Harmony Rickshaw Yard.

This kid was loyal, rejecting Ma Liu’s poaching, and he could read, write, and handle accounts—a rare find in these troubled times.

In Fourth Master’s eyes, such talent belonged in the yard, serving his interests.

His smile deepened at the thought.

As for whether Xiangzi could make a name in the martial world or reach the Ninth-Rank Bone-Forging Realm, Fourth Master didn’t care—if breaking through were that easy, would the Ninth Rank be called a “heavenly chasm”?

Plenty of martial artists in Forty-Nine City had broken the Vitality Barrier, but it was nothing special.

Only those who crossed into the Ninth-Rank Bone-Forging Realm truly stepped into the martial path, earning the title of “entering the hall.”

In the yard, only Liu Tang had achieved that.

Outside? Aside from those under martial halls or warlords, where could you find a ranked martial artist?

Today’s accounts weren’t too complex. Xiangzi, familiar with the numbers, spotted issues with a glance.

In less than half an hour, he marked a few discrepancies, closed the ledger, and handed it to Fourth Master with a smile. “Fourth Master, take a look.”

Normally, Fourth Master would glance at the figures and call it done.

Tonight, though, he didn’t take the ledger. Instead, he puffed on his pipe, exhaling smoke.

Amid the haze, he spoke abruptly, “Xiangzi, tidy up the mine route accounts too.”

Xiangzi froze.

Even Girl Hu showed a faint trace of surprise.

“Girl Hu, get the mine accounts for Xiangzi,” Fourth Master said, tapping his pipe on the table’s edge, sending sparks flying.

Girl Hu complied, pulling out a neatly bound ledger with a cowhide cover.

“Fourth Master, this isn’t right—” Xiangzi began.

Fourth Master cut him off with a laugh and a curse. “Nonsense! I say what’s right. Look at it, and if you can’t make sense of it, I’ll strip you of your guard post!”

Xiangzi caught the hidden weight in Fourth Master’s half-joking tone and took the ledger, flipping through it under the candlelight.

The ledger was made of fine Jiajiang paper, crisp and white.

Back when the Great Shun Dynasty was still intact, this paper was used for imperial exams.

The accounts were straightforward, recorded in the old four-column style: “Heaven” for incoming goods—ore quantities from the Li Family Mine outside the city—and “Earth” for outgoing goods—ore delivered to the embassy district.

On the surface, the daily ins and outs balanced perfectly, no flaws to be found.

The trickier part was the second-class pullers’ individual ledgers. By yard rules, each puller had to tally their daily ore haul.

Xiangzi pored over the pages, his brow furrowing. He grabbed a sheet of rough paper and began scribbling with a charcoal pen.

Girl Hu, curious, peeked at the paper but saw only incomprehensible symbols. She pouted, hugged her feet, and watched the show.

Seeing Xiangzi’s expression, Fourth Master’s eyes narrowed. “Xiangzi, something off with the accounts?”

Xiangzi didn’t answer, his charcoal pen dancing across the paper.

After a long pause, he set it down and said gravely, “Fourth Master, these accounts don’t add up.”

Fourth Master’s pipe froze midair. “Tell me.”

Xiangzi set the ledger aside and circled two numbers on the rough paper.

Fourth Master glanced but couldn’t make sense of it.

Xiangzi explained, “Fourth Master, on paper, the daily ins and outs match up fine.”

“Monthly, the inflows and outflows seem steady. But… Fourth Master, two months ago, Marshal Zhang dug up the moat to block the southern artillery.”

Fourth Master frowned. “That happened, sure. But Forty-Nine City’s been a mess for years. Those soldiers come and go, yet no one dares touch the mine route.”

The mine route fed the embassy district—no warlord would dare meddle.

Xiangzi nodded, then shifted gears. “Fourth Master, our yard uses Yongchang Gate’s route. That moat Marshal Zhang dug? It’s right on that path.”

“I remember then, South City was a muddy mess, the roads nearly impassable.”

Bad roads? What’s that got to do with the accounts?

Fourth Master raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the circled numbers. His face darkened.

Xiangzi nodded, voice low. “That’s the problem, Fourth Master.”

“For two years, despite all the chaos outside Forty-Nine City, the ore coming into the yard has stayed nearly the same.”

Fourth Master got it.

His tiger-like eyes gleamed with a chilling light.

The numbers on the mine route never wavered—that’s the biggest flaw!

Good roads or bad, war or chaos, the ore hauled from the Li Family Mine never changed.

Clearly, someone was tampering, manipulating the numbers!

Someone dares to scheme under my nose, trying to uproot Harmony Rickshaw Yard?

In the flickering candlelight, Fourth Master’s face was unreadable.

After a long silence, he let out a slow breath.

A sly smile curled his lips. “Xiangzi… there’s an opening for a lead puller among the second-class pullers. Care to take it?”

Xiangzi was stunned.