Xiangzi vaulted down the slope.

The slope wasn’t high, but his towering figure appearing so suddenly startled the refugees, freezing them in place.

Xiangzi spun his short spear, wielding it like a staff.

With sweeping strikes, any refugee daring to block him was sent flying by the staff’s wind.

If he hadn’t held back, those unsteady refugees would’ve died on the spot.

A crowd of unarmed, starving refugees—how could they stop Xiangzi?

In the eyes of the pullers on the slope,

a blue-clad figure tore through the gray crowd like a bolt of lightning, carving a path.

With no intent to hide his strength, the blood energy vortex in his dantian surged to its limit.

His eyes, stained with too much blood, glinted with an eerie red.

In the crowd, a bulky figure dodging nervously froze.

Fat Four’s eyes widened, his heart lurching—trouble!

Why’s this giant coming for me?

And… why does he look familiar?

This is bad! I disguised myself so well—how’d I get exposed?

No time to think. Fat Four clutched his round belly and bolted,

“Out of my way!” He barreled through, knocking several refugees aside.

But his massive frame stood out in the crowd—how could he hide?

Xiangzi tailed him closely, relentless.

Fat Four cursed inwardly: I thought this job would be easy money—just hide behind the refugees, stir them up, and stall the convoy.

Who’d have thought Harmony Rickshaw Yard had such a monster, setting up a formation to scare the refugees and zeroing in on me!

Damn it, Liu Hu and Liu Tang aren’t even here—where’d this demon come from?

Worst of all, I haven’t finished Fat Boss’s orders!

“We have to stall until those guys arrive. Ma Liu Rickshaw Yard can’t afford to be tied to bloodshed!”—Fat Boss’s exact words!

Panting and running, Fat Four’s spine chilled at the thought—

Fat Boss and those guys were ruthless killers. If he botched this, what would happen?

Mid-run, Fat Four’s feet suddenly left the ground.

Before he could react, the world spun.

He was airborne.

A dull thud.

Fat Four’s massive body crashed into the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As a martial artist who’d broken the Blood Energy Barrier, he rolled to his feet in a flash, surprisingly agile for his size.

His five sausage-like fingers curled into a fist.

Xiangzi didn’t dodge. With a flick of his wrist, the short spear shot toward Fat Four’s throat.

Three steps away, a spear outpaces a fist.

This was a life-for-life strike.

This guy’s insane!

Fat Four cursed inwardly, but under the lightning-fast spear tip, his fist faltered, and he dodged sideways.

Suddenly, the spear’s trajectory shifted like a specter.

In an instant, the spear bent into an arc with a violent wrist twist,

its tip smashing into Fat Four’s chest.

This was Uncle Jie’s family technique, the “Collapsing Spear Form,” unstoppable when used with a short spear.

The massive figure was sent flying again.

Fat Four collapsed, his chest half-shattered, no strength left to resist.

He couldn’t even stand.

A martial artist who’d broken the Blood Energy Barrier, helpless before this giant?

The scene stunned everyone.

The pullers on the slope gaped.

The refugees below scattered in terror, eyeing Xiangzi like a living demon.

Ma Liu Rickshaw Yard’s spies in the crowd fled in panic, fearing this fiend would target them next.

Fat Four, spitting blood, tried to rise.

But a foot slammed into his chest, pinning his bulk back into the dust.

The gleaming spear tip pressed against his greasy neck.

A bead of blood dripped down the spear.

Fat Four trembled, pleading, “Sir! You’re my ancestor! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”

His shattered chest wheezed like a bellows, his pleas almost comical.

Seeing Xiangzi’s face clearly, Fat Four’s eyes nearly popped out: “It’s you?!”

This puller—wasn’t he the one he and Third Brother ambushed?

His eyes darted, and he gasped, “No… my Third Brother… ugh!”

Another heavy stomp cut him off.

Xiangzi lifted his foot, saying softly, “You’re sharp. That skinny guy did die by my hand. But you talk too much.”

He twirled his wrist, the spear tip hovering over Fat Four’s chest.

Xiangzi’s face was eerily calm: “So, I’m giving you one chance.”

The light words hit Fat Four like a death knell.

He panicked: “It was Fat Fan! He sent me! Said to have the refugees charge and stall you!”

Xiangzi’s eyes sharpened.

Stall?

So Ma Liu Rickshaw Yard had more plans?

Did they really dare act outside Forty-Nine City?

Seeing Xiangzi’s gaze grow colder, Fat Four’s soul nearly fled his body. He spilled everything: “Horse bandits! Fat Fan’s hooked up with horse bandits! Don’t kill me—if they don’t find their contact, they’ll slaughter everyone!”

Xiangzi’s eyes glinted, a wry smirk curling his lips: “Fatty… you threatening me?”

“Sir, I wouldn’t dare! You’re my father, my ancestor—I’d never threaten you!”

Fat Four shook his head like a rattle, his jowls quivering, his face pleading.

Xiangzi frowned, saying softly, “I’m a timid guy. Threats scare me, and those horse bandits sound terrifying.”

Fat Four’s heart leaped, about to speak, when his expression froze.

A sharp squelch.

The spear pierced his heart.

Fat Four lay silent.

Xiangzi turned.

Wherever his gaze landed, the refugees scattered like they’d seen a plague god.

To them, this puller who’d killed Fat Four was far scarier than the fat man who’d forced them to charge.

Xiangzi walked back to the slope.

His spear dragged through the dirt, leaving a faint trail of blood.

Just then,

a low, mournful wail rose across the plain.

The sound of warhorses thundering over the earth.

Soon,

over a hundred riders burst from the plain’s depths, tearing through the yellow dust.

Their banner bore no mark, hiding their band’s identity.

But to send over a hundred riders just to ambush a few dozen pullers?

What a grand move!

Xiangzi stood at the slope’s crest, a cold smile on his face: “No need to panic. We didn’t flinch against a tiger demon—afraid of some horse bandits?”

“Everyone, raise the flags!”

The pullers, panicked by the sight of the bandits, steadied at Xiangzi’s voice. They quickly pulled out triangular flags and planted them on the carts.

Black flags with gold trim, over a meter tall, bloomed like dark gold flowers across the slope.

At that moment, a clear whistle pierced the plain.

A wisp of gold smoke burst from something in Uncle Jie’s hand, blooming into a faint golden firework in the sky.

Mixed with five-colored gold ore powder, it could linger for dozens of breaths—visible to half of Forty-Nine City.

“All brothers—unload the ore!”

“Prepare to meet the enemy!”

The biting north wind carried Xiangzi’s icy voice far across the plain.