Below the slope, the refugees had long scattered.

Under a fluttering banner stood a burly, bearded man.

“Damn it all… Didn’t Fat Fan say these pullers were just a rabble?”

“This rabble? They look tighter than my own cavalry!”

The bearded man stared at the dense cart formation on the slope, his scalp tingling, cursing loudly.

Hearing this, a scar-faced man beside him sneered, his voice rough, “Boss, they’re just stinking pullers—what’s the big deal?”

“I say we charge up and smash those damn carts!”

The bearded man slapped Scarface’s head, growling, “Charge, my ass! Didn’t you see that big guy’s moves? Fat Four’s a coward, but he’s a martial artist who broke the Blood Energy Barrier, and that kid tossed him like a ball!”

Scarface froze, sucking in a breath. “Boss, is that guy a ranked martial artist?”

The bearded man’s bell-like eyes glared. “Idiot, you think ranked martial artists are pancakes, just lying around?”

A triangular-eyed bandit sidled up. “Boss is right. If that big guy was ranked, why’d he be a puller?”

Scarface puffed up. “If there’s no ranked martial artist, what’s to fear? Boss, you’re ninth-rank minor completion, I’m early ninth-rank, and most of the boys have broken their Blood Energy Barrier.”

“Boss, lead the charge—it’ll be a cinch. What’s that phrase from the tales?”

Triangular Eyes chimed in, “Handily captured.”

Scarface slapped Triangular Eyes’ face. “Piss off! Am I the second-in-command, or are you, teaching me?”

Triangular Eyes clutched his mouth, aggrieved.

The bearded man ignored them, ordering the men to form up, encircling the slope.

Seeing the boss hesitate, Scarface grew antsy. “Boss, we came all this way. If we return empty-handed, how do we face the boys?”

The bearded man raised his hand but didn’t strike, his eyes narrowing. “What did Fat Fan promise you, Luo Er, to make you so eager?”

Caught out, Scarface Luo Er’s face chilled, sweat beading. “Boss, I’m loyal to you! In the tales, you’re like Song Jiang, the Timely Rain, and I’m… uh, that White Stripe in the Waves, Li Kui!”

Triangular Eyes muttered, “It’s Black Whirlwind Li Kui.”

Scarface snapped, “Whatever! My loyalty to Boss is plain as day!”

Pleased, the bearded man laughed, patting Scarface’s shoulder. “My eyes are sharp, Luo Er—don’t try to fool me.”

Scarface flailed his arms. “Fool you? Who in the world could? You’re Zhang Dachui, the Hammer of Three Strongholds and Nine Territories, unmatched! One glance, and you see through loyalty or treachery!”

“I just worry that coming all this way for nothing will dent your reputation, Boss!”

Zhang Dachui paused, then nodded heavily—Luo Er’s got a point!

Fine, damn it, let’s do this!

With the bandits in agreement, one question remained—how to attack?

Scarface Luo Er shouted for a full charge to smash them.

Triangular Eyes, playing the “strategist,” analyzed pros and cons, saying, “We’ve got few gunpowder rifles. We need cunning, not a hard assault, or losses will be heavy.”

Zhang Dachui agreed with his scholar-turned-bandit advisor, but when asked how to be cunning, Triangular Eyes stammered.

After some back-and-forth, a bandit blurted, “Bosses, time’s running out! We snuck out—if we delay, ‘King Chuang’ will have our heads!”

At “King Chuang,” silence fell, everyone frozen.

Zhang Dachui’s spine shrank, muttering, “Afraid… afraid of what? Didn’t that she-devil head to Shencheng?”

Triangular Eyes quickly added, “This morning, I heard ‘King Chuang’ stirred trouble in Forty-Nine City. Shencheng might be off.”

Zhang Dachui’s eyes bulged, slapping Triangular Eyes. “Damn it, why didn’t you say that earlier?”

Triangular Eyes whimpered, “Boss, you didn’t ask…”

Zhang Dachui sucked in a breath—My god, if that she-devil’s back, we’re done!

This small bandit troop was once under Marshal Cao. When Cao lost to Marshal Zhang years ago, he retired to Shencheng, leaving his men to scatter or flee.

Zhang Dachui’s group, admiring “King Chuang’s” rob-the-rich, share-the-land ethos, joined him.

But “King Chuang” ruled strictly, and these rogues chafed under his discipline.

Now, with “King Chuang” away and Ma Liu’s old contacts in Forty-Nine City reaching out, they’d slipped out for a quick raid.

Ma Liu had said the targets were mere pullers, no ranked martial artists.

Confident, Zhang Dachui hadn’t expected such a tough foe.

The slope’s formation wasn’t something an ordinary rickshaw yard could muster!

Veterans of battle, they knew charging that cart barricade without gunpowder rifles would cost dearly.

Worse, they’d snuck out behind “King Chuang’s” back. Heavy losses would mean his wrath.

They were stuck.

The golden fireworks in the sky dimmed—reinforcements were coming.

Zhang Dachui glanced at his old brothers, gritted his teeth, and said, “Damn it, charge once to test their depth!”

“Second squad, move!”

“Dodge arrows!” Xiangzi roared.

Arrows rained down in a blink.

Luckily, each puller had a cart, and the bandits shot from below, their arrows weak. Hiding behind the carts was enough.

Still, the thud-thud of arrows hitting the barricade made everyone huddle, hearts pounding—

Without these plates, we’d never survive this arrow rain.

All admired Xiangzi’s foresight.

But before they could celebrate, Xiangzi shouted, “Bandits are coming—hold fast!”

The bandits charged with howls.

Attacking uphill against heavy carts and stakes, their bows were useless.

Abandoning horses, they rushed on foot.

The narrow path allowed only a few abreast.

Without game-changing gunpowder rifles, their war cries were loud but ineffective.

Uncle Jie and the East Tower guards, shielded by the carts, thrust long spears, repelling several waves.

Several bandits, bloodied, were dragged back by comrades.

Xiangzi, watching both defenses from above, exhaled slightly.

With the terrain advantage and reinforced carts, maybe we can hold them off.