In Xiangzi’s eyes, Uncle Jie was always a straightforward man, rarely smiling—like his spear, its edge seldom revealed.

But tonight, by the firelight, Uncle Jie’s face held a constant smile, the flames lending his pallid complexion a faint flush.

Uncle Jie shared stories of the past.

He spoke of a small village in Wanping County outside Forty-Nine City, and of his father, a former horse bandit, who’d forced him to practice spearwork from childhood.

Uncle Jie’s voice grew faint, and Xiangzi’s heart sank with it.

He told of his father joining a security regiment as a spearmanship instructor, only to be cut down by Marshall Cao’s soldiers.

At sixteen, Uncle Jie entered the city, becoming a guard at Harmony Rickshaw Yard.

And then there was the girl—the one Uncle Jie could never forget.

For the first time, Xiangzi saw a tender expression on Uncle Jie’s face.

It was a clichéd tale: a young, illiterate guard saving a noblewoman from East City.

A rebellious love, unmatched in status, inevitably crushed by societal pressures.

Who hadn’t been young, brimming with ambition to achieve greatness? That was when Uncle Jie dreamed of joining a martial hall.

But without connections and plagued by old injuries, he couldn’t even pass the apprentice trials.

And so, the years had slipped by in absurdity.

Xiangzi listened with a smile, a tangle of indescribable emotions coiling in his chest.

He gripped Uncle Jie’s hand, saying softly, “Don’t dwell on it, Uncle Jie. We’ll get through tonight, and our old brothers are waiting for us to avenge them.”

Uncle Jie paused, gazing into Xiangzi’s clear, resolute eyes. Words reached his lips but were swallowed back.

After half a lifetime at the yard, he could sense the undercurrents.

Ma Liu, that fool, backed by his police deputy son-in-law, had long coveted Harmony Rickshaw Yard.

But how could Ma Liu’s men dare strike in the Li family’s mining zone?

Bribed Li Gui?

Laughable. A petty overseer like Li Gui couldn’t stir such a storm.

And the Li family using gunpowder rifles—lethal weapons meant to exterminate them all!

Harmony Rickshaw Yard had always been on good terms with the Li family, safely running the mining route for years.

Yet now, the Li family had turned on them.

Every detail was eerily unnatural.

In that moment, an old face flashed in Uncle Jie’s mind—lounging in a rosewood chair, puffing on a pipe.

A chill ran through him. Could Fourth Master Liu be involved?

Uncle Jie couldn’t fathom the reason, and at this point, he didn’t care to know the truth.

What did it matter if he did?

In the schemes of the powerful, what were their lives worth?

His thoughts settled, and warmth filled his heart as he looked at Xiangzi.

But Xiangzi’s talk of revenge weighed heavily.

Revenge?

With what?

Was there even a chance?

Uncle Jie said nothing, pulling a small cloth bundle from his chest—silk wrapped tightly around a booklet.

Xiangzi took it, flipping through it briefly, and froze—it was the final three moves of Five Tigers Gate-Breaking Spear.

Uncle Jie smiled at him. “If not for my late father’s memory, I’d have taught you these spear techniques long ago. I just hope he’s not cursing my unfilial ways from below.”

Xiangzi tried to speak, but Uncle Jie pressed his arm.

“Xiangzi, listen to me.”

“If we make it out tonight, practice these spear moves well and join a martial hall as a proper apprentice.”

Uncle Jie’s smile was gentle, but Xiangzi’s face held no trace of one—he sensed something.

Xiangzi nodded solemnly, but in the distance, a figure stumbled toward them.

It was Liu Tang!

Xiangzi’s heart tightened, and he sprang to his feet.

A ghastly wound stretched from Liu Tang’s left chest to his right abdomen.

His longsword was coated in dark red blood, tinged with an eerie golden hue.

“Run, now!” Liu Tang gasped, leaning against the cave wall, panting like bellows. “Demon beast—it’s a tiger demon!”

Xiangzi’s eyes sharpened, the earlier mystery clicking into place—no wonder this area was devoid of life.

At those words, Uncle Jie’s face flushed unnaturally, and he forced himself to stand.

The middle-aged warrior’s eyes locked onto the dark forest beyond the cave, his longsword trembling as he growled, “Too late… it’s here!”

As if to confirm his words, a piercing tiger roar shook the entire forest.

A single, ghostly yellow eye flickered in the darkness.

Then, a massive form appeared before them.

The tiger demon’s eye flashed with suspicion as it spotted the trio.

Xiangzi narrowed his eyes, his spear quivering, his gaze sweeping over the beast, brows furrowing—

He’d seen this tiger demon before.

Months ago, it was the beast chased by Baolin Martial Hall disciples.

Three thick iron arrows protruded from its body—shot by Wan Yuxuan, an inner disciple of Baolin Martial Hall.

One had struck an eye, now scabbed over, with faint golden blood still seeping.

The freshest wound was a long gash on its belly, oozing flesh—Liu Tang’s doing.

The tiger demon glared at the three intruders in its cave, its gaze wavering between hesitation and ferocity.

Clearly, after being hunted by martial hall disciples and struck by Liu Tang’s desperate blow, it was at its limit.

Man and beast faced off at the cave’s mouth.

But it was a demon beast—despite a flicker of intelligence, it couldn’t resist its bloodthirsty instincts.

And if it could devour these three vital warriors, it might recover.

The tiger demon moved.

Its roar shook the forest, its iron-like tail sweeping as it leaped several yards, lunging at them.

Xiangzi’s eyes narrowed, his wrist flicking. His spear shot out like a dragon, aiming for the beast’s remaining eye.

The tiger demon snarled, its tail whipping.

Despite moving second, its iron-rod tail reached Xiangzi first.

With no choice, Xiangzi retracted his spear, bracing it across his chest.

Bang!

The impact sent him flying.

But his strike disrupted the tiger’s movement, giving Uncle Jie and Liu Tang an opening.

Two longswords flashed, striking the beast in quick succession.

Liu Tang’s blade, with the force of a ninth-rank minor completion warrior, hit the tiger’s old tail wound, severing it.

The tiger demon howled in agony, its claw swiping Liu Tang away.

Liu Tang crashed into the cave wall, his old wounds bursting open, blood soaking him. Propped up by his sword, he gasped heavily.

Blood poured from his mouth, but he didn’t hesitate, shouting hoarsely, “Xiangzi, take Uncle Jie and go!”

A bloodied man charged the tiger demon again.

Liu Tang was sacrificing himself to buy time for Xiangzi and Uncle Jie.

Uncle Jie’s lips curved into a gentle smile, deliberately stepping in front of Liu Tang. He shouted to Xiangzi, “Remember what we talked about, Xiangzi?”

“When we face something we can’t beat, what’s the plan?”

Xiangzi’s heart jolted, realizing instantly. He roared, “No!”

His figure blurred, leaving afterimages in the air.

—

Too late.

Uncle Jie had already leaped onto the tiger, carving a new wound.

This infuriated the beast—how dare a mere warrior wound it repeatedly?

And it saw clearly: of the three, this middle-aged man was the weakest.

The tiger demon shifted, ignoring Liu Tang, and pounced on Uncle Jie.

Uncle Jie lured it, fleeing toward the cave’s entrance.

Man and beast chased through the night.

In the forest, Uncle Jie couldn’t outrun the wind-like tiger.

As the beast closed in, a look of release flickered in Uncle Jie’s eyes.

He gripped his longsword in an odd stance—not like swordplay, but spear technique.

“Xiangzi, watch this move—it’s my ace, only taught once!”

Uncle Jie’s lips curved proudly.

Think you can eat me, Li Jie?

Not so easy!

Five Tigers Gate-Breaking Spear, thirteenth move—Turning Horse Spear!