Clang!

Two flashes of cold steel clashed simultaneously.

The spear tip met the blade, the sharp ring of metal echoing as both men froze, stepping back.

In the flickering campfire light, their expressions wavered.

Xiangzi spoke first.

Twirling his short spear, he tucked it into his pack, clasped his hands, and smiled faintly. “Brother Dachui, it’s been a while!”

The bearded man, Zhang Dachui, hesitated. His eyes flicked to the gawking refugees, then he sheathed his blade, forcing a grin. “Brother Xiangzi, is it?”

“In this dark, I didn’t see it was you. Nearly caused a flood in the Dragon King’s temple!”

But for this notorious bandit leader under King Chuang, known across three strongholds and nine territories, that smile looked more like a grimace.

—

A saying from Xiangzi’s past life went: Five hundred glances in a past life earn a passing encounter in this one.

By that logic, he and this bearded bandit must’ve exchanged a thousand glances in their past lives.

Too bad… this isn’t a good kind of fate.

Both men chuckled dryly, squatting in unison with tacit understanding.

Though the refugee shack was filled with powerless elderly, women, and children, police patrols occasionally swept through.

If those big-capped officers spotted their weapons, it’d spark a storm.

Xiangzi’s gaze slid over the bandit, his mind turning. During the Buddha Light Festival, he’d heard King Chuang had slipped into Forty-Nine City with his men. Marshal Zhang’s citywide manhunt hadn’t turned up a single hair.

Now, Zhang Dachui was here among the refugees—could it be?

Xiangzi wasn’t the only one sizing things up. Zhang Dachui’s bell-like eyes scanned him too.

Despite Xiangzi’s efforts to hide it, Dachui noticed the crimson stains on his clothes—this kid was badly hurt.

The deep, flesh-revealing wounds on his thick arms were startling.

Dachui kept smiling, but his wrist tingled with numbness, his heart quietly shocked—

This kid’s just a Blood Energy Barrier warrior, right?

How, in just a month, has his blood and qi surged? Wounded like that, he still blocked my blade?

Though that strike was just a test, Dachui was a ninth-rank minor completion warrior!

What’s that saying? Part ways for three days, and you’ve got to dig out your eyes to see anew?

Too bad his advisor, Triangle Eyes, wasn’t here to voice his thoughts, leaving Dachui’s wit unexpressed.

His mind churned: Why’s this Xiangzi kid here?

He grew cautious. This mission was assigned by that living Yama—any mistake, and Dachui’s life wouldn’t be enough to pay.

“Uh, Brother Xiangzi, what’s this about?” Dachui tried for a friendly smile.

But paired with his bearded, menacing face, it looked worse than crying.

Xiangzi lowered his voice. “The convoy got ambushed outside the city. All my brothers are gone.”

The blunt words stunned Dachui. All gone?

Seeing Xiangzi’s wounds, Dachui’s shock deepened—he’d seen the skill of Xiangzi’s crew firsthand.

In a way, his Wildcats gang had taken a hit from them.

Now, someone had wiped out the entire convoy and cornered this big guy?

Who could pull that off?

The Li family mining zone affair was too vast, too secretive—Dachui knew nothing of its depths.

Seeing Dachui’s shifting expression, Xiangzi sighed. “Brother Dachui, I’m barely hanging on. There’s probably a bounty on me in Forty-Nine City by now.”

Dachui gaped. “No way!”

Xiangzi, resigned, decided to be clear. “I killed a bunch of Li family mining zone guards.”

Dachui’s jaw dropped, big enough to fit an egg.

The Li family mining zone?

Damn it all!

This kid did something that earth-shaking?

Having roamed three strongholds and nine territories, Dachui knew the Li family’s ways.

Everyone in the trade knew the low-key Li family was petty and vengeful.

This big guy’s crossed the Li family… his days won’t be easy.

Dachui, still marveling, leaned in, eyes glinting. “Brother Xiangzi, if you can’t make it in Forty-Nine City, come to our three strongholds and nine territories. With your skills, tch tch, you’d be a captain at least. If King Chuang takes a liking to you, tch tch…”

Dachui’s enthusiasm left Xiangzi torn between laughter and tears.

He’d meant to clarify they’d stay out of each other’s way, to put the bandit at ease.

Instead, this fool got ideas.

Xiangzi could only say, “Brother Dachui, I’ve got brothers waiting. Can’t chat long.”

Dachui, reluctant, muttered, “If you ever come to the strongholds, find me, Zhang Dachui!”

As he left, Dachui eyed the skewer in Xiangzi’s hand, smacking his lips.

With no choice, Xiangzi tore off a small piece of roasted meat.

Dachui pulled out a silk cloth, wrapped it carefully, and clapped Xiangzi’s shoulder, grinning. “Brother Xiangzi, you’re a real one! Truth be told, I haven’t tasted meat in three days. I’m starving.”

Xiangzi sighed inwardly—this fool just admitted he’d been hiding here for three days.

Watching Dachui’s cheerful departure, Xiangzi realized something.

—

Back at another shack, Dachui unwrapped the silk like presenting a treasure, saying to a figure in the corner, “Hey, Chu—uh…”

The man sat quietly, unremarkable in a tattered shirt, his face dirty but youthful.

His slender frame leaned against the straw, his pale face expressionless—a perfect refugee.

Only his striking peach-blossom eyes were unforgettable.

Seeing Dachui’s excitement, he raised a brow, whispering, “How many times have I told you? Outside, we’re brothers.”

Dachui grinned sheepishly, scratching his head. “Second Brother, try this meat. Took some effort to get.”

The man looked up, his clear eyes narrowing. “This meat… where’d it come from?”

Dachui clumsily explained, gesturing wildly to make it clear.

He didn’t dare hide a thing—last time, egged on by Triangle Eyes, he’d sneaked off to rob the mining route, thinking he’d get away with it.

Days later, this man caught him red-handed.

Now, tagging along with this peach-blossom-eyed youth in Forty-Nine City, Dachui was atoning for his mistake.

The youth’s identity was obvious.

Who else could command such respect from Dachui but the invincible King Chuang of the three strongholds and nine territories?

No one would’ve guessed Marshal Zhang’s citywide search missed him—hiding among the refugees.

—

The rickshaw puller who caught Luo Er, the one Dachui kept praising?

King Chuang’s brow twitched, his peach-blossom eyes shimmering.

In an instant, his plain face turned vivid and radiant.

The simple gesture drew fervent gazes from onlookers—such beauty stirred desires in a world where elite tastes had shifted, and the trend of “dragon-yang” had spread.

If not for Dachui’s fearsome look and hidden blade, this captivating figure might not have lasted in the shack.

King Chuang seemed oblivious, delicately picking up the hot meat with two fingers.

His fingers, slender and spotless, betrayed no refugee’s grime—a flaw he quickly hid, tucking them into his sleeve.

Biting into the meat, he froze. Demon beast meat?

Chewing and swallowing, he felt his dantian stir.

Even this seasoned outlaw, unshaken by storms, grew curious about the rickshaw puller.

To kill a near-eighth-rank demon beast…

This puller’s no ordinary man.