An arrow tore through the air, slicing straight toward Zao Ying's back.
The shot came from Dahonglang.
Just moments ago, he had been knocked off his horse by Zao Ying and had his mount taken right from under him. Humiliated, furious, and still wary of the militia's firearms, he did not dare get close again. So he stayed at a distance, drew his bow, and let loose a single arrow.
His archery was usually nothing to brag about. Nine times out of ten, he would miss more than he hit. But today, luck decided to take his side for once. The arrow flew true, aimed directly at the vital point between Zao Ying's shoulder blades.
The sun was already dipping below the horizon, the light dim and unreliable. The arrow came fast, almost invisible. By the time anyone noticed, it had already reached her back. When Zao Ying finally heard the whistle cutting through the air, it was too late to dodge.
At that exact moment, a massive iron giant stepped in from the side.
A huge arm shot out and yanked Zao Ying clean off her horse.
Zao Ying was not some delicate lady. Her build rivaled Xing Honglang, broad and powerful, practically a she-gorilla among women. Two or three ordinary men would struggle to move her an inch. Yet this iron giant dragged her down as if she weighed nothing at all.
Before she even fully hit the ground, the giant caught her in both arms and lifted her horizontally.
Dahonglang's sneak attack arrow sailed harmlessly past, hitting nothing but empty air.
Zao Ying's heart jumped. She stared at the iron giant. "Who are you?"
The words left her mouth before she could think, and she immediately felt it was rude. After all, he had just saved her life. She quickly corrected herself. "Thank you."
The iron giant let out a rough laugh. "Zheng… cough… Guyuan Mang Niuzi."
Zao Ying raised an eyebrow. Mang Niuzi. That had to be a nickname. Rebels loved their nicknames, that was nothing strange, but this one matched his physique a little too perfectly.
Mang Niuzi was, of course, Zheng Daniu.
He set her down on the ground and grinned. "Ghost Qianhu, we were already planning to withdraw. And they still dared to shoot arrows at us. Leaving without teaching them a lesson feels a bit unsatisfying."
Cheng Xu nodded. "If they come at us, we return the favor. Mang Niuzi, send them back a grenade."
"Got it!"
Zheng Daniu burst into laughter and pulled out a match-cord grenade.
Standing close beside him, Zao Ying got a clear look at the thing in his hand. So this was the object that had just caused such devastating explosions. It looked completely unremarkable. Small. Almost harmless.
She was still studying it when Zheng Daniu had already lit the fuse. He waited until it burned halfway, then stepped forward and swung his arm with explosive force, sending the grenade flying far into the distance.
Just from watching that motion, Zao Ying felt a jolt of shock. What a monstrous brute. No wonder she had been dragged off her horse so effortlessly earlier. Against strength like that, there was no competing.
The grenade arced across more than twenty zhang of open air before landing near Dahonglang.
Boom.
A thunderous explosion ripped through the area. Several of Dahonglang's men dropped instantly. Dahonglang himself survived only because he reacted fast enough to throw himself flat onto the ground.
Zao Ying narrowed her eyes. So that was it. The same terrifying weapon that could wipe out a group in a single blast. And it was this iron giant who had thrown it. No wonder it hit so hard.
"Let's go," Cheng Xu waved his hand.
The militia prepared to withdraw, but most of them did not know how to ride horses. They stared awkwardly at the captured warhorses, unsure what to do. Meanwhile, the private salt traders under Xing Honglang were far more versatile. They leapt onto the newly seized horses without hesitation and took the lead, galloping south.
A large group of riderless horses followed behind them, thundering forward in a chaotic wave before disappearing into the distance. The militia, on the other hand, could only retreat on foot at a much slower pace.
Zao Ying also intended to leave, but suddenly realized she had nowhere to go.
North and west were out of the question. Both directions led deeper into Huanglong Mountain, which was now firmly under Wang Zuogua's control.
East was even worse. Hong Chengchou's forces had chased her from that direction into the mountains. Going back meant running straight into them again.
She had no illusions about that outcome. She could not win. Not even close.
That left only one direction.
South.
She turned to Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang. "Looks like I will have to withdraw south as well. That direction leads to Cheng County, right?"
Cheng Xu hesitated slightly. In his mind, things were not that simple. This so-called Guyuan rebel force would turn back into the Gao Village Family militia once they returned. If this female bandit saw that transformation with her own eyes, things could get awkward.
He glanced at Xing Honglang.
Xing Honglang leaned in and whispered, "Zao Ying has a reputation for righteousness. She will not betray us. We can let her know the truth. Besides, Gao Village Family is weak in cavalry. Bringing back five hundred warhorses is one thing, but using them effectively is another. Why not find a way to bring Zao Ying into our village? She is skilled with horses. With her around, those horses become truly useful."
Cheng Xu considered it carefully. That made perfect sense.
He lifted his head and glanced at the low clouds above. Dao Xuan Tianzun gave no sign of objection.
If even Dao Xuan Tianzun had no issue with it, then neither did he.
He turned back to Zao Ying with a grin. "Chief Zao, how about coming to our place as a guest for a few days?"
Zao Ying blinked. "I am welcome to impose?"
"Of course," Cheng Xu said without hesitation. "You helped us seize five hundred warhorses. That is worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. We cannot just leave that debt unpaid. At the very least, you must come and enjoy a few proper meals with us."
Zao Ying was about to respond with polite words about how they had saved her life, but then she heard it.
Behind her, her subordinates were audibly swallowing their saliva.
This was a year of great famine. The phrase "a few proper meals" carried overwhelming weight. Instantly, all one hundred and twenty horse bandits were practically drooling.
There was no room left for politeness.
For the sake of her men, she had no choice but to thicken her skin and accept.
"…Then I will take you up on that."
High above, Li Dao Xuan watched the whole scene unfold and could not help but smile. Not bad at all. Just like that, more than a hundred cavalrymen had appeared.
Right now, the biggest weakness of Gao Village Family was precisely its lack of cavalry.
He had been thinking about how to form a cavalry unit after acquiring those five hundred warhorses. Just imagining training a group of people who had never ridden before into proper cavalry gave him a headache.
Now, with Zao Ying entering the picture, everything suddenly became much clearer.
If he wanted to bring these people into the village, it seemed the best approach would start with food.
Their shamelessly eager expressions said it all. This group desperately needed a good meal.
So what should he use to entertain them?
Li Dao Xuan glanced at the "Westin Chinese Burger" in his left hand and shook his head. No, this would not do. The level was too low. Using this to… persuade… ahem… to host new friends would be far from impressive.
He opened Meituan delivery and started browsing for something worthy, something that could truly make an impression.
It did not take long before he found something interesting.
A nearby Qin-style restaurant was offering Xi'an cuisine.
The Eight Great Bowls of Xi'an.
Now that was something.
Not only was it impressive enough to serve guests, it was also perfectly suited to the tastes of people from Shaanxi. Nothing could feel more at home than that.
Without hesitation, he placed an order.
Delivery in one hour.