The arrow whistled through the dusk, slicing the air straight toward Zao Ying's back.
It came from none other than Da Honglang.
Moments earlier, she'd knocked him off his horse and stolen his mount—a humiliation he couldn't swallow. Too afraid to face the militia's "demon guns," he'd slunk back into the shadows, drew his bow, and loosed an arrow in blind rage.
His archery? Average at best.
Usually, one hit out of ten.
But tonight, luck was on his side. The arrow flew perfectly straight, aimed right at the center of Zao Ying's back.
The sun had nearly set, the world painted in deep violet gloom.
No one saw it coming.
By the time the faint whistle reached Zao Ying's ears—
—it was already too late to dodge.
Then, a shadow of iron moved.
A towering metal figure lunged in from the side, extending an enormous arm and yanking Zao Ying clean off her saddle.
Zao Ying was no dainty maiden—broad-shouldered, muscled, a rival to Xing Honglang herself. Two or three grown men together might not have been able to move her an inch.
Yet this "iron giant" had dragged her down as easily as plucking a feather.
Mid-fall, he caught her in both arms, holding her like a sack of grain.
Da Honglang's arrow whistled past harmlessly into the night.
Zao Ying's eyes went wide.
"Who the hell are you?" she blurted—then quickly added, realizing her rudeness, "Ah—thank you!"
The iron man chuckled awkwardly.
"Zheng—cough—no, the Wild Bull of Guyuan."
Zao Ying blinked.
Wild Bull? That had to be a nickname.
And what a fitting one—for a man built like a siege tower.
Of course, it was Zheng Daniu, grinning from ear to ear as he set her down.
"Captain, we're about to pull out," he said to Cheng Xu. "But that bastard's still shooting arrows at us. Can't leave without teaching him some manners, can we?"
Cheng Xu smirked.
"True enough. One good turn deserves another, eh? Wild Bull—return the favor with a grenade."
"On it!"
Zheng Daniu laughed, pulling out a small iron sphere with a dangling fuse.
Zao Ying, standing beside him, eyed it curiously.
So that's the thing that makes the thunder.
It looked so unimpressive—just a tiny lump of metal.
Then the fuse hissed to life.
Zheng Daniu waited until it burned halfway down, took a running step, and hurled the grenade with a roar.
Even the throw itself made Zao Ying's eyes widen.
So much power… no wonder he could yank me off a horse like a rag doll.
The grenade flew in a long, graceful arc—more than twenty paces—and landed right beside Da Honglang.
BOOM!
The explosion flattened half his men on the spot. Da Honglang, quick to dive flat, barely lived to regret it.
Zao Ying stared, stunned.
So this is the weapon that turns a battlefield upside down. And that beast of a man just throws them by hand… incredible.
"Let's move," Cheng Xu called, waving his arm.
The militia began to withdraw. Most of them didn't know how to ride, and they stared helplessly at the captured horses. Fortunately, Xing Honglang's crew—the smuggling gang turned fighters—could do everything. They mounted up with ease and galloped south, leading the herd with them.
The rest of the militia trudged after on foot.
Zao Ying watched them go and suddenly frowned.
Where could she go?
North and west were out—those roads led deep into Huanglong Mountain, now ruled by Wang Zuogua's men.
East? Impossible. General Hong Chengchou's forces had chased her into these hills from that very direction.
Go back, and she'd be walking straight into their arms.
No chance.
That left only south.
She turned toward Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang.
"Seems I'll be heading south too. That's… Chengcheng County, right?"
Cheng Xu hesitated.
He was, after all, pretending to be a rebel from Guyuan. Once they returned, they'd have to switch identities again and become the "Gao Family Village Militia." Not exactly something to reveal in front of an outsider—especially a famed bandit leader.
He glanced at Xing Honglang.
She leaned close and whispered,
"Zao Ying's got a reputation for honor. She won't rat us out. Tell her the truth if you must. Besides, we're bad at handling horses. If we take all five hundred back and don't know what to do with them, it's a waste. Why not bring her into Gao Village? She's a master rider. With her, those horses become an army."
Cheng Xu thought it over.
She had a point.
He looked up at the low gray clouds overhead—waiting for the divine "signal."
Nothing.
The Celestial Lord (Li Daoxuan) remained silent, watching but not intervening.
No objection from heaven.
No objection from him.
Cheng Xu grinned.
"Chief Zao, how about coming to our place as a guest for a few days?"
Zao Ying raised an eyebrow.
"You'd have me?"
"Of course! You helped us recover five hundred warhorses—that's a debt worth tens of thousands of silver taels. If we don't treat you to a few good meals, we'd be ungrateful bastards."
Zao Ying opened her mouth to protest politely—you saved me first, and so on—but then she heard it: the quiet, collective gulp from her hungry riders behind her.
In this famine year, the phrase "a few good meals" hit harder than cannon fire.
A hundred and twenty mouths watered in unison.
There was no way to refuse now.
For the sake of her men, she could only smile stiffly and nod.
"Then… I'll impose."
Up in the sky, Li Daoxuan was positively delighted.
"Excellent. A hundred-plus cavalry in one swoop. Just what Gao Village needed."
Their biggest weakness had always been mounted troops.
He'd been wondering how to build a cavalry unit when none of his villagers could ride. The logistics alone gave him a headache.
Now? Problem solved.
Zao Ying was the key.
We'll start with food, he mused, glancing at the drooling expressions below. Hook them by the stomach, keep them with the heart.
But what to serve?
He looked down at the "Westin China Burger" in his hand and grimaced.
"Nah. Too cheap. Not the right vibe for recruiting… I mean, entertaining new friends."
Opening the Meituan delivery app, he scrolled.
Something good. Something local. Something that screamed Shaanxi pride.
Then he spotted it—
Qin Style Restaurant – Xi'an Eight Great Bowls.
Now that was perfect. Dignified, hearty, and deeply Shaanxi.
He placed the order immediately.
Delivery in one hour.
To be continued…