A few days later, the Celestial Fertilizer at Xi'an's official fertilizer store was almost completely sold out.
This outcome delighted farmers, reassured clerks, and caused sleepless nights for certain people who had never once planted a single stalk of grain in their lives.
With the warehouse nearly emptied, Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi mobilized at once. Dozens of empty carts were assembled, creaking as they rolled forward, accompanied by several dozen Gao Family Village militiamen. The convoy moved out through the city gates in broad daylight, long, loose, and conspicuously unguarded. From front to rear, the carts stretched so far that the head of the line could no longer see the tail.
To anyone with malicious intent, it was an invitation written in large, careless characters:
Please ambush me.
Among the crowds leaving the city, a man in ordinary clothes lowered his head and quickened his pace. The instant he passed through the gates, his eyes sharpened, and a cold smile crept onto his lips.
A death-sworn warrior from the Prince of Qin's Residence.
He slipped into a nearby copse, where a horse had already been prepared. Mounting in one smooth motion, he kicked hard and shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
For a galloping horse, fifty li was nothing. In no time, he reached a forest in Gaoling District. There, more than a hundred death-sworn warriors waited impatiently, weapons already in hand, their patience worn thin by days of idling.
"Boss," the scout said, barely bothering to catch his breath. "The fertilizer convoy has left the city."
The leader's eyes lit up with savage delight. "Excellent. We've been waiting so long my bones are itching. Finally, something worth killing has arrived."
One of the subordinates hesitated. "Shouldn't we wait until they go to Chengcheng County and load the Celestial Fertilizer? That way, we can seize more."
The leader turned, his expression darkening instantly.
"Idiot," he snapped. "Do you want to haul fertilizer back to the Prince's Residence? Are you afraid the civil officials won't have enough evidence to skin us alive?"
He spat to the side.
"We're not here to steal. We're here to kill and vent our anger. Strike fast, then disappear."
Only then did the others understand. Murmurs of cruel excitement spread through the group.
"Hmph. If they want to die, then fine. But it won't be painless."
The death-sworn warriors fanned out through the forest, hiding among trees and underbrush, arranging themselves into a classic pocket ambush. The woods fell silent as they waited.
From the road ahead came the slow creak of wheels.
The convoy approached.
Long. Loose. Careless.
The leader squinted, watching intently. "Those fertilizer clerks… not bad with their hands," he muttered. "Must be enforcers Wu Shen and Zheng Gouzi hired from the jianghu."
His lips curled.
"Enough to scare household guards. Enough to bluff peasants."
He gestured toward the absurdly stretched formation. "But look at them. No formation. No alertness. People who truly have defenses don't dare to look this relaxed."
His voice dropped, heavy with contempt. "Against us, they're already dead."
Just then—
A sudden roar shattered the forest.
"My Heaven-Splitting Rabbit-Rending Overlord Sword!"
The leader's expression froze.
"What—?"
Before anyone could react, a death-sworn warrior surged out from the trees, driven by bloodlust and the thrill of imminent slaughter, charging straight at the convoy.
The leader spun around, furious. "Who told you to—"
He never finished the sentence.
Eight shadows dropped on him at the same instant.
Hands clamped down on his arms from both sides. A sharp strike snapped his jaw sideways. Before he could scream, his legs were swept out from under him, and he was dragged to the ground.
All around the clearing, death-sworn warriors began to fall.
No cries. No dramatic struggles.
Just sudden silence, broken only by the dull thuds of bodies hitting dirt.
When the Jinyiwei chose not to appear, not even a single hair of theirs could be found.
But when they appeared, it was always like this—an inescapable net snapping shut without warning.
Horse hooves thundered.
Several riders burst into the clearing, forming a tight ring around Zheng Gouzi.
"Centurion Shi," one reported calmly, "we're in position."
A large contingent of Jinyiwei had arrived.
The leader's eyes widened in horror.
"…A trap."
On the road, Shi Kefa suddenly shrieked in an exaggerated voice, clutching at his waist. "Bandits! Road bandits!"
He fumbled awkwardly with his saber, tugging at it again and again. The blade stubbornly refused to come out.
Flat Rabbit, standing beside a cart, laughed cheerfully. "Indeed. Indeed."
The death-sworn warriors burst into laughter.
Seeing Shi Kefa struggle so clumsily, one warrior snorted. "Is that all?"
He charged forward, leapt onto a cart, raised his saber high, and brought it crashing down toward Shi Kefa's face.
At that exact moment, Shi Kefa's saber slid free—smooth, effortless, and deadly.
The blade flashed.
Thud.
It punched cleanly through the man's chest.
The laughter stopped.
"Damn it—trap!"
Elsewhere, a death-sworn warrior lunged straight at Flat Rabbit. Flat Rabbit yelped, flailed theatrically, and tumbled backward behind a fertilizer cart.
The saber sliced through empty air.
Flat Rabbit poked half his head out from behind the cart, shook it regretfully, and sighed. "Sigh… looks like there's no chance for this Rabbit Lord to perform today."
Zheng Gouzi's voice rang out, cold and authoritative.
"Since you insist on resisting to the bitter end, don't blame this official for showing no mercy."
In the eyes of the attackers, Zheng Gouzi, Flat Rabbit, Shi Kefa, and the others were already dead men.
They were wrong.
A single hand gesture.
From all directions, the Jinyiwei surged forward.
"Jinyiwei on official business!"
Shi Kefa straightened, all traces of his earlier clumsiness gone. His eyes were sharp, his posture upright, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.
"Lay down your weapons and surrender. Those who resist may still be spared. Those who do not—die."
From the road, the convoy still looked like easy prey—dozens of carts stretched impossibly long, front and rear completely out of sight.
That illusion lasted exactly one breath.
Tarps were thrown aside.
From beneath each cart, Jinyiwei soldiers sprang out like steel ghosts.
A broad, slender saber shot up from under one tarp—
Thud.
Another death-sworn warrior collapsed.
Zheng Gouzi glanced around and said calmly, "They arrived just in time."
A dying warrior stared at the blade buried in his chest, lips trembling. "Em… Embroidered Spring Blade…"
Only now did the leader, pinned to the ground, finally see clearly.
Zheng Gouzi, mounted on a tall black horse, sat among them—expression indifferent, gaze steady.
"What are you afraid of?!" the leader roared hoarsely. "Out here, we're just bandits! Even if we kill him, there's no evidence!"
A subordinate shouted back in panic, "Boss! He's the Judicial Commissioner of Xi'an!"
Another cried, "If we touch him—!"
Too late.
Shi Kefa leaned slightly forward, chuckling under his breath. "It's a good thing we saved our strength."
He glanced at the surroundings.
"No firearms. No full armor. Our equipment isn't complete. If we fought head-on, we'd lose people."
He shrugged lightly.
"Better to let the Jinyiwei take those casualties."
"Understood!"
"Kill Shi Kefa!"
"Ao—!"
Steel answered.
The ambush ended the moment it began.