An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Oh! The little girl is pretty, and the big brother is also very handsome, there is no one like him in the surrounding area." The proprietress praised loudly as soon as she saw Xu Zize, and her words were full of flattery.

There weren't many families in town who could drive a horse-drawn carriage, so it was obvious that their family was not doing well. But what he said was also the truth.

The young man who got off the carriage was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a slender figure. Although he was wearing the same fine cotton as the little girl, he could not hide his heroic spirit.

As soon as Xu Zize stood firm, the stall owners around him started talking at once:

"Sister, you're not good at estimating. Did you buy too much food?"

"That's right, with so many dishes, how can one carriage hold them all?"

“It would take at least five or six trips to get it back.”

"Is your house far away? It's almost dark, what should I do?"

Everyone was talking at once, most of them were kind-hearted people, and they were telling the truth.

Xu Zize looked around and keenly noticed that there were two ruffian-looking young men staring at their goods with flickering eyes.

He leaned closer to Jing Chunxi calmly and said loudly: "Thank you for your concern, uncle and aunt. We moved here not long ago, in the alley behind." As he spoke, his sharp eyes lingered on the two gangsters for a moment, scaring them back.

Then, Xu Zize bowed to the fat butcher and the proprietress and said, "We're having a family feast, and the adults can't leave. They're all waiting at home." He showed an embarrassed expression again, "My brother and I are not very strong, and we are in a hurry. Could you please help us load the truck?"

When the proprietress heard she had to help move so many things, her expression immediately changed and she shook her head. The fat butcher also looked hesitant. If the things were only one or two baskets, it would be okay for him to help.

However, it was obvious that there were several trucks of goods, and moving them was no easy task.

"One hundred coins!" Xu Zize suddenly raised his voice, "Let's move!" As soon as he said this, people in the crowd responded immediately, and even a gangster raised his hand.

Xu Zize didn't agree immediately, but looked at the fat butcher and his wife with a questioning look in his eyes. The boss's wife blushed and nudged her husband with her elbow.

The fat butcher understood and said quickly, "Don't bother us, we can move it." One hundred coins was not a small amount of money for them, it was enough to buy five pounds of high-quality pork.

The subsequent loading work was in full swing.

The fat butcher could easily carry half a side of pork by himself, and the proprietress also helped with some light baskets. Jing Chunxi directed the order of placement, while Xu Zize supported him from the carriage.

After loading the cart, Jing Chunxi jumped onto the shaft and said sweetly to the proprietress, "Auntie, please keep an eye on the rest for us to prevent anyone from stealing."

The proprietress patted her chest and assured: "Don't worry! Leave it to me and not a single vegetable leaf will be missing." As she spoke, she glared fiercely at those restless thugs.

Before leaving, Xu Zize would always say politely, "Uncle, you take a rest, we'll be back soon." Then he would crack the whip, and the carriage would "clatter" away from the market.

In fact, as soon as the carriage turned the corner, the dishes on the carriage entered the space.

But they didn't dare return immediately. They always drove their empty trucks around the town, pretending to be going home to unload the goods.

After going back and forth several times, by the time the last truck was loaded, it was already completely dark and only a few vendors were left in the market packing up their stalls.

"Aunt, uncle. Sorry for bothering you today. We will come to buy your pork another day." They waved goodbye to the couple.

The fat butcher wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a simple smile, "Okay, okay! It's no trouble. Uncle and Auntie were just worried that you wouldn't come."

After the payment was made, Jing Chunxi jumped lightly onto the carriage.

Xu Zize raised his whip, and the horse snorted and started to move. The young man's clear voice was particularly clear in the twilight: "Go home!"

The carriage slowly drove out of the market, its wheels rolling over the wet bluestone road, making a "creaking" sound, and headed west.

Xu Zize inquired about the route back to the village from the town, but it was all mountain roads, mostly winding. These paths were narrow and rugged, covered with gravel and tangled tree roots. The carriage wheels would occasionally get stuck in the grooves, making a harsh grinding sound. The moonlight was fragmented by the dense canopy of trees, only dimly illuminating the road a few steps ahead.

Xu Zize's hands, gripping the reins tightly, had blisters formed, yet he dared not relax even a bit. He had originally estimated the journey would take two hours, but due to poor visibility at night and the mountain path being more difficult than he had imagined, it took him over three hours, past midnight, before he finally reached the summit of Qingfeng Ridge, a mountain near the village.

During the day, the outline of the village itself could be vaguely seen from this point, but there was still a steep descent, and the return journey would take another quarter of an hour. The night wind whimpered through the trees, and the occasional cry of a night owl in the distance added to the eerie atmosphere.

"Who are you? Get out of the car!"

Suddenly, a sharp shout pierced the night sky. The voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable tone of command. Almost at the same time, several dark figures rushed out from the woods on both sides of the road, moving as swiftly as cheetahs.

Xu Zize's heart tightened, and he pulled the reins hard. The startled horse reared up, neighing harshly. Looking closely in the moonlight, he saw three pine trees, each as thick as a bowl, chopped down at the roots. They were scattered across the road, forming a makeshift roadblock. The cuts on the trunks were smooth, clearly the work of a sharp blade.

"Oh no, there are bandits."

Xu Zize jumped off the carriage with a flip, his back pressed against the carriage, using his body to block the carriage curtain. His right hand subconsciously reached for his waist, but found nothing except a short dagger for self-defense.

"Xi'er, wake up! There are thieves! Quickly give me a big knife." He lowered his voice and spoke to the carriage, glancing around cautiously. The dark figures were already lined up opposite the carriage, each of them vaguely visible, holding a bow and arrow.

The inertia of the carriage's sudden stop caused Jing Chunxi, who was dozing off, to stagger, nearly hitting her forehead against the carriage wall. She suddenly woke up, all her sleepiness gone, and immediately realized that something was wrong.

She quickly took out a nine-ring broadsword with a cold glow from the space. Her grandfather's sword was three feet long, and the nine copper rings on the back of the sword made crisp clash sounds when it was shaken.

She passed the knife through the gap in the door curtain and whispered, "Brother Xiaokang, don't fight too long. If the situation gets bad, come closer to me. Let's hide in the space."

After she finished speaking, she was not idle either. She grabbed two packets of sleeping pills wrapped in oil paper with her left hand, and skillfully put on a sleeve arrow made of fine steel with her right hand. This set of hidden weapons could fire three short arrows soaked in anesthetics in succession.

"Where did you come from, you bastard! Give me your life!" Jing Chunxi roared, dashing out of the carriage. She landed as lightly as a cat, knees slightly bent for balance, her right hand already pressing on the mechanism of her hidden arrow.