“M-Mr. Fogle, sir, are you… are you alright? ” Sen exclaimed in shock.

“I’m fine, ” Yang Zicang said calmly. “We have rules—we can’t attack ordinary people without reason. I took that hit to be safe. Now if I strike back, it won’t be a problem. “

“Ah! ” Out from the carriage came Lianna’s panicked cry. “Hero Brother is hurt?! “

Yang Zicang pulled open the door. “Pass me your guns. “

Lianna was about to check where he’d been hit, but Ebiser quickly held her back. “Best we don’t stir up more trouble—let’s just go. “

Yang Zicang shook his head. “Too late for that. “

Ebiser was about to ask why, when several screams echoed from the forest, along with the startled cries of two women. Those fleeing into the woods immediately kicked up an even greater din.

“God damn it! “

“Who said taking this road means fewer refugees to deal with? “

“How the hell are there still guys like this out here now?! “

Ebiser’s thick, oily facial features twisted with terror. “What’s going on? “

“It’s nothing—another friend of mine has already taken care of the rest of their group. ” As he spoke, Yang Zicang had already snatched the guns— “They killed passersby along the road; we’re just permanently ridding the populace of a menace. “

Realizing what was about to happen, Ebiser swiftly covered his daughter’s curious, staring eyes with his hands.

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Bang! Bang!

Gunfire once again startled flurries of birds from the silent mountain forest.

Without using any special abilities, relying solely on his rather average archery experience, Yang Zicang squeezed off two rounds. One of the men fleeing into the trees was shot in the back and collapsed to the ground with a scream.

“Amazing—a crack shot, ” both the steward Thorn and the coachman of the following cart praised in admiration.

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Yang Zicang shook his head. He had actually been aiming at the man’s foot.

He raised the gun and aimed again, but before he could pull the trigger, several gunshots rang out from the woods. Two bullet holes instantly burst into the ground next to the carriage wheel, and the horses reared with a panicked whinny.

Now the old butler and the coachman, ignoring the master’s orders, hurriedly grabbed the long rifles from the carriage and crouched by the roadside, aiming into the distance.

Bang! Bang!

Bang, bang-bang!

Bullets zipped past each other through the air, filling it with the thin echoes of distant gunfire.

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Bang! Yang Zicang—who had fired another empty shot—lifted his rifle and jerked back the bolt, but failed twice.

The gun jammed.

Shaking his head, he tossed the rifle back to a still-dazed Ebiser and shouted into the woods: “The rest is up to you. “

From the forest, where the bandit party had already lost three men, came a string of curses. Then, a sharp, wretched scream rang out, followed swiftly by the sound of fast footsteps racing through the trees.

Watching the remaining four men drop two more within two minutes, the coachman and the old butler holstered their firearms and straightened up.

By now, Lianna had already half-clambered out the window to watch, not the least worried about being hurt beside their “hero. “

“Wow, amazing—is that Mr. Hero’s friend or employee? ” She slid back inside and turned her flushed face to ask, “Or just a fellow traveler? “

“He’s my friend and an investigator from my company. “

“Wow—so awesome! Do you two often practice shooting together? “

Ebiser sighed and shook his head.

Yang Zicang chuckled, hands on his hips, looking at the maiden—who seemed adorably naive but was actually more excited than afraid of the gunfight—and said helplessly, “Up until now, I’ve mostly used a bow and arrows. “

Except for a talking gun, Yang Zicang thought.

Not long after, He Yishu came down the mountain, leading two weeping women behind him.

The group and Lianna watched him descend with looks of respect and awe mixed with complex emotions. For ordinary people, facing a Fogfolk like him—even an armed band—is like a flock of sheep facing a wolf, hopeless to resist.

Luckily, these thugs weren’t locusts crossing the land. They felt fortunate that most of the refugees who’d fled their homes still adhered to certain codes of conduct, as if united by some unspoken code that bound morality and thought.

“All done out there, and that business is saying what it says. ” He Yishu tossed two bags onto the carriage. “There’s still some loot in the woods, worth a fair bit. Who’s coming with me? “

“No, no, ” Thorne said nervously. “Let’s get out of here. Almost ten people are dead already. It’d be real if a demon showed up. “

As if in reply, a damp, cold wind stirred through the woods, making even the coachman shrink in fear.

He Yishu smirked. “It’s not that serious. On a battlefield, dozens or even hundreds die all the time. “

“On a battlefield, there’s no comparison to here. Troops are numerous, their vital energy is strong—how could the few of us ever match that? “

“Moo~ ” The lowing of a cow echoed through the woods.

Yang Zicang chuckled. “Well, it looks like we really do need to go back in. Don’t worry, we’ve got this under control. Ah, right—a friend of mine from the Hellfire Sect once told me, when there’s heavy bloodshed, you should light a fire for them, send them off on their way. Correct? “

“Send them off on their way? “

“Ah, yes-yes! ” the coachman suddenly yelled. “That’s right, that’s right—we should build a bonfire right here, and that’ll keep us safe. Mist-Returning Hero, then I can go with you into the forest to fetch the rest of the stuff. “

……

The great bonfire blazed to life by the roadside.

A train of wagons and pedestrians approached from behind, along with a sputtering, rattling, beat-up old car that no one knew how many hands it had passed through, and two soldiers trailing the group.

The crowd spotted the commotion surrounding the bonfire ahead, along with the several bodies lying by the road and a bandit who was still just barely breathing. At first, they tensed up with caution, but then they caught sight of Yang Zicang, and their faces lit up with surprise and joy.

“Oh, it’s the hero himself who dealt with the bandits! “

“We’d heard there were bandits lurking around here, so we all banded together for safety—never expected you, sir, would’ve brought them to justice this quickly! “

“They put up a fight too. ” Yang Zicang gestured at his bullet-grazed arm as he spoke.

The coachman led five oxen down the mountain, loaded with looted goods. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he couldn’t very well just stash them away.

“We won’t have any trouble over this, will we? ” The coachman, sensing something ominous, asked Thorne regretfully. The old butler shook his head.

After hearing the full story, the two soldiers from the larger group stepped forward and landed a couple of heavy blows on the man wearing the counterfeit military uniform. They ripped the clothes off his back, not even bothering to dress the fresh bullet holes in his spine, and immediately bound him up.

“Sir Mist, and you as well, noble sir! Any objections if we take responsibility for registering these men—and this establishment—with the Guard Office on your behalf? ” They pointed a thumb at the bodies laid out on the ground.

Ebiser, who had been dreading just this kind of entanglement and delay, brightened at the offer. He scrambled down from the carriage, grabbed the ox rope that was still warming the coachman’s hands, and thrust it too into the soldiers’ grip.

“Much obliged, then. And these goods as well, and— ” Ebiser turned to look at the woman huddled by the cart, still trembling, a coat draped around her shoulders. “Ladies! Best go with these gentlemen from the column. They’re tasked with handling what happened here. “

People nearby, including some half-grown children, spontaneously—as if it were a game—picked up stray pieces of firewood and tossed them onto the campfire.

Yang Zicang watched the flames.

“We’re making a move first, hero, and the rest of you. You ought to leave soon too. “

“Watch out for demons! ” a young boy from the beat-up old car yelled, waving at the “hero. “

One of the occupants in the carriage said, “With so many of us passing through, even if there was any trouble, it would come to nothing. “

The boy of about ten deaf to these words, yelled out with a waving hand, “Go, hero! We all like you! You’re a true Mistlander! “

“Goodbye, Mr. Hero. “

“May you pursue your passion further. “

“Take good care of yourself. “

Yang Zicang watched thoughtfully as the group rounded the other side of the forest, where they would likely turn at the next bend. Standing beside him, He Yishu let out a contented sigh. “Seeing them recognizing you like this, I can almost feel a glimmer of honor myself. “

Everyone was in high spirits except for the coachman.

Yang Zicang glanced around, smiling as he walked over to open the two abandoned bundles on the carriage. Inside were gold, silver jewelry, and some coins. Casually, he tossed two items to the coachman, then paused as he was about to tie up the packs, his brow furrowed and hand frozen mid-motion.

In one bundle lay a little red rabbit of heartbreaking artistry—its lower half carved from coral, and its upper half a finely wrought golden head. He couldn’t help but lift it, and on turning it over, he noticed two arms had been formed on its back, clutching a clock that stood upright like a drum.

It turned out to be an alarm clock!

“How beautiful. ” The old butler Sen exclaimed in awe as he approached, “Such craftsmanship must be priceless. It’s a pity, though—I wonder whose blood is stained on it. “

Yang Zicang turned his head, looking at the carriage ahead where a young maiden poked her head out, her lips pursed in a gentle smile. Further away, a golden campfire crackled and blazed. The light traced the soft, beautiful contours of her body, as if draping her in a faint, golden twilight glow.

He glanced again at the golden coral alarm clock in his hand, instinctively channeling the “Frost-Snow Sword Art. ” Amid the maiden’s gasp and the awe of those around him, wisps of snowflakes, accompanied by a dance of frost, converged onto Yang Zicang’s hand, and the surface of the clock swiftly formed a thin layer of frosty sheen.

Yang Zicang was about to pinch the corner of his coat when He Yishu had already handed him a white handkerchief.

“Thanks. ” Yang Zicang took a few steps toward the carriage and passed by the window.

Lena, curious, turned her head to follow his moving figure, watching him retrieve a fire-torched stick from ahead. He waved it over the alarm clock, and soon the frosty rime melted into water. Wiping it clean, Yang Zicang turned to face the girl who was watching him.

Her ears were slightly pointed, though not as elongated as those of elves in stories, and her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes pure and full of spirit.

Under the setting sun, Yang Zicang held out the alarm clock and said,

“This is for you. “

Lianna was so startled with joy that she nearly jumped up. Beside her, Ebiser initially wanted to refuse, but seeing his daughter’s expression, he ultimately just hummed twice and let it be.

By now, no matter what he said, the girl wouldn’t have taken a single word to heart.

“Thank you, great hero! ” Lianna gleefully bounced out the window, and half her body wrapped around Yang Zicang’s neck with her arms. That nearly made him take an instinctive step back.

Then he heard a heartbeat pounding like a little drum.

Feeling the nervous, shallow breath near his ear, and the youth’s slightly trembling eyelids that tried to open yet made the effort to stay closed—it was then Yang Zicang realized this girl had been doing it on purpose all along.

“Lianna! “

This time, Ebiser was truly angry.

Flushed bright red, Lianna pulled back her supple body, saying, “I-I’m so excited—I’m sorry. ” With that, she took the initiative to draw the curtain closed.

Yang Zicang felt the lingering touch of her subtle fragrance against his shoulders.

“Hmph hmph. Let’s go. ” He Yishu swayed over as he walked. “We don’t have much time today. “

Some birds flew across the sky. Yang Zicang watched their shadows sweeping north, then nodded.

“Mm. Let’s go. “

“Giddyup! ” The coachman, happy with the gratuity, urged the horse forward.