With the Black Riders joining the fray, the battle turned completely one-sided. The villagers had no ability to resist; under the Black Riders' assault, they fell back step by step. The ballista carts they pushed out weren't even used once...
"What's going on? Why is the army here?" The village chief's face was streaked with blood. Seeing the Black Riders appear, he was utterly stunned—he couldn't comprehend how a bunch of kids' roughhousing could possibly bring the Black Riders down on them...
Now that the Black Riders had mobilized, was there any point in them fighting at all?
The village chief's face was filled with despair; he didn't even have the will to keep fighting.
Little Dumpling stood in the center, a faint smile on his lips, watching coldly as the Black Riders swept through the crowd...
For Max Zhai and the others, this was the first time seeing the Black Riders' prowess on the battlefield. They were all dumbfounded, standing there slack-jawed for ages...
They were truly incredible.
Max Zhai declared that his idol now wasn't his own father, but the Black Riders.
Compared to the Black Riders, Max Zhai's dad was a total weakling.
The Black Riders were just too amazing!
The boys had already forgotten their earlier danger; one after another they crowded around Little Dumpling: "Your Highness, why are you here?"
"Your Highness, what exactly is going on?" Shane Wang had a rough idea, but still asked anyway.
"Yeah, Your Highness, how did you come here with the Black Riders?" Liam Fuller chimed in, feeling that although Little Dumpling's sudden arrival was impressive, it was still...
Honestly, they were really scared.
"Did you really think you could keep everything you'd done hidden from everyone?" Little Dumpling's gaze swept over Max Zhai and the others, finally settling on Si Xiaocheng: "That arrow of yours was pretty good." Even if it was a little off...
"You saw it too, Your Highness?" Si Xiaocheng's face flushed red, lowering his head in embarrassment.
It was so humiliating, and right in front of His Highness too.
"I saw it perfectly. Your arm strength is excellent." Little Dumpling was sincere, but Si Xiaocheng, plagued by self-doubt, only blushed deeper at the praise and muttered, "That arrow went off target. Please don't tell my father, Your Highness."
If his dad found out, he'd be in real trouble.
"Mm. Don't worry, your fathers won't hear a word about this from me." Little Dumpling was decent enough—not the type to spread embarrassing stories.
"Your Highness, you mean you won't tell anyone about this? Only the few of us will know?" Liam Fuller immediately caught on, his eyes lighting up.
"Of course," Little Dumpling replied cheerfully, making Liam and the others ecstatic.
"When I saw Your Highness show up, I thought we were doomed for sure. Who knew you'd be such a bro—so loyal!" Max Zhai, seeing the crisis averted, couldn't help but feel a rush of relief and excitement, bouncing around as if nothing could touch him now.
"Your Highness, let me tell you, today was seriously intense. Good thing you came, or we might've really been in for it." Max Zhai glanced at those ballista carts, a chill running down his spine as he imagined what could've happened.
If they'd been hit by those, would any of them have survived?
"Just remember that. I have to say, you guys are really bold—charging in without even checking the facts, never thinking it could be a trap." Little Dumpling glanced at Liam Fuller and Shane Wang: "It's one thing for the hotheads to mess around, but I thought you two had more sense. Turns out you were just as reckless as the rest."
"Your Highness..." Shane Wang and Liam Fuller blushed, not daring to make excuses.
Honestly, it really was too impulsive of them.
"Be smarter next time. You were lucky that Zed Bloom noticed what you were up to—don't count on luck saving you again." Little Dumpling kept lecturing them, leaving the rowdy boys too cowed to talk back.
Satisfied with their silence, Little Dumpling wrapped things up: "It's getting late. Go clean up and head home before your families notice you're gone. If your injuries aren't serious, just bandage them yourselves."
As for Little Dumpling himself, he still had to stay behind to handle the aftermath—there was no way he'd be going home tonight.
This group definitely needed a thorough interrogation.
"Your Highness, can we stay?" Max Zhai didn't want to leave at all—he wanted to get closer to the Black Riders and maybe pick up a few moves. But...
"If you can explain why you didn't come home all night, I don't mind." Staying was fine, but don't expect me to clean up your mess.
"Uh..." Max Zhai hesitated. Si Xiaocheng was more decisive: "I'm heading home right now."
He'd been way too embarrassed today—he needed to go home and figure out how to make that arrow strike true next time.
"I'm heading back too. I don't get any of this, so sticking around won't help." Evan Yu was exhausted—completely wiped out.
He didn't want to stay another second. He needed to go home and think hard about why they'd failed today.
His father always said that making mistakes on the battlefield risked more than just your own life—it could cost your comrades theirs too. Think about your family, think about your comrades' families. If the breadwinner dies, how are the widows and orphans supposed to survive?
So...
On the battlefield, you must always be cautious. Never make the same mistake twice.
Si Xiaocheng and Evan Yu were weighed down with worries and had no desire to stay. Shane Wang and Liam Fuller wanted to help, but...
Thinking about how hard it would be to explain themselves to their fathers back home, Shane Wang and Liam Fuller stopped hesitating and chose to return home...
That left only Max Zhai. Even if he wanted to stay, it was pointless. He quietly packed up and left under the protection of his guards.
"This time, we made such a huge mess. If Your Highness hadn’t stepped in, we would’ve been in real trouble." Liam Fuller shuddered at the thought.
If we’d ended up in the hands of those remnants, even if we survived, we’d be ruined for sure.
"His Highness probably knew we’d lose, so… that’s why he brought reinforcements." Shane Wang wasn't stupid; he hadn't said much in front of Little Dumpling, but now he couldn't stop the uneasy thoughts swirling in his mind, replaying the close call over and over.
"There was nothing wrong with how His Highness handled things. If he’d interfered from the start, we’d just resent him for bossing us around. Besides, if today hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t know how weak I really am." Liam Fuller felt no resentment toward Little Dumpling; in fact, a strange gratitude welled up inside him, sharper than any embarrassment.
That’s just how people are—you have to take a fall before you understand pain, before you see your own mistakes. Until then, you can hear a thousand warnings, but you’ll still think you’re unbeatable, the best there is—until reality knocks you down.
"You’re right. After this, I finally get why our fathers are so strict with us." Shane Wang nodded, the weight of realization settling on his shoulders.
They thought they were clever, but others weren’t fools either. So...
Better to put away those little tricks—until you can truly protect yourself, just behave and listen.
Liam Fuller nodded, but then a worry popped into his mind: "This was such a huge incident—how is His Highness going to keep it secret?"
If it were him, he’d have no idea how to keep the Emperor from finding out...
This is bound to come out!