Hard Work and Effort No Less Than Others

Thwack...

Direct hit—right in the village chief's eye!

The village chief howled in pain, clutching his eye as he staggered back, his remaining good eye filled with disbelief...

He never imagined that Si Xiaocheng—a child so small—could have such strength in his arms, able to shoot an arrow straight into his eye. It was simply unbelievable.

"How is this possible..." Blood streamed down his face, the arrow still lodged in his eye, yet the village was silent. He stared blankly at Si Xiaocheng, unable to accept that he'd been injured by a child—this was beyond humiliating...

"Xiaocheng, you're amazing!" Max Zhai clapped enthusiastically at their first victory, giving plenty of face and praising Si Xiaocheng for his brilliant shot.

"One shot, dead on—so strong!" Shane Wang cheered for Si Xiaocheng too, but...

"Enough, you guys!" Si Xiaocheng was so angry he wanted to curse, his little face darkening as he huffed, "I was aiming for the brow, not the eye."

You idiots—is this supposed to be a compliment? Is it?

Si Xiaocheng wanted to die from embarrassment. If his father found out his arrow ended up like this, he'd definitely beat him to death.

The Si clan's Life-Locking Arrows are never meant for the eye—they're supposed to lock onto the brow. Only a fool would aim for the eye, and that's for hunting, to keep the pelt intact, not for battle.

"Uh..." Seeing Si Xiaocheng so dejected, no one knew how to comfort him.

Liam Fuller thought for a moment, then said, "At least you hit something—better than us, who haven't even drawn blood yet. And the eye isn't far from the brow, just a tiny bit off."

"Exactly, exactly. Look at me... My spear's still clean, not a drop of blood on it." Max Zhai instantly put himself down to cheer up Si Xiaocheng.

Compared to them, Xiaocheng was already doing great.

"Forget it..." Though still downcast, Si Xiaocheng perked up a little under his friends' encouragement. "It's my first time—mistakes are bound to happen. I'll do better next time. Father probably won't blame me."

Si Xiaocheng put away his bow and switched to his battlefield saber...

His arm strength was decent, but he couldn't keep drawing the bow—his arms still hurt, and shooting a second arrow was nearly impossible now...

"Xiaocheng's right. Let's fight our way out!" Evan Yu had already cut his way over to his friends, blood spattered on his face, showing just how ruthless he could be.

General Warren Yu always trained his son with real blades and real fights—broken bones and blood were normal. Evan Yu's opponents never held back, and broken bones were routine. So when Evan hit the battlefield, there was no hesitation or discomfort for him...

"Evan, you're really something." Evan Yu's arrival fired up Max Zhai and the others—if Evan could fight like that, they couldn't afford to be cowards, hiding in the middle for protection. That would be beyond lame...

Si Xiaocheng and Max Zhai rallied, teaming up with Liam Fuller to carve a bloody path and drag Shane Wang out. Meanwhile, the village chief, wounded in the eye, yanked out the arrow and quickly staunched the bleeding.

Now a one-eyed village chief, he looked even more vicious, his aura fiercer than before. Maybe it was the pain, but he snapped: "Kill them all... leave only one alive."

The village chief had gone completely savage—he was out for Max Zhai and the others' lives, but especially Si Xiaocheng, who he hated most: "That archer kid—don't let him get away. I want him alive..."

"Yes, sir."

The remnants disguised as farmhands deeply respected the village chief. Once the order was given, their attacks became even more ruthless...

Clang, clang, clang—blades and swords collided, throwing sparks everywhere. The remnants surrounded Max Zhai's group, refusing to let them escape. Likewise...

Max Zhai and his group fought with everything they had, determined to break through: "A bunch of rabble dare block us? We'll wipe out their whole nest."

"If I don't tear this lousy village apart today, I'm not Si Xiaocheng!" Si Xiaocheng grew fiercer with every fight, getting the hang of it and fighting more smoothly.

"Follow me!" Evan Yu charged ahead, gripping his custom-forged greatsaber. The blade danced in his hands, fierce and unstoppable—every swing sent up a mist of blood, firing everyone up. Max Zhai's spear moved faster too, almost on its own...

Pick, thrust, cut—no fancy moves. Max Zhai's spear technique was pure battlefield skill, earned through sweat and grit.

Just like Little Dumpling always said: people only see his noble birth, talent, famous teachers, and how he's mastered both the classics and martial arts at a young age. But who knows he started reading the Four Books at two, and training martial stances at five...

While others slept, he was already up squatting in the courtyard; while they ate, he was buried in his books.

Raised as an heir from childhood, he worked just as hard as anyone else—no less effort, no less struggle. No matter how smart, nobody's born knowing everything; it takes time and energy to learn.

Max Zhai, Si Xiaocheng, and the others were no exception. They might be young, but their basics were solid. With the help of their personal guards, these remnants weren't going to take them down so easily...

Max Zhai and the others were like fearless calves, growing bolder with every fight. The sight of blood didn't scare them—instead, it fired them up. By the time Little Dumpling arrived with reinforcements, he saw Max Zhai's group had already torn open a gap in the encirclement...

"Not bad!" Little Dumpling praised, but before he could charge in himself, he saw...

Women from the village suddenly wheeled out dozens of crossbow carts, all aimed straight at Max Zhai and his group.

"This is bad." Little Dumpling's face changed; he couldn't worry about blowing his cover, and leapt out, abandoning the original plan to shout a rapid order: "Move!"

So, before Max Zhai and the others could even process what was happening, a swarm of black-clad soldiers surged in from outside the village.

"Why are there so many people?" Max Zhai and the others panicked. Liam Fuller’s eyes went wide, unable to believe what he was seeing...

Holy hell, how could such a tiny village hide so many people? Where were they all hiding?

Liam Fuller wanted to curse, but the villagers wanted to curse even more—they thought victory was in their grasp, but the situation flipped in an instant...

"Quick, retreat! Children and women first!" The villagers realized things had gone wrong and ordered a withdrawal—but it was too late...

This time, Little Dumpling brought the Black Riders—the undefeated Black Riders...