Blade light and sword shadows flashed, cold glints flickering.
In the city streets, Alvin and Yabo's factions were on the verge of conflict, grips tightening on their weapons as they let out roars and charged at each other's men.
"Should we retreat?"
The members of the grain-gathering team, witnessing this, urged Alai to make a swift escape amidst the chaos.
Whether it was Yabo or Alvin, they were no match for either side. Now, with the clams and the heron fighting, it was the perfect opportunity for them to break free.
"You all take the grain and go."
Alai shouted towards the person beside him. The grain-gathering team members frowned upon hearing this.
"Then what about you..."
"Yabo and Alvin are not the same kind of people. Yabo stealing grain was just to cut off the refugees' trust in the City Lord's Mansion. Alvin stealing grain is to satisfy his own selfish desires." Alai gazed intently at Yabo and Alvin, who had already engaged in combat, and said, "Yabo and I are sworn friends. I can't abandon him at a time like this."
"Alai, Yabo isn't the Yabo he used to be."
"Take the grain and go!"
Alai yelled at the grain-gathering team. Hearing Alai's shouts, they wasted no more time. They retrieved the prey from the ground back into their spatial artifacts, preparing to break through the crowd amidst the confusion.
Noticing the movements of the grain-gathering team, Alvin's expression instantly changed drastically.
"Stop the grain-gathering team!"
"It seems you're out of supplies," Yabo suddenly grinned. "I knew you'd suddenly have the guts to come here. You must have run out of provisions and came here specifically to hijack the grain team. You're putting on quite a show, really holding out well."
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing, I just find you amusing." Yabo's face was full of mockery. "I was wondering, how could someone who just raided a granary be interested in a grain-gathering team? Not understanding your own limits, you just went around recruiting soldiers within the city. You have more men now, and your grain consumption has increased. Without grain, your men might not listen to you anymore. You're getting anxious, coming to hijack the grain team?"
"What makes you say that?"
Alvin's steel saber pressed against Yabo's blade, his single eye filled with gloom.
"Mind your own business. Aren't you also here to steal grain?"
"My situation is much better than yours. Hijacking the grain team has a different purpose than yours; I don't lack grain." Yabo said, looking at him with a smile, then directly turned his head and shouted to the people outside, "Protect the grain-gathering team, let them leave."
Instantly, the situation shifted.
Yabo's subordinates all rushed towards the grain-gathering team, sheltering them. The grain-gathering team members who were protected looked with disbelief at the men they had been confronting moments ago.
They were actually here to protect them.
"Yabo."
Seeing this, Alai's eyes revealed a smile after a brief moment of stunned silence.
"Hurry up and lead your remnants to break out. You are no longer important to me now; catching the big fish that is Alvin is the real bounty." Yabo pursed his lips, his eyes filled with a thick smile, then with a strong shove, he pushed Alvin back and looked at him with a grin, "Alvin, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The city interior was decadent, and Yabo indeed had significant grievances with the City Lord's Mansion, wanting to overthrow the regime.
But—
He hated even more those who, during the city's turmoil, caused internal division, plundered by force, maliciously damaged the city, and sucked the city's blood like parasites.
Cleansing the separatists was also one of Yabo's goals.
It was just a pity that the various factions had divided the city's areas, each occupying a region, and no one could rashly cross the border, otherwise, if they attacked collectively, no single faction would be able to resist everyone.
Unexpectedly, Alvin, the brainless one, actually took the initiative to come to his territory to stir up trouble.
It was the perfect opportunity to clear him out and annex his territory.
"Wash your necks and wait to die." Yabo wiped his steel saber with his sleeve, but unexpectedly, Alvin's eyes also showed a smile. "Yabo, your strength is indeed the strongest among us separatists. If it were just the two of us fighting, we might not be your match. Unfortunately, do you really think I'm so stupid as to come looking for you myself?"
"Kill them."
Almost the instant Alvin finished speaking, another furious roar came from the street. Countless people wearing brown ribbons on their wrists charged in from behind Yabo and his men.
It was only then that the smile in Yabo's eyes disappeared.
Even Alai's expression changed drastically, his eyes wide as he looked at the group wearing brown ribbons.
"Brother Yabo, how have you been." A burly man, carrying a club covered in spikes on his shoulder, walked up with a wide grin. "You don't call your big brother when you're making a fortune, isn't it a bit too greedy to hog the grain from the grain-gathering team? Besides, you don't seem to be short of grain, too greedy, truly too greedy. This big brother is desperately in need of grain, so if you could do me a favor, why don't you give me these grain-gathering team members, and then split some of your grain with me? My mouth is big, and it's really not enough to eat."
"Hutou!"
Seeing the staggering figure emerge, Yabo's brows furrowed tightly.
If it was just Alvin coming to stir up trouble, he truly wouldn't need to take him seriously. Now that Hutou had also arrived, Yabo might not be his match.
"Yabo, don't panic."
At this moment, Alai came to Yabo's side.
"I have already contacted the City Lord's Mansion cavalry corps, and they are on their way. As long as we hold on for a while, we will have reinforcements."
"Old Hunter, you really do love to dream."
The burly man shook his head with a smile and said, "You say that all the capable people in our city have formed their own factions, but only you, with your family in tow, support that immature brat Klein. Do you think he can bring a future to this city? In half a year, he hasn't even eliminated a single separatist faction, and instead, the territory controlled by the City Lord's Mansion is so pathetic that he can't even leave the mansion gates. Now you're still counting on the cavalry corps, they won't be coming."
"What did you do?" Alai questioned sternly.
"Hijacking the City Lord's Mansion's grain-gathering team, how could we not have any preparations?" Hutou grinned. "Several parties had already discussed this privately. In fact, several grain-gathering teams have already surrendered, and only yours remains. You, just don't resist too much. Hand over the grain you prepared outside, and hand over your savings. We'll take the money and grain and leave. You can continue to dream in this city, isn't that good?"
"You're preparing to leave the city?"
"We've already moved out all the city's resources. What's the point of staying in a place that's just an empty city shell? Don't you like this city? We'll give it to you."
"Resources moved out?"
Upon hearing this, Alai's expression shook, and he shouted at Hutou.
"If you do this, the new City Lord will not let you go."
"Hahahaha, what new City Lord? We hijacked you and left immediately, so how could the new City Lord find us?" Hutou grinned ceaselessly. "Besides, do you think that so-called new City Lord can be an opponent against the combined forces of our dozen or so factions?"
"So arrogant?"
A trace of playful laughter suddenly came from above the city buildings. This abrupt scoff made everyone look up.
They saw Chen Yu sitting on the eaves with a smile, gently waving at them.