The long-bearded man shielding the young master reacted swiftly, stepping forward to salute me with a slight bow. "I am Jing Lue, and my young master and I unfortunately fell into the hands of bandits. We owe our lives to the great Immortal's timely intervention. May I ask your esteemed title, and from which immortal mountain you hail? We shall certainly pay a formal visit to express our gratitude another day."

A flicker of amusement crossed my mind. "Heh heh, no need for such formalities. As for being a great Immortal, I certainly wouldn't dare claim such a title. Didn't I tell you? We are wanted fugitives of the imperial court. Saving you was merely a case of incidental luck—hitting two birds with one stone. You should leave quickly now, before those bandits realize something has happened here and you won't have time to escape."

Bai Shi turned to the youth. "Indeed, Young Master, we must leave at once. This time, we'll stick strictly to the small paths. If we encounter bandits on the main roads, we must take the side trails; surely the route to Feiyu County will be safer that way."

It turned out they were headed for Feiyu County as well. I remained silent. There were five of us with seven horses, but they were six people—it would be impossible for us to look out for each other.

"The fairy sister is back! Ah, and she's brought back two more fairies, one big and one small!" Ma Xiaoda suddenly pointed toward the sky and shouted.

I lunged forward and clamped my hand over his mouth. "Ma Xiaoda, are you trying to ruin us? Those bandits aren't far from here. If they hear a disturbance here, we'll all be trampled into pâté!"

Bai Shi suddenly pushed forward, pulling me away. "Don't be rude to my young master."

Yun Yao, accompanied by Zhou Ni and Ling Long, landed on the ground. I stepped forward to help the two women, then turned back to Bai Shi. "I can't be bothered with you. If you don't leave now, we won't wait for you."

Bai Shi glanced at the bandits lying scattered on the ground, then stepped forward to pull Ma Xiaoda, advising him, "Young Master, we really should go now. Those bandits were far too ferocious. If they catch us again, they'll hold these seven lives against us."

Ma Xiaoda completely ignored the advice, angrily flicking his sleeve. "If you want to go, go yourself! I intend to discuss immortal arts and sorcery with the three fairy sisters."

Ling Long noticed a child even younger than herself and was delighted. "Hey, child, who are you calling fairy sisters?"

Hearing Ling Long's words, Bai Shi and the others' faces changed drastically, looking ready to explode in anger. But to everyone's surprise, Ma Xiaoda simply grinned, stepped forward, and bowed to Ling Long. "Of course, I mean the three of you. You descended from above and are devastatingly beautiful—easily ten times more beautiful than those so-called beauties. You must be the third fairy sister, and these two are the eldest and second eldest. This junior, Ma Xiaoda, pays his respects."

Such flattering words coming from a child even managed to coax a smile from the somewhat sullen Zhou Ni. Ling Long had rarely encountered a peer who pleased her so much. "You have some sense, brat. Your third sister accepts you as a junior brother. By the way, who are you people, and what are you doing here? Oh, you aren't one of the young bandits caught by the Master, hoping to curry favor for your life, are you?"

The moment Bai Shi heard someone dare mistake their young master for a bandit, he was about to lose his temper, but he was silenced by a fierce glare from Ma Xiaoda, scaring him into silence.

Ma Xiaoda’s face was full of childishness, yet he answered with grave seriousness. "How could this junior be a bandit? I have traveled from the Capital, intending to go to Feiyu County to see that celestial egg that fell from the sky. I heard that egg can be opened, and inside it is even more magnificent than the Imperial Palace's inner courts, containing many wondrous things never before seen in our Shuangcheng Kingdom. Who knew that before even reaching Feiyu County, we would run into bandits and be captured? If not for the Second Sister and Second Sister's husband just now..."

"Second Sister and Second Sister's husband?" Zhou Ni struggled to grasp the meaning, then her eyes landed on the handsome man and woman standing together. A sudden, inexplicable surge of anger rose in her heart, and her mouth responded before she could stop it. "Who exactly are you calling Second Sister's husband?"

Yun Yao looked extremely awkward. In the past, when the women were together, they never engaged in such petty jealousy. But now, Zhou Ni remembered very little of the past, and today she was paying unusual attention to her husband. While this should be a good thing, Zhou Ni was getting angry over a mere title of 'brother-in-law' mentioned by Ma Xiaoda. Yun Yao wondered how they would all manage to coexist in the future. It was a relief that she had only snuck out these past few nights to be with her husband; otherwise, Zhou Ni would be even angrier.

Seeing Zhou Ni’s anger, Ma Xiaoda immediately changed course. "If he's not the Second Sister's husband, then he must be the Eldest Sister's husband." Ma Xiaoda’s ranking wasn't wrong; among the three women, Zhou Ni was the eldest, followed by Yun Yao, then Ling Long.

The moment Zhou Ni heard 'Eldest Sister's husband,' she was instantly reminded of the dream where she played the flute for him. Her face flushed crimson, like a dye-house, yet a sweet warmth lingered in her heart. She stole a glance at the man, only to find him smiling back at her playfully. She quickly composed herself. "What nonsense is this child spouting!"

Ma Xiaoda, seeing that two guesses were wrong, grew anxious. "Then he's the Third Sister's husband!"

Ling Long was so embarrassed she nearly shot him with her bow, chasing after Ma Xiaoda and kicking him a few times. "You wicked boy, he's not any of our sisters' husbands!"

Ma Xiaoda ran while shouting, "Ah, I understand! Third Sister, please calm down! He must be the Immortal Brother."

Bai Shi and the others, seeing Ma Xiaoda being kicked, rushed forward to defend him, but Jing Lue held them back. "Don't annoy the Young Master further. Didn't you see he was enjoying himself? That little girl clearly isn't hurting him."

Seeing the two children laughing happily together, no one dared to intervene. They knew the Young Master’s temper; if he wasn't allowed to have his fun, he would hate you and find ways to pester you endlessly. That was likely why he had traveled all the way from the Capital to Feiyu County to see this celestial egg.

Ling Long ran behind me to hide. "Ma Xiaoda, you are truly dense. Actually, we have another sister in Feiyu County. She is far more beautiful than us. You can only call the Master 'brother-in-law' when you meet her."

Ling Long knew that my relationship with Cheng Susu couldn't remain hidden, as Cheng Susu had already heard about my life before her memory loss. Once they reached Feiyu County, even if I wanted to hide it from Zhou Ni, it would be impossible. However, Zhou Ni was distracted and hadn't heard Ling Long's words clearly.

Ma Xiaoda pondered, "There is another one? Then we'll have to rearrange the order then. But can she fly? If she can't fly, she can't be called a celestial fairy sister."

I stepped between them. "Stop fooling around. With the situation being so critical—the house is on fire, and you still have the mood for this nonsense!"

Yun Yao led two horses over and handed them to Zhou Ni and Ling Long. "Get familiar with them first. If everything goes smoothly, Yun Yao and Zhao Qian need to go back to support Brother Dali Wan."

The two women didn't dare delay and began mimicking Yun Yao's posture to practice riding. Ma Xiaoda hovered nearby, offering pointers occasionally. It seemed he was quite adept at riding pigs, but this was likely his first time on horseback, and the wonder in his eyes was boundless.

Yun Yao came over to me. "Brother Zhao, we tested it just now. Brother Dali Wan is too heavy. My anti-gravity device simply cannot carry him. Now, even if we don't want to force our way out of Feiying Prefecture, we must, or we'll have to leave Brother Dali Wan behind."

That tower-like man could lift a thousand catties; his weight alone must be over three hundred catties. The three girls combined weighed just over two hundred catties. Their anti-gravity boots were designed with a maximum load limit of three hundred catties—it was no wonder they couldn't carry Dali Wan.

Ling Long, extremely sharp and having practiced martial arts and archery since childhood, quickly grasped the essentials of riding. Seeing that they should be able to protect themselves, I approached her. "Ling Long, take good care of Zhou Ni. Yun Yao and I will go back for Dali Wan, and then we'll all fight our way out together."

Ling Long nodded solemnly, then retrieved her bow from her back, looking majestic and handsome sitting astride the horse. She said to me, "Don't worry, Master. Go quickly and return swiftly."

Zhou Ni lowered her head. "Zhao Qian, I'm dragging you all down. I can't do anything right."

I patted Zhou Ni's horse's head. "Zhou Ni, you can't think so little of yourself. Who says you can't do anything? You know so much. You are extremely important to me—do you understand that?"

Yun Yao nodded encouragingly to Zhou Ni, who was deeply touched. She blushed over her earlier inexplicable jealousy. "I understand. Hurry and go save Brother Dali Wan. Be very careful along the way."

Ling Long pointed towards a dense forest further away. "Master, we shouldn't linger here. I will go there to wait for you."

I picked up Yun Yao. "Good. Let's go."

Ma Xiaoda watched the two ascend and fly away, looking envious for a long moment before muttering, "Damn it, he still claims not to be the Second Sister's husband, holding my Second Sister so intimately. This Immortal Brother isn't playing fair."

Bai Shi stepped forward. "Young Master, we should run now before those bandits come to check and capture us again; that would be terrible."

Ma Xiaoda quickly followed Ling Long and Zhou Ni who were already moving away, looking back. "If you want to run, run yourselves. I'm going to take a look."

"The bandits are preparing to attack the city again." We tried to take a detour to avoid being spotted, but from our high altitude, the battlefield situation was clear. The bandits who had been logging in the forest had already prepared enough shields, and the three hundred bandits who arrived later were equipped with powerful crossbows, ready to string their bows.

Yun Yao anxiously said, "Don't worry about them now. Let's see if we can find another way out of the city. If we stay inside, the danger will be too great. Once these bandits enter the city, they will start a massacre."

Dali Wan was squatting in an alley, bored, counting his toes. Seeing us return, he quickly hoisted the large bundle from the ground. It was no wonder it was overweight; that bundle alone probably accounted for an excess of weight.

"Brother Zhao Qian, what's happening outside? Why is it rumbling so loudly?" Dali Wan had never seen horses before, but he was considered a person of some standing; few officials in Feiying Prefecture owned pigs, and he possessed a large white one.

I replied, "Let's not worry about what's happening outside. Let's quickly find a back path and slip out of the city."

I suggested Yun Yao leave on her own to wait for us outside, but she adamantly refused, insisting on staying with me. We had no choice but to move as a trio. But just as we emerged from the alley entrance, we were spotted by a patrol of soldiers.

The moment the laser gun was about to fire, I saw Wu Rong among them. I quickly grabbed Yun Yao's laser gun, and a beam of laser light went astray, boring a hole into the stone beast guarding the gate of a nearby affluent household with a sizzling sound.

Wu Rong was thoroughly startled and took a moment to recover. He stepped forward, touching the hole, and found it scorching hot. "Ah, why is it so hot? What kind of hidden weapon is this, so powerful? Brother Zhao Xian, I have finally found you."

Seeing Magistrate Wu’s bruised face, I knew it was from fighting Cai Hua, and a wave of emotion washed over me. "Brother Wu, I have wronged you. But I have my difficulties and cannot wait here. I truly did not kill that person, but I have no way to defend myself, so I had to flee."

"Brother Zhao Xian, do you think I wouldn't believe you? Don't be afraid. Cai Hua wouldn't dare do anything to you. I have returned with an Imperial Edict—the Emperor commands you to travel to the Capital to treat his adopted daughter. With this official mission, no one will dare stop you."

I had no heart to treat anyone else right now. My mission was to find my wives, help them regain their memories, and then find a way to leave the Twin Stars. Just as I was about to refuse Magistrate Wu, the sound of thunderous hoofbeats from outside reached my ears.

The Director of the Military and Political Department on the city wall, Ma Yongliang, roared, "The bandits are charging! Everyone fight to the death to defend! If the city stands, we stand; if the city falls, we perish! Anyone who dares retreat a single step will be executed without mercy!"

Although Director Ma's command carried weight, this time the bandits attacked with absolute certainty of victory. The shields woven from tree branches above their heads blocked the majority of the arrow fire, and behind them, two hundred crossbowmen on horseback provided cover fire. The bandits' bows and crossbows were far superior to those of the Feiying Prefecture guards, both in range and power. Countless city guards on the ramparts were felled.

The charging warhorses instantly reached the base of the city gate. Protected by the wooden shields overhead, the bandits suffered minimal casualties, and they quickly broke through the already damaged gate. At that moment, the bandits' morale soared, and they cheered in unison, riding their horses into the city!

Seeing the gate breached, the defending soldiers on the wall fell into disarray. Director Ma Yongliang ordered two Captains to kill several waverers to stabilize the troops' morale. However, infantry could not withstand the charge of cavalry, and the assembled intercepting force was scattered in a matter of moments. Over a dozen fierce horses charged into Feiying Prefecture first. Upon seeing the tall towers, pavilions, and swathes of grain and shops within the city, the bandits let out excited whoops—they had the look of wild wolves descending upon a feast.

Magistrate Wu, at this moment, had no concern for the Imperial Edict. Once the city fell, even if the defending officials like him managed to escape with their lives, they would be beheaded by the court. This was an unwritten rule passed down for hundreds of years: regardless of whose son-in-law or adopted son one was, they had to defend the city to the death. Because of this fatal rule, everyone fought back desperately.

Without time to exchange even a greeting, Magistrate Wu hastily commanded his troops to block the city gate. But how could flesh and blood stop the charge of warhorses? Instantly, over a dozen more bandits galloped into the city, and the main force behind them continued to pour in. In a short time, the city gate would be lost, and once the gate was lost, the bandits would be like fish in a barrel; the entire Feiying Prefecture was doomed.

What should I do? I kept asking myself. Logically, I had no connection to this world; their interstate war was none of my business. War was always an unavoidable path of development. Even on Earth, a civilization far more advanced than this one, war still occurred. I shuddered to think how many died in the great Star War, yet war also drove the development of civilization—a law that seemed applicable on any planet.

Watching Magistrate Wu about to be trampled into meat paste, perhaps the next bandit to charge in would take his head with a saber, I truly could not stand by and do nothing. Wu Rong had treated me with utmost kindness these past few days, especially for falling out with Cai Hua over me, which had made me feel great affection for him as Magistrate.

I pulled out the laser gun and made my decision: "Help kill the bandits first!"

Dali Wan had heard of the bandits slaughtering a city; he was a kind-hearted man and had been itching for action. Hearing my command, he swung his massive wooden staff, sending two bandits crashing down. Then he roared, smashing a charging bandit and his horse simultaneously into the ground with a single blow.

This divine strength immediately frightened the bandits who had entered. Their momentum weakened, and instantly, government soldiers swarmed them. The officers mostly used long-handled broadswords, which were perfect for striking cavalry, while the soldiers mostly used clubs to smash horse legs. A dozen men surrounded one bandit, quickly taking him down.

Yun Yao and I shot down several bandits and immediately rushed towards the city gate. If the gate wasn't blocked, the bandits couldn't be killed entirely. Dali Wan swung his great staff in front of us, clearing the way and blocking arrows, while Yun Yao and I seized opportunities to fire our lasers rapidly. Soon, the three of us broke through to the city gate and stood planted in the middle of the entrance, instantly cutting off the path for those entering.

The cooperation formed spontaneously between the three of us was seamless. Dali Wan was immensely strong, wielding his massive wooden staff at blinding speed, batting away the crossbow bolts fired by the charging bandits. Yun Yao and I stayed behind Dali Wan, firing constantly at the approaching bandits. In no time, thirty-four bandit corpses lay at the city gate.

The defending soldiers on the wall were overjoyed to see the gate blocked and intensified their arrow fire. The soldiers fighting the bandits already inside the city also saw their morale surge. The forty-odd bandits remaining quickly dwindled to less than twenty.

Magistrate Wu shouted, "Kill the men! Do not kill the horses! Anyone violating the order will be executed!"

Director Ma Yongliang of the Military and Political Department immediately understood Magistrate Wu's intention. Shuangcheng Kingdom had no horse source, absurdly having not a single horse within the entire nation. Every time bandits raided, they treated it like entering an unguarded treasury. If they ever failed a raid, they would fight to the death to cut down any wounded horses to prevent them from becoming breeding stock for Shuangcheng Kingdom. Now, with this unexpected turn of events—the gate breached only to be blocked again—this group of charging bandits was trapped. If they didn't seize the opportunity to take their horses, it would be a huge loss.

Ma Yongliang immediately dispatched Captain Yu to descend from the wall to assist Magistrate Wu in killing the men and seizing the horses. He saw some bandits, realizing the situation was turning dire, already hacking at their own mounts. These bandits strictly adhered to their code: they would rather die than let Shuangcheng Kingdom acquire breeding stock, otherwise, they would never again be able to treat Shuangcheng Kingdom as their warehouse.

The bandit leader also noticed the sudden shift in the battle. The three individuals at the city gate were actually blocking the charge of his three hundred men—this was mainly because the gate was too narrow; even three thousand horses attacking simultaneously would have to enter one by one. What was most infuriating was that those two figures were using unknown weapons to injure dozens of his cavalry, and they were hiding behind that brute, rendering arrows and crossbows useless against them. Yet, their hidden weapons were effective at both long and short range, making them impossible to guard against.

Enraged, the bandit leader let out a shout and led the charge himself. Having already lost so many men, he refused to let his efforts go to waste. Feiying Prefecture was far wealthier than those smaller counties; plundering this one prefecture could allow him to retire comfortably for a year or two. As long as those three were killed, no one could stop the gate defense.

Suddenly, a fine warhorse broke through the line of fire from me and Yun Yao and charged into the city. The rider was practically Zhang Fei reborn; he held an iron rod in his hand, and as his horse reared up, he brought it down directly toward Dali Wan, who stood at the very front. Dali Wan, having hunted in the forests for years, was capable of subduing tigers and leopards, so his reaction time was exceptional. He thrust his large wooden staff upward, bracing himself to meet the bandit's strike head-on.

Unexpectedly, the bandit's iron rod was forged excellently; it did not bend in the collision with Dali Wan's power. However, the root of both men's hands vibrated until blood showed, and they secretly praised the other's divine strength. If Dali Wan's wooden staff hadn't been sufficiently thick and hard, it would have been snapped by the iron rod.

Facing such a formidable opponent for the first time, Dali Wan gave us no chance to fire from behind. He roared and swung his staff at the head of the bandit's horse. The bandit used the recoil from the first strike to rein in his galloping horse. Seeing Dali Wan’s ferocious attack coming, he did not evade but instead pulled the reins, raising the horse's front legs to step down on Dali Wan.

Dali Wan’s staff struck empty air as the horse descended upon him. He twisted his body to momentarily evade the hooves, then gathered his strength in his shoulders and actually lifted the horse and rider, shoving them back out of the city gate! The bandit was furious and pulled the reins again, charging back in. He swept his iron rod horizontally, forcing Dali Wan to retreat step by step.

Yun Yao and I feared hitting Dali Wan and dared not fire indiscriminately. In that moment of delay, five or six more bandits on horseback managed to charge through the city gate. These latecomers all held crossbows. Seeing that the fierce bandit leader was being stalled, they all advanced to assist him. One bandit took advantage of Dali Wan momentarily opening his guard while swinging his large staff and loosed a cold arrow towards his chest.

Yun Yao and I had been hiding behind Dali Wan. He had been forced back several steps, putting me almost pressed back-to-back with him. That arrow was not a wooden shaft like those from the city guard, and it was at close range. By the time I noticed, it was already heading for Dali Wan’s chest. My only instinctual reaction was that Dali Wan could not die. I don't know where the speed came from, but I reached out quickly to grab the arrow.

Thwack! The arrow did not pierce Dali Wan's chest but instead shot straight through the back of my hand, causing me to cry out in pain. Yun Yao was severely frightened, as it was the first time she had seen me bleed. Seeing me injured while saving him, Dali Wan suddenly flew into a rage. Just as the bandits were trampling him with their horses, he dropped his wooden staff, grabbed the two front legs of the horse that was rearing above him with both hands, and let out a great roar—he actually tore off both front legs of the horse alive!

With a heavy thud, the bandit tumbled to the ground. Dali Wan was unarmed, and fearing a counterattack from the downed man, I gritted my teeth against the pain, raised my laser pistol, and opened fire with Yun Yao. The tall brute, moments before alive and imposing, was instantly riddled with holes. The bandits behind him, witnessing this, charged forward with reckless abandon. After we had mowed down twenty or thirty of them, I finally grasped their true intent.

"Yun Yao, let's fall back a bit. That dead bandit's status is clearly unusual; his comrades are trying to retrieve his body. Let’s not push them into utter madness, or if they all swarm us, we couldn't handle it even with eight arms each."

Yun Yao was visibly shaken by the bandits' death-defying charge. Dali Wan, knowing he had caused this mess, said nothing, simply hefting his massive club to cover our retreat over a dozen meters.

Just as predicted, once the bandits secured the 'sieve'—the perforated corpse—they quickly pulled back through the city gates. At that moment, the pursuing government soldiers began shouting and rushing toward the archway. I said to Dali Wan, "Let's use this chance to slip out of the city too. Our seven horses are waiting outside; we can ride back to Feiyu County."

"Brother Zhao Qian, your injury?"

"It's nothing serious. Let's meet up with Linglong and the others first. Hurry, let's go."