Unfortunately, Zhui Feng was uninterested in any of it, and in the end, Long Feng had to take it to a nearby grove to play for a while. With it around, no one else could really enjoy themselves at the stables.

After Zhui Feng left, the others finally managed to have some fun at the riding grounds.

Huang Hai had a horse boarded here, as did Long Cheng. Sadly, upon seeing his own chestnut-red, high-spirited steed, valued at six hundred thousand RMB, Huang Hai couldn't help but compare it to Zhang Yang's Zhui Feng.

After comparing them to the end, he sighed in resignation.

His horse was inferior to Zhui Feng in every aspect, which significantly dampened his enthusiasm for riding.

After quickly circling a few times, he dismounted to rest.

In contrast, Su Zhantao and Wang Chen were having a great time at the stables. Wang Chen rarely visited, and for a first-time rider, there was always a sense of novelty that wasn't spoiled by Zhui Feng's presence.

"Where's your significant other?"

As Su Zhantao took a break, Zhang Yang cheerfully handed him a bottle of water. They had known each other the longest and had the closest bond.

"She went home. Her family is right here in Hangzhou. She went back as soon as we arrived. If I didn't feel obligated and didn't want to fall behind right after arriving, I would have gone with her today!"

Su Zhantao took the water and drank nearly half the bottle. He was a novice rider, and learning was exhausting for a beginner. In a short time, he was dripping with sweat.

Zhang Yang nodded gently and didn't ask anything further.

Yang Ling’s family was in Hangzhou. Back when they were in Shanghai, Su Zhantao had visited Hangzhou with Yang Ling to meet her future in-laws, and Young Master Su had left a good impression on the Yang family. Now that their relationship was established, they would be engaged soon, making Hangzhou feel like Su Zhantao's second home.

They didn't chat alone for long before Wang Chen and Li Ya came running over. They too had been riding. Wang Chen had even ordered a very fine horse from Jin Weiguo.

This horse cost four hundred and fifty thousand, and Jin Weiguo sold it to him at cost. The horse wasn't at the stables yet; it was still in Europe. Wang Chen had chosen it based on pictures alone and placed the order sight unseen. Generally, those who truly loved horses and bought them would make a point to inspect them in person. Only someone purely interested in the hobby, like Wang Chen, would buy based on looks alone from a picture.

After enjoying the afternoon, they finally departed around dusk.

There had been over a dozen people when they arrived, but fewer when they left. Apart from Qi Heng and one other person, Jin Weiguo and his group remained behind. They had other business at the stables and wouldn't be joining the evening festivities with their friends from Changjing, promising a special banquet another day.

Not far from a T-junction on the road back to the city from the stables, a mid-sized truck was parked by the roadside.

Beside the T-junction, there was also a panel van. Both vehicles kept their engines running, and the men inside were closely watching the road behind them.

"They're here!"

A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie inside the van. The driver of the truck immediately shifted into gear and began to move forward slowly. As he drove, his eyes remained fixed on the rearview mirror, monitoring the situation behind him.

Moments later, a convoy approached—led by a large Audi, followed by a Land Rover and a BMW, all luxury vehicles. Bringing up the rear was the Hummer driven by Long Feng, inside which Zhui Feng was lying down.

The convoy proceeded slowly, led by Qi Heng’s car. No one paid any attention to the slowly moving mid-sized truck by the roadside.

Shortly after passing the T-junction, the truck suddenly accelerated sharply and swerved directly across the road, blocking the way. Qi Heng, driving the Audi, slammed on the brakes, but his car still hit the truck with a dull thud.

The cars following behind also executed emergency maneuvers. Fortunately, their driving skills were sharp, and the cars were high-quality, preventing any further collisions.

"Something's wrong, nobody get out!"

Qi Heng ignored the throbbing in his head from the impact and shouted urgently over the car radio. The arrival of the truck was too bizarre, too precisely timed; he immediately sensed trouble.

As he was shouting, another panel van suddenly blocked the rear, perfectly trapping Zhang Yang’s last vehicle, the Hummer, at the intersection.

More than a dozen masked men in black immediately jumped out of the panel van. Each one carried a weapon—a hammer, a club, or a machete. A black Santana pulled up alongside them; two men were inside, but they remained seated, watching silently from the windows.

"Young Master, that King Horse will soon be yours!"

From a high vantage point nearby, the bodyguard who had orchestrated the entire affair grinned and spoke to Xu Lang. This was his setup: block the convoy at the junction, snatch the King Horse, load it onto the truck, and flee immediately. The men in the black Santana were providing rear cover; both carried handguns, ensuring these young masters wouldn't dare pursue them with firearms involved.

The plan was well-laid, if not entirely flawless, with a very high probability of success. If they had faced ordinary people, he might already have succeeded.

However, Zhang Yang was no ordinary person, nor was Long Feng, and Zhui Feng wasn't just an ordinary animal—they were spirit beasts, terrifyingly powerful ones.

As soon as the assailants jumped out, they swarmed around Long Feng’s Hummer. A few men started swinging hammers at the doors. They paid no attention to the other cars.

Wang Chen and Li Ya stepped out of their vehicles, but Long Cheng was faster, jumping out instantly when he sensed trouble ahead of Zhang Yang. Su Zhantao and Huang Hai also dismounted. Huang Jing, looking terrified with a pale face, remained in her car for a moment before snapping out of it and quickly getting out.

These men were clearly targeting Zhang Yang, but even if they weren't, she had no reason to worry. With an Inner Strength master like Zhang Yang present, even a hundred times their number wouldn't fare well. Since that was the case, she had nothing to fear; staying in the car would look cowardly. Now was the time to show her resolve.

Seeing everyone exit their vehicles, Qi Heng reluctantly got out as well. By the time he stepped out, the driver of the truck blocking the path had already jumped out and fled. Since there was only one person in the front vehicle, he naturally ran first, leaving the truck to serve its purpose as a barricade.

"Smash!"

A man with a steel pipe swung it toward the driver's door of the Hummer. The moment the pipe struck, he felt a sudden lightness—the door had opened sometime in that instant. Someone inside had caught the weapon. Seeing the door open and the driver daring to emerge, his heart leaped with predatory excitement.

Unfortunately, that feeling of joy was fleeting. He suddenly felt his body launch upward, and before he could process what happened, he realized he was already more than ten meters above the ground. That height was equivalent to four or five stories—a fall from that distance guaranteed severe injury, if not death.

In sheer panic, he could only let out a shrill, desperate scream. Just as his cry pierced the air, he felt a searing pain across his body, and suddenly he found himself dangling from a roadside tree. Struggling to right himself and understand the situation, he managed only a couple of movements before his head felt heavy, and everything went black. Thrown by Long Feng, the force of even hitting a tree was immense; the man was knocked unconscious instantly.

He wasn't the unluckiest one. Long Cheng had already charged forward, and two men with weapons immediately surrounded him. But with only two attackers, and Long Cheng being in the early stage of Layer One, close-quarters combat against a dozen special forces soldiers was child's play; he barely noticed the pair. He strode forward, and before the two could even swing their machetes, he struck each of them twice in the torso with his fists. Both cried out in pain, were flung backward, coughed up blood, and immediately passed out.

These men were attacking the vehicles of Long Feng and Zhang Yang, and regardless of how strong those two were, Long Cheng could not stand by and watch them attack. Moreover, Long Feng was an elder from the Long family. As he acted, Li Ya charged forward, shouting wildly while wielding a long cudgel he’d apparently grabbed from one of the cars. Wang Chen also ran over, brandishing a wrench.

Fortunately, Huang Hai was right beside them, pulling both hotheads back one by one. Huang Hai wasn't unwilling to help, but the situation simply didn't require their involvement. They all knew Long Cheng’s strength, and Zhang Yang had previously displayed formidable martial prowess. As for Long Feng, the ease with which he dismounted and tossed the first man indicated his power was considerable as well. With these experts present, they were simply not needed; they would only cause interference if they rushed in.

Long Feng stepped out of the Hummer, and Zhang Yang followed. Zhui Feng barked loudly from inside the vehicle. However, due to its immense size, by the time the rear door was opened and Zhui Feng lumbered out, the fight was already over.

Thirteen attackers in total: four were now hanging from trees, six lay prone on the ground, and three had tumbled into the roadside ditch. Their weapons were scattered everywhere.

In the Santana, the two men reserved for rear guard were utterly dumbfounded. It was too fast; the fight had concluded before they could even register what was happening. The outcome was the exact opposite of their plan: they hadn't even touched the King Horse before their entire team was neutralized. Had the entire engagement lasted even one minute? This terrifying combat efficiency left Huang Hai and the others speechless, and it thoroughly terrified the two men in the car.

As Long Feng started walking toward them, the passenger in the Santana fumbled desperately to draw a handgun, while the driver frantically tried to start the car. The more anxious he became, the more the engine refused to catch.

"Stop, don't come closer!"

The man in the passenger seat finally pulled out his handgun, which somewhat calmed him, but he continued to shout in terror. Long Feng seemed entirely oblivious to the gun, walking straight to the door and yanking on it until the entire door ripped clean off its hinges. The sheer force caused the car body to shift unnaturally.

As Long Feng was doing this, Zhang Yang’s expression darkened slightly. He vaulted onto Zhui Feng, who had just dismounted. With a slight squeeze of his legs against the spirit beast, Zhui Feng dissolved into a streak of white light, instantly becoming a vanishing dot in the distance.

Huang Hai happened to turn his head at that exact moment, and his pupils constricted violently. Everyone else's attention was focused on Long Feng, completely missing Zhang Yang’s sudden disappearance.

First chapter update, apologies for returning so late! RQ