Chapter 29: with translation of chapter title

"I am Xing," Xing introduced herself.

San Yue Qi looked at Xing with a complicated expression, feeling inwardly how pure she seemed to outsiders at this moment.

"Alright, I've noted it. To be honest, I didn't expect to meet a fellow traveler in this ice and snow. Business hasn't been good lately, but rest assured, I, Sang Bo, never eat alone."

Sang Bo, brimming with enthusiasm, saw that Xing seemed the most easygoing of the three, and proactively extended a hand to her, saying, "How about we team up? I have reliable information: the main forces of the Silver Mane Iron Guard have been transferred to the front lines, a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity…"

Xing stared at him with a bewildered expression, "What business?"

"That's a bit much, everyone. It's fine if you don't trust me, but there's no need to pretend to be that clueless, right?"

Sang Bo saw that the expressions on everyone's faces remained unchanged; his furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he instantly adopted a new demeanor, clapping his hands and laughing, "Fine, our meeting is fate after all. Ask me anything you wish to know; I will speak all I know and spare no detail!"

Xing asked several questions about human settlements and learned that the planet's sole city is called 'Beloberg', where one can escape the wind and snow, and that the Silver Mane Iron Guard essentially serves as the city's police.

"Will you lead us into the city? We're not very familiar with the routes," San Yue Qi suggested.

"Into the city? Going back already? It's not even opened today, sister. Guiding a path is a small matter, but—" Sang Bo shook his head, about to continue, but when he turned back he caught Dan Heng's murderous glare.

The oppressive feeling from the cold‑noodle Little Green Dragon!

A few drops of cold sweat instantly formed on Sang Bo's forehead; he wisely shifted his tone, and his attitude rotated a full 180 degrees.

"—But I do enjoy helping others, haha. Kindness is the very definition of Sang Bo! Follow me, friend, keep your voice low, and don't let the Iron Guard spot us."

——

"Haha, I actually kind of like this kid now."

Inside an underground base in Zaun, Xi Er Ke held a wine glass in one hand, watching Sang Bo's ancestral face‑changing with great interest.

As the leader of Zaun's major factions and having grown up in the Black Alley, Xi Er Ke had witnessed countless flattery and face‑changing; Sang Bo's performance felt especially familiar to him.

Jin Ke Si lounged on a beam high in the room, idly swinging her braid while blowing blue bubbles, "But if he were a bit stronger, we wouldn't have to do this."

"You're right, and that's also why I admire him."

Xi Er Ke tipped her head back and drained the wine in her cup, then continued along the topic, "In harsh environments, those who survive to the end are often not the ones with great power or intelligence, but people like him who read the wind and understand others' cues."

"Even the strongest will have a day of weakness, and that will be their death. But those who navigate between strength and weakness... hmm, quite impressive."

He again nodded appreciatively toward Sang Bo projected on the light screen.

If Sang Bo could make it to the capital city, he would certainly find a way to recruit him into his team; such a person is as cunning as a fox—you can't win them over with sincere affection, only ample benefits and profit can sway them.

Xi Er Ke didn't dislike this approach.

"Under Sang Bo's guidance, the group swiftly traversed the snowfield."

"So, why are you avoiding the Silver Mane Iron Guard?" San Yue Qi asked curiously along the way.

"Uh, I just smuggled a few ancient relics, nothing serious. If you want to blame someone, blame those who enforce the law; they only have one strand of thought in their heads."

"Tell me, what exactly is your background? Such skills are rare even in Beloberg's barracks, huh... I'm not prying, just caring about a friend."

Along the way, Sang Bo laughed and tried to extract some valuable information from Xing and San Yue Qi, but Dan Heng promptly stopped him each time.

The group reached a small path when several guards dressed in blue uniforms and wearing silver face armor stepped out, blocking their way.

Dan Heng suddenly sensed something wrong: "What is this?"

Sang Bo scratched his head, his face showing an apologetic smile, "Uh, remember the Silver Mane Iron Guard I mentioned? It's them..."

Dan Heng sighed, not expecting that even with such caution, a battle was unavoidable.

As soon as the fight began, taking advantage of the group's distraction, Sang Bo slipped away with such speed it was like evaporating from the world, vanishing in an instant into the snowstorm.

Fortunately, the Iron Guards weren't strong; under the three's combined assault they couldn't hold, retreating repeatedly.

Just as San Yue Qi unleashed a rain of arrows, a robust, towering man emerged behind the Iron Guard; with a simple lift of his hand he nullified all of San Yue Qi's arrows, and when he stood before the three Iron Guards, he was like an impenetrable wall.

"Strange, why do the arrows have no effect on him?"

Inside a certain dojo in Tokyo, the sweating Lie Hai Wang set down his spear and looked toward the teacher Guo Haihuang, who sat calmly drinking tea.

After witnessing Dan Heng's gunmanship, which could be described as one man against a thousand, Lie Hai Wang's interest in spear techniques intensified; he even invited his 146‑year‑old teacher to Tokyo to personally correct his shortcomings.

However, he found that no matter how he practiced, he could never grasp the essence of Dan Heng's technique; his level remained far from it.

"Clearly that young man looks far younger than him..."

Lie Hai Wang began training at Baolin Temple at age four, hailed since childhood as China's top martial talent, with blades, spears, swords, halberds, and staffs all part of his early curriculum. Seeing Dan Heng's spear skill far surpass his own, he felt a frog‑in‑the‑well sense of frustration.

His spear technique lagged far behind his fist art, because he had always believed that a person's bare fists were the strongest, most free weapon. Yet after witnessing Dan Heng's spear skill, his long‑held belief began to waver.

"... It turns out my spear technique is worlds apart from others'."

And today, after watching Jie Pa De effortlessly neutralize San Yue Qi's arrow barrage, he was even more astonished.

"I understand, teacher. These other‑worldly people not only have extremely high martial prowess, but also master force cancellation."

Before Guo Haihuang could set down his tea bowl, Lie Hai Wang said to himself, "And it's a force cancellation of extremely high purity!"

"Pfft... cough cough cough!"

Guo Haihuang heard that and nearly lost his composure, choking on the tea and coughing violently.