Two bandits saw their leader sitting on the mule cart and didn't suspect a thing.
From three meters away, they dismounted and walked over slowly.
"Loose arrows."
At Liu Tiezhu's command, two bamboo arrows shot out swiftly.
Before the bandits knew what was happening, the arrows pierced their heads.
With the two dealt with, Liu Tiezhu stepped forward to strip them of their belongings, then urged the mule cart onward into the mountains.
Three hours later, the pair returned to the stone cave in the mountains.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu and the others come back leading five more horses, everyone was taken aback.
"We ran into some bandits on the road, so Brother Tiezhu and I took care of them," Er Gouzi explained before his uncle could even ask.
These five bandits were loaded—over two hundred rounds of ammunition alone, and each had more than two hundred yuan on them.
Everyone worked together to unload the rice and purchased supplies.
Sister-in-law and Yang Yulan brought out some meat to cook a late-night meal for everyone.
After eating, they gathered around the stove, discussing the current situation.
From what they could see, the area around Liujia Village was about to be carved up into several territories.
Soon, bandits and outlaws would each claim their own turf, leaving no room for ordinary folks to survive.
The town had sent militia to garrison it, clearly someone wanted to take over the whole town and turn it into their personal domain.
But none of that concerned them.
As long as the bandits or outlaws didn't expand their territory here, they could stay out of trouble.
Still, they had to prepare for that day.
"We need to keep working on the cave. Earlier, Shanzi and I talked it over—starting tomorrow, we'll dig an escape tunnel inside."
"The entrance will be next to the cellar, and the exit will be in the woods fifty meters out," Uncle said.
He'd carefully considered both the distance and the exit point.
The woods behind the cave were dense.
Placing the exit there made it hard for bandits to find.
Plus, surrounded by tall trees, they could easily hide and evade detection.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Uncle, you make the call on the tunnel."
"As for the outer traps, Er Gouzi and I will set them up tomorrow."
"By the way, Tiezhu, when is my brother coming?" Yang Yulan asked.
Liu Tiezhu replied, "Big Brother's worried about the jerky at home. Tomorrow night, Gouzi and I will head back to the village and bring him along."
They chatted a while longer, then, as it was getting late, each went to their own room to rest.
The next morning, Sister-in-law and Yulan had breakfast ready early.
After the men ate their fill, they split up the work.
Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi each mounted a horse, hauling trap materials to a spot fifty meters away.
Liu Tiezhu pulled out a notebook and, following the marked points, started working with Er Gouzi.
Uncle and Big Brother began digging the tunnel inside the cave.
Sister-in-law and Yulan led the remaining horses to the woods about ten meters away.
The weeds in the woods were as tall as a grown man, perfect fodder for the horses.
Yaoyao rode on a horse's back, waving her arms in delight.
The day passed in a blur of activity.
It wasn't until evening that Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi rode back.
After a full day's work, they'd only set three large traps, leaving the leftover materials aside to continue tomorrow.
After dinner, Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi each mounted a horse, leading a third one out of the mountains.
Three hours later, they entered the eucalyptus grove twenty meters from Yangjia Village.
They tied up the horses, grabbed their compound bows and rifles, and slipped into the village from the right side.
"Brother Tiezhu, why aren't we taking the main road at the village entrance?" Er Gouzi asked, puzzled.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Remember how those bandits chased us yesterday?"
Er Gouzi looked blank.
"What does taking the main road have to do with bandits?"
"I suspect we were spotted by their lookout because we used the main road yesterday," Liu Tiezhu replied.
Er Gouzi thought it over and had to agree.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached Yang Haitian's house.
Er Gouzi was about to knock, but Liu Tiezhu yanked him back.
"Something's off. Fall back."
Liu Tiezhu pointed at the yard, lowering his voice.
Last night, Yang Haitian had said he'd be waiting at home.
At this hour, the lights should be on.
But now the yard was pitch black and eerily silent.
If he wasn't mistaken, Yang Haitian might be in trouble.
"Brother Tiezhu, what's going on?" Er Gouzi whispered, not catching on.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Remember what Brother Tian told us last night?"
"He said he'd wait for us at home," Er Gouzi replied.
Liu Tiezhu pressed, "If he's waiting, why are the lights off?"
Er Gouzi thought for a moment. "Maybe he drank too much and fell asleep?"
Smack...
Liu Tiezhu slapped Er Gouzi on the forehead.
"Can't you think straight?"
"You know Brother Tian—would he get drunk at a time like this?"
"Even if he did, he wouldn't turn off the lights."
Er Gouzi's face paled. "So, Brother Tiezhu, you mean Brother Tian's in trouble?"
"I'm not sure, but turning off the lights now is definitely not—"
Liu Tiezhu cut himself off, quickly pulling Er Gouzi into a dark alley.
Footsteps approached, and two burly men walked by.
"Bandits!" Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi's eyes widened.
The men wore the same clothes as the ones they'd killed last night.
"Damn it, it's already ten. Those two punks probably aren't coming."
"Had me freezing my ass off at the village entrance all night." The man on the left, rifle slung over his shoulder, grumbled.
"Son of a bitch, Yang Haitian said they'd come for the jerky—was he lying to us?" the man on the right said.
The left one replied, "He wouldn't dare lie. No one can withstand the Fifth Leader's torture."
"But still, that guy's tough—lasted a whole hour."
They chatted a bit, then knocked on the yard gate.
"Open up. Those two aren't coming."
As the shout died down, the whole house lit up.
By the time the bandits went inside, Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi's backs were soaked with cold sweat.
"Brother Tiezhu, good thing you thought ahead."
"If we'd come through the village entrance, we'd have been trapped by now."
"Those bandits are vicious, hiding in Brother Tian's house to ambush us."
"Who tipped them off to go after Brother Tian?"
Er Gouzi's face was pale, his body trembling as he spoke.
Liu Tiezhu's face hardened, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"Save the talk. We need to rescue him."
"Whoever it was, I won't let them off."