The two of them crouched there until midnight, waiting until the six guards had each found a spot to doze off before they quietly crept across the ridge.
When they were about five meters from the six men, Liu Tiezhu and his companion raised their compound crossbows and swiftly aimed at their necks.
These men were no good sorts, so killing them carried no psychological burden.
*Thud, thud...*
Blood splattered everywhere. Still in their sleep, these men had bamboo bolts pierce their necks, sending them to meet their ancestors.
After dealing with them, the two quickly dragged the bodies aside and turned toward Liu Yusheng's house.
Arriving behind Liu Yusheng's courtyard, Liu Tiezhu had Ergouzi keep watch while he climbed the wall to observe the situation inside.
The place was brightly lit. In the yard, seven or eight men with rifles slung over their shoulders were huddled together, snoring loudly.
After observing for about ten minutes, Liu Tiezhu quickly waved at Ergouzi.
Ergouzi understood and immediately grabbed Liu Tiezhu's hand to climb over the wall.
"Damn, these bastards are sleeping like logs."
Seeing this, Ergouzi couldn't help but grin.
"There are four of us. Remember, don't make a sound."
"You take the left, I'll take the right."
With that, Liu Tiezhu jumped down from the wall.
Ergouzi moved just as swiftly, following right behind Liu Tiezhu.
Three minutes later, the two of them, crossbows in hand, came up behind the eight men.
These eight burly men were still fast asleep, completely unaware that death had arrived.
Liu Tiezhu and Ergouzi exchanged a glance and immediately struck.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*
In less than a minute, the bamboo bolts were spent. The eight men, still groggy, lost their lives.
Liu Tiezhu and Ergouzi smiled, surprised at how easily they had taken care of them.
After searching the eight men for items, they continued creeping toward the house.
Just as they were about to step out of the house's main entrance, the door suddenly swung open, and seven or eight rifle barrels poked out.
"Gouzi, watch out!"
Liu Tiezhu's face twisted in alarm. He lunged forward, shoving Ergouzi to the right.
Almost at the same moment, a hail of bullets flew toward them.
Liu Tiezhu hit the ground and quickly rolled to the side.
He moved fast, but still took two hits.
One bullet grazed his shoulder, leaving a bloody gash; the other pierced the flesh of his left calf.
Liu Tiezhu's face turned pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Though both wounds were superficial, the searing pain was more than most could bear.
Ignoring the agony, Liu Tiezhu raised his crossbow and aimed at the lightbulb in the yard.
With a *whoosh*, the bamboo bolt shattered the bulb, plunging the entire yard into darkness.
"Liu Tiezhu, I know it's you, you son of a bitch."
"Drop your weapon and come out with your hands up."
"For old times' sake, I'll give you a quick death."
Inside the house, Liu Yusheng called out with a cold sneer.
In truth, he had spotted Liu Tiezhu and Ergouzi when they killed the eight men in the yard.
He hadn't acted immediately because he wanted to wait until they were within ambush range to take them out in one go.
He hadn't expected Liu Tiezhu to react so fast—almost as soon as they raised their guns, he was already moving.
But Liu Tiezhu had taken bullets now.
In Liu Yusheng's eyes, Liu Tiezhu was a dead duck.
"Zhu Ge..."
Ergouzi's eyes turned bloodshot. He tried to get up and go to him, but Liu Tiezhu stopped him.
"I'm fine. Don't come over."
"Climb over the right wall now. I'll catch up in a moment."
As he spoke, Liu Tiezhu raised his crossbow toward the door and emptied the bolts.
Ergouzi didn't hesitate. Keeping low to the ground, he quickly crawled toward the right wall.
They had been exposed. If they didn't get out of the yard fast, more people would surround them, and they'd be in real danger.
At the door, several men tried to charge out but were immediately felled by bamboo bolts.
Those behind them quickly stopped and ducked back, firing wildly in Liu Tiezhu's direction.
Bullets flew everywhere, but no screams followed—meaning they hadn't hit him.
By the time the gunfire stopped, Liu Tiezhu was already behind Ergouzi.
The two of them quickly scaled the wall and ran eastward, eventually hiding in a dilapidated old ancestral hall.
No sooner had they concealed themselves than they heard heavy footsteps approaching.
The footsteps were heading from the village's end toward Liu Yusheng's house—clearly reinforcements drawn by the gunfire.
Only after the footsteps faded did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"Zhu Ge, where did the bullets hit you?"
Ergouzi snapped back to reality and hurriedly checked Liu Tiezhu's body.
If Liu Tiezhu hadn't shoved him, he'd be a corpse by now.
"Right shoulder and left leg. Just flesh wounds."
Liu Tiezhu pulled out some cotton cloth and medicine, handing them to Ergouzi. Then, gritting his teeth against the pain, he took out a short knife and cut away the rotting flesh around the bullet grazes.
The sight turned Ergouzi's face pale on the spot.
"Gouzi, what are you staring at? Hurry up and apply the medicine," Liu Tiezhu urged.
Ergouzi nodded, his trembling hands quickly sprinkling the powder over the wounds before binding them tightly with the cloth.
The whole process took two minutes, but to Liu Tiezhu, it felt like an eternity.
After finishing the shoulder wound, Liu Tiezhu pressed on to treat the gunshot on his calf.
Half an hour later, Liu Tiezhu lay on the ground, his cracked lips drained of color.
The wounds were dressed, but the bone-deep pain had nearly killed him.
Ergouzi wasn't much better off—pale-faced too, though from sheer terror.
"Damn it, this is the first time I've taken such a beating."
After resting for over ten minutes, Liu Tiezhu's color finally returned to normal.
"Zhu Ge, what do we do now?" Ergouzi asked.
Now that the whole of Liujia Village knew they were there, ambushing Liu Yusheng again would be far riskier.
"Let me catch my breath, then we'll go back and finish this," Liu Tiezhu said.
Hearing this, Ergouzi's eyes went wide, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.
After a two-minute silence, Ergouzi asked in disbelief, "Zhu Ge, are we really going back?"
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "Right now, Liu Yusheng won't expect us to return. That's the perfect time to take him out."
"But the whole village is crawling with Liu family folks. The moment we step out, we'll be spotted," Ergouzi said.
"We won't be. They're all..."
Liu Tiezhu cut himself off mid-sentence and shot Ergouzi a look.
Ergouzi understood and immediately picked up his crossbow, crouching by the corner of the ancestral hall.
Liu Tiezhu scrambled to his feet and hid in the opposite corner.
No sooner had they concealed themselves than footsteps approached.
Two men, rifles raised, crept closer cautiously.
They stopped three meters from Liu Tiezhu.
Flicking on a flashlight, they shone it in Liu Tiezhu's direction.
Liu Tiezhu knew he couldn't hide anymore.
His crossbow was already aimed, and he fired toward the light.