The furious Liu Tiezhu did not choose to punch Liu Gang and his son. Instead, he crouched low and quietly slipped away.
The bandit matter still required Liu Gang's mediation. If he struck them now and the incident came to light, it would likely catch Zhang Jingyang's attention. Liu Tiezhu knew well which was more important—Liu Gang or Zhang Jingyang.
"How did it go? Did you find out who the bandit's spy is?"
As soon as Liu Tiezhu returned home, his second uncle came up and asked.
"The bandit's spy is Liu Gang."
The moment these words were spoken, everyone's eyes widened in unison.
Er Gouzi cursed, "I knew it was that son of a bitch."
"Liu Shan was a rotten old dog his whole life, and now Liu Gang, that bastard, is taking over his legacy."
"We can't let that bastard off easy."
Liu Tiezhu waved his hand to cut off Er Gouzi. "We can't touch Liu Gang for now. Next, we need to lie low for a couple of days."
His second uncle asked in surprise, "Tiezhu, what's going on? Are all the bandits from Tiangang Village coming down the mountain?"
"The second-in-command of Tiangang Village is coming down. He'll probably bring a sizable group."
"Besides Zhang Jingyang, we're also their target."
After saying this, Liu Tiezhu relayed everything he had overheard at Liu Gang's house.
"Damn it, that bastard is truly vicious."
"If we hadn't heard this news, something would definitely go wrong."
Er Gouzi glared with bloodshot eyes, looking like he wanted to swallow Liu Gang whole.
"But where do we hide now?" Liu Tieshan asked.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Big brother, we'll hide in the mountain cave."
"That place can be made livable with a bit of work."
His second uncle said, "Let's do as Tiezhu says. We'll stay in the cave for a few days."
"After the bandits and Zhang Jingyang have fought, we'll see how things stand."
With the plan settled, everyone finished dinner and set off.
Soon, the mule cart was loaded with daily necessities.
Three hours later, the cart arrived at the cave.
The eldest brother's wife and Yang Yulan stayed behind to lay down horse-feed grass as makeshift bedding.
Liu Tiezhu, his second uncle, and the others took the horses back to haul more dried meat.
The family worked through the night, moving all the meat and essential items to the cave.
After a sleepless night, the whole family was exhausted.
Liu Tiezhu didn't even bother eating. He went straight to his bed and fell asleep.
He slept until afternoon, when the clanging of tools woke him up.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that a wall had been built at one end of the cave.
The wall was made of mud mixed with weeds, with stones stacked and pressed against each other.
This structure was very sturdy—once the mud dried, it would cling to the stones.
The weeds served to increase the wall's flexibility, making it last longer.
Outside the cave, the clanging continued without pause.
His eldest brother and second uncle were driving thick iron spikes into the rock with hammers, pounding away.
Soon, a square block of stone broke free.
Liu Tiezhu realized they were quarrying stone to build walls.
The cave was too spacious; it needed to be partitioned.
Besides, both he and his brother were married men.
They couldn't do without separate rooms.
Fortunately, stones were abundant everywhere.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu awake, his second uncle stopped working and asked, "Tiezhu, you're up. I was thinking of quarrying some stones with Shanzi to build a stove outside."
"Where do you think the stove should go?"
Liu Tiezhu pointed to the right side of the cave. "I think the stove would work best on the right side of the cave."
"There's a rock overhang there that can shield it from wind and rain."
"We just need to build two walls and add a door for access."
His second uncle looked it over and agreed it was a good spot for a kitchen.
After lunch, Liu Tiezhu joined the work crew.
With several men working together, plus three horses, the work went quickly.
By evening, a simple kitchen and stove were set up.
But the newly built stove couldn't be used yet.
That night, they still had a simple meal of roasted meat.
Over the next two days, the group worked together to partition the interior of the cave.
Over a hundred square meters were divided into seven rooms and two cellars.
Beyond these spaces, Liu Tiezhu also designed a hidden passage for emergencies.
But this was a major project that would take a long time.
Liu Tiezhu wasn't in a hurry; the cave was safe for the short term.
On the afternoon of the third day, Liu Tiezhu took his rifle and compound bow, mounted his horse, and rode out of the mountains.
Tonight was the night the bandits would enter the village. He needed to go back and check the situation, and also find a chance to kill Zhang Jingyang, that menace.
Er Gouzi wanted to come along, but Liu Tiezhu kicked him back.
He told him to help his second uncle haul timber to make doors and beds.
After sending Er Gouzi off, Liu Tiezhu galloped away.
By the time he returned to Liu Family Village, it was already dark.
Liu Tiezhu tied his horse to the bamboo grove behind the house, then shouldered his rifle and crept quietly back home.
After checking the house to confirm no one had been there in the past two days, he changed direction and headed toward Liu Jingshun's house.
When he was about a dozen meters from Liu Jingshun's place, Liu Tiezhu heard the sounds of raucous eating and drinking, with bowls smashing in the yard.
He crept to the back wall of the yard, listened carefully for a while, then climbed up.
What met his eyes was a mess of garbage.
Leftover bones, cigarette butts, peanut shells, and sticky tissues were scattered everywhere.
What kind of militia outpost was this? It was a den of bandits.
He looked at the militiamen—twenty-seven of them, split into three tables, guzzling wine and feasting.
"Damn it, a bunch of animals."
"How did scum like this ever become militiamen?"
Liu Tiezhu cursed under his breath and quietly slipped away.
In just two days, Zhang Jingyang's militia had grown by ten men.
But for Liu Tiezhu, that was a good thing.
The more men Zhang Jingyang had, the better his chances against the bandits.
The best outcome would be for both sides to cripple each other.
Then he could swoop in from the shadows and reap the benefits.
Leaving Liu Jingshun's house, Liu Tiezhu didn't go far. Instead, he hid in a dark alley next door.
At the same time, in Tiangang Village, the second-in-command, Ma Zhenhao, stood on a platform counting his men.
This time, to deal with Zhang Jingyang and reclaim the stolen treasures, he was leading the charge himself, having handpicked thirty elite fighters.
He also chose the fastest horses from Tiangang Village.
"Our target this time is the militia leader, Zhang Jingyang."
"That bastard is holed up at Zhang Jingshun's house in Liu Family Village. My spy is already watching him."
"Remember, we strike fast once we enter the village."
"We have one hour to take out Zhang Jingyang and his militia, and retrieve the treasures stolen from the stronghold."
After his briefing, Ma Zhenhao waved his hand, and all the bandits mounted their horses, galloping toward Liu Family Village.