Bang, bang, bang...
The dense gunfire sent the entire village trembling in fear.
Ma Zhenhao was completely consumed by bloodlust, firing bullets wildly at the fleeing militia as if they cost nothing.
After about ten minutes, both groups had run several hundred meters.
The bandits pressed harder, while the militia could no longer keep running.
"Damn it, these bastards live in the mountains year-round—they've got better stamina and endurance than us."
"If we keep running, we're all dead."
"We might as well use these fields as cover and fight it out with them."
Li Ming, running at the front, gasped heavily and shouted to the others.
Since escaping from the cellar, they had maintained about a thirty-meter gap from the bandits.
But now, just over ten minutes later, the distance had shrunk to less than ten meters.
If they ran another ten minutes, they'd likely all fall to the bandits' guns.
The other militia members saw the problem too.
But everyone was running—whoever stayed behind would die first.
Now that Li Ming had spoken up, they silently agreed to stop.
"Brother Li, we'll follow your lead."
"These bandits aren't gods or ghosts—they're afraid of bullets too."
"Let's fight them to the death."
At that moment, the militia was unusually united, quickly dropping to the ground.
Bang, bang, bang...
Without needing Li Ming's command, they fired in unison the moment the bandits charged.
The sudden shift instantly killed three bandits.
Ma Zhenhao was furious, quickly ordering his men to take cover and find a chance to counterattack.
In Liujia Village, as the sounds grew distant, Liu Tiezhu emerged from the alley.
He quietly approached Liu Jingshun's house, climbed over the wall, and carefully surveyed the area.
Sure no one else was around, he quickly entered and turned on the light.
Seeing the bodies scattered across the yard, he was startled.
But time didn't allow for overthinking.
Snapping back to reality, he quickly searched the bandits' pockets.
After finishing with the bandits, he moved on to the militia.
In just a few minutes, he had emptied everyone's pockets.
Liu Tiezhu stuffed everything into a prepared cloth bag, then continued searching the house.
Inside, there was a large cellar storing over a thousand jin of meat and several hundred jin of rice.
But that wasn't Liu Tiezhu's target.
After a quick look around the cellar, he hurried into the rooms.
Ten minutes later, Liu Tiezhu left Liu Jingshun's house and headed toward the direction of the gunfire.
In the farmland of Liujia Village, gunshots rang out continuously.
Bullets flew back and forth, and people fell on both sides.
Only five militia members remained.
Though their aim was poor, with plenty of ammunition, they occasionally got lucky.
Only three bandits were left, and their ammunition was nearly spent.
Ma Zhenhao's face darkened with rage—he hadn't expected the militia to carry so many bullets.
If the fight continued, he might be the one to fall.
"Retreat."
After a mental struggle, Ma Zhenhao gritted his teeth and gave the order to withdraw.
But before leaving, they stripped everything from their fallen comrades.
Liu Tiezhu, watching from a nearby hiding spot, was stunned.
He had thought the bandits' fierce assault would take out Zhang Jingyang.
Instead, the bandits were incredibly unlucky.
Thirty men had nearly been wiped out by Zhang Jingyang's ragtag militia.
On Li Ming's side, the five of them were pale, their hands trembling as they held their guns.
They had survived purely by luck and sheer grit.
Hearing no movement from the other side, none dared to show themselves.
They lay there for an hour, freezing, and fired a few more shots toward the enemy.
Still, there was no response.
Finally, Li Ming and the others couldn't bear to stay any longer. They got up and sprinted toward the woods, abandoning even their comrades' guns.
After they left, Liu Tiezhu crawled out of the field.
Confirming it was safe, he rushed to search the bandits.
Finding nothing on them—their comrades had taken everything—he moved to the militia.
Seeing their guns and bullets still there, he knew they must have valuables. Reaching into their pockets, he felt banknotes.
Overjoyed, Liu Tiezhu quickly stripped the other militia members and took their guns and bullets.
Back at the bamboo grove behind the house, he mounted his horse and galloped toward the mountains.
Not long after he left, a figure emerged from the bamboo grove.
Watching Liu Tiezhu ride away, the figure's eyes glinted coldly.
It was late at night when Liu Tiezhu returned to the stone cave.
Hearing the horse's neigh, his uncle and the others woke up.
"Brother Zhu, any luck?" Ergouzi was the first to ask.
"Everything's on the horse—go unload it."
Liu Tiezhu replied and walked into the cave.
Yang Yulan reheated some dried meat and handed it to him.
His uncle and older brother gathered around, offering him a cup of warm water, saying nothing.
After a night of exertion, Liu Tiezhu was starving. Two jin of meat only half-filled him.
Yang Yulan handed him another piece, and he kept eating.
After finishing two pieces of meat and a full cup of water, he finally burped.
Seeing him satisfied, his uncle asked, "So, did Zhang Jingyang fall to the bandits' guns?"
"That bastard's lucky—not only did he survive, he nearly wiped out the bandits," Liu Tiezhu said.
Hearing this, his uncle and brother both widened their eyes.
After a long pause, his uncle came to his senses. "The militia's that strong? They could wipe out the bandits?"
"Or did only a few bandits come down?"
Liu Tiezhu replied, "Quite a few bandits came this time. Judging by their gear and belongings, they were elites from Tiangang Stronghold."
"Zhang Jingyang only took them out because he ambushed them and got lucky."
Liu Tieshan asked, "Since we didn't get Zhang Jingyang, what's our next move?"
Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment. "I'll go back to the village for a while and see if I can find another chance."
"As long as that snake Zhang Jingyang is alive, our family won't have peace."
His older brother immediately waved him off. "No, that's too dangerous."
"We'll stay here—this place isn't bad."
As they chatted, Ergouzi came in carrying the bag.
"Gouzi, where'd you get this?" his uncle asked.
Ergouzi said, "Brother Zhu got it. I tied up the horse and brought it in."
"These are from the bandits and militia—there should be a lot of money."
"Gouzi, dump it out," Liu Tiezhu said.
He hadn't had time to count it earlier, just tossing everything into the bag.
Ergouzi opened the bag and emptied it onto the ground.
A clattering sound filled the air.
Bullets, gold, banknotes—all scattered messily.
"Damn bastards, how many people have they harmed?"
Ergouzi cursed, then picked up the banknotes to count.
His older brother and uncle joined in.
Just as they were getting excited, a few gunshots made their faces change.
Judging by the echo, the shooter wasn't far away.
"Gouzi, grab your gun and crossbow and come with me."
"Uncle, big brother, you two guard the house with your guns."
"If something's wrong, fire immediately."
After giving his orders, Liu Tiezhu grabbed his gun and rushed toward the sound.