After breakfast, Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi went to rest.
Second Uncle and Big Brother continued quarrying stones, speeding up the renovation of the stone cave.
In the afternoon, Liu Tiezhu woke up and took the two hunting dogs, Big Sweet Potato and Taro, for a stroll around the stone cave.
Soon, all the bandits and horse thieves would come out of the mountains, and this area wouldn't be safe then.
He had to familiarize himself with the nearby terrain in advance so that if bandits came to rob, he could retreat in time.
Besides that, the defenses around the stone cave also needed to be reinforced.
Liu Tiezhu planned to use the advantageous terrain to set up multiple traps.
It wasn't until evening that Liu Tiezhu returned to the stone cave with the two hunting dogs.
After dinner, Liu Tiezhu shared his idea of setting up traps.
He took out a pen and paper and marked the spots where he wanted to place the traps.
In addition to offensive traps, he also planned to set up warning traps on the periphery.
"Tiezhu, setting up so many traps will probably take at least a month to finish."
"And these traps are so strange and complicated to make, we don't know how to do them," Second Uncle said.
Liu Tiezhu replied, "Second Uncle, there's no rush with the traps."
"When you and Big Brother have free time, help me gather some vines and branches about two fingers thick."
"I'll figure out the rest of the materials myself."
"Also, I plan to go back to the village tonight and stay there for a few days."
"Don't come looking for me; I'll come back if something comes up."
Big Brother said, "Tiezhu, actually, the matter with Zhang Jingyang can wait."
"Now that the bandits and mountain thieves are out, it's too dangerous for you to go back alone."
Second Uncle chimed in, "Shanzi is right. We're not in immediate danger for now."
"How about we wait until this storm passes before going back?"
Liu Tiezhu said, "Big Brother, Second Uncle, I'm not going back just for Zhang Jingyang's matter."
"Brother Tian is alone in the village and not safe. I plan to bring him here."
"Besides that, I want to see if I can get some meat."
"I have a gun and a compound crossbow, so there won't be any danger."
Hearing this, Big Brother and Second Uncle fell silent.
"Brother Tiezhu, how about I go back with you?" Gouzi said.
Liu Tiezhu flatly refused, "You stay here and protect everyone."
Er Gouzi wanted to say more, but Second Uncle interrupted, "Gouzi, just listen to Tiezhu."
Hearing Second Uncle's words, Er Gouzi had to give up.
After making the arrangements, Liu Tiezhu packed five days' worth of food, mounted his horse, and rode out of the mountains.
Three hours later, Liu Tiezhu reined in his horse and stopped fifty meters from the entrance of Liu Family Village.
A fire was burning at the village entrance, with seven big men sitting around it chatting.
Liu Tiezhu tied up his horse and crept up from behind them.
Ten meters away, below the ridge of a field.
Liu Tiezhu crouched low, his gaze fixed on the direction of the fire.
"Yang Hua? Yang Gui?"
It had only been a few days, but Yang Hua and his crew had gotten sharp—each of them was holding a rifle, all the same model.
Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment, tucked the compound crossbow behind his back, and leaped up from the ridge.
"Who's there?"
The commotion immediately caught Yang Hua and the others' attention.
They quickly raised their rifles and aimed toward Liu Tiezhu's direction.
"Yang Hua, it's me, Liu Tiezhu."
Liu Tiezhu replied but didn't step out of the darkness.
"Put your damn guns down, all of you. This is Brother Tiezhu, the one I've been telling you about."
Yang Hua shouted and quickly walked over.
"Brother Tiezhu, where have you been? I went to your house when I got to the village."
Liu Tiezhu said, "Yang Hua, you're doing pretty well for yourself, all matching rifles."
"What are you guys doing here? Could it be..."
Yang Hua explained, "Brother Tiezhu, don't get the wrong idea. We're part of the guard unit now."
"The weapons were issued from above."
"We're on guard duty at the village entrance to prevent bandit raids."
"Guard unit?" Liu Tiezhu looked puzzled.
Yang Hua explained, "Brother Tiezhu, to put it simply, we're hired hands."
"Zhang Mingtao pays each of us three yuan a day, plus two catties of dried meat per person."
"Our job is to ensure Zhang Jingyang's safety and do routine patrols."
"Besides us, there are several other guard units."
Zhang Mingtao!
That guy was Zhang Jingyang's older brother.
It seemed the Zhang family had also gotten wind of something and planned to carve out their own territory.
Three yuan a day per person, plus two catties of meat each.
It looked like the Zhang family had deep pockets.
Yang Hua interrupted Liu Tiezhu's thoughts and said, "Brother Tiezhu, it's a shame someone with your skills isn't joining the guard unit."
"Besides the daily pay, you can also earn some extra on the side."
"With a gun in hand, getting resources is easy."
"How do I join?" Liu Tiezhu asked.
Yang Hua said, "That's easy. If you're willing, I'll go talk to Zhang Mingtao tomorrow."
"After he sees you, he'll give you a number, have the Zhang family steward write it down, and then issue you a gun and ammo. The pay will be delivered to you on time every day."
Liu Tiezhu thought it over and said, "Then tomorrow, you tell Zhang Mingtao, and I'll wait for your news at home."
"Deal, I'll bring you good news tomorrow," Yang Hua said.
Back home, Liu Tiezhu started mulling things over.
Joining the guard unit was definitely risky, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
His real goal wasn't the meager pay from the Zhang family's guard unit, but the Zhang family's money and grain.
Of course, the Zhang family wouldn't hand those over willingly.
He had to find a way to take them from the Zhang family.
While Liu Tiezhu was scheming about seizing the Zhang family's resources,
Liu Gang was also plotting how to kill Zhang Jingming and Liu Tiezhu.
The Zhang family had suddenly gathered so many men, handing out money, guns, and meat to organize a guard unit.
If things continued like this, the bandits of Tiangang Stronghold wouldn't stand a chance.
Then he'd be in danger.
"Those damn bandits from Tiangang Stronghold are useless."
Thinking about the gunfight two nights ago, Liu Gang couldn't help cursing again.
According to his original plan, Zhang Jingyang should have died in that gunfight, and Liu Tiezhu's family would have been dealt with too.
Then the entire Liu Family Village would have been his.
But instead, the bandits suffered heavy losses as soon as the fight started and nearly got wiped out.
Not only did he gain nothing from the clash, but it ended up benefiting Liu Tiezhu.
That night in the bamboo grove, he had personally seen Liu Tiezhu riding off on a horse, dragging a bag full of stuff.
"Son, don't get worked up yet. There's still a chance," Liu Shan said.
Liu Gang said, "What chance? The bandit contact is gone, which means those bastards from Tiangang Stronghold have abandoned us."
Liu Shan said, "Don't rush, let me finish."
"Zhang Jingyang swallowed goods worth a hundred thousand from Tiangang Stronghold. This won't end quietly."
"We need to find a way to lure Zhang Jingyang out and then tip off the bandits to set an ambush."
"Once the bandits take out Zhang Jingyang, Liu Family Village will be ours again."
"Zhang Jingyang has over thirty men with him now. Can the bandits take them out?"
"If we mess this up, we'll be the ones in trouble," Liu Gang said.
Liu Shan said, "What's there to fear? These guard units are just a ragtag bunch, no match for the bandits."
"We'll find a way to lure them out, and the bandits will surely wipe them out."
"Once Zhang Jingyang is dealt with, the next step is to take care of that bastard Liu Tiezhu."