Discovered

Just then, a loud "boom" suddenly came from the foot of the mountain in the distance, carrying far into the night.

Shen Jingchuan's expression shifted; Hu Tieniu and his men had made their move. Still feeling uneasy, he wanted to go and check from a distance.

He took out three porcelain bottles from his Storage Ring and placed them on the bedside table.

"In a moment, refine one of the Spirit Concentrating Pills I just gave you to nourish your Divine Sense."

"These three bottles contain High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, a total of thirty pills, to aid your cultivation. Remember the rules: refine only one pill at a time, and stop to rest after refining three. A maximum of three pills per day; never be greedy."

He gave further instructions.

"You've already refined two pills today. Refine the last one in a bit and then you're done. Don't be reckless; you need to solidify your foundation little by little. This pill is very potent, so it's best to use it again every other day. Take it slow, understand?"

"My lord, I understand." Bai Ruoli held the porcelain bottle and said softly, "Actually, I'm reluctant to use too much. I know this elixir is probably more precious than Spirit Stones."

Her eyes reddened as she spoke, and tears almost fell. Forgetting that she wasn't dressed yet, she rushed over and hugged Shen Jingchuan tightly.

"My husband, you know what my background is, I'm too ashamed to even say it..." She buried her face in his shoulder, her voice choked, "But you're still so good to me."

She couldn't finish the sentence; tears streamed down her face.

Shen Jingchuan reached out and wiped it for her.

"Alright, stop being so sentimental." His tone softened. "No matter what, you're still my good wife. What's mine is yours, isn't it?"

"I will repay you for the rest of my life, and I will be good to you for the rest of my life." Bai Ruoli cried uncontrollably, her whole body trembling slightly.

It took Shen Jingchuan a long time to coax her into calming down.

"Ruoli, a fight has broken out down the mountain. I have to go check it out; I'm not at ease." He patted her back. "Although I can't directly intervene, it's always good to keep an eye on things from the sidelines."

Upon hearing that it was serious business, Bai Ruoli quickly wiped away her tears.

"I know this is a big deal, you go quickly, don't worry about me, I'll be fine in a bit." She urged him between sobs, and reached out to get his clothes.

Shen Jingchuan patted her bare body, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Put yourself on first." He glanced at her. "You're just wearing a little corset, coming here naked to dress me. Do you want me to leave, or do you not want me to leave?"

Bai Ruoli then realized that she was only wearing a loosely fitted undergarment. Her face flushed, and she hurriedly grabbed the outer robe next to her and put it on in a flustered manner.

Shen Jingchuan dressed and went out the door. With a flash of sword light beneath his feet, he headed straight for the foot of the mountain.

He stood on the flying sword, suspended in mid-air. Now his eyesight and Divine Sense far surpassed those of ordinary people, and he could see everything happening below the mountain clearly.

Flames flickered wildly over there, and shouts and gunfire mingled together; the two sides were locked in a fierce battle.

By 10 p. m., Hu Tieniu had finished arranging the manpower.

Everyone was gathered inside the village gate. The pre-battle mobilization had already been done, so there was no need for further explanation. He waved his hand and uttered two words in a low voice.

"Set off."

The group proceeded according to the previously agreed plan. The gate remained closed, and several ropes were quietly lowered from the top of the wall. One hundred soldiers dressed in black night clothes filed down the wall, crouching low, and slowly made their way towards the Government Army's camp around the bend ahead. Each soldier carried a knife at his waist and a crossbow in his hand.

Hu Tieniu stood on the stockade wall, looking down through binoculars. This wasn't some kind of night-vision treasure; it relied entirely on the faint moonlight to make out vague movements, but anything more was impossible to discern.

The hundred men were divided into three teams. The first team of ten men went ahead to scout the way, while the remaining two teams followed far behind to provide support. Among these ten men, three more men hunched over and stepped forward, inching their way towards the camp.

The Government Army had been besieging the village for so long that they had long since become complacent, never expecting that the people in the village would dare to launch a surprise attack in the dead of night.

The camp had a hundred guards, divided into two shifts: fifty during the day and fifty at night. At this moment, the dozens on duty were gathered around a fire, chatting idly. The three men who were supposed to be on guard duty outside the camp didn't seem to care much either, huddled together and making conversation.

The three men who went forward exchanged hand signals, each identifying a target, and slightly raised their crossbows.

"Let go." The leader whispered, his voice barely audible.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Three crossbow bolts flew from the bowstring, heading straight for vital organs. The two sentries fell without uttering a sound, while the remaining one let out a half-scream the moment he was hit.

The people inside the fortress were thrown into chaos upon hearing the commotion.

The three archers, having successfully fired their first shot, immediately slipped into the shadows and deftly reloaded their crossbows.

Upon seeing this, the seven men behind them leaped forward, followed by ninety soldiers who pressed forward as well.

Hu Tieniu, watching from the stockade wall, saw clearly that his first attack had been discovered, and cursed his bad luck. Since his whereabouts had already been exposed, there was no point in hiding any longer, so he immediately waved his hand.

"Open the gates! Charge in!"

The gates of the stockade burst open, and two thousand men filed out. These two thousand men were dressed identically, all wearing red hard hats and stab-proof vests. Half of them carried crossbows and knives at their waists, while the other half carried long spears. They charged straight down into the night.

Several four-wheeled carriages followed in the middle of the procession, carrying ammunition and with two Maxim machine guns mounted on their roofs.

Another modified four-wheeled carriage followed behind, with a twin-barreled 23mm machine gun mounted on its roof and ammunition boxes piled up inside, and it rumbled down the mountain.

At the rear of the column were one hundred of the most elite veterans, tasked with covering the rear and protecting the machine guns.

All the able-bodied men in the village had gone out, leaving only some teenagers and men in their forties and fifties on the village walls, each carrying a crossbow and guarding the walls and gates. Once all the men had left the village, the gates were closed again and shut tightly.

That half-scream finally alerted the people inside the fort. Chaos erupted inside the camp, and the guards grabbed their weapons and rushed out. Being border troops, they still had some fighting strength left, and their formation didn't crumble in the chaos.

But as soon as they rushed out of the fortress gate, they were met with a volley of fire from seven crossbowmen waiting outside. Several of them fell to the ground. After firing, the seven men immediately retreated to the side of the road and bent down to nock arrows for their crossbows. Groups of crossbowmen in black followed closely behind, sealing the fortress gate tightly. As soon as anyone peeked out from inside, a hail of arrows would pour in.

Before long, a series of gong sounds rang out from inside the fortress, signaling an alarm.