Setting Up Camp, Bandits Arrive Menacingly

Zhang Dashan, feeling uneasy, carried the two heads forward to hang them on the carriages.

Shopkeeper Li stood by with a grim expression, feeling both nervous and scared.

Ning Chuan then said to Shopkeeper Li, "Arrange for a few people to help me pick up stones the size of a thumb. Pack them in bags and keep them by my side. The more stones, the better!"

"Yes, please rest assured, sir. I will handle it properly!"

Shopkeeper Li quickly agreed.

Ning Chuan's hidden weapon skills were formidable; he had already heard some rumors, which somewhat eased his mind.

Shopkeeper Li arranged for several shop assistants, and in just half an hour, they had collected over ten bags of pebbles.

Another carriage was arranged to carry them, following Ning Chuan's carriage, which pleased Ning Chuan greatly.

The sun had just passed noon when the caravan arrived at Wangfeng Slope.

This was a hillside with a wide field of vision. Ning Chuan got out of the carriage to survey the terrain and ordered the caravan to stop.

He called Zhang Dashan over and said, "Give the order. We'll camp here tonight?"

Zhang Dashan looked around, feeling quite worried, and bowed as he said, "Sir, this place has an extremely wide field of vision with no cover. If we make camp here, and the bandits charge with cavalry, I fear we won't be able to hold them off?"

"I have my own plans. Just do as you are ordered!"

Immediately, Ning Chuan had Zhang Dashan direct the caravan members to pull the carriages to the top of the slope and form a circle with them.

The horses were tied up in the center for protection, and at the foot of the slope, caltrops were set up all around, forming long rows of sharp spikes.

Outside the caltrops, several rings of trenches, more than a person deep, were dug, and sharp wooden stakes were driven into them.

Although the men of the Joint Defense Camp were not ranked warriors, their physical fitness far surpassed that of ordinary people, making these tasks relatively easy.

The atmosphere in the camp gradually became tense. Everyone eagerly helped with the work, putting in extra effort.

Within the entire caravan, only Big Dog and Xiao Hua were carefree, still playing with pebbles inside the carriage. Everyone else felt an unusual sense of oppression.

Ning Chuan stood on top of the carriage filled with stones and surveyed his surroundings. He saw that the field of vision was excellent, with everything within a radius of several hundred meters clearly visible.

A few hundred meters away, there was a small grove of trees, and within the grove, two scouts were peeking out, cautiously observing them.

This time, they were hiding and darting glances, not daring to be as blatant as before.

"Very good!"

Ning Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, idly spinning a pebble in his hand, like a neighborly old man doing morning exercises, appearing incredibly relaxed and completely devoid of tension.

With a flick of his finger, he sent two pebbles flying with Meteor Chasing Moon.

Pfft, pfft!

Two bursts of blood bloomed in the small grove, earning him two attribute points. It was better than nothing.

Just as the caravan was setting up camp, constructing defenses, and tensely preparing for battle, On a small mountain not far from here, three figures stood silently, observing the caravan's situation.

The person at the head was none other than the County Yamen's Strategist, Master Straw Bag, who had fled Hanshan Town in a panic.

The other two were Long Da, the First Boss of Second Dragon Mountain, and Long Er, the Second Boss.

Second Dragon Mountain was the bandit force closest to Hanshan Town, and Master Straw Bag had approached them first.

Long Da, seeing Master Straw Bag's disheveled state, was greatly surprised. After learning the reason, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

He had been looking for an opportunity to curry favor with the County Magistrate, and here it was, delivered right to his doorstep.

Without a second thought, he declared his intention to lead his Second Dragon Mountain brothers to kill Ning Chuan and avenge the Strategist.

Master Straw Bag, fearing Ning Chuan's power, thought that Long Da and Long Er might not be his match and dared not go. Naturally, he tried to dissuade them.

However, Long Da, being a rough man, was extremely arrogant. With a single sentence, "Strategist, are you looking down on me!" he pushed Master Straw Bag back.

Unable to refuse Long Da and Long Er, Master Straw Bag agreed to let them fight.

At this moment, Master Straw Bag had regained his usual confidence.

He fanned himself with his folding fan, gazing at the caravan in the distance, feeling a sense of grand strategy and ambition.

"My lords, do not be careless. Green Wolf and Black Tiger were both eighth-rank warriors, yet they fell to that brat Ning Chuan. This battle requires us to rely on our numbers and go all out, aiming for a swift and decisive kill!"

Master Straw Bag couldn't help but remind Long Da and Long Er again.

"Don't worry, Military Advisor. My brothers and I, Long Da and Long Er, never engage in battles without a sure chance of winning. Moreover, my brothers and I reached the peak of eighth-rank half a year ago. How can we be compared to the likes of Green Wolf and Black Tiger?"

"A mere Ning Chuan, a young brat, is nothing to worry about. Tonight, I will personally cut off his head and present it to you, Strategist, as a chamber pot!"

Long Da slapped his chest with a resounding thud.

Long Er stood beside him with his arms crossed, the corners of his mouth upturned, his face full of arrogance.

Seeing their nonchalant and dismissive attitudes, Master Straw Bag recalled how Ning Chuan had effortlessly crushed Green Wolf and Black Tiger, and a trace of worry arose in his heart.

"These two, Long Da and Long Er, are ambitious but lack talent, and are arrogant and unruly. They are definitely no match for Ning Chuan.

"No, I must find another plan!"

He thought this in his heart, but his words were different.

"You two bosses have worked hard. Once this matter is accomplished, I, your strategist, will report your merits to His Excellency the County Magistrate, and he will surely reward you handsomely!"

"Thank you, Strategist. It is an honor for the brothers of Second Dragon Mountain to serve His Excellency the County Magistrate!"

Long Da and Long Er bowed and thanked the strategist, their attitude quite humble.

The golden crow sank in the west, and the jade rabbit rose in the east. Darkness enveloped the land.

Rumble...

The wind howled, lightning flashed across the sky, thunder echoed, and the storm was brewing.

Everyone in the Qing Shi merchant caravan was armed, leaning against the backs of the carriages to sleep, occasionally looking nervously into the distance. They were uneasy and had no sleep.

Behind the barricades, bonfires were lit, illuminating a radius of a hundred meters as if it were daytime.

Zhang Dashan patrolled back and forth behind the barricades. Half of the fifty men from the Joint Defense Camp were on night watch, while the other half rested among the merchant caravan.

Ning Chuan sat inside the carriage. The darkness not only did not hinder his vision but was even more advantageous to him.

By midnight, the caravan was exhausted, and the night watchmen were yawning incessantly.

Just then, Zhang Dashan shouted loudly, "Everyone, be on guard! The bandits are here!"

Everyone's hearts tightened, and their sleepiness vanished instantly. They picked up their weapons and became tense and alert.

The fifty men in coarse clothes from the Joint Defense Camp quickly took their positions, holding long spears, ready for battle behind the barricades.

After a moment of chaos in the rear of the caravan, Shopkeeper Li managed to calm them down.

Ning Chuan's eyes were like lightning. In front of and behind the camp, two groups of bandit cavalry were rapidly approaching with torches, their horses' hooves rumbling in the distance.

The leaders were the First Boss of Second Dragon Mountain, Long Da, and the Second Boss, Long Er.

The cavalry approached the camp to about five hundred meters before suddenly scattering, forming a circle that surrounded the camp, and then the circle gradually tightened.

"The bandits are here! Get your spirits up, with Lord Ning here, what are we afraid of!"

Zhang Dashan shouted, mustering his courage, but his voice trembled.

"Damn it, let's fight! These sons of bitches!"

The fifty men in coarse clothes from the Joint Defense Camp held their long spears, their eyes red, roaring in grief and anger!

"Ning Chuan, you brat, come out and die!"

"Kill! Leave none alive!"

"Kill!"

Only the rumbling of horses' hooves and earth-shattering war cries were heard. Long Da and Long Er led the charge, galloping towards the camp.

The bandit cavalry behind them held their torches high and shouted in unison, launching their charge from all directions.