Sneak Attack

Reclaiming wasteland, building water conservancy, constructing roads and bridges. Recruiting personnel from the villages around the small town.

They didn't dare to defect directly for the time being, and Ming Shu didn't immediately start surveying the land. He arranged some work for them first, and at the same time, used work as relief, giving them some grain for the winter.

Both sides needed a transition period to observe each other.

The clan entered a period of stable development. Old Zhao brought the captives from the valley back to work near Baishi Village again.

Everyone was used to seeing these pirates, and their fear of them had faded considerably. They weren't invincible. They had the same heads, hands, feet, mouths, and eyes as everyone else. Why should they be content to be oppressed by others forever?

In the education of the new generation, Ming Shu emphasized the importance of self-improvement. It had to be cultivated from a young age.

Every five days, Ming Shu would release a new weather forecast, and its accuracy had already reached fifty percent. More and more people were starting to believe him.

The arrow tower in the courtyard was also rebuilt and turned into an observatory, making it taller. In several key locations around the manor, new arrow towers were erected for vigilance and combat when necessary.

The second pirate to defect was the owner of the Snow Frog Demon Beast Spirit, that simpleton.

Everyone called him simpleton, and he was registered as Simpleton. His strength was much greater than Tie Ju's, and he worked diligently, but his appetite was also huge.

Little Zhao had told him earlier that if he wanted to eat his fill, he had to work harder. He took it to heart and performed exceptionally well, earning his permanent position ahead of schedule.

It couldn't really be called defection. He didn't have many pirate secrets to reveal. It was just that he had adapted to life here, recognized the local way of doing things and values, and had grown to like the environment and the people.

Naturally, the restrictions on him were reduced, and he was given more freedom. Although this guy was simple and reckless, if you told him to charge forward, he really would.

Under Little Zhao's careful guidance, he became more obedient. He could be held back when he shouldn't charge, making him more useful.

Time quietly passed for another month. Just as everyone was letting down their guard against the pirates, a surprise attack came.

Evil Dragon Island had noticed the situation here, especially after the Zhao Clan's merchant caravan had visited not long ago, bringing a large amount of good things.

Several nearby families had exchanged a large amount of supplies, especially ironware. Baishi Village had organized this trade, but they were the weakest and couldn't exchange much, nor did they have much money to buy.

They merely showcased the backing they had to build good relationships with their neighbors, so they could jointly deal with external threats like pirates.

This naturally attracted the attention of the pirates from Evil Dragon Island.

As dusk fell, a group of pirates suddenly launched a raid with considerable momentum.

The vigilant patrol guards immediately responded, notifying others while organizing the evacuation of personnel still in the fields.

Upon receiving the notification, Zhao Dun and the others immediately assembled the guard team, preparing for battle.

At this time, Ming Shu was still with Old Zhao, Xiao Shiyi, and Lü E, discussing treasury and ledger issues.

Ming Shu was still trying to teach them to use modern accounting methods and tools to handle affairs.

Zhao Siqi, having just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, was still in seclusion consolidating her cultivation and had not participated in management for over a month.

She only came out of seclusion to meet the Zhao Clan's merchant caravan when they arrived, and then she hurried back to her seclusion.

This was how low-level cultivators practiced seclusion. They still had to come out for meals and washing daily, but they simply devoted more time and energy to cultivation, striving to concentrate their efforts on breaking through bottlenecks.

Unlike high-level cultivators, who could go without eating for extended periods, which was akin to a death seclusion.

After receiving the alarm, the few of them hastily put down their tasks, drew their weapons, and prepared for battle.

Lü E returned to the inner courtyard. Ming Shu ascended the observatory to first determine the general situation of the enemy.

Old Zhao organized the farmers in the town, telling women, children, and the elderly to return home, while the strong young men picked up their weapons and formed a defense line in the town.

At the same time, they couldn't release signal flares. It wasn't night yet, and the special fire arrows had very poor effects. During the day, smoke signals could be used, but now it was dusk, and smoke was rising from the cooking fires in all the villages. Moreover, in the afterglow of the sunset, smoke signals were also ineffective.

The enemy was attacking with a specific target.

Ming Shu felt uneasy, knowing he was being targeted. The timing was so precise that he suspected an inside job was coordinating with them.

Not only the manor and the town were under suspicion, but several neighbors also needed to be suspected.

They had only recently witnessed his background. Were they trying to test his true strength now?

On the high platform, Ming Shu looked out and could already see the pirates' tattered flags and forces. There were only five Demon Beast Spirits, and the rest were ordinary martial artists.

Demon Beast Spirits: Mao Xie Jiang, Qing Xie Jiang, Hei Zhao E, Zhan Ci E, Shi Lin E.

Sensing their auras, they were likely not simple low-level Demon Beast Spirits.

He wondered if everyone could withstand their attack. Calculating the available combat strength, Ren Yuan, a fourth-tier Martial Artist with a Demonic Spirit, was still the top general;

Next were Old Zhao, a fifth-tier Martial Artist; Zhao Dun and Zhao Chuan, fourth-tier Martial Artists; Chong Li, a third-tier Sorcerer with a Demonic Spirit; Zhao Siqi, already a third-tier Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator; and then himself, a second-tier Sorcerer with a Demonic Spirit.

Xiao Shiyi was a second-tier Scholar Realm scholar. He and the two Spirit Planter Masters didn't have much combat power.

Little Zhao (Zhao Xiaojie), a third-tier Martial Artist, and now also with the Still Water Frog - Tie Ju, and the Snow Frog - Simpleton, could barely be considered combat strength.

The remaining guards were basically at the first and second-tier Martial Artist level.

First-tier Martial Artists were in the Body Strengthening Realm, and second-tier were in the Bronze Skin Iron Bones Realm, only then did they basically possess a certain combat capability. The current situation was to block the five mid-to-high-tier combatants of the opposing side.

Five pirates, ferociously leading their men, charged directly over.

Without wanting to reveal the Demon Fox yet, Ming Shu also had to personally lead his Demonic Spirit into battle. Moreover, communication with the Demon Fox was not yet ready, and it still had considerable emotions. It might not be willing to fight obediently.

Ming Shu had already removed the first layer of seals on it a few days ago, restoring it to first-tier level.

Ming Shu did not find any pirates coming from other directions on the high platform, so he came down to meet the enemies coming from the east with everyone else.

Those five Demon Beast Spirits were actually brought over by that group of Pirates; they were the real VIPs.

The five Pirate leaders had to bow and pay respects to the spirits first before inviting them into their own bodies, granting them immense power.

The Pirates possessed by two Crab General Demon Beast Spirits, relying on the hard, solid armor they now had around them, leaped forward to fight.

Zhao Dun and Zhao Chuan teamed up to face one. Old Zhao faced another.

The two Pirates possessed by the Battle Thorn Crocodile and Stone Scale Crocodile Demon Beast Spirits also charged out. The Battle Thorn Crocodile was intercepted by Ren Yuan.