In Houxuan Village, the villagers were busy building stove stands. Sister Qing and the others had said that if they caught any prey, they would make barbecue for them in the afternoon.
The last time they had barbecue was when they found the wild boar. Nowadays, Sister Qing was truly impeccable. Every time there was something delicious, she would call them to eat together. Moreover, everything was so delicious that it made them want to swallow their own tongues.
"Giddy up..."
Su Minghui saw a group of people riding horses in the distance. The billowing dust they kicked up blurred his vision ahead. Gradually, he realized something was amiss. The people on horseback seemed to be heading towards them.
Su Minghui called over a villager. "Gangzi, go and call Old Xu and the others."
"No need, we're already here. Did Fourthly just see a group of horsemen heading this way?" After Fourthly reported, Xu Fu and the others hurried over.
"Whoa~"
"Whoa~"
"Whoa~"...
As Xu Fu and the others arrived, the group of horsemen also approached, surrounding the villagers. The few people at the forefront of the group rode their horses back and forth, sizing them up.
Su Minghui, seeing that the group had an ill intent, put on a false smile, cupped his hands, and stepped forward to ask, "I am Su Minghui, the village chief. May I ask what advice you esteemed heroes have for us?"
"What is he saying? Esteemed heroes? Advice? Hahahaha..." The bandits, upon hearing Su Minghui's words, burst into laughter.
After finishing his laughter, the bandit leader, in a pretense of courtesy, cupped his hands and said, "I am Song Biao, the Grand Chieftain of Fierce Tiger Stronghold. Village Chief Su, I wish to borrow some things from your village."
As Song Biao finished speaking, he beckoned behind him. His subordinates quickly dismounted and spread out, surrounding the people of Houxuan Village. Su Minghui frowned, a sense of foreboding washing over him, and he glanced at Xu Fu and the others.
Xu Fu was currently glaring sharply at the group before him, and with his hands behind his back, he was signaling to Fourthly and the others.
"Brothers, attack!" With Song Biao's command, the bandits raised their sabers and began to hack wildly.
Xu Fu and the remaining guards leaped into areas with more bandits, engaging them in combat. The able-bodied men of Houxuan Village also picked up weapons to resist.
Song Biao and a few of his lieutenants had been watching from the sidelines. However, before long, he had lost many of his brothers. He hadn't expected the refugee group to have such experts. He leaped forward and engaged Leng Ren, the leader of the guards and the most skilled fighter among them.
Leng Ren, having received instructions from Old Xu, had been patrolling outside the tents where the less capable individuals were sheltering. Madam Wang and Su Muxuan's third grandmother were inside.
Song Biao wielded a serpentine saber weighing over a hundred pounds, while Leng Ren held a soft sword as thin as cicada wings. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.
Leng Ren had not expected this bandit leader to be so skilled. Glancing sideways, he noticed that the guards fighting against his men were not weak either. They were nothing like the disorganized rabble they had encountered before.
In a short while, the two had exchanged dozens of moves. As Leng Ren gained the upper hand and was only a few moves away from capturing the bandit leader, Song Biao, seeing that he was about to lose, turned and scattered a handful of powder at him.
While Leng Ren was raising his hands to shield his face from the poisonous powder, Song Biao seized the opening and fiercely chopped at his sword-wielding arm.
Fortunately, Leng Ren managed to twist his sword slightly, dodging the full force of the blow, which prevented his entire arm from being severed. Even so, his arm was gashed, losing a piece of flesh and muscle, and Song Biao kicked him towards the tent.
Madam Wang and the others, hiding inside the tent, were startled as someone suddenly crashed into it, causing it to collapse. She looked closely and saw it was one of their own, seemingly injured. She quickly rushed forward to help him up.
"How are you? Oh... heavens!" Seeing the blood all over Leng Ren's right arm, Madam Wang felt a pang of pain in her own arm.
"Hahahaha, you're quite skilled, aren't you! What do you say? Interested in joining me? I can give you a position as Fourth Chieftain." Song Biao also entered the tent.
He looked around, noting that the items these people used were indeed of high quality, which explained why his brothers had been urging him to act quickly. Then he looked at the women. Although they were past their prime, they were well-kept and still possessed a certain charm.
"Pah! You insidious, cunning, despicable villain." Leng Ren spat disdainfully at him, then struggled to stand up and once again raised his sword to attack.
"You refuse a toast only to be met with a defiant defiance." Song Biao reprimanded him, raised his saber to block the incoming sword, and then kicked Leng Ren squarely in the chest.
Having been affected by the anesthetic, wounded by the saber, and struck twice, Leng Ren was now covered in blood. Song Biao, carrying his saber, approached him step by step.
Madam Wang, seeing Leng Ren kicked away again and the bandit raising his saber to kill him, quickly picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it forcefully at Song Biao.
Struck in the back by the stone, Song Biao cried out in pain, turned around, ran forward two steps, raised his saber, and was about to swing it down at Madam Wang. Leng Ren, with his last ounce of strength, rushed forward, pushed Madam Wang aside, and shielded her from the saber.
"Boom~" A loud bang echoed. A tremendous force sent Song Biao's saber flying. Not only was the blade bent, but the tiger's mouth on his hand was also split open, bleeding.
With his saber knocked away, Song Biao quickly dodged. As he evaded, he observed a white-haired, white-bearded old man holding a black, tube-like object and aiming it at him. Every time he pressed the object, a projectile would be fired from the tube, accompanied by a deafening sound.
The old man, holding the firearm, fired shot after shot. Unfortunately, his aim was poor, and Song Biao was agile. Apart from grazing his shoulder slightly, all other bullets were dodged by him.
The projectile made twelve sounds. Song Biao dodged for a while and, noticing there were no more loud noises, poked his head out. He discovered that everyone inside the tent had escaped. Enraged, he shoved aside the table that was blocking his path, clutched his injured arm, and ran out of the tent.
After Song Biao ran out, he found that the situation outside was not much better. These refugees seemed to be exceptionally resilient. His brothers were only slightly gaining the upper hand.
"Damn it, haven't you eaten? You can't even defeat a bunch of refugees? Get out of my way!" Song Biao berated his brothers and then, with his now-bent saber, charged into the crowd. He raised his saber and swung it at Su Mingyong's back.
"Ayong!" Su Minghui saw his brother about to be injured and, with a flying leap, embraced him and rolled to the side. The curved saber landed heavily on Su Minghui's shoulder.
"Ah!" Su Minghui cried out in pain.
"Big Brother!" Su Mingyong's eyes turned crimson as he looked at Su Minghui lying on top of him, filled with guilt.
"Ah Hui!" Madam Wang, seeing Su Minghui injured, set Leng Ren aside and rushed towards him.
Seeing Su Minghui injured, Xu Fu instructed Fourthly to provide support. A small bandit nearby saw this, stuck out his leg, and tripped Madam Wang. He then raised his saber and swung it at her.