CHAPTER 1029: CHAPTER 1027 NIGHT RAID

The cabin was pitch dark, and nothing could be seen clearly.

The leader made a gesture, and several men holding various weapons surrounded them.

Just as a few people gathered near the door, with a "bang," they felt as if night fell, and the door came crashing in?

Before they could react, they were directly slammed to the ground by the door, unable to make a sound, and fainted instantly.

The remaining men were stunned at first, but being hunters by nature, they quickly regained their senses, each drawing their bows and raising their knives, vigilantly eyeing the wooden cabin.

"Come out— or we’ll shoot!" Before the words had finished, an arrow shot toward the pitch-black cabin, either deliberately or due to a trembling hand.

Simultaneously, the sharp sound of a bone whistle started echoing in the sky above Yingzi Gully.

In this deep mountain, late at night, the bone whistle pierced through the silence of the long night, echoing throughout the distant mountains.

In the cave, the sleeping children, and the women and elders who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, were suddenly awakened.

In an instant, the cave was filled with the cries of children and the frantic shouts of adults, creating a clamor.

Those who caught snippets of conversation and knew some inside information sat up and looked outside the cave.

It was still pitch black.

They couldn’t see anything and had to strain their ears to hear any movement from outside.

But besides the sound of the wind, they heard nothing at all.

Meanwhile, despite the commotion from the bone whistle, there was still no sound from inside the wooden cabin.

The arrow that was shot in didn’t stir up any splash.

Hearing the cries of the children from the cave, the remaining men exchanged glances and gritted their teeth. Two stayed behind with bows drawn, aiming inside the cabin, while the others cautiously stepped inside.

Once inside, the scene suddenly lit up as someone ignited a flint stick.

The brightness startled the hunters, who reflexively squinted their eyes shut, and then felt a sharp pain at the back of their necks before losing consciousness.

At the same time, the two hunters guarding outside were quietly overtaken from behind by Zhang Quan’s men, who swiftly disarmed them and dragged them into the darkness unconscious.

Everything was done so cleanly and efficiently.

Inside the wooden cabin, the oil lamps were finally lit.

Only then was it clear that five or six hunters lay sprawled on the ground, all unconscious.

Zhang Quan’s men, skilled with experience, quickly bound the hunters with ropes in no time.

They also removed the wooden door and dragged out the ones knocked unconscious by it, tying them up like dumplings.

Wang Yongping finally spoke, still shaken: "These bastards—" And he didn’t stop kicking the unconscious hunters a few times in frustration.

Earlier, when the arrow shot in, the darkness not only obscured the view inside the cabin for others but also prevented them from seeing where the arrow came from.

If it hadn’t been for his sister pulling him aside, he might have been injured, and his heart was still pounding from the scare.

Wang Yongzhu saw that these people had been dealt with and that those left in the cave were just the elderly and women and children, not worth worrying about.

What concerned her was Song Chongjin’s side. The bone whistle was certainly a pre-arranged signal, and upon failing, those people had decided to send the signal anyway, likely instructing that side to set the mountain on fire directly.

Although she knew that with Song Chongjin there, things wouldn’t go wrong, she was still concerned about how things were going on Tea Mountain.

Over at Tea Mountain, where Wang Yongzhu was concerned,

Song Chongjin and Sun Qi moved quickly, soon arriving at the spot where Sun Qi had ordered the boulders to block the path down the mountain.

The rocks had completely blocked the road, with a cliff on one side and tall, precariously balanced stones on the other, and even the mountain hunters didn’t dare cross carelessly.

From afar, they could see a few figures carefully climbing over the rocks and could even hear their mutterings.

They were having difficulty climbing, testing each step cautiously, clearing away loose stones to avoid slipping and falling.

A tumble there would mean falling into the abyss and losing their lives.

Song Chongjin pulled Sun Qi aside, opting to conceal their presence instead of advancing.

After a while, when those people had crossed over, Song Chongjin moved closer, eavesdropping clearly on their conversation.

"Pah! This is exhausting! Why are there so many rocks here? They weren’t here the other day? Such a nuisance!"

"Who knows? Isn’t it common for rocks to fall in this mountain? What’s so strange about it? Let’s hurry before dark falls and delays us from reaching—"

"What’s there to fear? Who would ever guess we’d head to Tea Mountain? Besides, didn’t we plan to act at midnight? At that time, that Scholar Master and Scholar’s Lady will be sound asleep, never expecting us to launch a two-pronged attack."

"By then, as soon as Tea Mountain falls into our hands, won’t they behave and listen to us?"

...

Sun Qi, despite his experience with human malice, couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this. These people were utterly ungrateful.

Turning his gaze to Song Chongjin, he found nothing revealed in his expression.

He couldn’t help but be alarmed. Over the years, Sun Qi prided himself on his ability to read people accurately.

Yet here, this young Scholar Song already eluded his grasp; with such shrewdness, what lies ahead...

Sun Qi lowered his head, dare not look further.

Those on the other side of the stones had rested well and continued their journey, their voices fading away into the distance.

Sun Qi was about to speak when Song Chongjin gestured for silence.

Then, he dragged Sun Qi down to crouch under a rock.

They heard someone mutter from that direction: "What a needless anxiety; no one knows of our plans, so why would anyone discover us? I said there was too much worry, didn’t I? Not a single ghost in sight!"

Afterwards, the sound of small stones rolling could be heard, followed by footsteps growing distant.

Sun Qi strained his ears to listen, but Song Chongjin had already stood up: "They’re gone."

Sun Qi wanted to ask how a scholar like Song Chongjin knew there was still one left to guard the rear.

But looking at Song Chongjin, he remained silent.

Since everyone had left, the two wasted no time, climbing over the giant rocks swiftly.

Sun Qi watched Song Chongjin, noting how his movements were even more agile than his own, and opened his mouth, then closed it.

After crossing the boulders, Song Chongjin finally spoke: "Is there a shortcut?"

Sun Qi nodded: "Yes!" He then led Song Chongjin down a path beyond the cliff where the slope became gentler; he pushed aside the underbrush, revealing a vine, grasping it with both hands to move alternately downward.

Song Chongjin learned with just a glance and followed behind, soon reaching the valley floor. Crossing the gorge and climbing half a mountain would bring them to Tea Mountain.

Neither of them were talkative; they trudged without a word, reaching the foot of Tea Mountain to find Sun Qi’s men surrounding them.

Sun Qi said little beyond introducing Song Chongjin and then explaining: "As expected, those people are restless; they planned to set the mountain on fire at midnight, so stay alert."

The group acknowledged without further discussion.