Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Gathering Together

The things Bai Zhengliu and Tan Yuanwai discussed were actually very simple. Since they had already planned to prevent the mountain bandits from climbing over the walls, wasn’t it a waste of this "foresight" if they didn’t take some action on the walls themselves?

As for how to defend, it was also quite simple. They would find some broken porcelain shards, place the sharp edges facing upward, and stick them to the wall with a mixture of mud, glutinous rice, and straw.

Once Tan Yuanwai had left, Bai Zhengliu looked at the Meng family members in the room but didn’t say what he was thinking, which was, “Had we known earlier, we should have retrieved the mountain bandits' abandoned weapons and used them ourselves.”

He only said, “We can’t let Yuanwai do all the work by himself. Let’s help out as well.”

During this process, of course, they had to closely monitor the Meng family members to make sure they didn’t do anything unnecessary.

Thus, the following scene unfolded:

Meng Dabe (Meng’s elder uncle) was standing near the door.

Qian Gui swiftly moved past, causing his younger brother, Jun Tao, to mutter to his brother, “The real master doesn’t reveal himself! They always say Qian Dage hasn’t practiced martial arts, but how can he move so fast?”

Jun Yang gave his younger brother a glance, “Next time, Master tells you to practice your body movements, will you actually practice?”

Jun Tao replied, “I just hope to see Master again soon.”

Jun Yang sighed.

At this moment, Qian Gui had already started talking to Meng Dabe.

He skillfully and subtly used his large body to block Meng Dabe’s path, saying, “Meng Dage! There’s another thing I need to ask you about.”

Meng Dabe frowned, his face clearly showing dissatisfaction, but he suppressed it.

Qian Gui was impressed by this skill of changing expressions. But then again, he wasn’t too far behind himself.

With a smile, Qian Gui said, “After going through all this, I’ve been thinking of practicing some martial arts. Even if I can’t drive the enemy back, it will help me strengthen my body. Unfortunately, the few friends I’ve traveled with said they practiced as children, so they probably can’t give me any advice. I thought, why not ask you, Meng Laoge?”

His reasoning was flawless, and his attitude was completely respectful.

Meng Dabe took a deep breath, “Qian Laodi, at your age, it’s a bit late to start learning martial arts. However, I do know a set of boxing techniques. If you practice them a bit, it’ll certainly make your movements more agile.”

Qian Gui was excited, “Please, teach me, Laoge!”Meng Dabe: "Alright, alright then."

On the other side, while everyone’s attention was focused on his father and Qian Gui, Meng Tangxiong began to slowly move towards the door.

But he didn’t get far.

Someone blocked his path again, and this time, it was Jun Tao.

Jun Tao took a completely different approach compared to Qian Gui. He came forward and said, "Meng Dage! Let’s have a little sparring match, what do you think?"

Meng Tangxiong: "..." What kind of people are these?

"Alright," he nodded.

His willingness to cooperate surprised Bai Zhengliu, who had been observing all parties closely.

It was Mei Yinghan who made him realize what was happening. The Great Senior Brother of Tianshan withdrew his attention from the mud he was mixing and glanced lightly toward the direction of Meng Tangxiong and Jun Tao, saying, "We’re bound to face each other eventually, so why not take advantage of the moment while no one is paying attention to test the depth of our skills?"

If the result of the test was "deep," they would still be the close Meng Dabe and Tangxiong, who treated Tan Yuanwai like family. But if the result was "shallow"… then the mountain bandits weren’t fools. Would they really wait for the villagers to come and trap them inside? No, they would change their plans and deal with the Jianghu guests and Tan family members on the spot. That way, they would also get more silver for themselves.

Realizing this, Bai Zhengliu let out a long sigh.

"Thankfully, it's us," he said.

Mei Yinghan looked at him with mild surprise.

"If we could destroy this place like ‘Changzhai,’" Bai Zhengliu continued, "Then, when others come later, they won’t suffer the same fate."

Hearing this, Mei Yinghan smiled faintly, "What you said, Brother Bai, is quite different from what most people would say."

Bai Zhengliu: "‘Most people’?"

Mei Yinghan: "At least, I’ve already heard Qian Dage complain a few times about why it's always him who ends up unlucky, falling into such a predicament."

Bai Zhengliu responded objectively: "Hmm... After all, Qian Dage really doesn’t have the means to protect himself."Mei Yinghan: "If one has the means to protect oneself, would they rather enter the tiger's den to help others?"

Bai Zhengliu glanced at him: "What does Brother Mei think?"

Mei Yinghan softly replied: "I think the same as Brother Bai."

It would sound a bit foolish to others, wouldn't it?

Mei Yinghan understood this. So when he heard that Bai Zhengliu had the same thoughts, his first reaction was surprise.

After the surprise, it turned into a sense of inevitability. Since it was Brother Bai, there was nothing to be surprised about.

The two looked at each other, and faint smiles appeared on both their faces.

This scene was observed from a distance by Nie Qing’e and Lu Qing. As they were handling the broken porcelain pieces, the couple unconsciously looked at each other. When Lu Qing noticed that his wife’s hair was wet with sweat, clinging to her cheek, he raised his hand and gently pushed her hair back.

Nie Qing’e smiled, a mix of nostalgia and sorrow: "Aqing..."

Lu Qing said: "These porcelain pieces might not be enough. I’ll go get some more bowls and plates. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

Nie Qing’e nodded, swallowing the words she had meant to say.

The commotion in the yard wasn’t lost on Tan Junqiu and Meng Yuniang. They quickly came out to inquire, and after receiving the answer, their reactions were different.

Tan Junqiu was both afraid and worried, just like last night, suggesting that his wife and child leave first. Meng Yuniang, however, was as resolute as last night, refusing to leave.

Throughout this process, even Bai Zhengliu and the others observed that she cast several glances at Meng Tangxiong.

Meng Tangxiong didn’t respond at all. However, this reaction made Tan Qiulang’s face darken.

Everyone then understood: why did Tan Junqiu feel that his wife and her cousin shared something? Meng Yuniang and her cousin carried the same secret. Even though she had developed feelings for the Tan family through their daily interactions, when they were together, there would still be an aura between her and her cousin that only they could understand. For someone like Tan Qiulang, who had poor health and already felt inferior, this naturally became "solid proof" that his wife truly loved her cousin, a strong and valiant man.

Everyone felt a complex mix of emotions. With others present, communication through words was impossible, and all they could do was exchange glances, silently lamenting the misunderstandings within this family.Not far away, Tan Qiulang and Meng Yuniang were still repeating:

"You leave!"

"I won’t leave!"

At this moment, the villagers of Tanjia Village who had gone to fetch farming tools and weapons returned one by one.

Ma Er was among them. His water pouch, which Bai Zhengliu had given him, was still hanging from his waist. Seeing the group of Jianghu guests in the yard, his expression was hard to describe.

Jun Tao was close by him. Having heard from Bai and Mei about the previous exchanges between the two sides, he, for some reason, gathered the courage to speak to him: "Ma Ge, do you think our preparations are complete?"

As he spoke, he showed Ma Er the mud and porcelain pieces his group had prepared before they arrived.

Ma Er observed carefully, then slowly took a breath and said: "Perhaps it will be useful."

Jun Tao's eyes immediately brightened.

But Ma Er sternly added: "Do not let your guard down! Those mountain bandits... I mean, those mountain bandits are always ruthless and vicious. If they really come, then all of us will have to fight for our lives!"

Jun Tao took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Of course."

More and more people gathered in the yard, and the sky grew darker.

Tan Junqiu couldn’t persuade his wife no matter what, so he simply held their child, silently troubled.

Meng Yuniang looked at her husband, her feelings hard to describe. Then, she turned to glance at her cousin—oh, just as she turned her head, her husband happened to lift his gaze to him. This was yet another "proof" of the "affection between wife and her cousin."

Tan Junqiu: "Cough cough—cough!"

The child: "Wah wah—wah!"

Meng Yuniang: "…"

In contrast to the confusion of this young couple, the others were all on high alert.

Especially after the sky had completely darkened. The young and strong men, following Bai Zhengliu’s earlier instructions, were scattered in the front and back courtyards. As a result, although there were more than forty people inside Tan’s house, it did not seem too crowded.

For the mountain bandits that might come, the people felt both fear and worry.Bai Zhengliu and the others heard the most common discussions:

"…Will they really come?"

"They say that a few Jianghu people spotted the marks left by the mountain bandits."

"Yuanwai is too kind-hearted. I said earlier, he keeps giving out money and things like this, sooner or later, it will cause trouble!"

"Tch, aren’t you eating the steamed buns that Yuanwai gave you?"

"I’m just here to help! Didn’t Yuanwai say that the mountain bandits are vicious? If they really come, we’ll have to fight them to the death…"

"Fight to the death!"

The new dynasty had been established for three generations. Perhaps some older people still remembered the hardships and suffering of war. But the younger generation? They had never seen a battle.

They didn’t know the feeling of not knowing whether they would be able to open their eyes again when they closed them at night. Though the current days were hard, after a year of hard labor, their stomachs weren’t often so hungry, and during the New Year, they could still make a piece of cloth to wear. For these farmers, this was already a good life.

To protect this life, they were willing to pay the price. However, when the cost became too high, people would start to have doubts.

"It’s best if they don’t come," the discussions grew quieter. "Once the officials arrive, we’ll be safe!"

At this, someone raised a different view: "Will the officials come? Just based on the words of those Jianghu people…"

The term "Jianghu people" caught Bai Zhengliu’s attention. He didn’t react outwardly, but silently answered in his mind.

"They won’t."

How could Uncle Meng San or Uncle Meng Si possibly do something that would cut off their own hands and feet? Sending them away was simply a way to weaken the Meng family’s influence in the Tan family.

Now then, since the officials wouldn’t come, what about the mountain bandits, who the villagers of Tanjia Village were so worried about and kept muttering about?

Bai Zhengliu lowered his eyes, his hands holding the knife.

He noticed the earth and stones on the ground trembling lightly, and faint sounds of footsteps reached his ears…

The swordsman slowly lifted his head, his gaze fixed on the direction of the front door.

His mouth slightly parted, and he silently uttered two words."Here they come."