"I want to see your leader." The man on horseback was Huang Shijie.
"Who wants to see me?" The leader, having quickly arrived at the watchtower, heard this and asked directly.
"Long time no see, leader. I hope you've been well. It's been a year since we parted at Shiliping, and I've come to visit again."
"Haha, Brother Huang is here, what a rare guest! Quickly, quickly open the gate." The leader was overjoyed upon hearing this and personally stepped forward to greet him.
Huang Shijie didn't exchange many pleasantries with him. He pulled him aside and quietly told him the news he had received, urging him to prepare early. Then, he turned to leave.
The leader repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay, but Huang Shijie refused, insisting he had to rush back before dawn to avoid suspicion. Furthermore, he couldn't be sure there were no informants within the stockade and didn't want the higher-ups to discover his connection with them.
The leader understood his concerns and thanked him repeatedly, watching him depart.
After Huang Shijie left, the second-in-command approached, confused. "Brother, who was that masked man? What business did he have here so late at night?"
"He is our benefactor. Show him respect in the future."
"Oh," the second-in-command replied vaguely, scratching his head. He hadn't seen the man's face clearly, nor did he know his connection with the leader. Who was this benefactor? But he didn't dare to voice these thoughts.
The leader had no doubt about Huang Shijie's words. After all, he had helped them resolve their previous crisis, and the stockade's traps were even designed by him. He remembered meeting Huang Shijie in the county town. Without him realizing it, Huang Shijie had followed him to the stockade's entrance. When Huang Shijie appeared before him, the leader was startled.
At that time, he had quickly drawn his sword and, like the guards tonight, demanded, "Who are you? What business do you have here?"
He vividly recalled Huang Shijie's enigmatic smile, "I've come to help you."
The leader looked at him dismissively. "You? Don't you think the hundreds of brothers in our stockade are just for show?"
Then, Huang Shijie attacked him without a word. The leader instinctively defended himself but didn't even see how the moves were executed. He fell to the ground and was still in a daze when Huang Shijie pulled him up. It was the first time he had encountered someone with such formidable martial arts. He unhappily sparred with Huang Shijie a few more times before finally confirming that Huang Shijie wasn't just lucky but possessed genuine skill.
Huang Shijie then asked to tour the stockade. After some hesitation, the leader agreed. After all, if Huang Shijie had wanted to kill him, it would have been effortless. Given his mercy, allowing him to see the stockade seemed reasonable.
Huang Shijie had masked himself in front of him, clearly not wanting the stockade's inhabitants to see his face. The leader had scoffed at this, finding it unnecessarily mysterious to be in a bandit's den.
Once inside, Huang Shijie inspected every nook and cranny, shaking his head as he looked. The leader felt indignant. They worked hard to build their home, yet Huang Shijie showed such disdain.
"I say, you've been looking around here and there. What exactly is your purpose?" Although he couldn't defeat Huang Shijie, the leader felt he had to maintain some dignity and say what needed to be said.
"This place seems decent, but I've received word that the county magistrate is gathering men to attack. I believe your walls won't hold for long. Even if you're not captured, the losses will be heavy," Huang Shijie said, seemingly casually.
Upon hearing this, the leader looked at him in astonishment. "Where did you get this news? Is it reliable?"
"Don't ask me where I got the news. Believe it or not, I just don't want to see you all wiped out, as you've done nothing wrong. I've come to warn you. Also, I've looked around and think you could set up a series of traps around the perimeter. If you trust me, I'll draw you a diagram later, and you can follow it."
The leader unhesitatingly asked for his guidance. After all, harboring ill intentions was unacceptable, but being cautious was wise. Since Huang Shijie wasn't asking for money, he decided to first examine the trap diagram. He had only heard of such things in the martial world and had never seen them before. Since someone knew how to make them, he wanted to witness it.
Huang Shijie not only drew the diagram but also found those in the stockade skilled in construction and explained it to them in detail. He then left quickly, leaving the leader bewildered, unsure whether to trust his words or what his true intentions were.
After discussing it with the second-in-command, he felt Huang Shijie's suggestion might be feasible. The leader hesitated for a long time before gathering his men and following Huang Shijie's instructions. The results were somewhat surprising; the traps were incredibly effective. To ensure everyone remained cautious and didn't accidentally trigger the traps, he gathered everyone to witness their power. This successfully astonished them and brought them immense joy, as it added another layer of security to their stockade. Su Dan Novel Network
The success of the traps made him question the authenticity of the county magistrate gathering men to attack them, which led to the subsequent incident of them robbing the Li family.
As for telling the county magistrate that the stockade was full of traps, it was true. However, only the traps at the main entrance were instantly triggered. The other traps only functioned when a specific valve was opened. This was primarily because some children in the stockade were reckless, and he feared they might accidentally fall into them and lose their lives.
Their next meeting was at Shiliping outside the city. At that time, Huang Shijie told him he was Huang Shijie, a Tong Sheng scholar from the city, and asked him to find a way to contact the county magistrate and ensure everything went smoothly, preventing any interference from the county officials.
Out of gratitude, the leader readily agreed. He immediately went to the city, sent people to thoroughly investigate Huang Shijie, and learned about his conflict with the county magistrate. This led to the night before the Xiu Cai exam when he personally visited the county magistrate's mansion and issued a threat. Although they had met infrequently, in their hearts, they considered each other partners they could cooperate with and trust. This time, Huang Shijie had once again shared such a confidential matter with him, compelling the leader to be on high alert.
While leading his men back, he pondered how to resolve the crisis. In truth, people had always been entering the stockade, and he wasn't completely trusting of them. Of course, he trusted brothers like the second-in-command, who had been with him for half his life. He sent everyone else back to rest, while he and the second-in-command found an open space to quietly discuss their strategy.
They chose not to meet in a room because Huang Shijie's recent actions would surely have attracted attention from those with ulterior motives. To prevent eavesdropping, they found an open area and tried their best to cover their mouths, speaking in hushed tones so that others couldn't hear what they were saying or decipher their lip movements.
When the second-in-command heard this news, he was somewhat surprised and whispered, "Could it be that this news was told to you by that person just now? But can his words be believed?"