"Hush! Ling'er, keep your voice down. We must not let anyone discover us here, or we'll both be dead," the man whispered.
"Brother Yan, I'm sorry. I got too excited just now," Ling'er said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the man smiled wickedly at Ling'er and used his finger to lift her chin.
"Heh heh, Ling'er, I've promised to help you escape the mountain. How will you thank me?" the man asked, looking at Ling'er with a sinister grin.
"Brother Yan, what's the rush? I said I'd give myself to you, and I will," Ling'er said coyly.
"Then tonight it is. It's late and quiet, making it difficult for anyone to notice. Why don't we..." the man enticed.
"Brother Yan, when we came out earlier, we heard someone saying the second-in-command was blinded on his mission tonight. The entire village must be in the main hall now. If we're found missing, the chief will skin me alive," Ling'er said, her heart pounding with fear.
"It's alright, Ling'er. Have you forgotten I'm the third-in-command? Even if the chief finds out, I, Liang Yan, will protect you, and he won't do anything to you," Liang Yan vowed with great conviction.
As he spoke, he eagerly pulled Ling'er into a tight embrace. His experienced hands began to caress her. Having only recently experienced intimacy a few times, she quickly surrendered.
"Yan... Brother Yan, the cliff is just ahead! If we fall, we'll die," Ling'er warned.
"Ling'er, don't worry! Brother Yan won't let you fall."
After saying this, Liang Yan immediately made a move on Ling'er.
The actions of the two on the cliff caused the four people hidden in the crevices of the nearby rocks to blush and feel extremely embarrassed.
Jun Mohan turned his body and cast a cold gaze at Yin Chen and Yin Yi, who were hiding behind him. Upon receiving Jun Mohan's chilling look, they immediately covered their ears, trying their best not to hear the sounds from outside.
Afterward, Jun Mohan turned his head and raised his hand to cover Leng Ruo Li's ears as well, leaving Leng Ruo Li utterly speechless.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the two quickly put on their clothes. The man raised his hand, gently pinched Ling'er's chin, and said with a smile, "Ling'er, the rouge you're using smells so fragrant!"
Hearing this, two blushes immediately spread across Ling'er's face, and she coyly replied, "Brother Yan, I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Liang Yan chuckled and shamelessly asked, "So, do you like me, or the chief?"
Upon hearing Liang Yan's teasing, Ling'er's face turned red. She glared at him angrily before pushing open the back door and walking into the village.
After the woman left, Jun Mohan immediately emerged from the rock crevice. Just as Liang Yan sensed danger, Jun Mohan flicked a dagger, striking him directly in the heart and killing him instantly.
Subsequently, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mohan, along with the other two, pushed open the small door and entered the village.
At this moment, in the main hall of the village, sat a bare-chested, pot-bellied, corpulent, and ferocious-looking man with a tuft of hair tied on his head, adorned with three colorful feathers, and wearing a pair of large floral pants. This was the chief of the mountain stronghold.
Since someone had just informed him that his brother, who had gone out on a mission tonight, had not only been blinded but had also almost his entire force wiped out, his face had turned grim.
When he saw his unconscious brother being carried before him by his subordinates, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry and find Doctor Ye to examine him," the chief roared at his subordinates below.
"Chief, I've already sent someone to fetch Doctor Ye."
A minor leader in the village replied nervously.
"Tell him to hurry!" the chief urged.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The subordinates below nodded repeatedly and ran towards the entrance.
"Black Bear, what exactly happened tonight? Why has the second brother become like this?"
This Black Bear was the older man who had been lecturing the minor bandit on the road.
"Chief, tonight we went down the mountain to the farmers' houses to collect our provisions as usual. The first five households went smoothly, but when we reached the sixth household, something strange happened. That household actually opened the door for us proactively, and the one who opened it was a beautiful young lady, as radiant as a flower. The second-in-command and the brothers were stunned on the spot and accidentally fell into the young woman's trap, inhaling the poisonous powder she scattered."
Black Bear finished his report and slightly raised his eyes to observe the chief sitting at the head, studying his expression.
Then, Black Bear continued, "After the second-in-command and the brothers were hit by the woman's poison powder, their faces immediately cracked, blood gushed out, and their eyeballs burst and fell out, just like the second-in-command's current state. It was so painful that he fainted. Later, a man skilled in martial arts appeared in that farmhouse. Within a few moves, they slit the throats of our brothers lying on the ground."
As Black Bear spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture in front of the chief.
Upon hearing Black Bear's words, the chief's brows furrowed deeply. Although he was increasingly dissatisfied with his own brother, they were, after all, brothers of the same blood. How could there be no brotherly affection? When he learned that his brother was in trouble, he was indeed quite worried.
"Those people truly do not regard our Black Cliff Mountain Stronghold with any respect. How dare they become our enemy? Outrageous!" the chief said indignantly.
Just then, Doctor Ye was brought in.
"Chief, I've called Ye Da Tian here," the young servant who had run out to call Doctor Ye shouted.
But the chief ignored the servant and directly ordered Doctor Ye to treat his brother.
Subsequently, Doctor Ye walked up to the second-in-command, took one look, and was utterly astonished.
"Second-in-command, what happened here? How did you get yourself into this state? Not only is your face covered in blood, but your eyeballs have also fallen out," Doctor Ye asked curiously.
"Doctor Ye, don't ask so many 'whys.' Hurry and treat the second-in-command!" the chief ordered.
"Yes, Chief!" Doctor Ye bowed.
He then knelt down to carefully check the second-in-command's pulse and shook his head.
"Chief, the second-in-command seems to have been poisoned. However, I am not capable of determining what poison he has ingested or how to formulate an antidote. But I can prepare some ointment to help alleviate the pain from his facial injuries," Doctor Ye said honestly.
Hearing this, the chief immediately roared at Doctor Ye, "Then hurry and prepare the ointment for him, and treat the injuries to his eyes. He's fainted from the pain; can't you see?"