Chapter 6 "The Wolf Is Coming"

Last night's heavy rain caused the river to rise considerably, turning the riverbanks into a muddy mess. The mud from the previous night's rain obscured the footprints of Fan Xiaoxiao and her group, making it difficult to discern their movements; it was only barely possible to tell that someone had hurriedly reached the shore from there.

The scarred bandit leader looked at the trace and chuckled maliciously, "Thanks to the heavy rain last night, they almost escaped! Go up and look for any clearer footprints."

The two henchmen behind the bandit leader responded and, ignoring the slippery ground, began climbing up the mountain. A short while later, their voices drifted back from a nearby hillside:

“Boss, there are footprints here. It looks like three adults and one child.”

"It seems those village women weren't wrong; it really is those people! Chase them!"

Elsewhere, in a mountain stream in the woods, Madam Fan held her baby, looking back with some worry. Aunt Wang, wading through the stream ahead of Madam Fan, turned and saw her preoccupied expression, and asked:

"Xiao Bao's mother? What's wrong?"

"I'm still a little worried. Will this work?"

Walking at the back, Fan Xiaoxiao looked at Fan Shi's worried face and smiled, saying, "Sister, don't worry. Uncle Wang and I have already checked. The village is heavily guarded, and the guards at the gate are armed. They shouldn't be easy to deal with."

"But... isn't it a bit wrong for us to scheme against others like this?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao recalled the scene she and Uncle Wang had just witnessed, and her eyes darkened slightly. However, she still looked up and gave Fan Shi a smile: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

About an incense stick's time later, the bandit leader frowned deeply as he looked at the mountain stronghold not far away. He had never heard of a stronghold here.

"Boss, those footprints blend into a lot of other footprints behind the village, we can't tell them apart!"

The bandit leader licked his chapped lips, looking at the village hidden in the mountains before him, a greedy glint in his eyes: "Go and find all the brothers. Third brother, come with me to knock on the door! Looks like we're going to have some meat again today."

"yes!"

"Okay, big brother!"

The bandit leader, accompanied by his burly third brother, arrived at the gate of the mountain stronghold. The stronghold was surrounded by moats, and with the gate closed, it presented an imposing and formidable appearance. The guards at the gate, seeing the approaching bandits, immediately raised their spears at these menacing newcomers.

The third brother whistled, and seeing the bandit leader nod towards the stronghold, he took a few steps forward. The guard tightened his grip on his spear and immediately shouted, "Who goes there!"

"Ha! Big brother! He actually asked me who I am! Hahahaha! Kid! I'm the Third Grandfather of the Flood Dragon Cave! That's me!"

The guard frowned: "Never heard of it! Get out of here! This is not a place for you!"

Upon hearing this, the third brother's face suddenly darkened: "Get out? No one has ever made your grandpa get out! You hid the people that our Dragon Cave needs! And you still want me to get out?"

"Who goes there! We've never had any outsiders here before! Get out of here!"

The third brother's face grew even more sinister after being spat on by the guard. The bandit leader sneered, "Three adults and one child! We clearly saw them enter your village. It seems your village wants to get involved in the affairs of our Jiaolong Cave."

The guards, annoyed that the bandits kept accusing them, shouted, "Get out! Get out! We said we didn't, and that's it..."

Before the guard could finish his sentence, an arrow shot out from the dense forest and pierced the man's chest. Blood immediately flowed down the arrow's path, and the guard stared blankly at it before collapsing to the ground.

"They killed Guo Heizi!!!"

"Clang clang clang"

A sudden, urgent bell rang, and a new archer appeared at the gate. But the bandits were clever; seeing the archer, they quickly retreated into the dense forest, lit their own arrows, and aimed them at the gate.

Before the bandit leader could give the order to fire, a white arrow, as if it had eyes, pierced his throat. The bandit leader's eyes widened, and before he could utter another word, he was lifeless. "Boss!!!!!!!!! I'll kill you!!!"

Looking again at the watchtower of the village gate, a man dressed in white stood against the wind, his face obscured by the backlight. He held a bow in one hand, and smiled coldly at the bandits below, his voice clear and pleasant.

"Overestimating one's abilities."

(End of this chapter)