What Lu Li was worried about, Jing Zhe had already thought of.

He smiled and shook his head: "I wanted to leave before, but now, I can't leave!"

Why?

Lu Li shouted.

“I will leave, but not because I’m backing down! Just as my older sister was worried about me and asked me to leave, I’m worried about you too, so I won’t leave now!”

I'm worried about you too...

These few words seemed to possess immense power; after hearing them, Lu Li felt as if she couldn't breathe.

"But…"

She was usually decisive and ruthless, but at this moment she became hesitant.

"No buts, I said I won't leave, and I won't leave unless you knock me out—"

Halfway through his sentence, Jing Zhe remembered that he had been knocked unconscious and kidnapped by Lu Li back then. Saying this in front of someone with a criminal record seemed a bit inappropriate.

So he changed his tune and said, "Even if you knock me out and send me away, I'll come back when I wake up!"

"All right."

After a long while, Lu Li sighed.

...

When Jing Zhe returned, he found Chen Mo standing outside his door. The wind was blowing her long hair, which echoed the hem of her clothes, creating a unique charm.

"wait for me?"

Chen Mo turned to look at him: "Can we go now?"

Jing Zhe nodded, then shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Yes, but when it comes time to leave, it's really difficult."

Humans are emotional beings.

When Jing Zhe first arrived, he dreamed of running away, but after living here for half a month, his feelings for Lu Li, Hanhan, and others underwent some subtle changes.

Even without worrying about Lin Wenyao's attack on the mountain, there would still be reluctance to part with the people of Mangshan.

Jing Zhe thought for a moment and then said, "Miss Chen, to be honest, the situation on the mountain is not good right now. Given Lin Wenyao's vindictive nature, he will definitely send troops to attack the mountain. It's not safe there. Miss Chen, why don't you leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning and return to Jingzhou!"

Chen Mo thought for a moment and asked softly, "Are you disgusted with me and want to get rid of me?"

"You could also say I'm worried about you."

Jing Zhe chuckled, seemingly in a teasing tone.

This time, Chen Mo stared at him for a long time, then grinned and said, "Okay, I believe you."

Then his gaze sharpened, and he said in a deep voice, "But I won't leave! I remember you said that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, right?"

Hearing Chen Mo's question, Jing Zhe was a little confused, but he still nodded.

"As early as tomorrow, I will show you how a powerful dragon can suppress a local snake! Once the crisis on the mountain is over, won't you be able to focus on your journey to Jingzhou without any distractions?"

Jing Zhe nodded again, about to ask something, but Chen Mo didn't give him a chance. He smiled, turned his back, waved to him, and strode away.

...

With something on his mind, Jing Zhe couldn't sleep soundly.

He sat up as soon as dawn broke.

He quickly wiped his face, pushed open the door and went outside. Only then did he realize that the atmosphere on the mountain was unusually oppressive today, and he was already one of the last to get up.

Lu Li was still dressed in a black outfit, her long hair tied up, looking neat and capable. She held the same sharp longsword from yesterday and stood at the entrance to the mountain.

Hearing the noise behind her, she turned around, glanced at Jing Zhe, nodded, and then turned back.

Behind Lu Li were Hanhan, Da Ge, Pang Qiu, and others, all carrying broadswords. They were the second strongest fighters on the mountain after Lu Li.

Just as Lu Li said last night, apart from Hanhan and others who often go down the mountain for training, the combat power of the others is higher than that of the officers and soldiers, but not by much.

Moreover, because they had been going down the mountain to rob in recent years, their weapons were mostly close-combat weapons such as longswords and broadswords, while the longbows or crossbows that were most needed for guarding the mountain were few and far between.

What's even more ridiculous is that some people didn't even have a proper weapon; they just came out with a hoe or a shovel.

Having witnessed how even a brick could become a deadly weapon in a critical moment, Jing Zhe should theoretically have no prejudice against any of the eighteen weapons. However, the key point is that these people simply carried hoes or shovels on their shoulders, looking like they were about to go to work in the fields, which was quite ridiculous.

Given their scattered and disorganized state, if Lin Wenyao were to launch a full-scale attack on the mountain, Lu Li and her group would have little chance of winning.

Jing Zhe thought with concern.

Looking at the entrance to the mountain, there were many round boulders about half the size of a person. Without even asking, Jing Zhe could guess their purpose.

Because of the steep terrain of Mangshan, there is only one narrow path in and out of the mountain. If someone were to launch a strong attack, they would roll the rocks down the mountain, and the person would be either killed or maimed.

While seemingly incredibly powerful, these rocks also have significant drawbacks. If the opponent simply dodges to the sides of the mountain path or uses a shield to block their way, they become useless.

If it were replaced with explosives, the effect would be different.

Thinking about this, Jing Zhe felt a little regretful.

When he bought saltpeter, the shopkeeper with the goatee promised to give him some other raw materials for making firecrackers. At the time, he was only thinking about making money by making ice and didn't take it seriously, so the matter was dropped.

If we had kept the raw materials back then, made a few hand grenades and bombs in porcelain jars, and casually threw a couple down the mountain, I'm afraid no one would dare to attack the mountain again!

He immediately made up his mind that if he could defeat Lin Wenyao, he would leave a few for Lu Li before leaving Mangshan, just in case.

...

"They're here!"

Suddenly, a shout from Fatty Ball pulled him back to reality.

Looking down the mountain, Jing Zhe saw a large troop of soldiers marching up the mountain. Because the trees on the mountain were dense, Jing Zhe could not accurately judge the size of the troop.

Despite how disdainful Fatty and his men usually are of the government, when so many well-equipped and well-trained soldiers appeared at the foot of the mountain, their expressions turned serious, their bodies tensed, and their eyes stared intently down at the scene below.

As long as Lu Li gives the order, they will launch a frenzied attack, regardless of life or death, success or failure.

The soldiers stopped about 200 meters from the summit when they walked along the narrow mountain path.

"Listen up, you people on the mountain! I am Lin Wenyao, the future prefect of Yongzhou City. Today, I have brought 1,800 elite troops from the city, just to capture three people!"

The speaker was naturally Lin Wenyao, but when Jing Zhe looked down, he could only hear his voice and could not find Lin Wenyao in the crowd. It was clear that this guy was cunning and cowardly, afraid of being suddenly attacked, and hiding in the crowd, not daring to show himself.

————