Captain Xiao was also at a loss. He watched as Village Chief Si and the others remained calm and collected, while they kept coming to him with matters to discuss. He didn't know how to approach what was to come.

The refugees who were trying to stop him but were about to come over and talk to him instead walked towards Village Chief Si and his group.

"Village Chief Si, should we make some preparations first?" He asked eagerly before even arriving.

Si Cheng said, "Judging from the sound, it's quite far away from us. We also set some traps around here before nightfall. If any animals fell in, we would hear some noise. But there's no sound right now, so we're safe for the time being."

Through numerous experiences setting traps and surviving in the wild, they had long since figured out some tricks, especially the recent discovery of installing bells inside the traps. Whenever an animal falls into the trap, the pre-placed bells will ring, allowing them to follow the sound and harvest their prey—much better than constantly checking the traps themselves.

Captain Xiao recalled the time they had been gone. "No wonder you were gone for so long. It turns out you had already made some arrangements. That puts our minds at ease. But shouldn't we also take some precautions so we won't be caught off guard?"

Just then, Ning Zhiyuan's voice came from the city wall, "Captain Xiao, the animals around here are quite rampant, you should be prepared in advance."

No sooner had Ning Zhiyuan finished speaking than the refugees below the city wall began to plead their cases in unison.

"Let's go inside and take shelter for a while. We'll leave when it's light and won't cause you any trouble."

"Yes! Open the door quickly! This is a matter of life and death."

"If all else fails, let the elderly and children go in, and we can stay outside to fight it out."

Standing on the wall, Ning Zhiyuan listened with a headache to the cacophony of cries for help below. He was truly in a dilemma.

"Serves you right, now you know the consequences, don't you?" Gao Duowei, who had followed along, said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Why don't we let them come in and take cover? It won't affect us much." Ning Zhiyuan felt a little soft-hearted seeing so many people pleading for them.

“You weren’t this soft-hearted when those refugees came before. How come you’re getting more and more confused?” Gao Duowei looked at him with some confusion. Ning Zhiyuan wasn’t like this before.

Ning Zhiyuan said, "This time is different from before. The drought has been alleviated, and their destination is not here. They will have no problem with temporary shelter. There is no need to worry about them causing trouble."

Gao Duowei said, "Why are you in such a hurry? None of the team leaders have said anything yet. Maybe they have a backup plan. Just watch quietly."

Yun Liping calmly turned over the half-dried smoked pheasant, looking at the lively scene before her. "The scene now is not much different from what we had back then in Hutiao Village, except that our roles have been reversed. We are now outside the city."

Hearing her say that, Yunqi also recalled that some of the behavior of Hutiao Village back then was not much different from the behavior of refugees now.

"At least we didn't rush to ask for help, and we were prepared to help at the time, but judging from their attitude, they seemed more like they wanted to watch the show."

Hearing Yun Qi say this, Liu Yuqing was a little confused. "Are they really that cold-blooded? If they were really attacked by animals, would they really just stand by and do nothing?"

Yunqi said, "Nothing is impossible. If they really cared, they should have reminded us to prepare before nightfall, instead of only reminding us now."

Liu Yuqing: "Then they are really too selfish. What good does doing this do them?"

Yunqi looked at the tall city wall in the distance. "At this time, who isn't selfish? Back then, our village wouldn't let outsiders in because we wanted to protect our own families and homes. How is that any different from what they're doing now? So don't easily criticize someone. When you make the same request, have you ever thought about the difficulties others face?"

Her words made Yun Liping and Liu Yuqing fall into deep thought. According to current thinking, they really weren't wrong at all. But if they were truly wrong, then weren't their own village also wrong to refuse Hutiao Village's request?

Yun Qi continued to criticize them, "At this time, it's better to rely on ourselves than on others. That's why we need to keep improving our martial arts skills so that we won't be helpless when we encounter problems."

Just as the stalemate between the city and the outside world was at its peak, the sound of bells came from the traps in the distance.

Si Cheng and the others abandoned their previous leisurely sitting posture and stood up, looking in the direction of the sound.

The commotion quickly attracted everyone's attention, and the original noise disappeared, leaving only the clanging and banging sounds.

"They really came, but I wonder how many there are, and what kind of animals they are?" Yun Jianying asked curiously, staring intently ahead.

"It looks like things won't be peaceful tonight. Everyone should get ready!" Si Cheng warned, keeping an eye on the commotion across the way.

Hearing Si Cheng speak so seriously, the others dared not joke around anymore and began to pack their weapons.

"Village Chief Si, what's the situation now? Have any animals really come over?" Thinking of the trap mentioned earlier, and recalling the sound of the bell, Captain Xiao came over and asked anxiously.

Sicheng, "Gather the elderly, women, and children near the wall, and have all the able-bodied men take weapons to defend themselves. We can't guarantee that no one will escape."

Captain Xiao had heard about Village Chief Si and his men's deeds several times before, and immediately understood their intentions. He quickly directed his men to set up the second line of defense before making arrangements for the other refugees.

Standing on the wall, Ning Zhiyuan and his group were drawn to the actions below. "It seems they really have some skills. They have several lines of defense, and they even guard the weakest ones inside. No wonder so many people are unwilling to stay despite our generous offers."

Gao Duowei said, "Before, seeing how relaxed they were, I thought they were a bit arrogant and wanted to sneak into our area to take refuge. I didn't expect they were prepared all along. I wonder when they set up the bells?"

Ning Zhiyuan held a night vision binoculars and observed the direction ahead. "Let's let them in. This time is different from the past; they're all tough guys."

Gao Dongwei took the binoculars. "Let's wait a bit longer. Let's see what they're capable of, daring to bring so many people back to their hometown."

Ning Zhiyuan was getting anxious. "We can't wait any longer. If things get chaotic, it will be even less likely that the city gates will be opened."

Gao Dongwei: "What's the rush? Tell the brothers to get ready and bring all their weapons. If things get out of hand, we'll join in and take the opportunity to clean up the mess."