37

In a moment, the man disappeared and the man was left alone in the yard.

After slowly finishing the meat from the lamb leg, he threw the leg bone into the fire, sending up a shower of sparks. Sheathing his sword, Yan Yuan stood up, his dark pupils gazing out at the still bustling courtyard in the distance.

He has been on Luoling Island for a long time. If he still can't find anyone, he will have to think of other ways.

He just hoped that the person he was looking for hadn't encountered pirates, but had been stranded in a village. He had seen enough in the pirate camp over the past few months, and he didn't want the person he was looking for to go through the same.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Yuan walked out of the yard and began to patrol in the night.

…

What a sin! Guarding the remote port, the two pirates cursed and felt uncomfortable all over.

It would have been fine if I had just been sent to the beach to enjoy the breeze, but there was also the alluring aroma of wine lingering around.

Someone had carelessly smashed a jar of wine a while ago, and it was damn good! The smell was soaked into the sand, so fragrant that you wanted to get down and lick it.

The Qingfeng Gang has been attacking these days, and they haven't had meat for a long time. How can they bear this!

A small boat drifted back in the distance, and two men came down with packages on their backs. One of them said with a smile, "Sorry to bother you, brothers. Here's some wine and meat. It's so cold, you guys should warm up."

As he spoke, he handed over a large jar of wine and a roast chicken wrapped in a lotus leaf. The rich aroma of wine and meat filled the air, and several pirates immediately drooled.

"Oh my! How can this be done? You two are so thoughtful!" Although he said it was impossible, he was still very fast. One of the pirates took the jar of wine impatiently, broke the mud seal, and took a deep sip.

"Yes, that's the smell!" The pirate was delighted. This smell was exactly the same as the alcohol they had been smelling for so long! It was a blessing that these people had so many problems and insisted on going back to the ship to get their bedding. Otherwise, how could they have gotten such a good deal?!

The man laughed heartily and said, "As long as you like it, I'm glad you guys just eat. I'll go back and report first."

Logically, they should have checked what they had taken from the ship, but with all the good food and wine right in front of them, who would even remember? Some were already guzzling wine from their jars. Even the thieves who had brought them here waved their hands impatiently, "Okay, go back now. Do you know the way? I won't see you off."

The two men looked at each other, then quickly walked back with their packages on their backs. When they reached the village gate, one of them flipped his wrist, took out a few bamboo tubes, and threw them into the dark.

The gatekeepers were chatting happily and naturally didn't see anything.

He waited until someone came to knock on the door before he lazily opened it, looked at the two people, and waved goodbye to let them in.

One of them even muttered quietly: "I've never seen anyone use their own bedding to sleep. What a problem..."

Another laughed out loud: "Young masters, aren't they all delicate and tender? Maybe they can't stand the coarse cloth?"

"That's right. Maybe he needs to hug a delicate and tender girl to sleep." Someone else winked.

A group of people started laughing, and the two servants of the Lu Mansion acted as if they didn't hear anything. They were led back to the remote courtyard obediently.

Only after the courtyard gate was closed did Lin Hu heave a long sigh of relief and quickly walked into the house.

"Boss, the things are here!" he whispered.

"Open it." Cheng Xi swept the things on the table to make room.

Lin Hu did not dare to delay and immediately put the two big bags on the table and untied the ropes.

There was indeed bedding inside, made of silk outer surface and silk cotton lining. It felt light and airy when held in the hand, but when unfolded, a strange smell came out, which was a bit pungent.

If an experienced fireworks craftsman were to smell it, he would immediately recognize the smell of saltpeter. However, at this moment, all the saltpeter had been absorbed by the silk cotton.

Cheng Xi nodded in satisfaction: "Divide the bedding and use it to start a fire later."

Under current conditions, it's impossible to produce explosives like nitrocellulose, but saltpeter is flammable and makes a good fire starter. If you want to create chaos in the village, you can't do without it.

Of course, there are other preparations.

Lin Hu opened another package and said, "Boss, I've brought your armor too!"

The guards all wore armor under their clothes, except Cheng Xi and Lu Jian who only wore casual clothes.

Cheng Xi turned her head to look at the bed, only to see Lu Jian had turned over and sat up, rubbing his face with his hands: "Are you ready?"

"It's time to put on armor." Cheng Xi said, taking out a set of armor and putting it on.

Lin Meng quickly stepped forward and helped him tie the rope.

Lu Sanding took another set of armor and handed it to Lu Jian.

Soon, both of them were dressed.

It was clearly the same armor, but when worn by Cheng Xi it looked like a long gown. Looking at the armor made of rhinoceros skin, Lu Jian laughed: "I am just a showpiece dressed like this. It's all thanks to my brother."

Tightening his leather wrist guard, Cheng Xi also smiled: "Don't worry, Brother Mingde, it's not your turn to take action yet."

She took out a newly drawn topographic map from her arms and explained it to Lin Meng, Lu Sanding and others.

The sky gradually darkened, and the full moon slowly emerged from the sea and climbed towards the zenith.

On the shore, a few pirates who had enjoyed the wine and meat were singing fishermen's songs and shouting loudly. They were obviously drunk and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

On the distant sloop, several figures silently jumped into the sea and swam towards the dock on the other side, where many ships were lined up. They were already familiar with the water and had bulging leather bags hanging from their bodies. If they ran out of breath, they would take a deep breath and immediately swim a long way.

Without even showing their heads, they sneaked for several miles and arrived at their destination.

Everyone dispersed and looked for an empty boat.

It was late at night, and there weren't many empty boats around. He quietly climbed aboard, took out a clay pot from a waterproof cowhide bag, and poured out kerosene. With a gentle touch of flint, a blazing fire erupted with a boom.

It wasn't just one boat, but several in a row, causing exclamations at the dock!

Hearing the noise from afar, several half-drunk thieves stood up in confusion. Someone asked, "What's going on over there? Is there a fire?"

"Burp! Maybe someone is drunk..." another person answered stupidly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We're the only ones who can drink this wine!" The man holding the jar lifted it up with all his strength and shook it to his lips. "Wait, how come it's gone? Wasn't there a sip just now?"

"Hey! That's just a little bit, it's gone in one gulp." The one who drank secretly started to complain first.

"If only we could have a little more..." A pirate, his eyes half-drunk, looked towards the two Lu family ships. This young master surnamed Lu was truly generous. If only we could have a little more...

His thoughts suddenly stopped and he blinked. What was floating in the sea?

Several sampans were like arrows shot from a bow, rushing towards the shore.

Before the drunkard could react, the boat had already reached the shore, and men in leather armor jumped off, waving long swords and bamboo spears, and rushed towards them.

In just a few breaths, the pirates guarding the shore were dead from overeating and drunkenness, lying in a pool of blood. Li Niu swung his long sword and shouted, "Let's go, let them taste our power!"

The full moon had climbed above the treetops, and even the noisy pirate camp gradually quieted down.

Most of the people fell into a deep sleep, the patrolmen wandering on the road were yawning, and some of the gatekeepers simply fell asleep. How could they be on guard at all?

The remote guesthouse was also silent, but under the moonlight, there was a group of people wearing armor, holding spears, and holding knives on their waists.

After having a full meal and an early sleep, everyone is now in high spirits and full of confidence.

They were clear about their mission and were not afraid of the enemy that outnumbered them several times. They just stared at the figure in front of them, waiting for orders.

Cheng Xi also stood there, closed his eyes and listened.

In the absence of a timer, the real challenge is how to coordinate attacks with friendly forces.

Fortunately, she had already made arrangements for the backup plan.

After just a few breaths, the sound of firecrackers suddenly came from afar, loud and crisp, piercing the night sky.

Filling bamboo with saltpeter would create a loud crackling sound, which is how the term "firecracker" came to be. While not particularly lethal, it was still effective as a communication tool.

Cheng Xi suddenly looked up and swung the long knife in his hand: "Attack!"

With those two crisp words, everyone started moving.

The gate of the courtyard was suddenly opened, and the yawning guard was knocked down with his eyes wide open. He couldn't even make a sound of alarm, let alone a cry of surprise.

Several people quickly stepped over the corpse and ran towards the house not far away.

As soon as the flint was struck, the wooden stick wrapped in guncotton caught fire and was thrown onto the roof. In the blink of an eye, thick smoke billowed and flames filled the ground.

The bamboo tube filled with saltpeter exploded again, and the sound shook the whole area, making people panic.

Then followed by a scream: "The Qingfeng Gang is attacking!"

This shout was so shocking that it caused an uproar in the village, which had already discovered the fire and was in chaos.

Some rushed out of the house without even putting on their clothes, and some were holding knives and swords, fearing that the enemy was already at their doorstep.

"Has the village been breached?" Many people shouted out loud, and those who didn't shout out loud also shouted in their hearts.

The ones who answered them were the guards who ran back in a panic from the village gate.

"Oh no! There's a fire at the dock! The Qingfeng Gang is here!"

Another loud noise came from afar.

Wait, is that a cannon? Could it be that the Qingfeng Gang has really begun attacking the island? Is it too late to escape now? They had all been up in the dead of night, and many were still groggy from drinking all afternoon.

When suddenly faced with an enemy attack, few people can react.

Some turned and ran, while others hesitated, unsure whether to advance or retreat. Until a voice grew louder and louder, shouting more and more urgently.

"The boss ran away! The boss ran away on a boat!"

In times of chaos, who could still distinguish true from false news? Their psychological defenses were completely broken, and more and more people fled in all directions, hoping to escape the village quickly, grab a boat, and find a way out!

At this moment, many people gathered in the main courtyard.

When the chaos just started, the boss Jiang was awakened and quickly summoned his men to protect the yard first, and then sent people out to investigate.

After a while, someone came running in, looking dusty and grimy. "Boss, this is bad! The dock is on fire. I heard it's the Qingfeng Gang! Should we retreat first?"

Upon hearing this, the head of the Jiang clan was shocked. "Weren't the Qingfeng Gang stopped at sea? Why did they suddenly attack in the middle of the night? Wait, could it be that Second Young Master Lu's doing? Is he an insider?!"

The thought of something bad suddenly made Jiang Da's face turn pale. He hurriedly said, "Quickly send someone to the other courtyard to get him! Where is Yan Yuan? Let him lead the team to capture him!"

Someone immediately said, "Didn't the leader order Brother Yan to go on night patrol?"

Boss Jiang cursed out loud, but there was no other way but to send someone else over.

The village is in such chaos now. I don't know how many enemies have come and how many traitors are trying to harm him. I have to find out the situation before making any plans.

Just as I was panicking, I suddenly heard shouting from outside, saying something like "The boss has escaped."

Being accused of desertion for no reason, Jiang DaDang was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "Who is stirring up trouble? Third brother Wang, take some people out and kill anyone who shouts nonsense! Then send someone to find the leaders and have them come to the main courtyard to see me!"

The small leaders can manage four or five boats. If they escape at this time, it will be a real blow. They have to gather everyone together first.

And with more people, it would be easier to find a way to break out. Now he only has about 20 people around him, how could he dare to just barge in?

Wang Lu'er no longer cared about the headache of drinking secretly, and hurriedly led his men out.

…

Something is not right.

Yan Yuan frowned and looked at the chaos in the village.

The fires weren't actually far apart, and they were all ordinary residences, not warehouses. The deafening explosions weren't actual cannon fire, but rather more like firecrackers. Not to mention the chaotic, pointed shouting.

Regardless of whether the Qingfeng Gang really attacked or the dock really fell, the village was still safe. It was just being harassed by a small group of thieves.

However, in the pirate camp that had no training, the panic of the night attack was magnified several times, and there were already signs of the camp exploding.

If the man surnamed Jiang had the courage to lead his team out to gather soldiers and horses and clean up the chaos, he would probably be able to defend the camp.

However, does the bandit leader have the courage to do so?

Yan Yuan's brows gradually relaxed, it was time to leave.

What business did he have with the chaotic battle between two gangs of bandits? Since he couldn't find anyone on the island, he should have searched along the coast. If he couldn't find an opportunity during normal times, wouldn't it be safer to escape now while the chaos was going on? He just had to find a reliable captain, or he wouldn't have to avoid the chaos and end up in trouble at sea.

After thinking about the temperaments of the small leaders, he changed direction and walked quickly to the other side.

The village was in great chaos at the moment. People were running around in the streets, some of them without even bringing weapons. No one knew what they were trying to do.

Yan Yuan did not choose to go upstream, but followed the group for a while, immediately took shelter on a small path, and continued on his way.

Unexpectedly, just after turning two courtyards, a scene suddenly caught my eye.

I saw two men throwing burning torches into the yard, and there was a sentry looking around.

This is a collision with the enemy!

Yan Yuan suddenly gripped the hilt of the knife tightly. The next moment, the three men had discovered him and rushed up together!