mynovelweb Chapter 96 Finalizing the Plan
Chapter 96 Finalizing the Plan
The sky was still turning white, and the group wanted to take advantage of the darkness to hide their presence before entering the mountain stronghold. Therefore, they only temporarily hid in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain and did not take immediate action.
They found a spot with jagged rocks protruding from the top, a place where they could hide and rest temporarily.
Fortunately, even in the depths of winter, when the forests are dense with weeds, there are few poisonous insects and snakes.
Meng Fuqing ground the herbs she had bought from the pharmacy to repel snakes, insects, and rodents into powder, and, still worried, sprinkled some around their hiding place.
“Meng Linlang said that the current leader of Black Tiger Stronghold has been searching for someone.” Xie Jin followed closely beside Meng Fuqing.
Meng Fuqing put away the medicine powder. "Does she know who it is?"
Xie Jin replied, "He's already dead."
Meng Fuqing: "...She wouldn't still say that I killed her, would she?"
She is a stumbling block on Meng Linlang's path to clinging to Xie Jin's coattails. Using a dream that others cannot fathom, Meng Linlang might actually try to trip her up.
However, it's also possible that she's judging others by her own petty standards; she did indeed kill them, after all, quite a few people have died at her hands. But so what?
Since the goal is to replace the current chieftain, taking his head is the only way to eliminate any future troubles.
Xie Jin nodded. "That's true. She has too many ulterior motives. I don't trust her; I trust you."
Suddenly entrusted with Xie Jin's trust, Meng Fuqing said, "...Thank you for your trust?"
She took out some dried meat from her small bag and handed it to Xie Jin as a token of her appreciation.
Xie Jin glanced at her, took the dried meat, and said, "You're too kind."
Qi Liang, who was not far from them, watched their backs and his curiosity was piqued. "Why do these two people, who have no relation to each other, know each other?"
One is a peasant girl whose background is obviously extraordinary, and the other is a simple peasant girl who is actually quite extraordinary. Why do these two people, who would normally have nothing to do with each other, give people the illusion that they have known each other for a long time?
Niu Er scratched his head. "I don't know either."
He can't say anything he knows.
Qi Liang chuckled. He still thought Niu Er had been following Meng Fuqing around for a long time.
The group hadn't eaten much before leaving, as they had brought their own food. They simply ate something to tide them over as night gradually fell.
As night fell and the bandits in the mountain stronghold became lively, Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin discussed how to enter the stronghold.
Black Tiger Village on Siqing Mountain has been entrenched here for many years. According to the bandit leader, since the new chief took office three years ago, Black Tiger Village has gradually added many facilities, such as watchtowers and arrow towers. Traps and trenches have also been set up around the village, making it look like a small ancient military base.
To ensure the success of such an arrangement, not only must the bandit leader be killed, but also his trusted subordinates. Winning over the bandits would also be no easy task. If the methods were not ruthless, they would not achieve the desired deterrent effect. If they were too cruel, the bandits might escape to the mountain through a passage known only to them, and they would not be able to stop them.
It would be better to enter the mountain stronghold openly and infiltrate the enemy's ranks first.
They happened to have information that the leader of Black Tiger Stronghold was looking for someone.
As soon as Meng Fuqing mentioned it, Xie Jin understood what she meant. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, "It's equally dangerous, but it saves the trouble of finding people. It's feasible."
He couldn't help but frown slightly. "If I had known this would happen, I should have gotten more details about the person the chieftain was looking for from Meng Linlang."
Meng Fuqing had never held out much hope for Meng Linlang, and simply said, "It's alright, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. If all else fails, we can just stall. We're outnumbered, so they shouldn't be too wary."
Once the noise in the village gradually subsided, Meng Fuqing, along with Qi Liang and Xie Jin, along with their two subordinates, took the lead in making their move.
Xie Jin's other four subordinates were tasked with scouting the terrain of the stronghold and the location where the refugees were being held.
Only Niu Er and a few of his brothers were left behind. One reason was to act as backup, and the other was to send someone back to report the news.
Qi Liang glanced smugly at Niu Er, convinced he was definitely stronger than that big, dumb brute. Otherwise, why would Meng Fuqing have brought him along but not Niu Er?
Feeling his gaze, Niu Er glared back.
“The boss can take whoever he wants. I, Niu Er, will listen to the boss. Unlike you, who is always looking for more than what you have, aren’t you afraid of getting too full?”
Qi Liang rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with someone who was always talking about how important this person was.
Meng Fuqing simply felt that Qi Liang's strength was indeed effective, and if any trouble arose, he alone could hold them off for a while.
Black Wind Village is located halfway up Siqing Mountain. It has many houses built according to the terrain and covers a considerable area.
Meng Fuqing, Xie Jin, and their group of five were walking along the path leading to the gate of Black Tiger Stronghold when they were stopped by someone.
Two fierce-looking bandits sized them up, held their broadswords to Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin's necks, and asked menacingly, "Who are you? Why have you come to my Black Tiger Stronghold?"
To put the two at ease, Meng Fuqing, the only woman among the four, spoke up: "My brother and I are refugees who fled from the north. We heard that the leader of Black Tiger Stronghold has been searching for people, so we came here specifically."
The two bandits exchanged a glance. "Refugees? You and the scruffy-bearded guy behind you look more like refugees, but the three of them..."
Meng Fuqing smiled and said, "When the Hu people invade, no matter how much gold and silver a family has, they all become refugees. I am dressed like this simply for convenience. He is my subordinate who protects me and has never been sloppy with his appearance."
The bandit's eyes lit up. He knew that these people must be quite wealthy. He also felt that the young girl's speech was indeed remarkable. He believed her words to some extent, but not entirely.
"Our leader always searches for people in secret, so how did you find out?"
Xie Jin's eyes revealed impatience: "Naturally, we learned it from your own people. We discovered that your people were following us all the way, and we learned about the search for you from them."
The two bandits' expressions immediately changed, and they demanded sharply, "Where are they? Did you kill them?"
"Our Meng family is renowned in the north for its good deeds and virtuous conduct. How could we possibly commit murder?"
Two cold-faced subordinates stood behind Xie Jin, his tone impatient, yet he spoke of the good deeds done by the 'Meng family'—
"Even in these times of war, we have rescued many people along the way from the north. We only taught those bandits a lesson and gave them a warning before releasing them. Please do not judge a gentleman by your own petty standards."
The two bandits looked at each other, finding it hard to believe that such a kind person still existed in this day and age.
At this moment, Meng Fuqing spoke up, "As my brother said, after we learned from you that the chief was looking for people, we thought that some of the people we took in had indeed lost contact with their families for a long time, and perhaps the chief was looking for some of them."
Even if all else fails, we've met quite a few people along the way, who might be able to provide some clues. That's why we've come to you, hoping to persuade the chief to let us leave Qingzhou.
Based solely on the information gleaned from their conversation, the two bandits decided to report it without much hesitation.
If they can find the boss's biological son, they will have done a great service. If they can't find him, it doesn't matter. These few who have come to their door are big fat sheep, and they can still make a contribution.