Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 637 Don’t worry
In front of the believers, Xu Shu vowed to eliminate the Xie family and the rebels, and also asked Liang, the prison guard, to tell everyone about the surrounding situation.

The reason Liang Jianya and his men were able to keep the caravan from leaving was because this place was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"So, the leader anticipated this and deliberately lured Sun De and his men into revealing their true colors so that he could capture them all here."

"If it weren't for today's events, we wouldn't have seen their true colors."

"They say their children have been arrested, but I think they're just colluding with the Xie family to deceive us."

Even though they witnessed Huang Ping's son being killed with their own eyes, some people still fabricate lies.

Xu Shu did not stop her. These words sound ridiculous now, but when they returned to the church, those who had not experienced everything firsthand would believe them without a doubt and would deeply resent Sun De and his ilk.

Once it's passed down, the fake will become the real.

As Xu Shu and the others were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of drums outside.

The atmosphere in the room immediately froze.

"Dong dong dong."

It felt like it exploded right above my head.

The people who were to capture them seemed to arrive as soon as they heard the sound.

Xue Er, who had just entered the main tent, immediately became serious and quickly went out to investigate.

The soldiers stationed in the camp also showed signs of panic.

They all shouted.

"The Xie family has arrived."

"Quickly, go to the mouth of the valley to defend it."

Xue Er seized on one of them and asked, "Why do you say that?"

The soldier said, "When the Xie family led their troops to attack before, they beat the drums like this."

Xue Er frowned. He felt that even if the Xie family had arrived, they shouldn't have beaten the drums before attacking. Wouldn't that have given everyone time to prepare? So he pulled back a soldier: "Tell your master not to panic..."

The soldier replied, "They suddenly threw oil at us earlier, which caused us to lose a lot of men."

Upon hearing Liang, the warden, mention the firearms used by the Xie family, Xue Er guessed that they were black oil. The members of the Holy Cult knew more about this than anyone else, and he confidently stated, "As long as the Xie family isn't around, they can't use black oil..."

As soon as Xue Er finished speaking, he smelled a burning odor. The next moment, he looked up and saw balls of fire being thrown in.

The earthenware pot hit the ground, sparks flying.

The soldier frowned and glanced at Xue Er, then ignored him and turned to find his own commander.

Xue Er asked in surprise, "This is...our black oil?"

“Attendant, let’s hide for a while.”

The guards tried to pull Xue Er away, but Xue Er shook them off and headed towards the spot where the pottery jar had been thrown.

Black oil needs to be lit in advance and then immediately removed from the hand, so it must be very close to be used. But Xie Yuyan's people were clearly not nearby, so how did she manage to do it?
Another earthenware pot was thrown in. It landed on the ground, and the kerosene inside immediately spilled out. Xue Er was familiar with the smell of black kerosene and immediately noticed something amiss.

"It doesn't contain black oil."

Perhaps it wasn't entirely black oil; this oil was easier to ignite, and the pottery jar was bound with many hemp ropes, which may have also been soaked in oil to keep the fire burning.

The Xie family improved upon the firearms they were using and then used them against them.

No more pottery jars were thrown in. Supervisor Liang ordered his soldiers, "Go and search the surrounding area for Xie's people."

After all that fuss and effort, nothing was gained in the end.

Just when everyone thought the Xie family had given up, the drums sounded again. As before, more pottery jars were thrown into the camp, but the location where the jars fell was different from before, indicating that the person who threw the jars had moved their position.

Last time, the Xie family only threw in firearms without taking the opportunity to attack, but that doesn't mean it will be the same this time.

So the camp was in complete chaos because of this.

Bound Tang Xing and the others raised their heads. If they had only felt a little hope before, now, hearing the drumbeats, they were filled with elation and joy.

Xu Lai seemed to understand something as well. He found Tang Xing and asked, "Is Madam Tang sending a message? When should we start making our move?"

Tang Xing did not respond directly but said, "Half an hour later."

Half an hour.

So, prior to this, Madam Xie had been feigning an attack. Such probing would likely attract the attention of the local garrison troops stationed nearby.

As Xu Lai thought about this, he suddenly had a realization.

Tang Xing had been thinking a lot these days. The reason why the eldest daughter-in-law hadn't been able to rescue them before was probably because she couldn't defeat the local militia, but things were different now.

Now that there are members of the Demon Cult here, and the Xiang Army has arrived, the people here must explain why they harbored members of the Demon Cult.

Tang Xing couldn't help but laugh. After his wife figured out the situation here, she must have come up with a plan. These people in the valley were waiting for his wife to fall into their trap and come to them, but his wife had already guessed what they were going to do. Five days was enough time for her to turn the situation around.

Xu Lai said, "I'll get some external medicine for you first, and then I'll find a chance to release you in a little while. If any of you can't walk, you must tell me first. I've found a secluded place to hide you there. Once things are completely chaotic here, I'll find a chance to carry you away."

Chen Rong looked at Tang Xing. They believed Xu Lai's words about 80% of the time, but Tang Xing still needed to ask about the remaining 20%.

Tang Xing thought for a moment and said, "When you do things for Madam, has she promised you any benefits?"

Xu Lai was silent for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, "You might not believe it, but Madam didn't promise anything."

Tang Xing breathed a soft sigh of relief: "I believe you."

This is their matriarch.

"Because this is the only chance for you to mitigate your guilt. Since everyone is getting what they need, there is no need for anyone to make any promises to anyone else."

Xu Lai nodded.

As the two were talking, the drumbeats sounded again, and more pottery vases were thrown in.

"Madam has prepared so many firearms."

Chen Rong's voice was slightly hoarse: "So that you know, our family can make our own pottery vases. So we can make as many as you want."

"Moreover, this pottery bottle is different; they'll be in for a world of trouble!"

These ceramic bottles contain a number of modified versions, with added oil, pine resin, and sulfur, which make them burn even more intensely and become impossible to remove once they stick to the fire.

When sulfur burns, it also produces thick smoke.

Moreover, they had permits issued by the Buddhist Registry for transporting sulfur, which were intended for use in printing prayer flags and making incense for temples. Government inspections would not result in any errors.

Tang Xing closed his eyes with relief: "I'll rest for a while." He could finally relax; now all he had to do was conserve his energy.

……

The main camp of the Xiang Army.

The military officer on duty had just finished his inspection with a troop of soldiers and was preparing to go back to rest when he heard rolling thunder coming from the horizon.

No, the general frowned. That wasn't thunder, but...

"Things have been really strange these past two days. Haven't those demonic cultists had enough of causing trouble?" the general frowned. "Gather the troops. I'm determined to capture them tonight."

(End of this chapter)