Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 79 Provocation
Three miles west of Peijia Village, under a crooked tree, hangs a hemp rope.

Under the trees north of the village, Old Fan's corpse swayed gently in the wind.

The bandits, hiding in the shadows, sneaked back to Wolf Fang Village with trepidation and reported to their leader in trembling fear: "...Old Fan's identity was discovered, and he has been killed. He was hanged under a tree north of Pei Family Village, right where the black bear was hanged that day."

"The rope is hanging down at the place we agreed upon. Boss, this is clearly the women from Peijia Village provoking us, trying to anger us and lure us there. We can't fall for it!"

A man with a hideous scar on his forehead and a fierce face sneered, "What? This little show of force has scared you out of your wits?"

"Being a bandit is a life-or-death business. With such a juicy piece of meat right in front of you, how could you not take it?"

The other bandits chimed in, "The boss is right! Let's go rob someone!"

"Bring all the women into the mountains. And take all the grain from Peijia Village."

"The benefits they get from Black Bear Village belong to us."

The bandits knew that Pei Family Village was a tough nut to crack and not to be trifled with. They patiently endured it for more than half a year. But seeing that Pei Family Village had grown in size and influence, attracting large numbers of refugees to seek refuge there, they finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Old Fan was the scout. Once he had a clear understanding of the situation in Peijia Village, he secretly instigated a group of displaced people to join forces from within and without.

Unexpectedly, that good-for-nothing Lao Fan was discovered so quickly and was used as bait, hanging in the north of the village.

Scarface licked his lips, a murderous glint in his eyes: "Go and relay my order to gather everyone in the village."

……

"Will the people from Wolf Fang Village really come?"

Under the moonlight, Pei Qinghe patrolled inside and outside the village, with Pei Yan following closely behind, muttering to herself, "It's obviously bait. They're not stupid, why would they come?"

Pei Qinghe sneered: "Scarface Wolf is one of the most notorious bandits in Yanshan. If he swallows such provocation and humiliation, how will he survive in the underworld? How will he intimidate his men?"

"He will not only come, but he will also bring enough men and weapons to try to break through Peijia Village in the shortest possible time. He will seize grain and people and hide in the mountain stronghold before the Beiping army gets the news and comes to the rescue."

Pei Yan gripped the hilt of her knife tightly and snorted coldly, "If they dare to come, they'll never leave alive."

Pei Qinghe glanced at him with a smile: "Aren't you afraid?"

Pei Yan straightened her chest: "We train hard every day, and our combat strength is far superior to before. With Qinghe as our cousin, we are not afraid of anyone."

Pei Qinghe smiled silently.

Five lookout points were set up outside the village, and five women from the Pei family hid in the trees, each about eight or nine meters high. Using the branches and leaves to conceal themselves, they kept a close watch on their surroundings. If there was any unusual movement, they would immediately blow their bamboo whistles to warn others.

After midnight, someone came to relieve them.

Security in the village has been tightened, with patrols conducted continuously throughout the night.

The women of the Pei family slept fully clothed, with weapons under their pillows.

The refugees were also given wooden sticks and other items for self-defense.

It's been almost half a month since the accomplice was hanged. By now, someone should have discovered Lao Fan's death and returned to Wolf Fang Village to deliver a message, and the bandits from Wolf Fang Village should have attacked Pei Family Village by now. When to launch the attack depends on Scarface Wolf's patience.

During the day, Pei Family Village was as usual: the sounds of clearing land, farming, martial arts practice, and reading filled the air, while the bricklayers building the new village clattered away. As night fell, the entire village fell silent. Scarface Wolf, who had been waiting in the mountains all day, led his bandits out of the forest at midnight, rushing towards Pei Family Village.

Scarface Wolf had been a bandit for over a decade, possessing extensive experience in killing and robbing wealthy families, and was far more cautious than Black Bear. Though he spoke with disdain, he was actually quite wary of Pei Family Village. This time, he brought two hundred bandits, along with all the weapons available in the village. Before descending the mountain, he devised a detailed plan.

First set fires, then charge. The village also had more than ten bows and arrows, all of which were brought along.

Before they even got close to Peijia Village, the sharp sound of bamboo whistles rang out.

Scarface Wolf's scar on his forehead twitched, and he shouted, "Fire!"

More than ten men behind him drew their bows and fired wildly in the direction of the bamboo whistle. The remaining bandits charged forward, brandishing their knives.

Whoosh!
An arrow, seemingly appearing from nowhere, struck the fastest-running bandit. The arrow was incredibly powerful, piercing the bandit's throat. The bandit didn't even have time to scream before collapsing to the ground.

Immediately, dozens of arrows rained down like a storm.

Scarface Wolf's expression turned grim. This unassuming Pei Family Village actually had so many bows and arrows! And so many women who knew how to shoot arrows!
Even more critically, the enemy had the advantage of higher ground and superior archery skills, completely suppressing their own side's arrows.

At times like these, one must not turn and flee, but must continue to charge forward.

Scarface Wolf suppressed his horror and shouted, "Charge!"

There weren't many archers in the mountains. After surviving three or four waves of arrows and leaving behind more than twenty corpses, the bandits rushed into the village.

Pei Yun, who had fired four arrows in quick succession, remained motionless, continuing to hide among the trees. The first arrow had been fired by her.

The bandits thought they had survived the rain of arrows, but they were sorely mistaken. The real archers were hidden right in the village!
"Women are naturally slightly weaker than men, so on the battlefield, they must make the most of their long-range archery skills." This was something Pei Qinghe often said to everyone. The women of Pei Family Village spent a lot of time practicing archery every day, and everyone improved rapidly.

Pei Yun is now an expert archer, her arrows never missing their mark from a hundred paces away; her archery skills are second only to Pei Qinghe. Therefore, Pei Qinghe specifically assigned her to keep watch at night.

Whoosh!
The arrows shot from the village, with astonishing power and accuracy, killed the bandits charging at the forefront.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The sound of arrows flying was incessant, like a storm of arrows flying out of the darkness, mercilessly reaping the lives of the mountain bandits.

The bandits fell to the ground amidst screams of agony. Some, though not fatally wounded, could still barely run, but were terrified and lay on the ground feigning death with their eyes closed.

Scarface's expression completely changed.

Underestimate the enemy!
Why do these women in Peijia Village possess so many deadly weapons? Doesn't the imperial court care?
Turning around and running away would only lead to a quicker death; one could only grit their teeth and keep charging forward.

Scarface gritted his teeth, gripping his longsword, and shouted from behind, "They're almost out of arrows! Don't be afraid, keep charging!"

With so many people already shot dead, what's the point of charging?
A person's psychological defenses often collapse at a fatal moment.

A beautiful young woman with a cold, murderous aura suddenly appeared, brandishing a long sword and reaping lives like a god of death. Familiar figures fell one by one, heads flying off.

"That's a female demon! Run!"

Suddenly, one of the bandits shouted wildly, threw down his weapon, and turned to run away.

The terrified bandits screamed and fled.

(End of this chapter)