With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Three more days passed, and only two days remained before the imperial delegation arrived to bestow titles.

Over the next three days, the walls of the fortified village were raised to three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and rolling stones and wooden blocks were neatly stacked, ready to be thrown down at any time; three mountain-splitting crossbows were also firmly mounted on the crenellations.

The martial artists became much more familiar with each other, formed initial cooperation, and even practiced several times according to Lin Ye's instructions. They shouted and responded to each other, and their movements became much more agile.

At noon that day, the sun was shining brightly, casting warm rays on the city walls. Everyone had been on guard for most of the day and had not seen anything unusual, so they all thought it would be another peaceful day and that the bandits would not come. Many people leaned against the battlements, dozing off in the sunlight.

In the midst of this tranquility, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar—two horses galloped towards them like arrows released from a bow. The riders were covered in dust, and one of them had half of his clothes stained crimson with blood, clearly having been struck by an arrow.

Before the two even reached the city gate, they shouted at the top of their lungs, "Bandits are coming! There are three groups, and there must be over a thousand of them!"

He shouted it three times in a row, and then he bypassed the fortified village and ran in a more distant direction.

"They're our spies, working in pairs to gather information. Looks like they've run into bandits." Lin Qiang, standing next to Lin Ye, squinted at them, his tone calm yet wary.

"The gate must not be opened; we cannot let them in. What if it's a trap, and the bandits will seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack?"

"Everyone get ready, the bandits are coming!" Lin Ye stepped to the center of the city wall and shouted, tearing the gloomy air apart.

The group immediately returned to their pre-arranged positions, weapons in hand, staring intently at the distant horizon.

Soon, three groups of people came into view. Leading the way were the men of Lone Wolf Stronghold, numbering four or five hundred, less than half of whom were on horseback, and many of the foot soldiers were carrying small siege ladders.

The two groups following behind were bandits, each numbering over two hundred. They were all on horseback but carried no siege equipment, suggesting they were tasked with charging into battle and harassing the enemy.

The three groups of people approached rapidly like three tides, finally stopping about 300 meters from the fortified village.

There was no conversation between the three factions. Two riders ran out from the Lone Wolf Stronghold and went to the other two factions.

There were no shouts, no challenges, only the whistling wind rushing past our ears.

Suddenly, over a hundred men from each of the three camps rushed out and charged toward the fortified city wall in unison. The sound of hooves and footsteps blended into a deep rumble, and dust rose in front of the ranks.

Three enemy troops rushed forward like three surging tides, their hoofbeats and footsteps blending into a deep rumble, dust billowing in front of them.

Lin Ye had already hidden behind the city wall and was watching from a safe place. After all, he was the master of the lair, and if he were to sacrifice himself, the lair would also be destroyed, and the battle would be meaningless.

The battle was handed over to Lin Qiang for command.

Lin Qiang gripped the crenellations with both hands and gave the order: "Prepare to fire arrows, crossbowmen, search for martial artists."

The archers on the city wall were already in formation, and the crossbowmen on the other side were ready for battle. As soon as Lin Qiang gave the order, a rain of arrows covered the charging bandits.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!" Dense arrows pressed down on the ground like a dark cloud. Most of the ordinary bandits were not wearing armor, or even leather shields. As soon as the arrows touched their bodies, they pierced their flesh, and screams of pain rose and fell.

Some people clutched their chests and fell to the ground, while others were shot in the legs and feet, rolling around with their wounds, and the momentum of the entire charge suddenly came to a halt.

Some wore simple leather armor, but even they couldn't withstand the dense rain of arrows. The arrow tips easily pierced through the gaps in the leather armor and pierced their flesh. They either fell down on the spot or their movements slowed down, and they were pushed and swayed by the crowd behind them.

Several people who were nearby were shot in the face or throat and fell down before they could even groan.

However, just after the rain of arrows swept through, Lin Qiang keenly noticed that there were five people in the front row who, despite being in the area where the arrows were falling the most densely, continued to charge forward as if nothing had happened.

Although arrows pierced their bodies, some were merely embedded in the surface of their leather armor, while others were dislodged by the impact of their muscles, thus avoiding fatal injuries.

"They're third-rate martial artists!" Lin Qiang shouted. "Ordinary arrows can't hurt them; they're leading the charge!"

Lin Ye looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, the five men were positioned at the forefront of different echelons, moving much faster than ordinary bandits, and were rapidly approaching the city wall.

Their presence emboldened the bandits who had been cowering under the weight of the arrows, and they surged forward.

Lin Qiang pointed at the five men and shouted again, "Crossbowmen, get ready!"

The four second-rate martial artists standing above the gate immediately pulled the winch, loaded the crossbow bolts, quickly adjusted the direction, and aimed the crossbows at the target a hundred paces away. The third-rate martial artist carried the ladder, his steps fast and steady.

"Boom——!"

The bowstring twanged, and the arrow, as sharp as black lightning, pierced through the chest, spraying blood everywhere. The warrior's eyes widened, and he fell straight down the ladder, dying instantly.

This power delighted everyone; they hadn't expected it to be so strong, no wonder it could threaten second-rate martial artists.

The other two mountain-splitting crossbows fired almost simultaneously, but missed.

However, despite the rain of arrows, the remaining bandits, bearing casualties, carried small ladders and rushed to the city wall at a faster pace.

A third-rate martial artist led the way, his agile movements allowing him to quickly climb the ladder. Ignoring the arrows and stones, he charged towards the top of the wall like a gecko.

"They've made it onto the wall! Brothers guarding the wall, hold them off!" Lin Qiang roared, and the Lin family and third-rate martial artists immediately rushed forward.

A burly, third-rate martial artist from Lone Wolf Stronghold swept his blade across the wall, forcing back two other unranked martial artists. However, he was then stabbed in the ribs by a third-rate martial artist who came from the side, and roared in pain as he tumbled off the wall.

On the other side, two bandits simultaneously climbed onto the ramparts and engaged in a fierce battle with the guards.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, two rock toad guards also strode up to the edge of the battlements.

The two toads made a low gurgling sound from their throats, then suddenly inhaled and sprayed out two thick jets of water, which rushed straight at the bandits climbing the wall.

The current was swift and fierce, causing several bandits who were climbing up to slip and fall off the wall along with their ladders; others were forced to keep their eyes open by the water jets, and their offensive was immediately disrupted.

Water splashed on the city wall and flowed down the crenellations, making the climb much more difficult.

Taking advantage of the moment when the bandits were hindered by the water and their formation faltered, Lin Qiang shouted, "Martial artists, push forward!"

On both sides of the city wall, twelve third-rate martial artists heard the order and immediately stepped forward to fight the bandits who had already climbed up.

Although the bandits had four third-rate martial artists, most of these unskilled warriors were stopped by the swords and spears on the city wall as soon as they showed themselves, and they couldn't break through at all.

Those below wanted to come up and help, but they were firmly blocked by the archers and rolling stones guarding the wall, and could only watch helplessly.

Of the four bandits and third-rate martial artists, only one, relying on his quick skills, used a ladder to jump down the city wall and escape.

The rest of the mediocre martial artists were all cut down at the top of the wall. Seeing that things were going badly, the bandits below the wall shouted and turned to flee.

Lin Qiang immediately ordered, "Don't stop, keep firing!"

Arrows rained down on the fleeing figures, and many fell to the ground.

After the bandits fled far away, less than a hundred bandits returned, all of them in a sorry state. Of the five third-rate bandits, four were left behind.

The Lin family also paid a price. Two second-rate martial artists died, and a third-rate martial artist from the Black Tiger Gang in the county was injured and had to be helped down the city wall.

During the brief respite, some women carried cloth bags and cups of water and quickly climbed up the wall to stop the bleeding and bandage the wounded.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment, with only intermittent groans remaining.