Underworld entries, starting with ghost stories.

Upon realizing it was Master Cen's order, the martial artist took off running.

Ahead, Dou Xianniang turned her horse around, carrying a bright silver spear, and galloped towards them.

"Master, are you looking for me?" Dou Xianniang rode up to the carriage, turned her horse around again, and rode alongside the carriage while looking into the carriage window.

Master Cen said, "This young man is looking for you, saying he has something important to discuss."

Wu Qing sat back in the car and said to Dou Xianniang through the window, "Miss, I suspect there's an ambush ahead."

Dou Xianniang's eyebrows twitched slightly: "An ambush?"

Look up and gaze at the mountains ahead.

Wu Qing said, "Previously, Miss, you were blocked by the imperial court's lackeys at Wuji Mountain. This shows that Dou Family Village has always been under surveillance, or that there are spies inside."

"I suspect that government troops may already be on their way to besiege Doujiazhuang. That's why you moved overnight, Miss."

"But if Doujiazhuang is being monitored, or even if there are spies inside, then Doujiazhuang's actions tonight will not escape the eyes and ears of the authorities."

"However, Dou Family Village itself has many martial artists and guards. The people who are going to surround and suppress us have not yet arrived, so we can only call on some soldiers from the surrounding counties. It will not be easy for the local soldiers to stop us, so the best way is to set up an ambush first."

Wu Qing pointed forward: "From what I've seen along the way, the best ambush point is just ahead. The path there is narrow and close to the mountains and forests."

"If there is an ambush force lurking in the hillside forests, and they suddenly attack us with a hail of arrows and rolling stones as we pass by, even if the young lady and the warriors of the manor manage to fight their way out, the many family members and farmers will likely be doomed."

Dou Xianniang was moved: "That is indeed possible."

Master Cen stroked his beard and said, "To set up an ambush, we would need to make arrangements before we even leave the manor, which seems unlikely."

"But if we really have spies in the village, when we pack up the trucks in the afternoon and let everyone rest early during the day, they will be able to see the signs that we are going to abandon the village overnight and will be the first to inform the outside world."

"The young man's concerns are not without merit."

Wu Qing already knew there was an ambush ahead, and he deduced the cause and effect backward.

Although Dou Xianniang and Master Cen were not entirely sure, after hearing what he said, they also felt that they should be on guard.

As the saying goes, "Better safe than sorry."

Dou Xianniang then summoned two trusted martial artists who had been in the village for a long time and were skilled in light-footed martial arts. They went around the mountain from the side and carefully crept to the back of the hillside to check the situation.

At the same time, everyone was advised to slow down and proceed cautiously.

The mountain range gradually drew closer. Two martial artists also slipped back and secretly reported to Dou Xianniang.

After hearing this, Dou Xianniang turned to look at the carriage where Wu Qing was, her eyes flashing with surprise and admiration.

Not long after, Wu Qing and Master Cen were asked to get off the carriage and meet Dou Xianniang.

Beside Dou Xianniang were two tall and imposing martial artists.

Dou Xianniang introduced them to Wu Qing: "These two are both my uncles, and they are also important members of the village."

One of them cupped his hands and said, "My name is Dou Bin!"

The other person introduced himself: "My name is Dou Kui!"

Dou Xianniang said, "Your judgment was correct; there was indeed a group of people hiding on that slope. Fortunately, you reminded us, and our people went around to check and discovered them."

"Otherwise, if we were attacked suddenly in the middle of the night, we would likely suffer heavy casualties."

Dou Bin and Dou Kui looked at the young and thin boy in front of them, their eyes filled with gratitude and respect.

Their families are all here. If something really happens, even if they manage to escape, their families will likely be in grave danger.

This young man is so young, yet he can see the big picture from small details and has such a quick mind; he must be no ordinary person.

[Mystery level +3!]

Wu Qing noticed that his mystique was starting to rise again.

Dou Xianniang looked at Wu Qing and said, "In your opinion, how should we deal with that ambush?"

Everyone else looked at Wu Qing as well.

How would I know? Wu Qing has never commanded troops before and cannot afford such hospitality.

But he also enjoyed that look in his eyes.

He said, "I am new here and know little about your manor's military strength and manpower. The most important aspect of this ambush is its concealment. Now that it has been exposed, I believe that Miss and the two uncles can handle it on their own."

He stood with his hands behind his back and smiled calmly.

Master Cen nodded: "What you mean is that he has already helped to this extent, so you can handle this little thing yourselves."

That's not what I meant. Don't talk nonsense.

Dou Xianniang thought about it and realized that what he said made sense.

Doujiazhuang's fighting strength is something they themselves know better than anyone else.

Moreover, they've already helped us to this extent, and if we still have to rely on him for the rest, wouldn't that make Doujiazhuang seem too useless?

She looked at Dou Kui: "Uncle Kui! You should take the sixty best archers in the village, equipped with fire arrows, and sneak up the mountain from the back to get a high vantage point."

"The weather has been dry lately, so setting a fire suddenly will definitely throw them into disarray. When they escape down the mountain, Uncle Bin and I will lead the main force here to charge up and make sure they don't come back alive."

Master Cen reminded us, "Don't forget, we might also have spies on our side. Don't let them leak the information beforehand."

Dou Xianniang said, "That's alright. We can trust our own people. What Father wants to do is rebel."

"Even if there are villains among our clansmen, he is surnamed Dou and has betrayed us. He can forget about being given important positions in the government."

"We can rest assured about the martial artists we take in and train. The only ones we need to worry about are the farmhands who have recently come to join us, or the farmers who have been bribed."

"Leave them behind, notify some relatively trustworthy people, keep a close eye on each other, and don't let anyone leave."

Dou Bin and Dou Kui knew that there was no time to lose, so they immediately took action.

Wu Qingli stood beside the driver, holding onto the roof of the carriage and gazing ahead.

The night was dark, and he couldn't see the crowd clearly, so he looked at the floating words.

He discovered that Dou Xianniang was skilled in tactics, and the warriors and strong men of Doujiazhuang were also well-trained.

Dou Kui led dozens of martial artists who also worked as hunters, using nearby obstacles to move around.

Dou Xianniang, carrying her gleaming silver spear, moved forward slowly under the moonlight.

More martial artists had already been quietly mobilized within the ranks, gathering behind her.

The large contingent continued forward as if oblivious, yet they had already completed their preparations for battle without anyone noticing.

They were only half a mile away from the ambush site ahead.

Suddenly, arrows whistled across the mountain, and streaks of flame shot down from higher ground toward the ambush site.

Panic-stricken shouts came from the ambush site. The ambush had failed, and the ambush had backfired, resulting in complete chaos.

The night wind howled, and the fire started quickly, soon billowing thick smoke.

Interspersed with the sounds of breaking and shattering, the fire spread further.

Wu Qingli stood in the car, looking up at the thick smoke rising from the hillside, and thought to himself, "Although it was a rocket attack, the fire is burning way too fast."

"It seems the ambush troops also prepared oil. They originally intended to attack us with logs and stones splashed with oil, but they ended up setting themselves on fire first."