Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

The guards on the gate tower sized up Zhao Liugen, then glanced at the dense crowd behind him. One of them shouted at the top of his lungs, "Third Master! Third Master! Zhao Liugen of Black Cloud Stronghold is here!"

A short while later, a short, stout man wearing a silk jacket peeked out from behind the village wall.

It was none other than Qian Gui, the smiling tiger, the third leader of Qingfeng Village.

"Hey! It really is Brother Liu Gen!" Qian Gui's face was full of smiles, but his eyes gleamed as he scanned the crowd behind Zhao Liu Gen. "What brings you all here?"

Zhao Liugen sighed, "Don't even mention it! Black Cloud Stronghold was wiped out by the Jin-Sui Army! The brothers fought their way out, and we were truly desperate, so we came to seek refuge with Brother Qian, begging him to take us in!"

Qian Gui's eyes darted around, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the crowd.

He saw many familiar faces, including Chen Tieshan and Wang Changgui, who were prominent figures in Black Cloud Village.

"They wiped it out by the Jin-Sui Army?" Qian Gui asked doubtfully. "Where's Chief Xie? Where's Mountain Cat?"

Zhao Liugen sighed, "Our leader is dead, and Mountain Cat is dead too. The brothers are leaderless, so we have no choice but to come and seek refuge in your stronghold."

Qian Gui was still hesitating when a bandit next to him whispered a few words in his ear.

"Third Master, today is a joyous day for our First Master! The brothers from Black Cloud Stronghold have come to join us. Isn't this double happiness? This is an auspicious sign, a sign that Qingfeng Stronghold is destined for great prosperity!"

Qian Gui's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, yes! Brothers Liugen, you've come at the perfect time! Today is our chief's wedding, and the village is holding a banquet. You've all come at a good time!"

The gate to the village creaked open.

Zhao Liugen went in first, while Wei Dayong mingled in the crowd, head down, pretending to be an ordinary bandit.

The gate of Qingfeng Village is thick and sturdy, with a row of copper nails gleaming on it.

As you step through the village gate, a bright and open view unfolds before you.

A stone-paved road, wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side, leads deep into the village. On both sides of the road are rows of houses and courtyards with blue bricks, gray tiles, and upturned eaves.

Wei Dayong secretly observed the surrounding terrain.

There was an arrow emplacement every three zhang on both sides of the road, and behind the arrow emplacements were crossbows.

The crossbow was fixed to a cast iron base and wound with a winch, capable of firing three iron arrows at a time.

The crossbow arm is about four feet long, and the bowstring is about the thickness of a little finger. When fully drawn, it has a force of at least three hundred pounds.

There were also several hidden sentry posts on the roof, with the sentries hiding behind the tiles, only their gun barrels showing.

Several holes can be vaguely seen on the distant mountain wall, which are probably the firing points of the bunker.

The drainage ditches on both sides of the stone-paved road were excessively wide, large enough for an adult to hide in.

Every few steps along the ditch wall, there is a groove with sharpened wooden stakes placed inside.

This is the Zhou family's fortification, which has turned the entire main road into a huge trap.

As Wei Dayong walked, he memorized these locations in his mind.

"Hey! Isn't this Chen Tieshan?" A burly man with a fierce face came out from the house next door. "Is your Black Cloud Stronghold really finished?"

Chen Tieshan nodded with a bitter face: "It's all over, it's all over."

"That's great!" The burly man chuckled. "From now on, you'll work for our Qingfeng Village! But you have to follow our rules; newcomers will have to do hard labor for the first six months."

"That's right, that's right." Chen Tieshan nodded repeatedly.

The group followed Qian Gui through three gates of the stockade. Each gate had a watchtower on both sides, with machine guns mounted on it.

The Zhou family's design was extremely ingenious; the three gates were not lined up in a row, but rather distributed in a staggered manner in the valley.

The first gate is the outer gate, and inside is an open area.

The second gate is the Zhongzhai Gate, built on a narrow pass.

The third gate is the inner gate, with steep cliffs on both sides and only a narrow stone staircase in the middle that can only accommodate three people walking side by side.

Each door is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if one door is breached, the attackers will be exposed to the firepower of the next door.

Traces left by the Zhou family can be seen everywhere in the valley.

There is a stone well by the roadside, with exquisite lotus flower patterns carved on the wellhead.

A line of words is engraved next to the well platform: "Zhou Family Righteous Well, water never runs dry."

On the distant hillside stand several old plum trees, their trunks so thick that a person couldn't wrap their arms around them, their branches gnarled and twisted, clearly indicating that they are hundreds of years old.

Next to the plum tree was an abandoned garden, with vines climbing all over the remaining artificial rocks.

A three-story wooden pavilion stands halfway up the mountain, with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters.

The windows of the attic were covered with mulberry paper, through which light shone faintly.

That was the Zhou family's original library, now converted into a warehouse.

Wei Dayong noticed a small cannon mounted on the roof of the pavilion, with its muzzle pointing directly at the gate of the stockade.

Zhao Liugen moved closer to Qian Gui, took out a heavy cloth bag from his pocket, and stuffed it into Qian Gui's hand.

"Third Master, this is a small token of our appreciation from the brothers. We hope you will take good care of us in the village in the future."

Qian Gui weighed the cloth bag in his hand, his face beaming with joy.

"No problem, no problem! The Six Roots brothers are so straightforward!"

Wang Changgui also joined in, his face beaming with smiles.

"Third Master, I heard the First Master is getting married today? What a joyous occasion! I learned to be a cook in the county town for two years, how about I go help out in the kitchen?"

Qian Gui looked him up and down: "You can cook?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wang Changgui nodded repeatedly. "Braised pork hock, red-braised pork belly, sweet and sour fish—I'm an expert at everything!"

"Alright, go to the kitchen." Qian Gui waved to one of his men, "Take him to the kitchen."

Wang Changgui followed the bandit toward the kitchen, observing the layout of the courtyard along the way.

The kitchen is in a separate courtyard, with three large stoves lined up in a row, and seven or eight large pots on the stoves.

Several cooks were busy chopping meat and vegetables, the stove was roaring, and steam was bubbling from the pot.

There were several large vats in the courtyard, some filled with water and some with wine.

While rolling up his sleeves, Wang Changgui struck up a conversation with the cooks and quickly found out the banquet arrangements.

Liu Laobao then pulled a few bandits from Qingfeng Village aside and clamored for a drink.

"Brothers! Today is a joyous day, let's drink until we drop!"

Several bandits, who were fond of this kind of thing, immediately surrounded him upon hearing this.

Liu Laobao took out a jar of wine from his bag, broke the mud seal, and the aroma of the wine filled the air.

"This is the finest sorghum liquor, brought from Black Cloud Village! You're getting a great deal!"

The bandits laughed loudly, snatched the wine bowls, and drank.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on Liu Laobao, Li Fei quietly left the crowd.

He was small and agile, and like a raccoon, he scurried along the wall into the kitchen backyard.

The kitchen backyard was piled with firewood and miscellaneous items, and several large water vats were placed in the corner.

Li Fei took out the small porcelain bottle that Wu Liang had given him from his pocket and uncorked it.

He poured the powder into his palm, then pretended to wash his hands by the water tank, casually sprinkling the powder into the tank.

The powder dissolves instantly in water, leaving no residue.

After dealing with the water tank, Li Fei slipped away to the kitchen doorway.

The kitchen was filled with smoke, and the cooks were busy stir-frying and stewing meat; no one paid any attention to him.

He seized the opportunity and sprinkled the remaining powder into the dishes.

Wu Liang said that the medicine powder would take effect more quickly when heated.

After doing all this, Li Fei quietly slipped back into the crowd, the whole process taking less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Zhou Quanheng and Sun Dequan also took action.

The village was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and dozens of craftsmen were busy hanging red lanterns and pasting big red "double happiness" characters, working up a sweat.

A craftsman in his forties was squatting on the wall hammering nails when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and was stunned.

"Old Zhou? Old Sun?" the craftsman asked in a low voice. "Didn't you two run away? Why are you back?"

Zhou Quanheng leaned closer and whispered, "Master Zhang, we came with the Black Cloud Stronghold people. They've now joined the government army; they're a regular force. Tonight, they're going to take down Qingfeng Stronghold!"

Craftsman Zhang's expression changed: "Really?"

"Absolutely true!" Sun Dequan said. "Master Zhang, you've been in Qingfeng Village for so many years, how has Liu Bao treated us? We work from dawn till dusk repairing mechanisms, and he won't even give us a decent meal! That kind of person isn't worth risking your life for!"

Zhang the craftsman's eyes flickered, he remained silent for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth.

"I've had enough! Tell me what to do!"

Zhou Quanheng gave a detailed explanation, and after listening, Zhang the craftsman immediately went to notify the other craftsmen.

Within half an hour, the thirty or forty craftsmen responsible for maintaining the mechanism all knew what was going on.

Most of the craftsmen agreed to cooperate without hesitation, but two timid and cowardly individuals were temporarily placed under guard.

Meanwhile, the main hall of Zhongzhai was bustling with activity.

The pillars on both sides were decorated with large red "double happiness" characters, and the eight-immortal table was filled with food and wine.

Liu Bao, dressed in a long, bright red silk robe, with a ruddy face and a face full of fat, was clinking glasses with his subordinates while holding a wine bowl.

Sitting next to him was a woman in a red wedding dress, her head covered with a red veil, motionless, like a clay statue of a Bodhisattva.

The second-in-command, Zhao Wanhe, sat at the lower end of the table. He had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, and his triangular eyes darted around, making him look cunning and treacherous.

"Brother! Congratulations!" Zhao Wanhe raised his wine bowl. "Today you married your new sister-in-law, and now brothers from Black Cloud Stronghold have come to join you. It's truly a double celebration!"

Liu Bao laughed heartily and downed the wine in one gulp.

"Those bastards from Black Cloud Stronghold dare to compare themselves to me? But since they're here, consider it a bit of good luck on my big day! Let them wait outside until I've had my fill of drinking!"

Zhao Liugen and the others were arranged to sit and drink with the ordinary bandits of Qingfeng Village in the courtyard outside the main hall.

A minor leader from Qingfeng Village walked over with a bowl of wine, his face full of disdain.

"Brothers of Black Cloud Stronghold, our chief said today is a special day. We'll treat you to a good meal and drinks first, and we'll talk about everything else tomorrow!"

Chen Tieshan nodded and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you so much! You're too kind, Boss!"

The squad leader turned and left, and the smile on Chen Tieshan's face immediately vanished, replaced by a cold glint in his eyes.

He took the opportunity of drinking to secretly scan his surroundings.

There were a dozen or so bandits guarding the courtyard, but most of them were eating and drinking, and the vigilance was very lax.

Wu Liang's drug was already taking effect.