Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Li Ping stood on the north gate tower, the wind blowing from the direction of the mountains.

It carried a strong, pungent odor, like that of a wild beast.

Shi Gan was directing the militiamen to carry logs up the city wall, cursing under his breath.

"Give it your all! Are you starving? If you don't have the strength to throw wood when the monsters come up, you'll be in trouble!"

"Just jump down and feed the wolves yourself!"

Li Ping leaned against the city wall battlements, gazing into the distance.

"Sir, the villagers of Lijiazhuang have all evacuated."

Shi Gan wiped the sweat from his face and wiped his hands on his trouser leg.

"However, the Bai family's guards are getting anxious and are currently blocking the entrance to the herb field, cursing and swearing."

"Let them curse, we'll do our thing."

Li Ping patted the dust off his hands.

"Does Bai Chong think he can be safe hiding in the manor? How could the monsters recognize the Bai family's nameplate?"

"The medicinal herbs in the herb field have such a strong smell; the demonic beasts love that smell."

"My lord, can the Bai family's formation really hold?"

Shi Gan was somewhat curious

"You can hold them off for a while, but not forever."

Li Ping sneered.

"Bai Chong is unwilling to part with the spirit stones; that formation won't last long."

"Once the formation is broken, the Bai family will become easy targets for the demonic beasts."

Uncle Zhou, carrying a thick book, hurriedly climbed up the ramp.

气喘吁吁

"Sir, this time we've mobilized too many people."

"We consume about a hundred kilograms of food every day."

"And those kerosene and iron filings were all bought with real gold and silver."

The old man's heart was bleeding.

Li Ping's eyelids twitched.

"Uncle Zhou, please stop talking about it."

"Once this is over, the Bai family's and the county government's warehouses..."

"Let's settle accounts one by one."

"You'll definitely get your share of the money then."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhou's face immediately lit up with a smile.

He hugged the book even tighter.

"With your words, sir, this old man is relieved."

"I'll go and re-check the grain reserves in the warehouse to make sure not a single grain is wasted."

"Wait, how many arrows did the blacksmith in town send over?"

Li Ping asked

"Zhang Tiebi led his men to work overtime and delivered five hundred fine iron arrows."

"There are still three thousand ordinary feathered arrows."

Uncle Zhou flipped through the book

"But that guy's asking price is high, saying that fine iron is hard to find."

"You'll have to pay more."

"Add it for him"

Li Ping waved his hand.

"As long as the city can be defended, he will be well rewarded with silver."

Go ahead.

Zhou Bo chuckled and left, almost stepping on a rolling log before he did.

His body swayed, and he almost fell.

This caused the local militia members nearby to burst into laughter.

Da Zhuang, carrying a longbow, galloped in from outside the city.

They quickly climbed up the city wall.

"Sir, the traps are all set."

Da Zhuang pointed to the rocky beach outside the city.

"According to the map you provided, this is the only way down from Eagle's Beak Rock."

"Thirty interconnected pits were dug."

"They buried iron caltrops that the blacksmith had just forged inside, and sprinkled them with medicinal powder."

"What about the rune array? How's Uncle Shuan's side coming along?"

"Uncle Laoshuan led dozens of bricklayers to build three low walls behind the rocky beach."

Da Zhuang chuckled.

"The talismans drawn by the talisman craftsman were all pasted on the inside of the low wall."

"If any monster crashes into it, it's guaranteed to be burned to a crisp."

Uncle Laoshuan also came up at this moment, holding a trowel in his hand.

His face was covered in mud.

"Lord Li, although we mountain people are skilled in warfare..."

"But he's a master bricklayer."

"Those three low walls are very sturdy; they should be able to hold them off for a while."

Li Ping bowed.

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Laoshuan."

"Tell the villagers to finish building the wall and quickly retreat to Yefuling. Do not linger outside the city."

"Alright, I'll lead them away now."

Uncle Laoshuan responded and turned to walk down the city wall.

Li Ping watched Uncle Laoshuan's retreating figure, a slight thought stirring within him.

These mountain people may be simple-minded, but they are also kind-hearted.

Give them a way to survive, and they'll fight you to the death.

This is much better than those scheming officials in the city.

Li Ping walked down the city wall and arrived at the first line of defense.

The low wall was covered with yellow talisman paper, on which crooked runes were drawn with cinnabar.

Li Ping stretched out his hand, a slight movement of spiritual energy at his fingertips.

Gently brush a piece of talisman paper

He is now at the Qi Refining stage, and the spiritual energy within his body is several times more abundant than before.

As he infused his spiritual power, the cinnabar on the talisman faintly glowed with a red light.

Then disappeared

"Sir, what's going on?"

Dazhuang watched with great interest.

"Add some spices"

Li Ping withdrew his hand.

"These fire-starting talismans are too weak; at most, they can only burn ordinary wild animals."

"I reinforced it with my spiritual power, in case the monster crashes into it later."

"The power can be doubled"

"Your skills are truly divine!"

Da Zhuang sincerely praised

Stop flattering me, go keep an eye on things outside the city.

"Report immediately if there is no response."

Li Ping laughed and cursed.

Qian Duo ran up the city wall, his face pale.

Hands tucked into sleeves

"Sir, we've found out everything."

Qian Duo whispered in Li Ping's ear

"That old bastard Chen Rang has moved all the city's garrison troops to the south gate."

"They said it was to guard against encirclement, but actually the carriages were already prepared."

"Ready to rush to the county seat at any time"

"Zhao Heng hasn't been idle either; he's searching the whole city for Bai Fu."

"They probably wanted to kill him to silence him."

"Where is Song Ming?"

Li Ping asked

"Inspector Song is sitting in the main hall of the county government office, his face as black as the bottom of a pot."

"He sent two attendants to keep an eye on Chen Rang, and they probably noticed something was wrong."

Qian Duo chuckled.

"However, he didn't stop Chen Rang from deploying troops, probably because he wanted to see if we could hold out."

"He's using us as a litmus test."

Li Ping sneered.

"As long as we hold the line, he'll have an explanation when he returns to the prefecture."

"If we can't hold out, we're dead."

He packed his bags and left, conveniently accusing Chen Rang of desertion in the face of battle.

"So what do we do?"

Qian Duo was somewhat worried

"Proceed according to the original plan."

Li Ping looked outside the city.

"What's going on with the Bai family?"

"Bai Chong locked the manor gates tightly and activated the protective formation."

"I heard he took out all the spirit stones in his house just to maintain that formation."

Qian Duo curled his lip.

"That old guy is really stingy."

"He'll soon find out that spirit stones aren't spent like that."

Li Ping said calmly

As night fell, torches on the city walls were lit one by one.

The firelight flickered in the wind

From the wilderness outside the city, the faint growls of wild beasts could be heard.

Accompanied by the sound of trees breaking

The militiamen stood on the city wall, their hands gripping their spears trembling slightly.

Most of them were ordinary farmers who had never seen anything like it.

Li Ping walked to the center of the city wall and looked down at the dense crowd below.

"What's the panic?"

Li Ping's voice echoed through the night sky.

"These weapons are no joke, and the traps outside the city aren't just for show. There's plenty of food at Wild Fox Ridge; we just need to hold out for this night."

"Each person will be rewarded with three taels of silver!"

Hear

"A reward of three taels of silver"

The previously agitated crowd immediately quieted down.

"Sir, what if the monsters charge at us?"

A young man's voice rang out

"Charge and attack!"

Li Ping pointed to the stone statue beside him.

"Commander Shi is holding the line, what are you afraid of? Look at that fat body of his!"

"Enough for a monster to gnaw on for half a day"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere immediately dissipated considerably.

Shi Gan awkwardly rubbed his stomach and muttered to himself.

"My lord, I'm just strong and healthy."

"Not fatty meat"

Li Ping ignored him and continued speaking.

"The Bai family is watching from behind, while the county government is hiding in the background."

"But we, the people of Wild Fox Ridge, will not cower like tortoises."

"Tonight, the North Gate is our trump card."

"We've defended it; from now on, this Xiyun County..."

"We're in charge!"

"Hold on!"

Shi Gan brandished his iron rod and roared.

"Hold on! Hold on!"

On the city wall, hundreds of militiamen shouted in unison.

The firelight illuminated their young and resolute faces.

Li Ping stood at the forefront, watching the countless scarlet lights gradually illuminate the darkness in the distance.

Those are the eyes of a demon beast.

He touched the iron plaque in his pocket, then looked in the direction of the Bai family manor in the city.

"Bai Chong, Chen Rang"

Your plans have failed.

Li Ping muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Outside the city, the first wolf howl ripped through the night sky.