"Master, there’s a new situation!"

Yin Le, who was observing the enemy’s situation at the wall base, ran into the pitch-dark hall, and said with suppressed excitement:

"A caravan has arrived outside the village. The torch lights up a long procession, at least fifty to sixty people, twenty-plus carts, a major caravan. We might not have to confront these people head-on."

Qin Yao was covering Liu Ji’s mouth, his eyes full of terror, unable to react.

She suspiciously asked, "This Wildcat Village road is narrow, and not far from An County. What is the caravan doing here?"

A voice, no longer hoarse and weak, came from the corner, "It’s the Qin Family Trading House’s boss!"

"Every spring and autumn, they would come to our village and stay a few days to collect mountain goods from nearby villages. Calculating the time for this year, it should be around now... oh no!"

This place has long since become a den of thieves. If they encounter the returning large troop of slave traders tomorrow, they will be attacked from both sides, and Mr. Qin will be in danger!

Gouwa stood up, agitated, "I must warn the boss, tell them not to enter the village!"

Da Lang stopped him, "If you shout, I’ll knock you out with a punch."

Gouwa knew of his prowess, having seen him handle two robust henchmen who cried out in pain, and he wilted immediately.

Liu Ji naturally collapsed into his wife’s embrace, dizzy and needed an explanation.

"Wife, what’s wrong with me? What happened? Why is it suddenly dark?"

Qin Yao: "You drank the knockout soup. We encountered the slave trader gang. Just dealt with this batch inside, and there’s an even bigger batch outside the courtyard. Oh, and there are new people joining in, the situation is getting more and more complicated."

"Right." Suddenly remembering that old lady, Qin Yao pointed to the one lying in the courtyard, playfully saying, "The dead old lady at the tea stall wanted to keep you, the handsome youngster, here alone for proper teaching, as revenge for the insults at the tea stall."

Liu Ji froze for a second, his mind finally clearing a bit, and he stood up with a "whoosh" to go strangle that dead old lady.

As the Great Scholar’s Disciple and a scholar, and the Liu Family Village’s most handsome man, how could he be coveted by this dead old woman?

However, he forgot his current physical condition. The medicine was still potent, and he got up too quickly, falling back into Qin Yao’s arms.

To be precise, Qin Yao kindly caught him, finding his dizzy appearance quite amusing.

"Wife, I feel so powerless~" Liu Ji leaned on her shoulder, his chin rubbing against the skin of her neck, his face almost touching hers.

From the perspective of Yin Le and the others, it was as if their master pulled his tall body down just to get close to the master, as awkward as possible.

Qin Yao ruthlessly pried the handsome face trying to stick to her away, lifting him by his shoulders and pressing him onto the table, "Sit here obediently."

"Ah Yue, let’s go outside and check the situation."

"Da Lang, protect father well."

The four siblings nodded solemnly; they would protect father well! 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The useless father being protected crossed his hands on the table, resting his head on his arms, staring without blinking at the valiant figure walking towards the courtyard, cheeks gradually flushed. She’s so concerned about him, so reliable, so beautiful~

He truly was the happiest man in the world!

The bystander brothers, Gou Dan, blinked confusedly. Isn’t the father supposed to protect his children, the husband to protect his wife?

The master and disciple arrived at the wall base.

Yin Le whispered, "Master, the master’s mental state seems a bit off."

Qin Yao waved her hand, "Ignore him."

People just waking up from anesthesia are like this, their brains appearing clear but actually chaotic, speaking nonsense too.

The pair stealthily peeked over the wall, noticing that more than half of the people previously blocking the courtyard gate were gone, and a large area of torchlight illuminated the village entrance, clearly showing the situation there.

At first glance, Qin Yao noticed the boldly raised "Qin" character banner.

All this time, it was her first encounter with someone sharing her surname.

This caravan had twenty-two carts, all horse-drawn. The horses were tall and burly, with glossy and smooth fur, clearly well-cared for and expensive.

The carts were filled with wooden boxes and bulging burlap bags, their contents unknown but surely valuable, otherwise, they wouldn’t afford such beautiful horses.

This caravan had three people per cart: one driver, and two guards riding alongside.

So summing up, just the horses numbered about seventy. If Qin Yao were those slave traders, she wouldn’t want to miss this juicy target delivered to their doorstep.

Combat prowess isn’t measured by numbers alone. Although the caravan seems to have twice as many people as the slave traders, they must protect the goods, vulnerable in this tiger’s den with no geographic advantage. If a fight ensues, it’s about evenly matched.

If Qin Yao were one of them, an evenly matched chance and absolute certainty are the same.

Even if unable to seize everything, grabbing a few carts and good horses means a worthwhile venture!

Therefore, the master and disciple watched the Qin Family Trading House caravan at the village entrance trying to negotiate with the slave traders, a bright red character flashing in their minds: danger!

Indeed, a signal-like whistle suddenly sounded at the village gate, and the ten guards previously stationed at the courtyard gate rushed toward the village entrance.

Horses neighed, clashes sounded, accompanied by cries of alarm, and the two groups at the village entrance clashed without warning.

Yin Le glanced at the empty gate, thrilled, "Master, if we don’t leave now, when will we?"

After all, compared to the caravan’s goods over there, their few people were negligible.

Qin Yao focused on the man guarding the forefront of the caravan, confronting the slave traders with a sword. The flickering torchlight never illuminated his face, but judging by his figure, he didn’t seem much older than her. Hair tied up for convenience, and athletic attire appeared very agile.

Riding a horse provided certain advantages. Under his command, the guards effectively matched the slave traders.

Given the suddenness of the situation and the darkness, it wasn’t easy to respond calmly and systematically.

From the firelight came a calm order: "All guards stay, drivers immediately turn back, light more torches, don’t be afraid, retreat to the cliff. One man can hold off thousands; they can’t do anything to us!"

As soon as he spoke, the caravan drivers reacted quickly, reversing their order, head became tail, tail became head, orderly and swiftly retreating the way they came.

The torches on the carts were all lit. With illumination, and the drivers being seasoned hands, steadying formation without panic allowed safe passage through the narrow cliff path.

Moreover, the guards provided cover. Their numbers matched the slave traders, with a significant chance of winning.

Yin Le watched in surprise, "With this retreat, the caravan’s odds actually improved."

Qin Yao squinted her eyes; the wind sound from the cliff felt different.