prynovel Chapter 65 Waiting
Chapter 65 Waiting
It was still past midnight.
Southwest corner of the county town.
The Black Fox Gang's stronghold, outside an abandoned dye workshop.
Lu You and Lin Yi moved silently around the stronghold, like two wisps of smoke blending into the night.
Lin Yi's stealth and reconnaissance skills were originally honed within the rebel army, where he served as a spy for many years.
He could easily spot the Black Fox Gang sentries responsible for lookout at various high points and dark corners.
Lu You, on the other hand, relied on his swift skills at the seventh-grade Yi Jin realm, combined with the sharp steel spikes under his coat, to strike vital points from a distance, one stab at a time.
These hidden sentries were eliminated before they could even raise an alarm.
Even some of them were spies sent by the Kang family, and they were also dealt with.
After eliminating the surrounding sentries, the group, as planned, found a dilapidated house about thirty feet away from the dye house and lay in ambush.
The terrain here is slightly higher, making it easier to observe the movements of the Black Fox Gang's stronghold in front of us.
Lu You, Yin Ruyu, Cao Dahuang, Yang Hongliu, Lin Yi, Yin He, Liu Sheng, along with ten carefully selected ninth-rank martial artists from the Mingsha Gang and fifty martial arts masters wielding knives, clubs, and shields, all held their breath and lay in ambush in the darkness.
Yin Ruyu's face was still pale. The wound on her back had stopped bleeding temporarily thanks to Cao Dahuang's emergency treatment, but every movement and breath caused her pain.
She bit her lower lip, forcing herself to concentrate.
His gaze was fixed on the courtyard in the distance.
The night wind blew through the dilapidated courtyard, carrying the scent of sand and dust, and time seemed to slow down.
The air was thick with the oppressive atmosphere of an impending great battle.
Many of the members of the Mingsha Gang were participating in this mission for the first time, a direct attack on the core stronghold of another gang. Their palms were sweating as they gripped their knives and clubs.
But no one dared to speak up.
Suddenly, an unusual orange-red hue appeared in the northeastern night sky and gradually expanded.
Then, a cacophony of shouts and curses drifted in on the night breeze.
Although it was hard to hear clearly, the sense of chaos was distinctly discernible.
"Look, to the north! Lai San and his gang succeeded!"
Yang Hongliu was thrilled to see something exciting happening. She lowered her voice, her tone full of excitement.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all craned their necks to look. The orange-red halo became more and more obvious, and they could even see plumes of black smoke rising under the bright moonlight.
The dyehouse courtyard across the street also seemed to have been alerted.
A shadowy figure moved on the courtyard wall, peering northward.
A while later, the heavy gate of the dye house creaked open, and a group of about twenty Black Fox gang members filed out.
The leader, with a lean and agile physique, was none other than the hall master, Fox Aqi.
His face was grim. He turned around and gave a few instructions to the people inside the courtyard. Then he led the group and hurriedly headed north, towards the direction from which the firelight and noise were coming from.
Seeing this, Yinhe immediately whispered his advice:
"Miss, Fox Seven has left with his men! Should we...?"
Yin Ruyu's heart pounded. She hadn't expected it to be so simple. The other side had lost such a large number of people, greatly increasing their chances of winning.
Her desire to save lives, coupled with the responsibility on her shoulders, almost made her order an immediate attack.
But thinking of her previous plan, she took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and subconsciously looked at Liu Sheng beside her.
Everyone looked at Liu Sheng.
At this moment, Liu Sheng was crouching behind a broken wall, observing the courtyard opposite.
He certainly saw Fox Aqi leave, but Fox Aqi didn't take many people with her; the main force in the courtyard was still there.
The fire in the distance showed no signs of abating.
He slowly shook his head, his voice extremely low yet carrying a convincing composure: "Captain Yin, wait a little longer. The real giant snake hasn't been lured out yet!"
Liu Sheng's calmness was like a bucket of ice water, which cleared Yin Ruyu's feverish mind a little.
She recalled Liu Sheng's plan—to lure the snake out of its hole. The real snake was the gang leader, Fox Jesse.
What's more, the Poison Water Team hasn't even been deployed yet!
So everyone continued to wait patiently, and time continued to pass, each minute feeling particularly agonizing.
The commotion from the north did not subside; instead, it intensified. The sounds of weapons clashing and more roars could be faintly heard, suggesting a new conflict had broken out.
A while later, a disheveled figure darted back using his light-footed skills; it was none other than the hall master, Fox Aqi.
His clothes appeared to have been burned, and he hurried back into the courtyard.
Before long, the courtyard gate burst open, and Fox Jesse, the leader of the Black Fox Gang, strode out with a livid face.
The gang leader, Fox Ah Qi, followed closely behind, and then more than thirty members of the Black Fox Gang, including six or seven members of the Poison Water Team who were wearing simple leather aprons!
It seems they were either thoroughly enraged by the "Beggars' Sect provocation" from the north, or they received a more urgent battle report that required the sect leader to personally intervene and suppress the conflict.
Fox Jesse faced the courtyard, gave another order, then waved his hand and led the large group of men, their menacing aura emanating from them, on a rapid march northward.
The two foxes at the front, Jesse and Ah Qi, even used their lightness skills to head straight north, leaving the large group behind them to run and chase after them.
The dyehouse courtyard was noticeably quieter and emptier.
Only four guards with knives remained at the entrance.
Everyone held their breath, knowing the time was almost here, and waited.
Wait until Fox Jesse goes further.
Suddenly, everyone heard a heavy breathing sound. They turned around and saw that Lai San had returned.
He ran wildly, unable to utter a single word, only able to maintain heavy breathing. While asking the members of the Mingsha Gang for water, he gave Liu Sheng a nodding, affirmative look.
Seeing this, Liu Sheng's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked at Lu You and Lin Yi:
"Thank you, Senior Brother. To prevent Foxy from returning, please follow him secretly. If you see him turn back halfway, be sure to delay him, and then Senior Brother Lin can return and report back!"
Lu nodded and said to Lin Yi:
"Junior Brother Lin, let's go! You all should also be careful and not fight head-on."
"Don't worry, Senior Brother!"
The crowd greeted Lu and Lin and saw them off. Lu and Lin then vanished from the ruins like ghosts.
Liu Sheng turned to Yin Ruyu and said in a deep voice:
"Chief Constable Yin, it's time!"
Yin Ruyu had no more hesitation at this moment. She solemnly clasped her hands in a fist salute to the remaining people and said:
"Gentlemen, please follow Yinhe into the courtyard. A swift and decisive battle is needed; rescuing the children is our top priority. If there is resistance, kill without mercy. Thank you for your assistance!"
"superior!"
The fighting spirit that everyone had suppressed for so long suddenly erupted.
Yinhe immediately drew his sword and rushed out.
Cao Dahuang also waved his chubby hand:
"Brothers, follow me! Rescue the children, and I, the gang leader, will reward you handsomely!"
Yang Hongliu and Liu Sheng, also masked, raised their long spears and charged ahead.
Lai San, accompanied by ten rank-one martial artists and thirty Mingsha Gang martial artists, followed closely behind, wielding both swords and shields.
Another twenty martial arts instructors, under Cao Dahuang's command, carried long sticks and surrounded the outer wall of the dye house.
They fenced off the courtyard to prevent anyone from escaping by climbing over the wall or alerting others.
Yin Ruyu is injured and cannot charge into battle.
But she gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
He followed closely behind the crowd.
Like a flood bursting its banks, the crowd surged out of the abandoned courtyard, silently and swiftly rushing towards the Black Fox Gang's stronghold thirty feet away.