Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

The party was so enjoyable that it ended late at night.

With a flushed face and unsteady gait, Liu Mingzi was carried from the lobby back to his room by Xin Dahu's men.

After the person who brought him back left, Liu Mingzi's eyes instantly cleared, and he circulated his internal energy to expel the smell of alcohol.

He went to the window, looked at Xinshan, which was brightly lit, and had an ambiguous look on his face.

After about half an incense stick's time, Liu Mingzi finally sat down at the table, his hesitation turning into determination.

"Someone come here!"

Upon hearing Liu Mingzi's voice, the bandit henchmen standing guard outside the door quickly pushed open the door and came in.

"Chief, what are your orders?"

"Go and summon the two commanders."

After his men left the room, Liu Mingzi paced back and forth inside.

Not long after, two burly bandits arrived at Liu Mingzi's room one after the other.

"Big brother."

The two men clasped their hands in a fist salute to Liu Mingzi, and then sat down on either side of the table.

Liu Mingzi looked at the two men and asked, "Brothers, what do you think of the imperial court's siege?"

"Brother, the imperial court only has a few hundred people in total, and the number of martial artists who have entered the realm is only a handful. How could they be a match for our mountain stronghold alliance?"

"Besides, didn't you say before that the Tree Spirit would also take action? I'm afraid these soldiers might not even be able to reach Xinshan."

"I think these soldiers have lost their minds; they don't know how deep the waters of these 100,000 mountains are."

The one who spoke was Qin Dan, the leader of Qingfeng Village, who was also one of Liu Mingzi's earliest confidants.

Another commander nodded in agreement.

"Not bad, brother. Once the soldiers retreat, we'll continue to eat and drink well."

Liu Mingzi remained calm, and only spoke slowly after the two had stopped their discussion.

"On the surface, that is true, but in the end, we are nothing more than a group of mountain bandits, and in the eyes of the tree demon, we are nothing more than ants that can be discarded at any time."

"The imperial court may seem to be in a weak position, but I don't think so. I am prepared to lead Qingfeng Village to surrender to the imperial court."

After Liu Mingzi finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair, seemingly casually, but his eyes kept darting between his two subordinates.

This matter must not be known to the other village chiefs, otherwise, Liu Mingzi will surely die.

These two men were his trusted confidants who had followed him for many years, but he still dared not let his guard down and had to be cautious in everything he did.

"Chief, haven't we already allied with other bandits? And with the help of the Tree Demon, the imperial troops will surely suffer a crushing defeat, or even lose their lives here."

Qin Dan's face was filled with confusion and astonishment. He couldn't understand why they had to join the imperial court. Their choice to become outlaws was because the court had driven them to a dead end.

"That's right, Chieftain. We've been at odds with the imperial court for many years. Even if we join them, what future do we have? And even if they win, do you think they'll let us off the hook?"

Another commander continued, following up on the conversation.

Liu Mingzi waved his feather fan twice, showing some concern about the questions raised by his two subordinates.

In this situation, no matter how you look at it, it's difficult for the government troops to win. However, in the past two days, he has consulted the oracle several times, and the fortunes of all the mountain strongholds are extremely ominous. If they are not defeated by the imperial court, then they are being tricked by monsters.

Divination was his secret, and he wouldn't explain much to his two subordinates.

"What you both say makes sense, but since I've made this decision, I naturally have my reasons. You two have followed me for so many years, when have I ever done anything without being sure of the outcome?"

The two commanders exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.

In their minds, Liu Mingzi was indeed mysterious. Every time he went down the mountain, he would gain something, and he led them out of danger many times.

The name "Master Calculator" had long been known throughout Qingfeng Village.

"We swear to follow our chieftain to the death!"

Liu Mingzi felt relieved. "Don't rush. In the next few days, find some trusted confidants and thoroughly investigate the entire Xinshan area."

"Since Xin Dahu has invited monsters as reinforcements, let's wait until the government troops have fought the monsters first before we take action."

"The officers and soldiers have not yet experienced setbacks. What is more valuable than adding flowers to brocade? It is more helpful to provide charcoal in the snow."

"The chieftain is truly wise." Qin Dan gave Liu Mingzi a thumbs up.

After the two left, Liu Mingzi went to the window and looked at the endless mountains and forests outside, which seemed to be baring their fangs in the darkness. He had mixed feelings. "I hope this time it won't be a mistake."

Liu Mingzi was originally a scholar who was bullied by local powerful figures. In a fit of grief and anger, he killed someone, fled his hometown, and came to the outskirts of the Shiwan Mountains to become an outlaw.

By chance, he obtained a fragment of the book "The Strategy of Calculating Heaven," and after some study, he actually figured out some of its secrets.

At least in predicting good or bad fortune, his accuracy rate is very high. With this ability, he only took eight years to go from a weak scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken to a martial artist in the early stage of the Bone Forging Realm.

"I, Liu Mingzi, should never have mingled in the wilderness."

……

……

……

Eagle's Nest Peak.

After three days of rest, Cao Xiong led his troops to the foot of Eagle's Nest Peak.

The gates of Eagle's Nest Peak were tightly shut, and the watchtower was deserted and eerily quiet.

This operation was no different; the bandits of Eagle's Nest Peak should have received the news long ago and been on high alert.

But Eagle's Nest Peak in front of us looks like an empty village.

"Cao Man, go open the gate of the stockade."

"Yes, sir!"

Cao Man carried the Xuanhua giant axe and went straight to the gate of Eagle's Nest Mountain Stronghold.

He raised his giant axe and cleaved it fiercely at the gate of the village.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

With two loud bangs, the gate of the stockade was breached by Cao Man.

He charged into the mountain stronghold with his Xuanhua giant axe, but there was not a soul in sight.

Cao Xiong led his troops through the gate and into the interior of Eagle's Nest Peak.

"They most likely escaped."

Cao Xiong sighed inwardly, hoping that this was not a planned relocation by the bandits.

He looked at the several junior officers around him and said, "We have people keeping watch outside Eagle's Nest Mountain Stronghold, so there must be another way out of Eagle's Nest. Find it."

"Yes, ma'am."

Subsequently, several junior officers led their soldiers to begin looting the mountain stronghold.

Before long, the supplies that the bandits had hidden were gradually moved to Cao Xiong's front.

More than twenty bodies were also moved by the soldiers next to the supplies. These bodies were dressed simply and in tattered clothes, and were mostly elderly people and women.

They were clearly people who had been robbed and taken to the mountains by bandits.

When the bandits retreated, they considered these people a burden, so they killed them.

"Bury these people on the spot."

The officers and soldiers searched for more than an incense stick's time before they finished.

"Report to the commander-in-chief that a small path has been found behind Eagle's Nest Peak, and the bandits must have retreated from there."

Qiu Ming came to Cao Xiong's side and whispered.

"Send a team of scouts to search along the paths."

Afterwards, Cao Xiong returned to Qingping Village with the spoils he had collected.

Then, Lin Liang, Qiu Ming, Sha Huizi, and Li Ping led their men in two teams to clear out the surrounding small mountain strongholds.