After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

Just as the two sentries fell, a cry of alarm came from afar.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Soldiers are coming up from the back mountain!"

The shout was very loud and carried far.

Immediately afterwards, the same shouts echoed from afar, reaching even further.

The man ran very fast, carrying a lantern, shouting as he ran.

"Weren't there only two guards? How come there's an extra one?" Rong Yingluo asked, puzzled.

"We've succeeded, and we should have succeeded elsewhere as well." Gu Ce didn't care; they had agreed to act simultaneously.

Even if that person spreads the news into the village, at most the bandits will be prepared, and it will take them a little more effort to kill them.

Sure enough, torches soon lit up in the distance, illuminating the entire hilltop.

Moreover, a group of fire dragons was heading in their direction.

They had only gone halfway when the fire dragons turned back, leaving half of them stranded.

Rong Yingluo found it strange: "What's going on?"

"The other three groups must have already stormed the mountain," Gu Ce said.

"We're the first to be exposed here. Will those bandits still try to escape here?" Rong Yingluo felt that it might not be very meaningful for them to stay here.

"Knowing there's someone blocking their way here, they might choose another route. Madam, you and Lingfeng stay here, I'll lead the men to attack," Gu Ce decided.

Since the bandits wouldn't flee here, there was no need for them to wait here in vain.

"No need, I'll go with you. Just leave five soldiers behind. I can also help bandage the wounded soldiers." Rong Yingluo didn't want to stay.

The bandits' martial arts skills shouldn't be very strong; she could handle a few of them.

Seeing her resolute attitude, Gu Ce had no choice but to agree. Besides, he was indeed a little worried about her not being by his side.

Five men were left behind, while the rest followed Gu Ce and charged towards the bandit's den.

They encountered the band of bandits heading towards the back mountain halfway there.

Gu Ce and the five members of An Yi were all formidable weapons; a single sword strike could take a life.

The twenty-five remaining soldiers were divided into groups of five. Once they entangled one of them, they could quickly free the other.

Rong Yingluo was blocked behind Ling Feng and Ling Yun, and had no chance to make a move.

This team consisted of only about ten people, and they finished in a short time.

With torches for illumination, the group quickly stormed into the bandits' lair.

The entire village was filled with shouts of battle.

Rong Yingluo saw Yuwen Zhang sitting in a chair, surrounded by five guards, calmly watching the carnage unfold before him.

Screams echoed throughout the room.

Gu Ce and his five bodyguards entered the battle zone, which resulted in a one-sided massacre.

Rong Yingluo saw that there were more than a dozen bandits inside who were quite skilled in martial arts, and many wounded soldiers had fallen around them.

Gu Ce saw it too and charged straight at those people.

Pan Zhenming and his twenty guards from the Liao Prince's mansion were also fighting fiercely.

"Who are you people?" one of the men, a burly man with a fierce appearance, shouted after parrying a sword strike.

"The one who'll take your life," Yuwen Zhang replied kindly, resting his chin on his hand.

"Boss, these aren't government officials," a man said.

The bandit leader surveyed the battlefield. Most of the men were disabled, but they cooperated seamlessly, making it very difficult for his men to cope.

Some of them were ruthless killers and highly skilled in martial arts; he admitted that he might not even be their match.

"Brother, if you're here to seize the mountain, we can talk things over." The bandit leader looked at Yuwen Zhang, wanting to have a proper discussion.

He watched his men fall one by one, and he became afraid. If the killing continued like this, all his men would die, and perhaps he wouldn't escape death either.

Yuwen Zhang glanced indifferently at the scene, snapped his fingers, and his buddy next to him shouted in a booming voice, "Stop!"

The remaining soldiers obeyed orders immediately, ceasing their attack and scattering to the sidelines to form an encirclement, trapping all the bandits in the center.

By this time, many bandits were lying on the ground, groaning in pain from their injuries.

"My name is Xiong Zhishen. May I ask your name?" The leader strode towards Yuwen Zhang and stopped about two zhang away.

"Dong!" Yuwen Zhang only said the surname.

"Young Master Dong, if you want this mountain, I, Xiong, am willing to be the second-in-command. We can work together to achieve great things." Xiong Zhishen spoke in a negotiating tone.

Circumstances dictate that one must yield; one has no choice but to comply.

"Oh? What grand scheme are we plotting together?" Yuwen Zhang was taken aback upon hearing this.

Could it be that this bandit's den has some unspeakable secret?

Xiong Zhishen glanced at the circle of remaining soldiers, his vigilance only increasing. These people were definitely not here to seize his territory. But that was all he could think for now.

"If Young Master Dong is willing to share this mountain with us, I, Xiong, will guarantee you endless wealth and glory in the future," Xiong Zhishen tempted.

"Oh? But this young master only wishes to enjoy this mountain all to himself. This location is only 150 miles from the capital, and countless merchants come and go."

This young master only needs to collect a toll to enjoy endless wealth.

"I have over three hundred brothers, while you only have a mere hundred or so. What face do you have to share them with me?" Yuwen Zhang said with a sinister smile that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Young Master Dong, we're all in the same boat, why push things to the extreme? Leave a way out for others, so we can meet again in the future." Xiong Zhishen hadn't expected Yuwen Zhang to be so ambitious, wanting to swallow his territory whole.

"Sorry, but I've taken a liking to your mountain stronghold and your brothers. You only have one path left: death!" Yuwen Zhang spoke the last word lightly, but in the firelight of the night, it was as ghostly as a ghost and awe-inspiring.

Xiong Zhishen opened his eyes wide and knew that peace talks were not going to work.

"It seems that Young Master Dong is not going to listen to reason and wants to suffer the consequences." Xiong Zhishen glanced at Yuwen Zhang, then at Gu Ce and the others.

Those few were the most skilled in martial arts.

If he wants to escape, he must first defeat Gu Ce and his men.

But he knew he didn't have the ability to withstand being surrounded and killed by so many people.

But if he wants to escape, there's no problem.

"Second brother, give the signal!" Xiong Zhishen shouted.

A tall, thin man immediately pulled the pin on a rocket.

Yuwen Zhang was startled. Could he really summon reinforcements?

His spies had searched the entire Huangling Mountain area, and there was no one else there besides this bandit gang.

Who was Xiong Zhishen calling?

Yuwen Zhang didn't know how many men he could summon, so he decided to make the battle quick.

"Kill them all." With that order, there was no need to spare them.

They were all bandits who burned, killed, and looted; they were all guilty.

The remaining soldiers sprang into action and began the encirclement and attack.

Rong Yingluo saw from the outside that after the leader's men gave a signal, more than a dozen people surrounded him, withstood all the attacks, and slowly moved towards the back mountain.

"A-Ce, he's trying to escape!" Rong Yingluo shouted, reminding Gu Ce.

However, Gu Ce was entangled by several people and couldn't get away.

The five members of Dark One were also temporarily held back.

Seeing that the leader was about to escape the battle, Rong Yingluo became anxious.

"Ling Feng, Ling Yun, clear the way," Rong Yingluo commanded.

The two guards obeyed, drew their swords from their waists, and charged at Xiong Zhishen.

When she was about ten feet away from Xiong Zhishen, Rong Yingluo made a move.