As dawn was just breaking, the sentries on the steep slope saw someone approaching. They glanced over, not noticing anything unusual.
Jueding Daoren arrived at the foot of the slope.
He tilted his head up and scanned the area briefly. Assured that there was nothing amiss, he then pretended to be an ordinary person, pulling on the rope and climbing up with a sway.
On the steep slope, no one noticed anything out of the ordinary or sensed the impending danger. Some were even dozing behind rocks.
Ma Xiaogang heard the movement and merely glanced over before lowering his head to eat the flatbread in his hands.
After Jueding Daoren reached the top, his gaze swept across the scene. A dozen or so people were scattered thinly.
He pondered that if he didn't have the certainty of a decisive blow, it was best not to act. He chose to continue his deception, walking nonchalantly behind a large rock and sitting down.
He pretended to rest against the rock, observing his surroundings with his peripheral vision. Once he was sure no one was paying attention to him, he got up and walked towards a farther rock.
Leaning against this rock, he carefully looked back again. Still, no one seemed suspicious.
Jueding Daoren's courage grew.
He bent his body and walked down a few steps, again hiding behind a rock.
He repeated this process, covering three to four miles until he was certain he had evaded the sight of those above. Only then did Jueding Daoren discard his clothes and stride down the mountain.
The guards on the slope only realized something was wrong at lunchtime. Ma Xiaogang discovered someone was missing and, upon investigation, found that the hidden sentry who had come down that morning was gone.
They searched everywhere and found the bloodstained clothes discarded in a pile of grass by the roadside. It was then that Ma Xiaogang realized the gravity of the situation.
He rushed to the woods to investigate and discovered that two hidden sentries had been murdered, their bodies propped up on tree branches.
The men meticulously recalled the morning's events and concluded that one person had escaped.
This was no small matter. Ma Xiaogang quickly dispatched someone to send a message down the mountain.
At the third watch, the messenger returned, causing a great commotion throughout Hetou Village.
Chen Xiaobei, hearing the fierce barking of dogs, put on his clothes and stepped out into the courtyard.
Upon hearing the situation from the village guard members, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but sigh.
He felt responsible for this incident. By drawing five men down the mountain, he had inadvertently weakened the defenses on the steep slope, creating an opportunity for the enemy.
On the other hand, only one person had come down, and many were still trapped on the mountain. If this person was seeking reinforcements, the situation would be even more critical.
Chen Xiaobei quickly went to see Liu Rumei. Their judgments were essentially the same: if this person was seeking reinforcements, then the situation on Qingniu Mountain was not optimistic.
After much thought, Liu Rumei said, "Mayor Chen, I suggest this: have your men withdraw and only guard the village. We will handle Qingniu Mountain."
Chen Xiaobei understood Liu Rumei's meaning. His villagers were not skilled in martial arts and, facing these martial artists, had no way to resist except by firing their repeating crossbows.
Guarding the village, however, was different. It was a legitimate defense for the villagers, and even if the enemy were insane, they would not dare to kill unarmed villagers.
Chen Xiaobei nodded and said, "Very well. If that is the case, I will go up the mountain tomorrow to bring them back."
Liu Rumei smiled. "There's no need to go up the mountain. Oh, and could you make a few more of those 'smoke-emitting' devices for us to use?"
This suggestion was exactly what Chen Xiaobei had in mind.
"Okay, I'll make a few for you first and deliver them to the mountain as soon as possible."
Back home, Chen Xiaobei couldn't sleep.
He had spent the entire day researching the "stone thunder" at home.
Besides the stone thunder, he felt that Chen Ziyan's suggestion of using either iron or ceramic was feasible, especially the iron ones that wouldn't break when thrown. He was only unsure if the gunpowder's power could burst the cast iron.
Another difficulty was smelting iron, which was a skilled job, and then how to melt the iron.
He remembered seeing blacksmiths in his past life who used charcoal furnaces. However, there seemed to be no coal in this era, only firewood. The consumption of firewood would likely be substantial.
Of course, his current usage was small and manageable. If he needed to produce large quantities in the future, he would have to find other methods.
As the sky began to lighten, Chen Xiaobei got up.
He carried a bucket of water and went into the woods west of the village.
He first found the pot he had used to boil saltpeter. This iron pot had been left there after boiling saltpeter. Frankly, who would want anything with that smell?
He inverted the iron pot on the ground, mixed water with mud, and then plastered it onto the pot, forming a pot-like shape.
Layer after layer, he applied about three to four inches of thickness before stopping.
Then, he left it to air dry naturally. This thing could not be sun-dried, as it would crack and thus be unusable for smelting iron.
After finishing this, Chen Xiaobei returned home to pack and prepare to head to the county town.
However, this time he wasn't going alone.
Today, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying were also returning to the county town with him.
After teaching in Hetou Village for so long, the two had a three-day holiday.
Naturally, they had to return to the county town.
So, today Chen Xiaobei prepared two carts: one was a donkey cart, which he would drive, loaded with vegetables and apples.
The other was a horse-drawn carriage, driven by Cui Hongyu, which would carry Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying.
But when the two arrived at the entrance of the school, Huang Ying plopped herself down on Chen Xiaobei's donkey cart.
This...
Shen Ziyan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, while Cui Hongyu wore a smile.
Chen Xiaobei quickly jumped off the cart and said to Huang Ying, "Um, you should go to the horse-drawn carriage. There are too many vegetables in mine, it's crowded."
Huang Ying waved her hand carelessly, "It's fine, it's fine, Brother Xiaobei. I have some questions for you about how to make firecrackers."
"Oh, and I also want to ask you if it's possible to make the 'er ti jiao' a bit thicker."
Looking at the sincere Huang Ying, Chen Xiaobei lost his temper. Cui Hongyu, however, fanned the flames from the side.
"Yes, husband, you must teach Sister Huang Ying well. She has to report back to her master," Cui Hongyu chimed in.
Shen Ziyan looked at Cui Hongyu, then at Huang Ying, and finally shook her head helplessly.
Perhaps she couldn't understand why Chen Xiaobei, who appeared ordinary and lacked extraordinary talents, could make Cui Hongyu so devoted and Huang Ying so reluctant to leave.
This made her very curious about Chen Xiaobei.
As they walked towards the county town, Chen Xiaobei and Huang Ying truly delved into discussions about explosives. Shen Ziyan, following behind, suddenly frowned, an idea forming.
Upon arriving at the county town and reaching the entrance of Shen Ziyan's courtyard, Shen Ziyan hopped off the carriage and suddenly grabbed Cui Hongyu. "Sister Hongyu, come in for a bit. I have an embroidery question I'd like to ask you."