Chapter 21: A Careful Plan, A Long-Lasting Love!

  Look up at the sky, it's already past noon, there is still plenty of time, can be arranged calmly.

  "Alright everyone, let's get online, we won't go down for the third net, it's a good thing, but this kid has messed it up. Whatever the number is, don't mind this time. Autumn Spring brother, take ten people with quick hands and bold hearts to ambush on the way back to the village, at a place called Ghost Head Cliff. Divide into two teams of five people each. Hey, everyone's brought their daggers, right?" I suddenly remembered something important and asked hastily if they had the weapon or not.

  "Everyone's got one, we've never been apart from this thing!" The others said, and they all pulled out the knives tied to their legs for me to see. They were extremely sharp and shiny, dazzling in the sunlight. In those days, every child who grew up in the mountains had one of these, just like how kids nowadays always carry MP3 players. Even Ling's sisters and the other girls all carried them with them. It was truly an eye-opener. These young girls didn't carry makeup bags, but they did carry knives! It was astonishing. Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. If earlier when I hugged Ling, she had been unhappy and pulled out her knife to stab me, I would have been injured, bleeding, and if someone asked "How were you hurt?", I wouldn't have known what to say. What kind of situation is this? Ah, hugging a young girl and getting stabbed by her, just thinking about it made me shrink my neck. Fortunately, that couldn't happen, but it should be a warning sign. If I didn't investigate clearly beforehand, could I blame myself? Who has the time to think about other things when you're in the midst of hugging someone? Can't just search the girl's body before hugging her, right? It seemed like there was no chance of hugging her now, I'd have to endure a stab first. Ah, got distracted! Let's get back on topic!

  "Alright, Autumn Spring brother, you ten people must hide well and not let the other side discover our ambush. You can dig a hole in the snow to hide inside. Your task is that if they come with guns, each of you will stare at one of them, and if they don't move their guns, you won't move either. No matter what happens, you cannot move. If they try to move their guns, watch my hand gesture and when I make a move, you'll suddenly pounce on them and subdue them all. As for the technique, you can figure it out yourselves. Remember, you must wait for my hand gesture before making a move, and you must not give them a chance to draw their guns. You are the guarantee of our safe retreat today, so remember this.

  Because Autumn Spring brother and his team are my secret weapon for winning, I must be careful with my instructions. After all, this is the first time we're dealing with something this big, so I need to make sure they understand.

  "Got it, we'll follow your orders and wait for your signal!" Ah, yes, we need to specify a hand gesture, or else in the heat of battle, they might misinterpret the signal and that would be disastrous. I recall some special forces hand gestures from my past life, "When you see me raise my hand above my head and make a swift chopping motion downwards, that's when you'll take action." I demonstrated the move, "Did you get it?"

  I asked again, "Understood? Then just watch and wait!" These brothers looked confident and fierce, it seems like in the future, I should gradually teach them some special forces hand gestures.

  "Alright, Autumn Spring brother, you guys go first and make preparations," "Got it, we'll head out first," I said as I watched Autumn Spring brother and the ten others leave. Then I made arrangements for the remaining people, "The rest of you, go to the nearest forest and each pick a suitable birch wood staff. You've all practiced staff techniques before, right?" I asked. Everyone burst into laughter, "Of course we have! How could you forget? Your dad and your second uncle forced us to learn from a young age, and we never stopped practicing. We're still familiar with it!" Ha! I couldn't help but laugh too. With this one question, everyone understood that this was about choosing their own weapons, which would be useful later on. How could they not choose the best ones? "Half an hour, go quickly and come back quickly, there's still something to do when you get back!" As soon as I finished speaking, everyone scattered into the forest.

  Ling and the others were about to leave, but I stopped them. "Ling, you don't need to go, there will be other arrangements later." The girls hesitated for a moment, then stopped in their tracks, several pairs of eyes staring at me as if to say, what's wrong, are you afraid we can't fight? Let's see what you have planned. "Come on, Ling and the others, let's clean up first, pack up the carts, and leave the remaining boxes behind. Clear out two carts, they'll be useful later!" Everyone came over to help with the cleanup, but when I turned my head, I saw Mountain Tiger still lingering around me. "Tiger, why aren't you going to the forest with everyone else?" Mountain Tiger grinned mischievously. "I don't need to go, this temporary pick is too thin and light, it's not suitable for me. Look at this!" He raised two massive fists, each as big as an oil jar, and swung them back and forth, a self-satisfied look on his face. Yeah, that makes sense, with his strength, he'd probably need to find a sturdy wooden beam or something.

  Before long, the gang came back from the woods, each holding a birch rod. Some had even carefully scraped off any bumps or knots with their knives, and stood in front of me in unison. I was delighted - why? The rods were about two meters long, as thick as a duck egg, sturdy and strong. The way they held the rods was absolutely professional, exuding an aura of murder, rising up like a storm. If they all shaved their heads, they'd be just like a group of Shaolin monks! With these brothers, even if the other side had 180 people, as long as no one pulled out a gun, I reckon we could take them down. The momentum was absolutely sufficient for a battle!

  "They're all back, good! Hurry up and lift the net, load the sled, and quickly gather everything. Just wait for those guys to come!" Under Autumn's command, everyone was busy lifting the net. Whoa! This net had an even bigger harvest, with over 500 pounds of fish. After the fish were slightly frozen, everyone quickly loaded them onto the sled. Everything was tidy, and looking up at the sky, it was probably around four o'clock in the afternoon. If nothing unexpected happened, that little brat surnamed Gou should be leading his men to rush here right about now?

  I saw that everything was ready, and I gave another order: "Ling sister, you and the others bring all the pulleys and go first. I'll send 15 people to follow you and transport things. Remember, after arriving at Guitou Cliff, tell Autumn Spring brother and the others to hide well. We will be behind them, and then walk forward for about 100 meters, turn around the foot of the mountain, where there is a cave entrance. You pull the pulleys into the cave and hide, no matter what noise you hear, don't come out. When the time comes, I'll call you, and when you hear my voice, you can come out again. Remember? Also, Yunfei and Yunpeng, you two also follow Ling sister and stay in the cave with them, don't come out!"

  Ling sister's lips moved slightly, seemingly wanting to say something, as if she opposed my arrangement. I looked at her sternly for the first time, and she was slightly startled, looking at me with a watery gaze, as if she didn't recognize me. What are you looking at? Now you know what it means to be a man! At critical moments, one must have momentum. How can one support a family without being strong? Besides, the scene later might be very intense, and it's not right to put girls in danger. That's not the way of a gentleman. Moreover, I couldn't bear it if she got hurt even slightly - that's my Tang Qiuli's woman!

  At this time, Yunfei also leaned forward, apparently dissatisfied with my arrangement. I raised an eyebrow, and the kid shrank his neck, not daring to make a sound. "Are you rebelling against me? If you don't show some attitude, the tiger won't roar, do you think Uncle is a sick cat? Besides, aren't you still young? If something happens, how can I explain it to your parents?" Alas, I hope you understand my thoughts, I thought to myself.

  "Everyone, listen up! Without my order, no one is allowed to make a move, and no one is allowed to draw their dagger. Did you hear me? If anyone disobeys, don't blame Tang Qiuli for being ruthless - years of friendship will be cast aside! This isn't a joke; one misstep could lead to loss of life. The situation must be under my control, and my orders must be executed without exception by every single person. Severity is absolutely necessary - it's better than losing your life on the battlefield in the future!"

  It was probably the first time they saw me speak so sternly, and everyone looked at me with a hint of fear in their eyes, all nodding vigorously in agreement. "You fifteen people who are sending the crawler, send it to the cave and hurry back to meet up with us, the rest of you, I, Autumn Brother, and Mountain Tiger will lead, wait here for them, let's go!" After finishing speaking, she waved her hand and let Ling Jie and the others set off. The large group gradually moved away from us, Ling Jie lagging behind, dawdling and constantly looking back, I understood that this girl was worried about me, wanting to say a few words to me.

  Can't go, I chased up to Ling sister in a few steps, and stood facing her. This girl's eyes were filled with misty fog, looking at me pitifully. In an instant, I felt she was so delicate and weak, full of worry and reluctance. My heart melted, being cared for by a girl I loved was a kind of sweetness and happiness, as if my feet had found their roots, my heart had found its shore. It was a sense of belonging, a longing that surged in my heart at all times, an unbreakable bond. Hold her, give her comfort and encouragement. Before I could make a move, Ling sister leaned gently towards me.

  She reached out to adjust my collar, "Qiuli, promise me, don't get into trouble, or I won't be able to take it," she said, and two crystal tears fell onto my chest. She tightly hugged her delicate body against mine, and I could feel her intense response as she wrapped her arms around my waist, as if afraid I would fly away! Her face was pressed against my chest, and I could hear her soft gasps, feeling her complete loss of control and total surrender. Her body was soft and slightly trembling, like a willow branch in the wind, weak and powerless. The cold wind beside us was gone without a trace, and the space around us was frozen, with only two young hearts communicating with each other. A difficult-to-express emotion struck my 16-year-old heart, feeling some pain, some sympathy, some fear, and some sweetness, with waves of trembling, my heart suddenly bursting open, and tears instantly filling every space in my body. Ah, the long-lasting love between us, I am no hero, so why is her body as light as a feather? Did I melt into her, or did she melt into me? This delicate flower-like life, give her solid ground to stand on, let her bloom wildly in the spring breeze! My fighting spirit soared, my hot blood surged, and our atmosphere reached its peak. The space around us was shrouded, and our inner strength showed signs of a breakthrough. How could I, as a man, fail to repay this beauty's kindness?!

  I heard my strong heartbeat, like a war drum beating loudly, and felt my fighting spirit surging like a tidal wave. Ling's originally weak and frail body gradually became tough and resilient, she lifted her head, and in her starry eyes that had once made me lose myself, sparks of determination and bravery danced. All her previous weakness and confusion vanished instantly, and the strong character of a northeastern girl returned to her body. Ling untied the red scarf from around her neck, still warm from her body heat, and tied it around mine. The vibrant red in the sunlight filled my eyes, like a battle flag waving high above my heart. "Autumn Leaves, you're the only man I've ever liked, Little Ling is waiting for you." Her cool yet warm soft lips lightly touched mine, and with a determined turn of her body, she floated away without looking back. The expected first kiss had arrived unexpectedly, and I was left stunned, this is my first kiss? Why didn't I feel a strong impulse, but only a trembling in my heart and a lingering warmth, a sweet aftertaste? Have I become noble? No, it's just that my soul has been elevated. This one kiss, Ling! From now on, you can never leave Tang Autumn Leaves' heart again!

  Rubbing my lips, it seems that the residual fragrance is still there, and I smiled foolishly. Only then did I remember that there were still people in front of me. I quickly looked around and found that Ling's team was far away. Autumn-born brother and Mountain Tiger, who were in front of me, had their backs to me, just like nothing had happened. Good guys, they knew it wasn't suitable for kids and avoided it in advance. What good people! Wait, why do their shoulders seem to be shaking? It seems like they're holding back something?

  I walked up to them nonchalantly, "It's just us left now, later we need to keep our cool and lure them to the place where Autumn Spring Brother is ambushing. Let's teach them a lesson, don't let them catch up or get away, control the rhythm, got it?" They looked up at me with suppressed smiles in their eyes, hastily nodding in agreement. It seems they didn't dare speak, afraid that if they did, they'd burst out laughing. Ah, it looks like they saw what happened earlier! No choice, this is an unexpected event, otherwise we should be doing this quietly, no need to make a big deal about it! Psst psst! You're speaking in the tone of a Japanese devil again, pay attention next time!

  Looking around, the sun slowly sets in the west, still some time before nightfall, the sky gets even colder, the wind picks up a bit, with a mournful whistling sound in my ears. In the distance, Ling Jie and her friends' figures have become blurry, like small black dots jumping on the snowy ground. But Ling Jie's figure becomes increasingly clear and vivid before my eyes, her soft, firm, and full-bodied physique walking on the snowfield, with steps as light as a young deer. In the cold wind, the red scarf in front of her chest is fluttering wildly, like a fire burning fiercely!

  "Let's find a place to rest for a while," I ordered, and Autumn Brother led them to a sheltered spot to sit down. I walked over to a snowbank, sat down cross-legged, closed my eyes, adjusted my internal energy, and calmed myself down. Weren't there signs of a breakthrough just now? It's not the right time yet, let me solidify it for now, and wait for another chance to make a move. I slowly circulated my internal energy, and after several cycles, my mind gradually cleared up, and my spiritual awareness expanded. Everything within a radius of several miles was clearly presented in my mind. A faint sound of horseshoes and bells came from afar, and I concentrated my spiritual awareness on the direction of the sound. It became clearer - they had indeed arrived, with over ten sleds, which meant there were around a hundred people. They should be carrying cold weapons... no, that's not right, there was also the smell of gunpowder. Indeed, they had come armed with guns. One, two, three... nine guns in total. That's quite ruthless. The sound grew louder.

  I withdrew my inner strength, opened my eyes and stood up. "Let's go, they're coming," I said. Autumn Brother and the others looked at me in surprise, it seemed that these few people hadn't heard anything, seeing me come over, they also all got up one after another. In the distance, on the surface of the river, a string of black dots rushed over. "Act according to plan," we walked towards the direction of the main force's retreat. Tang Qiu's first battle after rebirth had arrived unexpectedly...

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