65 Bait—The Fuse

The bandit strategist obtained an important clue from the old hunter, Lü Shan: anyone who killed a player among the horse bandits would earn the old hunter’s special favor and receive his assistance. Xiaobai Zhan knew that, among their group of a dozen or so, besides Fire Family Little Treasure, there was one other person who had personally slain a horse bandit—the captain of the Light and Shadow Squad, “Behind the Light.” At this moment, Behind the Light was standing vigil outside the hunter’s cottage with a few team members.

Spring and Autumn Young Hero hurried out to call him over and asked him to negotiate with the old hunter. Behind the Light accepted the task and went before the old hunter, requesting his help. True to his word, the old hunter readily agreed. “Since this young brother has come to ask, I’ll lend you my assistance this time. However, I have one additional condition: after you take the bandit stronghold, the best item found inside must be handed over to me.”

“Of course, whatever catches your eye, Elder, you can have it. I have no objection,” Xiaobai Zhan replied immediately. After all, nothing inside the stronghold belonged to them yet; better to make a gesture of goodwill.

The old hunter gathered his arrows, entered his cottage, and when he emerged, he was dressed in a crisp, sturdy hunter’s outfit made of animal pelts. He carried a robust hardwood hunting bow on his back and a quiver at his waist. (Bow types: short bow, hardwood hunting bow, war bow, iron-ribbed bow, divine arm bow…) His hardwood hunting bow was clearly superior to Fire Family Little Treasure’s.

Everyone rejoiced silently—the deal was done.

The group departed from the deep mountain hunter’s cottage and returned to the foot of Tiger Head Mountain. The sun had set, dusk was deepening, and by the time they reached the temporary camp at Xiaobai Village, evening had arrived. Some rested, some ate dry rations—of course, only the NPCs. The players could only watch helplessly.

Commander Zhang Feng had sent messengers several times that afternoon, inviting Xiaobai Zhan to discuss plans for the night’s assault on the stronghold and troop deployment. Unfortunately, Xiaobai Zhan was absent, and the NPC soldiers sent by Zhang Feng were turned away by the players of Xiaobai Village.

Now that Xiaobai Zhan had returned, Zhang Feng sent for him again. Xiaobai Zhan considered it and decided to respect this NPC commander’s authority, bringing a few companions to the officers’ camp. The invited players were not only him, but also several village chiefs: Glorious Swordsman from Glorious Village, Invincible Big Bull from Invincible Village, Drifting By from Drifting Village—all from villages near Tiger Head Mountain. Chiefs from distant villages were absent.

Glorious Swordsman’s face darkened upon seeing Xiaobai Zhan and he muttered, “Hmph, late as usual… thinks he’s some big shot.”

Xiaobai Zhan ignored him, greeting Zhang Feng with a respectful gesture.

Zhang Feng welcomed him warmly and offered a seat, then explained the matter under discussion: who would provide how many men, who would attack first, and how the loot would be divided.

Over these points, the village chiefs argued fiercely, unwilling to compromise. Invincible Big Bull insisted his men should be the last to attack; Glorious Swordsman demanded half the spoils; Drifting By was more flexible, only asking that his people serve as reserves.

Xiaobai Zhan had no intention of contributing heavily for little gain—such a thankless task held no interest for him. He listened silently, letting them argue as they pleased.

After a prolonged quarrel, Zhang Feng finally lost patience, slammed the table, and shouted, “Enough! I’ll make the arrangements myself. All those below level 19 who accepted the bandit suppression quest will be mixed together and split into three groups to attack the stronghold. Those level 20 and above will form the main assault force. Those level 22 and above will follow my direct orders. Loot acquired during battle will be divided based on numbers. However, stolen goods inside the stronghold must be confiscated. That settles it. Dismissed. Assemble the troops at eight, attack at nine sharp!”

The impromptu meeting ended in haste, leaving the chiefs dissatisfied and resigned as they departed the officers’ camp.

Outside, Xiaobai Zhan deliberately walked beside Glorious Swordsman, planning to bait him. He murmured, “Hey, Glorious, let me share a secret with you—don’t tell anyone. The bandit stronghold has stolen goods, at least five or six strings of copper coins and nearly a hundred bushels of grain…” (One string = 1,000 copper coins; one bushel ≈ 100 pounds.)

Glorious Swordsman eyed Xiaobai Zhan suspiciously, “How do you know that?”

Xiaobai Zhan grinned, “Heh, it’s all thanks to that special bandit I have. I spent the whole afternoon interrogating him. He couldn’t hold out and spilled every secret about the stronghold. There’s not only a mountain of money, but also several precious items…”

Glorious Swordsman’s eyes widened in shock, “Precious items? Why are you telling me this?”

Xiaobai Zhan feigned indignation, “Didn’t you hear the NPC say all stolen goods must be confiscated? All those benefits will go to him. He’s just a system NPC—why should he get everything? If I didn’t know about the treasures inside, I wouldn’t care, but knowing there are valuables, how can I let him take them? It’s infuriating! We’ve worked hard for over a month building villages and helping the NPC crush the horse bandits—all for the rewards inside the stronghold! He’s just a minor commander with fifty troops, weaker than us—why should he take the spoils? Isn’t that right, Glorious?”

Glorious Swordsman grew excited. He knew Xiaobai Zhan’s strength well. Glancing around, he quickly pulled Xiaobai Zhan aside to a secluded spot. “Brother Bai, is all this true? Do you have any strategy you could share with your little brother?”

Xiaobai Zhan grew serious, “I have just one view: all the rewards in the stronghold should go to us players! Originally, I wanted to keep the treasures for myself, but alone, I can’t pull it off. So I want to find an ally. Of all the chiefs here, none are worth my trust. The only one I value is you, Glorious. Your strength and your hundreds of brothers give me confidence. So I propose we join forces. With our two villages, we can dominate all the wealth and treasures, leaving the others in the dust.”

Glorious Swordsman, both delighted and a little embarrassed, replied, “Brother Bai, today’s unpleasantness was all my fault. That silly fight over trifles was wrong. No wonder all the players in Longyou say Xiaobai is magnanimous. Now I see it’s true. Since you bear no grudge, I won’t be petty either. I, Glorious Swordsman, am willing to follow your lead.” He laughed inwardly; as long as he got the riches, those past grievances could be easily forgotten.

Xiaobai Zhan saw the eager, ingratiating expression on Glorious Swordsman’s face and chuckled to himself. “Come, let’s head over there and make some real plans. Tonight, we must work together to seize every advantage.”

The two walked arm in arm, slipping away from the other players, quietly hiding in a small grove to scheme how to maximize their profits that night.