Phi-Fic Chapter 183 The quiver is empty
Chapter 183 The quiver is empty
Liu Zi led He Chunshan and ran with the coastal defense team towards the place with the loudest shouts. Along the way, fire pits on both sides of the road were lit in an orderly manner.
In just that short time, the orange-red flames illuminated almost the entire village.
The sounds of fighting ahead grew louder. Liu Zi pointed to the wooden platforms scattered throughout the village. "Brother Chunshan, I'm going to the front to support Third Master and the others. Find a high spot to cover us. The ones with strange hairstyles wielding straight knives are pirates, and the ones with curved knives and wooden clubs are our own people."
He Chunshan was stunned, his hands were still trembling, and he nodded blankly. Only after Liu Zi ran far away did he rush towards the nearby high platform as instructed.
He had hunted many wild animals, but this was his first time hunting a human, and he was quite flustered, almost tripping and falling.
Once he reached a high vantage point, his view suddenly opened up, and he saw Lord Wu and Miss Lin charging back to back at the forefront amidst the orange-red flames.
Nearby were Young Master Bai and Liu Zi, along with several older children who had just been eating at the same table. The four of them stood guard over each other, their spears flashing like dragons, exuding a powerful and majestic aura.
Besides these, there were many men he had seen that morning, some carrying machetes, others long spears or wooden clubs.
Some were agile, while others were somewhat clumsy.
In the orange-red firelight, one could see people holding knives, spears, and wooden sticks guarding the doorways of nearby houses, including young women and white-haired old women.
It seems that everyone, except for the toddlers who can't walk steadily, is working hard to protect their home.
He Chunshan's blood inexplicably started burning, and the burning sensation made his hand holding the bow steady.
For the first time, this honest man, who had only ever known how to use his skills to make a meager living, truly understood the meaning of "with great power comes great responsibility."
He Chunshan stood on the high platform under the night sky, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow in one smooth motion. It was his first time using a human as a target, and the first arrow missed by more than an inch, failing to hit a vital spot. However, it bought precious time for his brother who was fighting the pirate, and he took the opportunity to deliver a final blow to the pirate.
This arrow gave He Chunshan great encouragement. He immediately adjusted his direction and shot a second, a third, and a fourth arrow...
He never missed again until he had used up all the arrows in his quiver.
The coastal defense force had also trained a group of marksmen, but they were all new to the job and lacked accuracy, so they could only provide cover at close range.
With He Chunshan's help tonight, arrows always seem to come to our aid whenever we encounter danger.
The fighting lasted for nearly half an hour before the gong sounded again.
The doors that were originally closed opened one after another, and people carried wooden basins and buckets of water out to wash the roads.
By the time He Chunshan stepped down from the platform, the road was only damp, and the smell of blood had mostly dissipated.
This once again shocked him with the orderliness of the village. He was speechless for a long time, unable to find a word in his limited vocabulary to describe his astonishment...
Zhou Hai and his men took over the task of cleaning up the battlefield, while Lin Chang'er and the others left the battlefield and went to return the weapons together.
Lin Chang'er, Wu Qingfeng, Bai Shaoan, and Liu Zi don't need to return their weapons, but they have to help receive them.
Just then, they ran into He Chunshan, who was standing there stunned by the roadside. Liu Zi grabbed his shoulder and exclaimed, "Wow, bro, you hit the bullseye every time! You even missed the whole quiver!"
He Chunshan scratched his head. "You guys, you guys are the real experts. I, I'm just someone who does surprise attacks."
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "All's fair in war. This isn't a sneak attack; it's just a fair and square shot."
Wu Qingfeng patted him on the shoulder, "Well done!"
He Chunshan chuckled, feeling incredibly accomplished.
The men of the coastal defense team were all very conscientious, and Lin Chang'er and the others finished counting the weapons in just the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn.
The group then went back to the family home for dinner in a lively atmosphere.
Aside from He Chunshan, who launched a long-range attack, Lin Chang'er, Wu Qingfeng, Bai Shaoan, and Liu Zi were all inevitably covered in blood.
Fortunately, Aunt Gu had boiled the water early, and when they arrived, the boys were already bathing in the bathhouse.
Lin Chang'er's bathwater was also brought into the room early by Sister-in-law Gu and Gu's mother.
Liu Zi was rather casual; he took a basin of hot water to the well in the backyard to wash himself.
The bathwater for Bai Shaoan and Wu Qingfeng was also sent to Bai Shaoan's room.
Lin Chang'er is quick and efficient, but the key point is that she got into a fight before even eating, and she's starving.
After quickly taking a shower and changing his clothes, he went outside and saw that a number of people had already gathered in the courtyard, surrounding He Chunshan and asking him for advice on archery. Everyone was giving him a thumbs up.
He Chunshan was an honest man, but he was also clumsy with words. He just kept scratching his head and grinning foolishly. It was Lin Chang'er who told him that He Chunshan hadn't eaten yet, which saved him from his predicament.
Before long, Wu Qingfeng and his companion also came out.
The younger children had changed their clothes early and were already sitting in the dining room waiting.
Aunt Gu, her sister-in-law Gu, and her second sister-in-law Gu brought the reheated dishes back to the table. After all the hard work, everyone was starving.
She ate more than usual, and even after finishing all the food, Aunt Gu and her sister-in-law cooked another pot of noodles before she was finally satisfied.
After the meal, Liu Zi escorted He Chunshan home.
Lin Chang'er and Wu Qingfeng went to summarize the meeting with Zhou Hai and Old Huo, and also visited their injured brothers.
This time everyone had gained experience, and after this period of training, injuries were inevitable, but fortunately there were no serious injuries.
The Huo family's grandson and the Zhou family's son, who had previously suffered serious injuries, have gradually recovered.
Old Huo then shared a few more of his thoughts on tonight's battle, and the group discussed and optimized their plans.
Finally, when mentioning He Chunshan, Master Huo was full of praise. When he heard that Wu Qingfeng had already helped them recruit him, Master Huo couldn't hide his smile. "Great! With such a talent to help, if we can train another batch of archers, we will be even more confident in dealing with the pirates in the future."
Lin Chang'er nodded and said yes.
Zhou Hai hesitated, "Exactly, with his skills, would the village head there be willing to release him? If..."
He hesitated, glancing at Lin Chang'er and the others, who gestured for him to continue.
He added, "I mean, if pirates were to invade their village, having someone like this could buy the villagers some time."
"Wouldn't it be a bad idea for us to bring people here like this?"
Lin Chang'er closed her eyelashes. She had naturally thought about this question before. Even if it didn't amount to much, there would always be a group of passionate young people in every village who could save some people.
However, "Uncle Hai, Brother He is from Xiahe Village. As long as we can hold the village, the pirates won't be able to get into Xiahe Village."
Wu Qingfeng nodded, "That's right. We just visited his home yesterday. He's living a rather difficult life there, so we thought we'd recruit him."
"Firstly, he wanted to fight the pirates with us; secondly, he also wanted to protect his own homeland."
"Of course, Chang'er means that if he is willing, he can settle down in Linshui Village."
Zhou Hai scratched his head. "This..." It wasn't that he was unwilling, but mainly because although he was the village head, some things weren't up to him alone. "What about the land and houses?"