Chapter 6, Gunfight, Entering the City

Cheng Pan smiled at Sun Dangjia (imagine a sinister grin with blood on his face) and said, "There is no need for you to be so concerned, Sun Dangjia. The price we agreed upon will not change, and we will cooperate again in the future. I have some minor tricks up my sleeve, so this amount of money does not matter to me." At the same time, a wooden bucket filled with water appeared in Cheng Pan's left hand (his right hand was half-bloodied). Sun Dangjia glanced at the suddenly appeared bucket, swallowed hard, and said, "Mr. Cheng, please give us some face; how could we dare to refuse? Rest assured, our mouths are very tight."

Ten hours later, a group of people passed through several checkpoints without incident, losing two loads of fish, and arrived at the Li family in Jiangling City. As they approached the rendezvous point, Cheng Pan stuffed the salt back into the fish basket

We will meet at the Li family," Sun Dangjia said to Cheng Pan. Cheng Pan, understanding the situation, responded, "Everything will be decided by Sun Dangjia." Under Sun Dangjia's leadership, the group set off along a secluded path to the meeting place.

Sun Dangjia shouted, "Grab the weapons." At the same time, he glanced at Cheng Pan, who responded with a nod.

Three small boats docked at a secluded harbor along the river. After the boats were secured, Sun, the captain, jumped off the boat first. He cautiously surveyed the surroundings of the harbor to ensure that there were no other people lying in ambush nearby. After confirming this, he waved his hand behind him and shouted, "Disembark and unload the cargo." Thus, Cheng Pan and the bookkeeper carried ten loads of fish off the boat, five of which were filled with fine salt underneath.

"First column, march in unison, everyone forward, one two one..." Cheng Pan shouted the command, leading 10 individuals in perfect synchronization. The people across from them were momentarily stunned, watching Cheng Pan and his group approach in such an unusual manner, feeling at a loss. Suddenly, a man shouted fiercely, "Playing tricks and pretending to be mysterious," and charged forward with an axe, followed by four others who rushed alongside him.

Then Cheng Pan took out a roll of cloth from the Sea of Knowledge space and skillfully wrapped his wounds. Cheng Pan believed that with his physique, the wounds would heal significantly by the next morning. After taking care of these matters, Cheng Pan walked over to Sun Dangjia and the others, who were trembling nearby. Before Cheng Pan could speak, Sun Dangjia preemptively said with a hint of flattery, "Hero Cheng, I failed to recognize your greatness; for this business deal, you take 80% and I take 30%." He then looked at Cheng Pan with eager eyes. Cheng Pan glanced at Sun Dangjia and his group; all of their gazes were somewhat evasive, tinged with a hint of fear.

While passing by a hillside, Cheng Pan heard the sound of inhalation more than 30 meters ahead. He shouted "stop" to the team behind him. Sun Dangjia was just about to ask why.

Manager Li, who came to inspect the goods, looked at the color of the salt and his eyes brightened. He reached in with his hand, as described in the *illustration* book, and found that there were no inferior goods underneath. He admiredly turned to Master Sun and said, "From now on, we will take as much of this quality as you can provide." Amidst Manager Li's continuous encouragement and chatter, Cheng Pan and the others received 20 taels of silver and left the Li family. According to their previous agreement, Cheng Pan only took 6 taels of silver and parted ways amidst Master Sun and the others' heartfelt thanks. With ten young men in tow, they set out to find their target this time.

More than thirty people came in a hurry and left in a rush, leaving only a few people lying on the ground, wailing in agony. "Lu Hai (one who was once hung by Cheng Pan from a beam and beaten) is taking people to give this group a swift end; remember to stab their throats," Cheng Pan issued a cruel and inhumane order. Upon hearing this, Lu Hai and the others' faces stiffened. "You hesitated just now; now you are the ones being slaughtered like chickens," Cheng Pan threatened. Upon hearing this, Lu Hai and the others, whose faces were originally pale, suddenly turned fierce and began to stab the people lying on the ground in groups of two or three.

At this moment, the ambushers ahead realized that they had been exposed, and more than thirty individuals emerged from the front, quickly running towards them

Ten minutes later, the private salt team set off again. Cheng Pan, under the astonished gazes of Sun Dangjia and others, stored the private salt in his independent space, under the pretext of temporary preservation

Sun Dangjia and his seven companions swiftly drew out their machetes from the basket. Cheng Pan and his group arranged themselves in two rows, with Cheng Pan as the reference point. Soon, the two groups faced each other. At the forefront of the opposing group, a burly man with a dark face brandished a chipped, rusty cleaver while running and shouted, "Sun the Mouse, I finally caught you!" At that moment, two long spears, totaling eleven in number, appeared in the gaps in front of and behind Cheng Pan (these were 'borrowed' from soldiers guarding the city gate nearby). This astonishing phenomenon left both Sun Dangjia's men and those opposite momentarily stunned. In the meantime, Cheng Pan and the other ten had skillfully picked up the long spears.