Chapter 0006: Traps

It must be said that the two scouts chosen by the bandits are quite agile, weaving back and forth among the bamboo; it is no wonder that they can advance even without having cleared a path.

Li Jincheng's footsteps involuntarily slowed down. Although he could not yet determine the reason, he was overwhelmed by a strong sense of crisis in the surroundings. It was unclear whether this feeling stemmed from the inherent eeriness of the deep mountains and forests or from the fact that the enemy was nearby

The sounds in the wind were intermittent, yet one could vaguely discern the identity of the speaker, who was indeed someone harboring ill intentions towards the village. At this moment, the expressions of Song Fei and the other two became serious as they all looked up at Li Jincheng. Just as Song Fei was about to say something, he was stopped by Li Jincheng. Song Fei nodded, then pointed in the direction of the village and waved his hand, making it clear that the speaker was not someone from within the village.

"Continue moving forward." Li Jincheng patted Song Fei's shoulder, signaling him to keep an eye out behind him, while he himself picked up the sickle and cautiously stepped over the trap

However, just now, Li Jincheng's gaze did not focus on the ground, so he completely failed to notice the suddenly appearing trap. Fortunately, Song Fei, who was behind him, was always watching and quickly pulled him back; otherwise, Li Jincheng would have faced a lot of trouble.

"Of course not," another person said with a smile. "This path is sufficiently concealed; unless one is deliberately searching for it, it is impossible to find. Moreover, it leads all the way to a point not far from that village. At that time, our brothers can charge out from here and catch them off guard."

Song Fei crouched down and, together with Li Jincheng, examined the trap from top to bottom. He then said softly, "Brother Cheng, the location of this trap is indeed unexpected. However, judging by the way it is set up, it is definitely poorly made. Even the children from our village who have only been hunting for a year or two would not make such a trap."

Even though Li Jincheng has lived two lives without ever stepping onto the battlefield, he is well aware that seasoned veterans are far more difficult to deal with than inexperienced recruits. This is because inexperienced recruits only know how to charge forward recklessly, while seasoned veterans understand how to preserve their own lives while simultaneously putting their enemies to death

Do not take too long, hurry back

In fact, this trap is not very concealed; it is merely covered with some dead branches and leaves, and its outline can even be faintly discerned. Not to mention those who have spent a long time in the mountains and have learned to set traps since childhood, even an ordinary person arriving here would notice the subtle signs upon careful observation

The mountain path remained narrow, and just ahead, it came to a complete halt after a hundred zhang. Along this road, Li Jincheng and his companions discovered two more traps, similar to the ones encountered at the beginning. Standing at the end of the mountain path, Li Jincheng looked at a row of bamboo blocking his way and couldn't help but furrow his brow. Why had these bandits stopped here? The bamboo in front of him was not as dense as the several rows of bamboo walls they had encountered earlier. With the bandits' skills, they could easily carve out a path.

This village appears to be difficult to deal with

Do not worry, we can ... at that time

Song Fei and the others hesitated for a moment, but Zheng Zhong nodded, clearly indicating that the tactics of these enemies had frightened them to some extent. However, they were all young men and, moreover, the pillars of the village. If they could not move forward to investigate the matter clearly, it was likely that no one else in the village would have the capability to do so.

At this moment, for the sake of the women, children, elderly, and weak in the village, one must muster the courage to proceed regardless of the difficulties faced

This describes a group of enemies who are skilled in the art of killing and are not particularly afraid of it, most likely a band of seasoned veterans

Li Jincheng nodded slightly; even as a novice in this area, he could tell that the trap was somewhat rudimentary. It was likely that the person who set the trap was not particularly skilled in this regard, which seemed to further indicate that these bandits were originally just a ragtag group of soldiers. However, what truly concerned Li Jincheng was that although the trap itself was not sophisticated, its location was critical. Even an experienced hunter in the mountains could easily stumble if not careful, and the trap was set right in the middle of the road, clearly intended to kill.

What truly impressed Li Jincheng was the location of the trap's setup. This path was clearly a mountain road that had been forcibly opened by human intervention, which naturally raised suspicions among others traveling along it. Even someone like Song Fei, a hunter accustomed to the mountains, would consider the possibility of traps or other dangers. Li Jincheng did conduct a test, and the facts indicated that there were no traps in the earlier section of this mountain road.

Li Jincheng leaned against several sturdy bamboo stalks, slightly tilting his head, and just caught sight of two shadowy figures sneaking towards the mountain path. Meanwhile, Song Fei and the other two slowly raised their sickles and hoes, clearly having noticed these two individuals as well

At that moment, faint sounds could be heard mingling with the mountain wind. Although they were very low, it was still possible to discern the direction from which the sounds were coming. Song Fei, Li Qiu, and Zheng Qing instinctively perked up their ears; in the mountains, a hunter's ears are essential tools for survival, easily distinguishing the sounds of insects and beasts, let alone human voices.

Li Qiu behind him also nodded and said: "This trap is not deep enough; even if a living person falls in, they would only be injured, and with a bit of luck, they might even be able to climb out on their own. Moreover, the walls of the surrounding pit are clearly not packed tightly, making them prone to collapse and fill in on their own. Not to mention, the branches and leaves covering it are somewhat dense, which raises suspicions of intentional camouflage"

This move is indeed quite effective. Li Jincheng cautiously removed the cover from the trap, revealing a pit that was not very deep. At the bottom of the pit, sharpened bamboo stakes were positioned upward. Although the pit was shallow, anyone falling into it would inevitably be pierced by these bamboo stakes, resulting in seven or eight holes in their body

"Do you think anyone will find the road we have opened up?" one person asked, nearing Li Jincheng's hiding place

Fortunately, Song Fei and the others, having spent a long time in the mountains, did not let their guard down due to the safety of this stretch of road. Moreover, hunters possess an exceptionally keen ability to detect traps, which enabled them to notice the peculiarities here in a timely manner

Even at the point where the mountain path had just narrowed, there were no traps; it was only after taking a few steps forward that this trap appeared somewhat abruptly. However, even though its appearance was sudden, those who generally walked this route had long since become accustomed to the safety of the path, and thus would not pay particular attention to their feet, as was the case with Li Jincheng just moments ago.

Just as Li Jincheng was about to take a step forward, Song Fei behind him suddenly grabbed him. The guy's face was pale as he pointed at the ground in front of Li Jincheng. Li Jincheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood. He cautiously crouched down to examine it closely and couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Just now, his attention had been focused on the surrounding bamboo forest, and he hadn't paid much attention to the ground beneath him. After all, he hadn't encountered any traps along the way, but who would have thought that a trap would suddenly appear here.