They made inquiries along the way and soon found the Pei family's residence.
Ni Er and his gang were originally water bandits. They were despicable and ruthless in their actions, caring only about silver and not about anything else.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Pei Li, who was standing behind Ye Geng, quietly slipped to the back courtyard, climbed over the wall, and went to call for reinforcements.
On the other side, Ni Er got angry when he heard them beating around the bush and not telling the truth. A glint of cruelty flashed in his eyes, but in an instant, he put on a smiling face again. He raised his eyebrows and said to Pei Xia, "I see. Does your family have any food? We brothers have been looking for someone for half a day and are starving. I wonder if we could ask for some food?"
After saying that, he was about to walk into the door.
How could Pei Xia let these villains enter the house?
He stood in front of Ni Er. Tall and with a compelling look in his eyes, his voice was still gentle and polite. "There are innocent children in the house. They will cry loudly at the sight of strangers. Please wait a moment, sir. We will offer you some dry rations and wine."
Hearing this, Ye Pa quickly went to the kitchen, packed some meat, vegetables, and wine in oil paper, and handed them to Ni Er.
Ni Er didn't reach out to take them.
The thin and dark man beside him took a deep breath of the delicious smell and immediately hugged the food tightly.
Ni Er glared at him, then thanked Pei Xia. Still not giving up, he peeked into the yard and saw only leftover food on the table. There was no sign of other people.
He glanced at Pei Xia, waved his hand, and led his men away.
When the sound of their footsteps faded away, the courtyard door was closed again.
Ye Yun said, "These people are not easy to deal with. I could hear the sound of weapons when they moved."
They were all wearing loose robes, but their trouser legs were tied with ropes. There must be weapons hidden inside.
Pei Xia understood as well. With a solemn face, he said, "These people came straight to our door. They must already know the connection between us and Young Master Fu. They were just testing us just now. The real trouble may be yet to come. We mustn't let our guard down."
Ye Pa said angrily, "These damned villains! I'll go and report them to the officials now!"
Pei Xia stopped him. "A Li has already gone to call for help. He's smart and will surely send someone to report to the officials. Don't go."
Pei Xia walked into the house. Qi Jiao and Pei Jin greeted him.
Behind them were Huanghuang, Dada, and Lianlian, three thin dogs with long necks and well - developed muscles. They were beautiful and agile.
Each of them was a good hand at guarding the house and catching thieves.
Qi Jiao looked worried. "How's it going? If those people didn't leave, I would have let the dogs out."
Pei Xia said, "They've left. But now it's getting dark. If they can't find Young Master Fu for a while, they may come back."
Pei Jin stamped her foot impatiently. "Fu Chengyi is really a disaster. He's making our whole family restless."
Pei Xia whispered a few words to comfort her. "Don't be afraid, A Jin. I won't let them harm our family in the slightest."
But Pei Jin said, "Who's afraid? If the villains come, I'll strangle them."
Qi Jiao laughed. "Our A Jin is very brave."
Pei Xia glanced at the women in the east wing. They all looked terrified. He told Pei Jin to go and comfort them. "Go inside and bolt the doors and windows."
Pei Jin agreed and picked up Huahua and went to the east wing.
Qi Jiao and Pei Xia worked together on the defense.
After Guo Sanlang intercepted their carriage on the way, Pei Xia had already made some renovations around the small courtyard.
It was easy to pick up the work now.
The three Ye brothers all pitched in.
Fishing forks were laid across the base of the wall, and several thick nets were spread out.
The three thin dogs were waiting in full battle formation at the door.
Qi Jiao also carried a basin of oil and poured it on the low wall in the back courtyard.
After thinking for a while, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a handful of bright red chili powder, mixed it with water, and shook it well. She put it in an empty small porcelain bottle and stuffed it in her bosom just in case.
When the preparations were almost done, Pei Li came back out of breath.
Seeing that Ni Er and his men were no longer at the door, he heaved a big sigh of relief.
Pei Li called to open the door, and a large group of young and strong men from Baiyun Village followed behind him.
Everyone was holding a stick in their hands. Seeing that nothing had happened to the Pei family, they all relaxed.
Pei Xia invited everyone into the house and quickly explained the situation. "...Those people are still up to no good. Please stay here for now. We'll be safe after tonight."
Pei Li had asked Uncle Zheng, the coachman, to go to Yuhua Stockade to send a message.
Yuhua Stockade was the patrol and inspection office in the town, which was in charge of maintaining law and order in the Yinwan area.
Before the officials arrived, they could only rely on self - defense.
After hearing what Pei Xia said, everyone knew the seriousness of the situation. They each took their positions in the yard and secretly stood on guard.
The night grew darker. There was a hazy moon in the sky, and the shrill cries of an owl came from the air.
Ni Er and his men crept back under the cover of night.
This time, they brought twice as many men as in the afternoon.
Ni Er sneered. "Those Pei people are asking for death by trying to stop me, Lord Ni!"
Black Three recalled the food he had eaten just now, smacked his lips, and chuckled. "There must be women in their house. Brothers, we can have a good time tonight."
Ni Er looked down on Black Three like this. He was just a lecher who only knew how to sleep with women and would never achieve anything in his life.
Although he despised him in his heart, he knew that dangling the promise of women in front of these reckless men would make them fight harder.
After a few moments of thought, the dark - huddled group had sneaked up to the wall of the Pei family's courtyard.
Ni Er sent a man with sharp ears and eyes to scout for information.
The man listened carefully and whispered back, "There are only the voices of women coaxing children inside. All the candles are out."
Ni Er curled his lips. This was great. If they captured the women and children, were they afraid that the Pei people wouldn't talk?
He made a gesture in the air.
"If you find Young Master Fu, don't leave him alive. Just kill him. As for the others, do as you please. But remember, you have half an hour. Make it quick."
He said this casually, as if killing people was easier than crushing a few ants.
Black Three and the others couldn't wait any longer. They tightened their belts, quickly took out their grappling hooks, and threw them at the stone wall.
Swish, swish, swish.
Six or seven big men landed on the ground. Only to hear a few miserable cries. Their palms or feet were all pierced by the sharp fishing forks, and fresh blood gushed out.
The Ye brothers who were lying in ambush rushed out from the dark and beat them soundly on the arms and legs, making them unable to get up.
Some smart ones climbed over the low wall in the back courtyard, but unexpectedly, they slipped and fell heavily to the ground, and were firmly trapped by a big net.
Pei Li was quick - eyed and pulled the rope, trapping several people together.
Qu Si led three or five men from Baiyun Village and pounced on them like wolves, beating the villains so that they moaned and couldn't move.
Ni Er sensed something was wrong. His face changed, and he immediately made a decision. "Break down the door directly!"
Hearing the miserable cries of his companions in the yard, Black Three looked a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, he was smart. He shouted loudly but didn't take the lead.
Ni Er almost gritted his teeth to pieces.
He really underestimated Pei Xia.
Black Three quickly found a thick wooden log. A dozen people gathered their strength and rammed the door.
But before they could count to three, a basin of boiling water suddenly splashed down on them.
Black Three was completely stunned.
After two seconds, he jumped up, crying and howling. His cries were extremely shrill.
Only to see that the skin on Black Three's exposed body quickly turned red. The boiling water stuck to his body. When he tried to peel it off, a whole piece of skin came off.
The others were no better. For a moment, it was like hell, with howls and screams everywhere.
The attack came so suddenly that even though Ni Er was very skilled, his robe was inevitably splashed with boiling water, and he shivered from the pain.
His face turned as black as coal.