Chapter 7

Three small boats quietly docked at a secluded port. After the boats had come to a stop, Sun Dangjia jumped off first and cautiously surveyed the surroundings to ensure no one was lying in ambush.

He then waved his hand back and shouted, "Get off the boat and unload the cargo." Cheng Pan and his group of people carried ten baskets of fish off the boat, with five of the baskets concealing bags of refined salt at the bottom.

"We need to meet up with the Li family," Sun Dangjia said to Cheng Pan. Cheng Pan responded tactfully, "Everything is up to you, Mr. Sun." Under Sun Dangjia's lead, the group set off along a quiet path.

As they passed a hill, Cheng Pan heard a breathing sound about 30 meters ahead. He shouted to the group to stop. Just as Sun Dangjia was about to ask why, the ambushers realized they had been discovered. Over thirty people emerged from the front and ran quickly towards them.

Sun Dangjia shouted, "Get your weapons ready!" He glanced at Cheng Pan, who nodded in response.

The seven people under Sun Dangjia swiftly drew their machetes from their baskets. Cheng Pan and his group formed two rows, with Cheng Pan at the front. Soon, the two groups faced each other. A tall, dark-faced man at the front of the opposing group waved a rusty, chipped machete and shouted, "Sun Rat, I finally caught you!" At this moment, two sets of eleven spears appeared from the gaps in front of and behind Cheng Pan (these were "borrowed" from the city gate guards nearby).

This miraculous sight stunned both Sun Dangjia's men and the opposing group. Taking advantage of the moment, Cheng Pan and his eleven companions skillfully picked up the spears.

"First row, level your spears! Everyone, forward, one, two, one..." Cheng Pan shouted, leading ten people in a synchronized advance. The opposing group was momentarily stunned by the strange way Cheng Pan and his group moved. They were at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, a man shouted fiercely, "You're just putting on a show," and charged forward with an axe, followed by four others.

"Stop! First row, prepare to thrust; second row, get ready." When the five men were three meters away from Cheng Pan's group, Cheng Pan shouted, "Thrust!" The four boys standing in the first row, reacting instinctively, thrust their spears into the chests of the three men in front of them. Three fountains of blood erupted, splattering the first row. Although the boys were used to the chaos of war and had seen death before, the violent nature of the deaths so close to them, and caused by their own actions, was far more shocking than killing wolves or wild boars in the hills. Cheng Pan, who came from a peaceful era, had rarely seen death and turned pale, his face covered in blood, almost scaring the enemy. However, he remained clear-headed. Ignoring his "first blood," he shouted, "Second row, thrust; first row, withdraw your spears." The second row, familiar with the commands, overcame their shock, shouted "Kill," and thrust their spears at the remaining two men, who were also terrified. The first row completed their withdrawal as the second row thrust, and the two men were impaled by six spears, pushed back, and fell to the ground, spraying blood. The scene fell silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing. The bizarre way the spears were held and the strange formation of the advancing group chilled the hearts of the opposing side.

Cheng Pan, knowing they couldn't stop, shouted the commands and advanced towards the dark-faced man. The dark-faced man's mind was in chaos. He had planned to ambush and kill the Sun family, but now he faced a group of strange people moving in unison with spears. His men, though not fleeing, were retreating step by step. The dark-faced man wanted to retreat but dared not, knowing that if he did, everything would fall apart, and he would never be able to operate in this area again. Finally, unable to bear the pressure, he let out a scream and threw his machete at the tallest person in the center. Cheng Pan, seeing the flying machete, released his left hand (still holding the spear with his right) and deflected it with his left arm. The machete clattered to the ground, leaving a 30-centimeter-long cut on Cheng Pan's arm. Clenching his teeth, Cheng Pan gripped the spear with both hands and shouted, "Charge!" The entire group, holding their spears level, ran forward in unison. Seeing Cheng Pan's group advance unscathed after being hit by the machete, the opposing group turned and ran, while the remaining few froze in fear. The dark-faced man, who had stumbled while turning, was quickly impaled by Cheng Pan and his group. The惨叫声 of the dark-faced man and the other three being impaled woke the remaining few from their stupor, and they scrambled to escape.

The thirty-odd men who had come in a hurry left in a hurry, leaving a few on the ground moaning in pain. "Lu Hai (who had been hung from a beam and beaten by Cheng Pan in the past), take care of these people. Remember to stab their throats," Cheng Pan said harshly, giving an inhumane order. Lu Hai and the others hesitated for a moment. "If you hesitate now, you'll be the ones slaughtered," Cheng Pan threatened. Lu Hai and the others, their faces turning fierce, began to finish off the fallen men.

Cheng Pan then took out a roll of cloth from his mental space and quickly bandaged his wound. He believed his constitution would heal the wound overnight. After tending to his wound, Cheng Pan approached Sun Dangjia and his trembling group. Before Cheng Pan could speak, Sun Dangjia, with a slightly fawning tone, said, "Great Hero Cheng, I failed to recognize your true worth. This business will be split 80-20 in your favor." He looked at Cheng Pan expectantly. Cheng Pan glanced at Sun Dangjia and his group, noticing their wary and fearful expressions.

Cheng Pan smiled at Sun Dangjia (imagine a blood-stained, sinister smile) and said, "Mr. Sun, there's no need for that. The agreed price won't change, and we will continue to work together. I have a bit of magic, so this money means little to me." As he spoke, a wooden bucket filled with water appeared in his left hand (his right hand was half-covered in blood). Sun Dangjia looked at the suddenly appearing bucket, swallowed hard, and said, "Mr. Cheng, we wouldn't dare to refuse your offer. Rest assured, we are very discreet."

Ten minutes later, the salt-smuggling team set off again. Cheng Pan, under the shocked gaze of Sun Dangjia and his group, stored the salt in his independent space, claiming it was for temporary safekeeping.

Ten hours later, the group passed through several checkpoints without incident, losing two baskets of fish along the way, and arrived at the Li family in Jiangling City. As they approached the meeting point, Cheng Pan placed the salt back into the fish baskets.

Mr. Li, who came out to inspect the goods, his eyes lit up when he saw the quality of the salt. He probed the bottom and found no inferior goods. Looking at Sun Dangjia appreciatively, he said, "We'll take as much of this quality salt as you can provide." Amidst the continuous encouragement from Mr. Li, Cheng Pan and his group received 20 taels of silver for the goods and left the Li family. According to the previous agreement, Cheng Pan took only six taels of silver, and the group parted ways with Sun Dangjia and his men, who were profusely grateful. Cheng Pan then led the ten young men to their next target.

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