The others wanted to say more, but A Shui slapped the table and said seriously:
"Alright, everyone go to sleep now. I know what you're thinking. When we get back from this mission, I will mention the food distribution to Master Qian. But if we don't do this, even if we ask, Master Qian will refuse us."
"By then, even if we're in the right, we'll seem like we're in the wrong. Do you all understand?"
Everyone admired A Shui's actions from the bottom of their hearts:
"The boss is right."
"Fine, we'll listen to the boss."
After dismissing all his subordinates, A Shui finally extinguished the torch. In the darkness, A Shui's eyes shone like bright stars in the night sky.
On the back mountain of Tianjia Village, Qin Sang rode her Horse back to their camp.
During the day, she had brought back a lot of rice, grain, and water, so everyone had eaten their fill and was resting to build up their strength.
Seeing Qin Sang return, everyone sat up from the ground one after another:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, how did it go?"
"Did they send people?"
"Aunt, did you see my brother?"
A Jing ran over anxiously. Qin Sang handed the reins to Da Zhuang and gave the boy a reassuring smile:
"I saw him. Your brother is doing great. He's currently leading a fifty-man squad out of the Town. They'll likely arrive at Tianjia Village early tomorrow morning."
A hint of joy finally appeared in A Jing's eyes.
The others also showed looks of delight. Hunter Xu said:
"So, everything is proceeding according to our plan?"
Qin Sang nodded:
"I only came back after seeing A Shui take the bundle. I believe that with the rehearsal between us and him, inciting those fifty people won't be a problem."
Tian Yougen was a bit eager to get started:
"So, tomorrow morning, it'll be our turn to perform?"
Qin Sang nodded:
"That's right. So now, I'm going to apply makeup for everyone."
Qin Sang pulled out some wooden boxes containing rouge, foundation, eyebrow pencils, beards, and other items from her bundle. Everyone looked on in confusion:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, makeup? We're all grown men; there's no need for makeup, is there?"
"Yeah, makeup is a woman's thing."
Qin Sang explained with a smile:
"Makeup is to better disguise everyone. That way, even if our plan fails, we can just remove the disguise and escape by pretending to be Rebel Soldiers. Besides, if anyone happens to escape, aren't you afraid of being recognized?"
"Furthermore, you all look like honest, law-abiding people, which is quite different from bandits."
Once Qin Sang explained that it was a life-saving measure, everyone became obedient.
The first one to get makeup was Da Zhuang.
Qin Sang skillfully opened the liquid foundations, concealers, and contouring products, and began to alter Da Zhuang's facial features.
His eyebrows were thickened and darkened to look rugged.
His skin tone was darkened, his lips thickened, and his cheekbones made to protrude. His cheeks looked as if they were carved by a knife and axe, and frown lines were drawn on his brow. Finally, she used brown pigment to draw a scar on Da Zhuang's brow bone and applied a Bearded Man's facial hair.
Tian Da Zhuang, who was originally only twenty years old, was made to look more than twenty years older in a short time. Everyone watched, dumbfounded:
"Da Zhuang? Is that you?"
"My god... is this still Da Zhuang?"
"If I hadn't watched him get this makeup done, I would never have guessed this was the kid if I met him head-on."
"Da Zhuangs Mother, your makeup skills are incredible."
Qin Sang smiled to herself. Did they think the 'head-swapping' technique of Asia's four great sorceries was just a joke?
"Da Zhuang, the beard might feel a bit itchy; bear with it, you'll get used to it. Alright, next."
After more than two hours of work, the villagers of Tianjia Village looked at each other's novel appearances, wanting to laugh but having to hold it in.
Hunter Xu was somewhat puzzled:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, why do we have to dress up as bandits? Wouldn't Government Soldiers be more intimidating?"
Qin Sang shook her head:
"If Government Soldiers were useful, the Rebel Soldiers wouldn't have occupied Songbai Town. If we really claimed to be Government Soldiers, that Master Qian might even get the idea to rob us."
"But facing bandits, he'll have to weigh carefully whether he has the ability to beat us."
"We also can't let them discover we are ordinary villagers. Once word gets out that our village ended up with those treasures, will the Government Soldiers come looking for trouble with our village in the future?"
"So bandits are the best excuse. Even if all the treasure disappears, it was taken by bandits and has nothing to do with my Tianjia Village."
After hearing the explanation, the doubts in everyone's hearts were finally resolved. They couldn't help but exclaim:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, you've thought of everything so thoroughly."
"Good, tomorrow we'll act as bandits."
"As for me, haha..."
Seeing that everyone was enthusiastic and didn't seem to have much worry, Qin Sang felt slightly relieved.
She led them through several rehearsals of the next morning's performance and didn't go to sleep until midnight.
The sound of roosters crowing echoed through the mountain forest. Before dawn, everyone had already turned and headed down the mountain.
Qin Sang, being a woman, did not go down. She waited halfway up the mountain with A Jing.
Half an hour later, cooking smoke rose from the courtyard of Qin Sang's house.
Qin Sang pulled out her Binoculars and saw everyone following her arrangements—some sharpening blades, others training. The corners of Qin Sang's mouth curled slightly.
Not to mention, everyone was learning to look the part quite well.
The scent of roast chicken drifted with the mountain breeze. Qin Sang took a deep breath, then moved the Binoculars toward the outskirts of the village:
"A Jing, come here. Look, your brother is coming."
A Jing nervously took the Binoculars from Qin Sang's hand. Once he clearly saw his brother's figure on the dirt road outside the village, A Jing was reluctant to look away:
"It's brother, it really is brother! Aunt, this thing is amazing; I can even see the wound on brother's arm."
Qin Sang smiled:
"These are Binoculars."
A Jing watched for a while longer, saw his brother make a hand gesture to have his subordinates advance in a dispersed formation, and then reluctantly returned the Binoculars to Qin Sang.
Qin Sang handed him a piece of sausage roasted last night, then looked toward Tianjia Village down the mountain.
Outside the village, the Rebel Soldiers saw the courtyard with rising cooking smoke:
"Boss, look there! I smell chicken."
With those words, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath sounded from the surroundings.
A Shui slapped the man's head:
"Keep it down! Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
Only then did everyone lighten their breathing.
A Shui ordered:
"Carefully approach that courtyard. Don't make a sound."
Everyone obediently crouched and moved toward Qin Sang's house.
Because the walls of Qin Sang's courtyard were particularly high, they could only eavesdrop from outside the gate.
Sure enough, the voices of men came from inside:
"Third Master, the people from the stronghold should all be able to arrive tonight, right?"
"Third Master, how about we just charge into Songbai Town now and wipe out Steward Huangs Residence? Then all the treasures will be ours, and we can earn a great merit for the stronghold. How great would that be?"
"Yeah, Third Master, I don't think we need three hundred brothers at all. Just the fifty of us are enough to slaughter our way through Songbai Town."
Such suggestions were suppressed by a steady male voice:
"Brothers, we are here for wealth, not to throw away our lives. Are you going to rush to your deaths in broad daylight?"
"Wait until the brothers from the Mountain Stronghold arrive tonight. In the dead of night, everyone will quietly enter the Town and deal with the Town's rebels without any danger. Isn't that better?"