"Heh, if you carried one hundred and fifty pounds of Ebony Armor every day, never taking it off even to sleep, your strength would have no choice but to increase," Chen Kun boasted proudly.

"Resistance training, then." Chen Feng chuckled lightly, "Little Man really has a knack for this."

"I need to get a set of Ebony Armor to wear as well." Elder Jia Ning looked eager to try.

"That's actually a good idea," Chen Feng mused, "Perhaps if Uncle Wei crafts me a two-hundred-pound set, my power might advance significantly."

"Haha! Why don't we just outfit every warrior in the village with a set from now on!" the Elders laughed merrily.

"That is precisely what I intend." A commanding male voice sounded behind Chen Feng.

"Ah! My Lord Patriarch!" Everyone immediately showed deep respect.

"Little Man's method is excellent," Ye Xiangtian stated. "In just one month, to bring Galo and the others to their current level—this is directly attributable to that Ebony Armor."

"And being able to integrate production with their daily training—this method must be popularized." Steward Chen Xi was enthusiastic, "Their small team's coordinated training and production are far more efficient than those of us solely focused on manufacturing."

"Indeed," Aunt Xia agreed with a sigh, "Thanks to their help recently, the village construction hasn't fallen behind schedule."

"Bang!" On the field, the fierce duel between Ada and Chen Zhen reached a critical point. Chen Zhen's strength was comparable to Chen Feng’s, but Ada was significantly weaker than Galo. Even so, Ada caused Chen Zhen considerable trouble initially. However, once Chen Zhen adapted to Ada's fighting style, he grew much more composed, using agile footwork to continually evade Ada's attacks while launching counterattacks at opportune moments. As a result, Ada was kicked flying after only holding out for just over forty moves. This was even with Chen Zhen intentionally holding back to assess Ada's overall stamina, endurance, and speed. Yet, even with the intentional concession, everyone regarded Ada with new respect. The power he displayed fully reached the peak level of an Intermediate-tier fighter. Remember, Galo was only at that level a month ago.

"Enough!" Chen Zhen laughed, "You've improved greatly. With your strength, you are fully capable of handling the village's defense duties."

"Yes!" Ada showed no dejection over his defeat. Being able to fight Chen Zhen to this extent already filled him with unexpected joy, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, Brother Chen Zhen."

Chen Zhen then strode forward to the Patriarch. "My Lord Patriarch, after this assessment, I confirm that this batch of young warriors possesses the necessary strength to become members of the Defense Force."

"I have seen it all," Ye Xiangtian affirmed. "The Third Defense Force is officially established, taking over the defensive duties previously held by the Jiani Defense Force."

"Roar!! Long live!"

.....................................

Following this, the village entered the busiest season of the year. As Chen Feng’s deputy, I naturally assumed the main responsibility for defense. However, routine daily affairs did not require my direct intervention; my newly appointed deputy, Galo, handled them capably. I must admit, Galo was more adept than I was in certain interpersonal matters. My role was simply to maintain peak condition at all times to respond to any potential emergencies.

The shadowy figures lurking around the village perimeter grew more numerous, causing everyone increasing tension. Defense duties were split into two shifts, running day and night without pause. Fortunately, after a week of strenuous effort, no large bands of brigands were detected operating nearby. Still, no one dared to become complacent; often, the closer one is to the end, the more likely complications arise.

In the spacious main hall, standing on the red carpet at the center, he paced back and forth—a habit of his when thinking. To his left stood myself, Chen Feng, Jia Ning, Chen Zhen, and about a dozen other young retainers. Notably, Galo had also been promoted to Chen Zhen's deputy, as he proved to be an exceptionally skilled warrior, at least in the spar he fought against Chen Feng during the day, where he demonstrated his prowess. To his right were Steward Chen Xi, the main person in charge of production, Uncle Wei, Aunt Xia, and others.

"The harvesting has begun," Steward Chen Xi continued, flipping through the ledger. "We have so far collected one hundred and forty crates."

"The drying and refinement of the medicinal herbs have also commenced. We are now producing over thirty crates of semi-finished goods daily," Aunt Xia reported. "The only issue is the immense consumption of firewood; we are almost unable to keep up."

"Mmm." The Lord Patriarch nodded slightly. "Little Man, starting tomorrow, your training and production halt. Assign ten men specifically to chop wood for Aunt Xia's medicinal furnaces. Another forty men are to assist Chen Xi with the harvest. The remainder will be deployed to the village's security."

"Yes," I quickly replied. It seemed...

"Jia Ning, what are the movements around the village perimeter?"

"The scouts are increasing; we spot over a dozen daily," Jia Ning said with a grave expression. "It seems many eyes are fixed upon our village."

"Mmm." The Lord Patriarch sighed deeply. "It seems several fierce battles are unavoidable." As he spoke, the Patriarch looked toward Chen Feng. "The village defense is entrusted to you; do not allow the slightest carelessness."

"Yes."

....................

"Little Man, Galo, follow me." After leaving the Patriarch’s residence, Chen Feng called out to Galo and me.

"Now, I will first familiarize you two with the village's defensive arrangements." Chen Feng led us toward the village entrance.

In truth, we were already very familiar with the village's fortifications. Ginkgo Village was a small settlement entirely enclosed by high walls, featuring a front and rear gate. After nightfall, the gates would be sealed and blocked with heavy objects, to prevent invaders from simply battering them down. Thus, past conflicts with intruders generally revolved around contests for control of the walls.

The village walls were exceptionally high, reaching about six meters. The top of the walls featured structures resembling small fortresses equipped with heavy crossbows and arrow towers. Whenever a powerful enemy invaded, the village warriors would rely on the towering walls to fend off outsiders using bows, arrows, and rolling logs. Outside the walls, the open ground was largely studded with sharp stakes about waist-high, effectively hindering rapid enemy assaults. In short, these arrangements fully exploited the advantages of the terrain. Many villages across the continent shared this layout; generally, if the attacking side lacked an overwhelming numerical advantage, it was extremely difficult to breach a well-defended village. Our village had a defense force of about six hundred men. If bandits wished to attack, they would need to mobilize at least two thousand troops, and even if they succeeded in taking it, they would surely incur devastating losses. Normally, bandits would avoid such heavy casualties and only strike when they felt certain of victory. Consequently, as long as villages maintained tight defenses and offered no easy opportunity, bandits often retreated, discouraged by the difficulty.

However, this year, Ginkgo Village was slightly different. In the previous bandit uprising, we lost about two hundred retainers. This significantly weakened the village's defensive strength. Bandits learning of this intelligence might be tempted to take a reckless gamble.

After inspecting the perimeter defenses, Chen Feng assigned tasks to Galo and me. Galo, alongside Chen Feng and seventy newly inducted warriors, would defend the rear gate, while Chen Feng and I would hold the main entrance.

Yet, in the following days, while suspicious scouts continued to multiply, no large-scale bandit forces appeared. This situation persisted until the harvest was complete, bringing considerable relief to everyone.

With this, the most perilous time of the year had been survived.

But the real challenge was just beginning: after the harvest, safely transporting these medicinal herbs to Ginkgo City was the most difficult task. For this purpose, the Patriarch once again gathered myself, Chen Feng, Chen Zhen, and other retainers. After deliberation, the Patriarch decided to send me, Chen Feng, and Jia Ning, leading two hundred veteran warriors, to escort this trade caravan to Ginkgo City.

The following morning, under the farewell gazes of the villagers and my mother, we departed the village amidst a heavy downpour. Over two hundred retainers escorted more than twenty horse-drawn carts along the official road toward Ginkgo City.

Thinking of my mother’s reluctant eyes, I felt a stifling tightness in my chest. After the previous bandit conflict, I truly didn't want to leave her again. But this time it was the Patriarch’s direct order, and these herbs represented the village's entire annual yield—the last hope for everyone here—and could not be lost under any circumstances. I forced myself to collect my thoughts and joined the main procession.

The rain fell from morning until evening before finally ceasing. By then, we were over a hundred li from the village. The large contingent busied themselves setting up camp. Before dinner, the scouting team led by Jia Tong returned.

"Feng, nothing unusual within fifty li ahead," Jia Tong reported.

"Mmm." Chen Feng nodded slightly, his gaze instinctively drifting back the way we came.

Soon after, the rear scouting team led by Jia Long returned to camp.

"Brother Feng, there are a few scouts tailing us from behind. They look ill-intentioned," Jia Long said tensely after dismounting.

"It seems we are being watched," Chen Feng stated calmly. "The fact they haven't attacked yet suggests they lack the confidence to eliminate us completely."

"Their numbers shouldn't be large," Jia Tong agreed with a slight nod.

"They will likely make their move after nightfall," Chen Feng observed, scanning their surroundings.

"Then we should prepare early," Jia Ning advised.

"Correct, they intend to strike under the cover of darkness," Chen Feng said. "Why shouldn't we use the darkness to slip away from them?"

"It would be best to teach these curs another lesson, so they don't think the people of the Ye family are easy targets," Jia Tong suggested.

"That is a sound idea." Chen Feng’s expression darkened. "Anyone daring to eye the Ye family’s assets is surely no minor figure. Do not underestimate them." With that, Chen Feng began arranging deployment as soon as night fell.

"Hmph," Jia Ning ground his teeth. "These damned wretches, if they dare approach, I’ll make sure they suffer a terrible end."

Night descended. In the murky, dark night, the group stealthily began their preparations.

Our campsite was situated on a slight incline. Chen Feng led several dozen retainers in setting up tripwires and spike pits around the slope—common tactics for ambushing pursuers under the cover of darkness.

Everything was set around nine o’clock that night. The surroundings were pitch black, allowing us to barely see two meters ahead.

Chen Zhen quietly led the caravan away under the cover of darkness, leaving only myself, Chen Feng, and thirty retainers behind.

Around one in the morning, in the absolute blackness, there suddenly arose the sound of hurried horse hooves. Soon after, brilliant torchlight appeared like a swarm of rapidly approaching stars. In the blink of an eye, they charged to within three hundred meters of our position.

"They've come!"

"Such speed."

"There are quite a few of them—at least four hundred or more."

Quickly, the dense clusters of torchlight in the darkness split into three smaller groups, speeding toward our location. Attacking from the left, center, and right—clearly, these three thrusts were designed to test our strength. We remained unmoved, gripping our bows and arrows tightly. No one dared to loose an arrow without Chen Feng’s command.

Swoosh! The three rapidly approaching groups of horsemen closed the distance to within a hundred meters of us, without slowing, and began their charge up the slope.

*Who