Iron Gate Fort suddenly closed its gates.
Li Banfeng was not nervous. At worst, he could just stay in Iron Gate Fort. He was certain that he could find where the keys were hidden.
Sui Donglan, however, was terrified. She ran to the canyon entrance without bothering to cover her face, her headscarf flying off as she ran.
But by the time she reached the canyon entrance, it was too late. The great iron gate had already closed.
Two men stood before the gate, shouting at the fleeing merchants, "Stop running! The bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain are coming!"
Hearing about the bandits, Sui Donglan sprinted back to Li Banfeng’s side.
"Peddler, the bandits are here! What do we do now?"
Li Banfeng did not respond.
Inside Iron Gate Fort, there were two to three hundred Home Cultivator households. To Li Banfeng’s knowledge, there were Fourth Layer Home Cultivators here.
The Fortress Lord was an Eighth Layer Home Cultivator.
The steam iron gate spewed white mist. A man selling tobacco whispered, "They won’t get in. This gate is tough. If they dare take one step closer, they’ll be steamed alive until their skin peels and their flesh rots..."
The tobacco seller’s words were cut short when a voice called from outside the gate, "Listen up, people inside! I am Luo Dagui! I’m the one who leads the charge for Flying Eagle Mountain! Tell your leader to come out and speak!"
"The Cannon Head of Flying Eagle Mountain! A Seventh Layer Martial Cultivator!" Sui Donglan exclaimed in shock and quickly hid under the eaves of Wu Yongchao’s house.
The tobacco seller, also frightened, pushed his cart of tobacco leaves and took cover under the eaves as well.
"Leads the charge" or similar phrases like "front man for attacks" was underworld slang for a stronghold’s ’Cannon Head’—the foremost warrior, second only to its Fort Master.
Hearing that these were genuinely the bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain, all the Home Cultivators returned to their houses. The merchants, with nowhere else to go, all squatted under the eaves.
Li Banfeng stood his ground, listening carefully to the voice from outside.
Shortly after, another voice came from outside, "Cannon Head Luo, what brings you to my Iron Gate Fort?"
Upon hearing this voice, everyone’s tension immediately eased somewhat.
The Fortress Lord was speaking.
Whether they were Home Cultivators or small-time merchants in Iron Gate Fort, in their eyes, the Fortress Lord was their greatest protector. This was why they willingly paid their rent.
That Cannon Head spoke again, "Our stronghold has taken in quite a few new brothers recently, and funds are tight. We want to borrow some money from you. Not much, just ten thousand Ocean Dollars. Will you give it now, or should I come and collect it another day?"
Hearing ten thousand Ocean Dollars, all the merchants frowned.
Li Banfeng couldn’t see the expressions of the Home Cultivators.
After a long silence from outside the valley, the Fortress Lord finally spoke, "We are all poor people. You ask for ten thousand Ocean Dollars just like that; we can’t produce it."
"So, you’re refusing to lend? You won’t do us this favor!"
"Cannon Head Luo, I consider your great Chieftain an old acquaintance. There should be reason in all things. At the end of last year, I already sent a token of goodwill to your Chieftain. To come asking for money again now, isn’t that a bit unreasonable?"
"We accepted your token at year’s end, and we appreciated the sentiment. But that matter is past. We’re talking about now, and today’s issues will be settled today!"
"If that’s how you want to talk, then you’ll have to get past my iron gate first!" At the Fortress Lord’s command, the great iron gate CHUGGED loudly as a billow of steam surged forth.
Cannon Head Luo laughed, his laughter filled with mockery. "Lord Zhou, I know your gate is formidable, but we don’t necessarily have to use the gate!"
As his words fell, a dozen or so rocks suddenly tumbled down from the clifftops on either side of the valley.
Each rock was massive; it would take seven or eight ordinary men to move even one.
Two merchants’ wagons were smashed to pieces, and the roof of one Home Cultivator’s house was pierced by a large hole.
Li Banfeng looked up at the cliffs, hundreds of meters high, but could see no figures.
Cannon Head Luo shouted, "These few rocks are our welcoming gift! Starting today, for every day I don’t see ten thousand Ocean Dollars, I’ll take one of your heads!"
The bandits outside the iron gate seemed to have left, but the gate remained shut.
The merchants trembled with fear, not daring to move. All the Home Cultivators holed up in their houses, and no one ventured out.
Soon, a few of Lord Zhou’s men went knocking door-to-door, asking each Home Cultivator for their opinion.
Ten thousand Ocean Dollars had to be pooled from every household.
With two to three hundred households in Iron Gate Fort, each would have to contribute thirty or forty Ocean Dollars—a sum not every family could afford.
Lord Zhou wanted to hear everyone’s opinion: fight or make peace.
If they chose to fight, they would have to battle it out with these bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain.
If they chose peace, they would negotiate and see if they could pay less.
Wu Yongchao told Lord Zhou’s manager, "I vote to fight. If a battle starts, I’m willing to be in the front rank."
This manager, named Ma Dingfu, noted it down in a small ledger. "Alright. Next household."
Li Banfeng used his Silk-pulling Earrings to eavesdrop, his hearing extending for over two li.
The Home Cultivators indeed had a gentle nature, but gentle and cowardly were two different things. From what Li Banfeng heard, over seventy percent of them wanted to fight.
Sui Donglan, unaware of the prevailing sentiment, was still hoping they wouldn’t fight. "We can’t fight! We absolutely mustn’t fight..."
Li Banfeng frowned and said, "What are you afraid of? You’re not from Iron Gate Fort, and you don’t have to go out and fight."
"Peddler sir, you don’t understand. Once the fighting starts, that big iron gate will never open again! We’ll all be stuck squatting here, waiting until the fighting is over before we can leave."