Chapter 347: Swing for the Fences!

The Yan Family’s dog really was a good dog.

That was what the villagers hiding in the cellar silently thought.

They couldn’t see what was happening outside. All they had to go on were the sounds drifting in, piecing together what might be going on.

This dog didn’t just protect the family, he protected the whole village.

Ever since the Northern Rong were discovered, he hadn’t stopped barking. He even let out vicious growls and snarls to intimidate the enemy.

All of this was precisely what Gouzhu had simulated as a realistic dog reaction.

The men posted around the Arrow Tower, holding up doors as shields, had a clearer view.

This dog wasn’t just good – he was practically a supernatural being.

The Northern Rong circled on horseback, waiting for an opening to attack.

The dog circled too, eyeing the corpses on the ground. Whenever he found a chance, he’d grab a body in his jaws and drag it away. When a Rong soldier turned back to slash at him, he always managed to dodge in time with a leap, then sneak back to continue his work…

From afar, Yan Yu continued to control Gouzhu remotely, cheering him on with encouragement.

“Gouzhu, yes, like that! Drag it off, be careful behind you!”

Yan Yu was directing Gouzhu to clear a path to the entrance of the Arrow Tower, so she could charge in if needed.

For now, the villagers were holding their own thanks to the Arrow Tower.

But Yan Yu didn’t dare get complacent.

From the Northern Rong disguising themselves as grain merchants, to their sudden breach of the border defenses, then encirclement of Crouching Tiger with troops divided strategically across the region, including their arrival at Xiao’an Village—it all pointed to one thing.

The Northern Rong weren’t just savage brutes who only knew how to kill and loot. These bastards were cruel and bloodthirsty, yes, but they weren’t stupid. In fact, they might even be called cunning.

Clearly, the Border Army stationed at the Guard Station had already been defeated. The Rong used their skilled archers to pin down Crouching Tiger, rendering it immobile. As for the other towns and villages, they could now do whatever they pleased with them.

And how did she know the archers were all gathered outside Crouching Tiger City? That was based on her own conclusions, comparing what she experienced while being hunted with what was happening to the city.

The Rong soldiers outside Crouching Tiger could fire arrows that cleared the walls. When they chased her, they didn’t hold back either. Her bald donkey could outrun horses in a sprint, and it was still shot “clang clang clang” multiple times even while running in zigzags. Those sounds still echoed in her ears when she thought about it…

But the ones in front of her now weren’t nearly as sharp. Their aim and power were clearly inferior. They were stingy with their arrows too. Even after repeated harassment by Gouzhu, they only used their blades to drive him off. It gave her a clear impression: they were conserving every arrow.

She suspected these Rong warriors only carried a limited number of arrows.

And if she connected that to the arrow rain assaulting Crouching Tiger City…

Could she make this deduction? That the Rong forces had concentrated almost all their arrows outside Crouching Tiger City, leaving their other groups lightly supplied?

To test this theory, all she needed was…

“Gouzhu, tear off their quivers. Be careful!”

Yan Yu quietly gave the order.

The Northern Rong instantly realized that damn dog had changed targets. It was now lunging at the living!

A normal dog might gather momentum, leap, and then pounce for a bite.

But Gouzhu didn’t need a running start. The tighter the space, the more of an edge he had. He didn’t need to build up for a leap – every jump pushed him beyond his own limits.

Between the Rong soldiers and their horses, everything was a platform for him to use.

His sharp claws slashed and clawed, and when horses reared in pain, trying to throw him off, he clung on with everything he had. In a few swift moves, he was already on the back of one of the Rong warriors.

In the chaos of biting and tearing, the quiver was yanked off.

With it clamped in his jaws, he bolted off…

In the blink of an eye, he slipped into the surrounding darkness and vanished.

The Northern Rong warrior who lost his quiver let out a string of curses in his guttural tongue.

More voices followed as the Northern Rong, still unable to break through after prolonged efforts, seemed to be discussing something.

Yan Yu took the quiver that Gouzhu had brought her and gave his furry head a thorough rub.

“Good boy, good boy, Gouzhu, you’re amazing!”

Gouzhu wagged his tail furiously, glancing back and forth between her and the Arrow Tower.

“You can’t stand those Northern Rong either, huh? Don’t worry, we’ll deal with them right now!”

The quiver was empty save for three arrows.

“Gouzhu, go get my wooden staff. You know where it’s kept, right?”

Gouzhu nodded, turned, and dashed home at full speed.

A moment later, he returned.

Yan Yu gripped the solid wooden staff in her hands, staring unblinking at the movements of the Northern Rong.

Sure enough, after another burst of chatter, the Northern Rong left half their men stationed under the Arrow Tower while the rest scattered in groups, going house to house in search of food.

They couldn’t afford to waste time. Compared to killing, finding supplies was the greater priority.

The Yan family’s house was the sturdiest and naturally became the first target.

From the backyard came the frightened cries of livestock.

Yan Yu turned a deaf ear. She nudged her donkey forward, Gouzhu by her side, slowly closing in on the Arrow Tower.

They were already close.

She exhaled deeply.

In a whisper, she said, “Gouzhu, follow my lead! Go!”

Gouzhu sprang out of the shadows, pouncing forward. His front paws landed on a Northern Rong’s arm, his jaws opened wide, and he viciously clamped down.

He refused to let go. Kicking hard with his back legs, he ravaged both the warrior’s thigh and the horse’s flank, leaving bloodied gashes down to the bone.

The man screamed. His horse reared up in panic, crashing into the horses beside it. Its front hooves pawed the air, lifting nearly its entire body off the ground…

Yan Yu seized the moment and charged in on her donkey.

One hand clutched the reins, the other gripped the staff tightly. She leaned flat against the donkey’s side.

This was it.

Yan Yu squeezed her legs to steady herself, her breathing synchronized with her movements. Both hands raised the staff, drawing it back as far as it would go.

Thud!

A muffled crack sounded.

At the perfect angle, Yan Yu swung down with all her strength, smashing the staff against a Northern Rong’s skull.

She didn’t dare check the result.

There was no time.

She struck again.

The staff spun naturally in her hands, and Yan Yu gathered her strength for another blow. This time, her target was a Northern Rong on her left.

She aimed for his face, but missed just slightly, striking only half his face and his ear.

She had overestimated her own waist agility and nearly wrenched herself in the process.

Still no time to look back. Yan Yu tossed the staff aside and clung tightly to the donkey with both arms and legs.

The donkey lunged and leapt cleanly over a door panel laid sideways on the ground…

Yan Yu had taken a deep breath for it, and almost couldn’t get it out.

She had practiced this risky move with the donkey countless times to get it just right.

The donkey landed steadily, hooves tapping in quick, precise steps as it adjusted its stance, brusquely shoving aside those nearby to claim its own space.

Damn good mule!

Yan Yu bursting out on that donkey nearly scared everyone half to death.

Her sudden dash from the shadows was terrifying enough, but then she went and swung at two people.

The first one she clocked in the back of the head—if the guy hadn’t been caught on the stirrups, he would’ve flown right off the front of his horse!

He slumped over on the horse, motionless on the spot…

The second one… lost an ear!

He shrieked and collapsed backward, right under a horse’s hooves where he got trampled…

Good heavens!

Who knew this Xiao Er from the Yan Family had such brute strength?

And not just strength—guts too.

How could such a tiny girl be this daring? This wild?

Master Lu was stationed right beneath the Arrow Tower. The idea to use a door to block the tower came from him in the first place.

Every time there was a chance to strike, he was the first to charge out, swinging without hesitation.

This time was no different—Master Lu was the first to react after the initial shock.

He raised his arm and shouted, “Cut them down!”

The men were finally starting to get the hang of things. They grabbed the door panels and charged ahead. Whether it was a human leg or a horse leg, dead or half-dead on the ground, they hacked at whatever they could get their blades on. Hack, hack, hack—that was the way forward.

(End of Chapter)