Xiao Feng was unaware that in a cave three miles ahead, indeed someone was lying in ambush.
The leader was a man with rough skin and a face full of pockmarks, appearing just over thirty years old. His name was Tie Yanmin, the son of the village chief of Iron Village.
Gathered around him were seven or eight others, all similar in age to him.
"Let me go over it again, see if there's anything to add," Tie Yanmin said in a low voice. "Xiao Wu is watching from the mountain. When he sees the old mule, he'll throw down three stones as a signal.
Then we'll get ready. As soon as the old mule arrives, we rush out to grab the goods, then run in different directions.
Remember, never let the old mule see our faces!"
"What if the old mule resists?" someone asked.
Tie Yanmin cursed, "With so many strong young men, if we can't take down an old man, we might as well crawl back into our mother's wombs and be born again!
