But no one had expected them to bypass the city and enter the village instead.
And that had led to the current standoff, with Li Lu and his men confronting them.
About thirty riders had arrived, all mounted on tall, swift horses. They pulled on their reins, halting steadily at the village entrance and staring at Li Lu and his men.
No, to be more precise, they were staring past Li Lu and his men at the vast, sprawling farmland behind them. Even in the dim night, the afterglow of the waning moon faintly revealed patch after patch of cultivated land!
The leader, a middle-aged man of about forty named Qiu Jingwu, was dressed in a snug, blue-gray martial artist's uniform. He didn't act rashly. Instead, he dismounted, preparing to talk.
When the others saw their leader dismount, they all followed suit.
