I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

"Yoshi! Your good citizens are great! Go pour them a bowl of water too, it's getting too chilly after nightfall!" the Japanese soldier said happily.

On such a cold day, even a bowl of hot water would be nice. The people inside are listening to music and seeing pretty girls; it would be a lie to say they're not a little irritated. But while on duty, a bowl of hot water is better than being freezing!

Soon, Li Dadi poured water for all the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese soldiers were very happy to drink the hot water and kept praising him as a good citizen.

Having gained the approval of these Japanese soldiers, Li Dadi felt much more at ease. The remaining issue was how to contact people outside and send the message out. If he could build relationships, opportunities would always arise!

That night, the Japanese devils caused a ruckus for a long time before finally calming down. When Li Dadi and Diezi returned to the house, the youngest uncle and nephew, along with the storyteller, were still awake. The three of them sat in their respective corners on the floor, staring at each other with helpless expressions.

"What's wrong? Didn't you sing quite well tonight?" Dadi asked, looking at the three of them.

Tonight, the storyteller started by setting the mood with a folk tune, then the three of them took turns performing, with both painted-face and female roles taking the stage, culminating in "Cotton Fluffing." The entire evening's performance kept the Japanese soldiers laughing non-stop, creating a very lively atmosphere. The uncle and nephew had practically scrambled through all the plays they'd ever seen, and by sheer brute force, they managed to get the Japanese off their feet!

"Tonight is over, but what about tomorrow?... When will this end? Will we ever be able to get out again?" the youngest sighed.

"Yes! My mother is waiting for me to come home..." Shunzi said, her face also looking worried.

"And my teahouse... I didn't lock the door when I left, I don't know what it's like now..." The storyteller's face was full of sorrow. How did a simple little song end up like this?

“I said worrying about these things now is useless, the important thing is to find a way out!” Upon hearing this, Li Dadi had a plan in mind. Now was the time to stick together for mutual support, so it was good to take this opportunity to make things clear.

"What? What do you mean? You have a way to get out?" The storyteller stared at him and asked. The uncle and nephew didn't say anything, but they were both staring at him, their eyes filled with longing!

"Now the five of us need to stick together. As long as we're of one mind, we'll definitely find a way to get out. Just one question: are you going to fight the Japanese?" Li Dadi said mysteriously in a low voice.

"Resist! We're as determined as a turtle eating a weight!" the youngest brother declared first.

“Me too! I’m the one who brought the youngest one out!” Shunzi added.

"I'm the one who brought you out! Don't forget I'm much older than you!"

"I'm the one who brought you out, okay? I'm of a higher generation, an elder, you know?"

"Stop, stop, stop! None of this matters! So you're both determined?" Seeing that the uncle and nephew were about to start arguing again, Li Dadi quickly called a halt. With those two's tempers, they could argue until dawn if he didn't stop them!

"They're determined!" the two exchanged a glance and said in unison.

"And you?" After saying that, all four of them looked at the storyteller, waiting for him to give his answer.

"I'm determined! What do you say we do? As long as we can get out, we'll pick up our sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) and fight the Japanese to the death!" The storyteller quickly declared, afraid of leaving him alone.

“Alright! As long as we all work together, this can be done! To tell you the truth, the two of us are from the Mo Dao troupe you sing about, and we have brothers outside to meet us!” Li Dadi simply told them the truth.

"What?..." The three of them were stunned! This kid was like a lapdog when he saw the Japanese soldiers. How was he like a member of the Modao Regiment? Weren't the Modao Regiment all upright heroes? How could there be such a servile hero?

"Let's do this..." Seeing that the three didn't believe him, Li Dadi simply revealed his plan.

……

"Eh heh heh heh..."

"Yeah, ah, ah..."

"Ah ah ah ah..."

Early in the morning, before the Japanese soldiers had changed shifts, many were still sound asleep in their blankets when three guys started making strange noises at the door. Even the Japanese soldiers on duty nearby were startled!

"Baka! What are you yelling about?" As soon as the three of them opened their mouths, a Japanese soldier walked over aggressively and shouted at them.

"Sir, this is called vocal warm-up! Opera singers must practice their voices every morning so they can perform better for you!" the storyteller explained with a fawning smile.

"Practicing your voice?... Alright! Go practice over there so as not to disturb everyone's rest! Hurry up!" The Japanese soldiers, upon hearing that it was for a better performance for them, ordered them to practice on the other side of the airport. After all, last night's performance had amused everyone, and several officers had praised them. It wouldn't be good if their practice interfered with the performance; it was rare to have a little tune to listen to in this remote mountain forest.

"Yes, yes! We'll be right there, without disturbing the Japanese soldiers' rest!" The storyteller quickly nodded and bowed in agreement.

The three of them hurried over to the other side of the airport and started singing again. In the distance, the Li brothers, washing vegetables by the kitchen door, exchanged a smile, their hearts filled with anticipation.

……

"Uncle Cang! Uncle Cang! Listen, what's that noise?" Da Zhao, who was on the mountaintop, heard the noise and quickly woke up Man Cang beside him.

"Shh~ Don't talk, just keep listening!" Mancang naturally heard the shouts inside and raised his binoculars to observe.

Three burly men stood at the foot of the mountain, yelling at the top of their lungs. The noise was more like ghostly screams than singing!

"Head drum!"

Two hundred!

"Second drumbeat!"

"Dozens of beauties!"

"Three drumbeats!"

"Cover the oil!"

"Four drumbeats!"

"When will you roar?"

"Eeeeeeeeeee!"

"Yeah yeah yeah!"

"Head drum!"

Two hundred!

"Second drumbeat!"

"Dozens of beauties!"

"Three drumbeats!"

"Cover the oil!"

"Four drumbeats!"

"When will you roar?"

……

Mancang and Dazhao on the mountain both shuddered as they listened to the singing from the foot of the mountain several times! This was Li Dadi sending them a signal!

It means there are about two hundred Japanese soldiers and dozens of captured women inside. The pile of camouflage cloth next to them is covered with oil. They are asking when they will make their move! They really have the audacity to come up with such a plan. It seems that those opera singers have been won over by them!

Good! Well done! You guys didn't give up for nothing!

"Master Cang, what should we do? How should we reply?" Da Zhao asked anxiously.

The Japanese soldiers will be eating soon, and these three actors can't possibly keep singing all morning, can they? If they miss this opportunity, they'll have to wait until at least tomorrow morning!

“Hmm…” Man Cang pondered for a while, then picked up a fist-sized stone, drew his dagger, and stabbed out four strange symbols.

"Get this thing down there, and be quiet so you don't alert the Japanese!"

The hilltop is only a few dozen meters from the valley floor, and the slope isn't too steep. As long as the angle is right, throwing it down won't cause much of a commotion. The only concern is that if it doesn't roll to the bottom, we'll have to start over. We need to avoid being discovered by the Japanese!