Chapter 116: Chapter 94: Slaughter

The last rays of the setting sun painted the river’s surface a fiery red.

Jagged reefs pierced the water, making the current here exceptionally violent.

This was Black Flood Dragon Beach, a name that struck fear into the hearts of passing merchants.

A large cargo ship flying the Wu Family’s flag had been forced to a stop by several smaller, faster boats in a relatively open cove. Thick ropes were crudely tied to a few crooked trees on the bank.

The sailors and Wu Family guards on board were herded to a corner of the deck, their faces filled with terror. Many of them were wounded.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and the river’s fishy smell.

On the shore, before a simple Water Stockade built against a rock wall, a bonfire blazed.

Five bare-chested men sat around the fire, drinking from large bowls and tearing into freshly roasted meat.

Their bodies were still damp, clear evidence they had just returned from hijacking the ship. Now, they were reveling in the ecstasy of their victory.

“Hahaha! Big Brother, this was a fat sheep! Over twenty Treasure Fish, plus all those medicinal herbs and silks. This is enough for us brothers to live well for years!” the fourth-in-command laughed, grinning wide.

“Hmph, the Wu Family has made a fortune recently, and they don’t even want to pay a toll? Did they really think some random punk could keep Qianchuan Marsh in line?” the second-in-command scoffed, taking a swig of wine.

The leader, Jiang Baoqing, nicknamed “Sea-Raging Flood Dragon,” was the most powerfully built. A saber scar ran from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, giving him an exceptionally fierce appearance.

Greed and cruelty glinted in his eyes. “One hundred thousand taels of silver. Not a single coin less, or the ship and the people go into the river. If that little lady from the Wu Family knows what’s good for her… heheh, maybe we can ask for a little something extra.”

A lewd light flashed in his eyes.

The third-in-command was more cautious. He frowned and said, “Big Brother, the Wutai Sect is a Local Bully, after all. Aren’t we going too far? I heard the Wu Family’s new Tributor is from the Wutai Sect…”

“What’s there to be afraid of!”

The fifth-in-command, young and hot-headed, shot to his feet. “Let him come! With our skills in the water, we brothers are Flood Dragons here at Black Flood Dragon Beach! If he shows up, it’ll be perfect. We’ll skin him alive and hang his hide at the stockade gate to show all those passing ships who they should be paying tribute to when they cross Black Flood Dragon Beach!”

“Well said!”

Jiang Baoqing slapped his thigh. “The fifth has ambition! I don’t care what Sect disciple he is. On my turf, a dragon has to coil and a tiger has to crouch!”

“Besides, after this job, we’re joining Nine Waves Island. Why would we be afraid of some kid from the Cyan Wood Institute?”

Just then, the lookout in the watchtower at the stockade gate let out a brief, sharp cry, followed by a SPLASH as he fell into the water.

“Enemy attack!”

A shrill alarm cut through the night.

The Water Bandits erupted into chaos, grabbing the Fish Spears, Water-Splitting Needles, and Ghost Head Sabers nearest to them.

…

While the five bandit leaders were celebrating, lost in their triumph, no one noticed a figure slip into the water as silently as a ghost and swim toward the Water Stockade.

The rushing current and the shadows of the reefs provided the perfect cover.

PFFT!

With a nearly inaudible sound, a small, bloody hole appeared on the throat of the lookout who was craning his neck from the watchtower. He plunged into the churning river below without so much as a grunt.

This precise, fatal strike was a Money Dart thrown by Chen Qing using his Floating Light and Shadow Hand.

“Enemy attack! Someone’s sneaking in!”

After a brief moment of silence, a shrill alarm cut through the night.

“Grab your weapons!”

“Which blind fool dares to cause trouble at Black Flood Dragon Beach? Chop him to pieces!”

The Water Stockade instantly erupted into chaos. Like a disturbed hornet’s nest, the grunts grabbed their Fish Spears, Cleavers, and Water-Splitting Needles, swarming noisily toward the gate and the water’s edge.

Chen Qing no longer hid himself. He burst out from behind the reef he was using for cover, his body like an arrow loosed from a bow. In his hand was a hardwood long spear he had found, which let out a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, aimed straight for the nearest fast boat!

“Stop him!” a few of the grunts skilled in the water shrieked, leaping up from the boat or out of the water, their blades and spears raised.

Chen Qing’s eyes were ice-cold. With a flick of his wrist, the long spear in his hand cast a shadow like a Flood Dragon emerging from the sea, carrying a forward-surging Momentum capable of shattering reefs.

PFFT! PFFT! CRACK!

The spear tip precisely shattered the blades of two incoming cleavers. The shaft then swept horizontally, like a great axe cleaving a mountain, and slammed viciously into another grunt’s chest.

The dull thud of breaking bones was clearly audible. The grunt spat blood as he was sent flying backward, crashing into the side of the boat and dying on the spot.

The other two were caught by the wind of the spear’s passage and fell screaming into the river.

“This one’s tough! Hit him with the Dark Cyan projectiles!” a panicked grunt shouted.

In an instant, Flying Locust Stones, Sleeve Arrows, and Fish Darts shot toward Chen Qing from all directions.

Chen Qing’s figure blurred and instantly vanished from his spot.

At the same time, his left hand retrieved several Money Darts from his waist. A few points of cold light shot out silently!

“Ah!”

“My eyes!”

A series of screams rang out.

The Hidden Weapons of the Floating Light and Shadow Hand were fast, accurate, and deceptive! They targeted vital points like joints, throats, and eyes.

Seven or eight grunts who had tried to get close or throw Hidden Weapons were cut down like stalks of wheat, falling to the ground or into the river.

“You bastard! How dare you kill my brothers! Die!”

An enraged roar came from the high platform of the Water Stockade.

A man, short and stout as a stone pier, plummeted from above like a cannonball. His twin blades kicked up two gusts of Evil Wind, aimed straight for the vital point on Chen Qing’s back!

It was the fourth-in-command, Lang Wei, nicknamed the “Water-Splitting Yaksha.”

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Chen Qing didn’t even turn around. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the Red Tassel Long Spear seemed to come alive. The butt of the spear whipped back like a scorpion’s stinger, thrusting backward at an impossible angle!

This sudden, bizarre change in technique was the very essence of the Retreating Horse Spear.

CLANG!

The butt of the spear struck the fourth-in-command’s left-hand blade with perfect precision. The immense force of the impact made his arm go numb.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep