Chapter 64: Settled
Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Settled
’So that’s how it is!’
The tension on Chen Li’s face eased slightly.
’It seems that boy Shouye kept his mouth shut and didn’t reveal the secret of our family’s Medicated Ointment.’
’But I never expected his perceptive fiancée could pick up on the clues from its scent and effects.’
Chen Li wasn’t worried about them trying to take it by force. Now that he had reached the Spirit Realm, he no longer needed to be as cautious as he was at first.
Besides, it was just a recipe.
Of course, for a place like the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall, which trained a large number of External Cultivation Disciples, an excellent recipe that could significantly improve the efficiency of Marrow Refining and temper the bones and sinews was of immeasurable value.
Evidently, after Li Weikun found out, he had become interested.
Then Li spoke again, "I run a martial arts hall, and a good recipe for a Bone-Forging Ointment is especially important for my disciples to temper their bones and sinews. I hope Younger Brother Chen will oblige me. Of course, I am not trying to covet your family’s secret recipe. From now on, the young couple can have fifty percent of the profits from all sales of this Medicated Ointment. It can be a source of income for them after they’re married."
The Vajra Bone-Forging Ointment was not, in fact, essential for Chen Li.
Among his children, only Shouye practiced Horizontal Training Skills, so it wouldn’t hurt to use it as part of his betrothal gift.
After a moment of rapid consideration, Chen Li weighed his options and nodded. "Miss Jinru is as perceptive as they come; I am truly impressed. It is Shouye’s good fortune to have her looking after him. Since the Hall Master has asked, on the day Shouye reaches Blood Refining Perfection and the official betrothal gifts are presented, I will deliver the recipe for the Vajra Bone-Forging Ointment along with the other gifts."
Seeing Chen Li agree so readily, Li Weikun’s face lit up with joy. "Excellent! Younger Brother Chen is as straightforward as they say. It’s settled, then."
The tense atmosphere in the hall vanished, and both host and guest were pleased.
A weight was lifted from Chen Li’s heart as well.
...
That evening.
Mu Yuanying, Chen Shouheng, and three others boarded an inconspicuous black-canopied boat and quietly set off down the Lishui River.
The Lishui’s waterways were a sprawling network, interspersed with vast, dense reed marshes that seemed as boundless as the sea.
The five of them followed a lead boat into the reed marsh, and the environment changed abruptly.
The waterways were a tangled, intersecting maze.
As far as the eye could see, there were endless, withered yellow reeds, taller than a person, swaying and rustling in the cold wind.
The bottom of the boat occasionally scraped against reed roots with a sluggish drag. Dead branches, fallen leaves, and rotting waterweeds floated on the surface, emitting the foul, fishy stench unique to a muddy swamp.
The black-canopied boat moved slowly through the narrow channel.
Mu Yuanying stood at the prow, her red clothes like a dancing flame against the gloomy backdrop, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.
Chen Shouheng and the others were also on high alert, their hands never leaving their weapons.
"Watch out!"
The tall, thin man with the Short Sword suddenly shouted in a low voice.
From around a bend in the waterway ahead, two small sampans shot out. On each sat two fierce-looking Water Bandit lackeys armed with fish harpoons.
"Die!"
The burly man with the saber roared. Without waiting for Mu Yuanying’s order, he drew his blade and leaped, a flash of steel like a bolt of white silk slashing toward one of the sampans.
Chen Shouheng reacted instantly, striking at almost the same moment.
His body moved like lightning, his blood and qi surging. He threw an incomparably ferocious punch from his Tiger Subduing Fist. The wind from his fist howled, faintly carrying the roar of a tiger as it precisely slammed into the chest of a Water Bandit on the other sampan.
BAM!
The Water Bandit, as if struck by a massive blow, fell into the water with the distinct CRACK of his sternum shattering.
The middle-aged Swordsman’s blade flashed. A line of blood appeared on the other Water Bandit’s throat, and he plunged into the water without so much as a grunt.
The battle was over in an instant, and the two small sampans were quickly dealt with.
The boat continued deeper into the marsh.
The surrounding reeds grew denser, and the waterway became even more narrow and winding.
In the channel, there was no sound other than the splash of the oars and the rustling of the wind through the reeds.
Chen Shouheng’s brow furrowed as he scanned the sky and the surrounding reeds.
Having grown up in the countryside, he was extremely sensitive to the signs of nature. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately walked over to Mu Yuanying and said in a low voice, "Miss Mu, something’s not right."
Hearing this, Mu Yuanying immediately raised a hand to signal, and the black-canopied boat slowly came to a halt.
"What is it?" the burly man with the saber asked, confused.
Chen Shouheng pointed to the sky and said in a grave tone, "Look up. The egrets and crows are circling high above, and they refuse to land. Also, in the reeds around us, you can’t hear a single frog croak or insect chirp... It’s too quiet. Unnaturally quiet."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yuanying’s expression instantly became extremely grave.
She focused her senses and realized it was just as Chen Shouheng had said; the surroundings were terrifyingly silent.
She immediately gave a decisive order: "On guard! Prepare to fall back!"
However, the moment the words left her mouth, a blood-curdling scream suddenly erupted from the reed marsh in the distance.
It was followed by the clash of weapons, furious shouts, and agonized cries.
The sounds grew closer and clearer, coming from far and near. It was obvious that fighting had broken out in more than one location.
"Damn it! We’ve walked into an ambush!"
The face of the burly man with the saber changed.
At almost the same instant, WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! The sharp whistle of objects cutting through the air erupted from the reeds on all sides.
Countless Crossbow Arrows, like a dense swarm of locusts, tore through the thick fog, raining down on the black-canopied boat from all directions!
"Watch out!"
"Block the arrows!"
Mu Yuanying’s sharp cry rang out almost simultaneously with the whistle of the Crossbow Arrows.
The black-canopied boat was instantly engulfed by a volley of Crossbow Arrows from every direction.
The arrows rained down as thick as water, tearing through the air with a deadly glint, threatening to completely overwhelm the five people on the boat.
Mu Yuanying’s Longsword left its sheath, its flashing blade tracing countless sharp arcs in front of her.
Her Swordsmanship was swift and precise. Every strike perfectly deflected or sliced through the incoming arrows, producing a crisp CLANG, CLANG, CLANG as sparks flew.
The blood and qi within Chen Shouheng’s body erupted, and his fists became a blur, moving like the wind.
The ferocious Fist Intent of his Tiger Subduing Fist emanated from his body, the wind from his punches creating an invisible barrier that sent the Crossbow Arrows flying or smashed them to the deck.
Where his fists passed, one could faintly hear the roar of a tiger, incomparably fierce.
The other three also used their own techniques, forming an impenetrable defense around themselves.
The five of them managed to block the first wave of arrows together.
"Fall back! Let’s get out of here first," Mu Yuanying shouted, making a snap decision.
She knew this was the Water Bandits’ lair. Although their Martial Arts were not strong, the unknown dangers within this vast reed marsh were far more terrifying.
Since the original plan for a surprise attack had failed, they had no choice but to abandon it.
If they were trapped here, their chances of survival were slim.
The middle-aged Swordsman grabbed a long bamboo pole, plunged it into the water, and gave a mighty shove. The black-canopied boat shot backward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
"After them!"
An enraged roar from a Water Bandit came from the reeds.
SPLASH! Three long, narrow speedboats shot out from the dense reeds like water snakes.
Each boat carried seven or eight Water Bandits armed with long sabers. They paddled furiously, their boats moving at high speed, doggedly pursuing the black-canopied boat.
Arrows still flew at them from behind, but as the distance grew, the threat they posed was greatly diminished.
"Their boats are fast! We can’t shake them!" the burly man with the saber shouted, glancing back.
Mu Yuanying’s gaze was ice-cold. She looked at the three speedboats in relentless pursuit behind them, then at the tangled maze of waterways ahead, rapidly weighing her options.