Hidden Trump Card

Chapter 19: A Hidden Trump Card

Candles flickered in the ship's cabin at night. Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, was telling her usual legendary tales of the martial world. But tonight was different; Tang Yao had brought out her treasured box.

Inside the box were seven or eight booklets, four or five scrolls bound by ropes, brushes, ink, and an inkstone. Most importantly, there were several exquisite puppet figures.

One of them, resembling a celestial maiden from the clouds, was brought out. Its face, like jade, emanated a soft glow, its features lifelike. It wore not the common attire of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but a magnificent and intricate iridescent feather robe. A teardrop mole at the corner of its eye evoked a sense of pity.

The students from Xishan Academy had never seen such a puppet before and were amazed.

"This is too exquisite," someone said, wanting to reach out and touch it. Seeing Tang Yao pout and protect her treasure, they gave up.

"It's so beautiful," everyone exclaimed.

"Is this a puppet show? Master Hong Yuan knows how to do this?" Someone noticed the threads attached to the puppet and immediately recognized it.

Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, spoke with a touch of pride, different from her usual boasting. She was serious now.

"Of course. When you travel the world, the truly great hide in plain sight."

"Great heroes don't always fight for justice. Everyone has a proper job. For example, Overlord Saber Wang Qi works as a butcher in real life, and Poisonous Hero is a doctor. Things like this are countless."

"Being a great hero is just my hobby. I'm actually a puppeteer. I originally wrote these stories for my puppet shows."

"I was planning to perform at the Jiangting Commandery's Lantern Festival this year, but since I have fate with all of you, I'll perform a segment for you."

Everyone cheered. Tang Yao smiled, even happier than when people called her Great Heroine Hong Yuan.

Tang Yao placed the puppet figure on the book chest. Her fingers moved, pulling the threads and making the puppet dance on its own.

The dance was dreamlike and flowing, its feet seeming to tread on empty space. The iridescent robe brushed Tang Yao's cheek, and the firelight danced behind her. It was truly like a celestial maiden descending to earth.

A male and female figure acted out the story from the tale, captivating everyone's attention. The lantern-lit space fell silent, with only the shadow of the puppet show.

At the end of the story, the female figure's voice, melodious and gentle, sang a poem.

"Red beans grow in the southern land... May you gather them often, for this thing most stirs longing."

The magnificent dance of the celestial maiden concluded, and the puppet stopped, returning to rest on the book chest.

Everyone was mesmerized. Even in their dreams, the image of the puppet from the show lingered.

The bright moon shone upon the great river. Apart from the ripples from passing ships, the river was peaceful and serene.

But a silver figure appeared on the river's surface, heading towards the passenger ship.

The first to notice was the donkey tied to the stern. It brayed twice, and Gao Xian's eyes immediately snapped open.

"River demon?" Gao Xian sensed it was a colossal creature.

Gao Xian made no sound. He rolled himself in his blanket and pretended to sleep.

After all, Heroine Hong Yuan, a master of her craft, had already promised to deal with the river demon. Great Immortal Kongchen was tired and was taking a break for the day, not engaging in slaying demons and exterminating devils.

Before long, disaster struck.

"Booooom!"

The entire ship was suddenly struck by a massive object, tilting sharply to the right.

Those deep in sleep tumbled into a heap, rolling like barrels to the left.

The sudden sense of weightlessness jolted everyone awake from their slumber, followed by the clatter of bodies colliding, and cries of pain.

"Are there waves on the river?"

"That's not right? Why does it feel like we were hit?"

Everyone had slept in their clothes and hurried from the cabins to the deck.

They saw the ship's owner and the sailors had already rushed out. They stood staring at the river, seemingly stunned by something.

Under the moonlight, those on deck hadn't yet grasped what was happening when another deafening "BOOM!" echoed. A slippery snake tail swept across the ship's railing, causing utter chaos.

It was a colossal snake, its body as thick as a large tree.

"What the hell is that?" Those who saw it shivered uncontrollably.

"Back! There's a monster outside!" someone screamed.

Everyone recoiled in fear, scrambling for the corners.

"A snake?"

"How can there be such a big snake?"

"It's a dragon! It's the River God Lord! It's River God Lord!" The ship's owner immediately fell to his knees. But this River God Lord showed no mercy, striking the ship again with a thunderous tail swipe, creating huge waves that tilted the vessel further, almost capsizing it into the river.

Only then did Gao Xian emerge, yawning and donning his Daoist robe. A student who had recently spoken with Gao Xian looked panicked and immediately said, "Daoist priest, Daoist priest, the river demon, the river demon has really appeared."

"Don't panic!" Gao Xian shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

"Don't we still have Heroine Hong Yuan?" Gao Xian looked towards the crowd.

At this moment, Heroine Hong Yuan, sword in hand, stepped forward from the crowd, drawing all eyes.

Gao Xian reached out and pulled forward this Great Heroine Hong Yuan, who was not tall and had a modest chest, but possessed a heart and a mouth full of ambition.

"Huh? Me?"

Heroine Hong Yuan was utterly bewildered.

But everyone else crowded around her as if she were a life raft.

The Daoist said earnestly, "Heroine Hong Yuan, it's come to this, why don't you quickly bring out your hidden trump card and slay this demon?"

Gao Xian suddenly remembered Heroine Hong Yuan's words from a few days ago: the most important thing in the jianghu is to keep your true strength hidden. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

"That's right, Master Hong Yuan, quickly use your divine ability and subdue this River Demon!" a tall, burly sailor shouted.

"With great power comes great responsibility!" the leading scholar exclaimed with anticipation.

Everyone else chimed in.

Heroine Hong Yuan, however, was speechless.

Oh dear lord, my skills are barely passable, they're sending me to my death! Heroine Hong Yuan flailed, completely losing her composure.

She was the most terrified one of all.

All the boasts she'd made had to be backed up now, no matter how difficult or painful.

Pushed to the very front by the crowd, Heroine Hong Yuan stepped out of the cabin and, under everyone's expectant gazes, walked forward into the wind and waves.

Behind her, everyone else hid in the cabin, cheering her on from a distance.

"Is Heroine Hong Yuan trembling?" someone asked, noticing Heroine Hong Yuan in the cold wind and feeling something was off.

"What do you know? That's called feigning weakness. It makes the enemy underestimate you, revealing their flaws," a devoted female scholar immediately applied the jianghu tactics she'd heard about in the past few days.

"Exactly, that demon is no match for Heroine Hong Yuan."

"Heroine Hong Yuan has mastered the unparalleled Sword Qi of the world."

The morale of the troops stabilized once more.

At this moment, Heroine Hong Yuan, standing precariously on the bow of the ship, facing the oncoming waves, was already crying with a snotty nose. She just had her back to the crowd, so they couldn't see it.