As Qin Shuang stood dazed, the rowers on the ornate boat pushed in unison, propelling it away from the bank. They clearly had no idea how to work with the current, jabbing their poles down with a series of "smacks" and splashing up countless sprays of water. One glance was enough to tell they were all novices.
Seeing this, Qin Shuang furrowed his brows and watched carefully. He soon noticed that the men rowing and poling the boat all had bulging temples, bright, piercing eyes, and steady horse stances. They were clearly martial practitioners. Moreover, none had the dark, glossy skin that came from years of exposure to the sun and rain while working on boats. They obviously were not real boatmen.
There was something wrong with this boat and these people! Qin Shuang immediately reached that conclusion.
At night, the bright moon hung overhead. The flowing river and tranquil night sky complemented each other, movement and stillness perfectly balanced, intoxicating people with the picturesque beauty until they sank into deep sleep.
Everyone in the world had already fallen asleep. This was precisely the time for sweet dreams.
Qin Shuang, however, had no dreams, because he had not yet fallen asleep. How could someone who was awake have dreams?
By moonlight, Qin Shuang hurried along the riverbank, quietly approaching the ornate boat. The black uniform of the Dragon Guard provided the perfect cover at that moment.
Once he was as close as he could get, Qin Shuang used his movement technique and vaulted from the bank onto the large boat.
The moment he entered the cabin, Qin Shuang smelled a pungent stench of blood. After searching carefully, he found servants lying in pools of blood. Every one of them had been killed.
Qin Shuang was about to enter the inner cabin to investigate further when he heard a clear, cold female voice from inside, hard as jade and lively as a stream: "Who are you? If you've come for me, there's no need to trouble the others. These girls are only powerless maids. Let them go!"
"Hahaha, my eldest miss, do you think you're still at home? Do you think you can order me to let them go? I'm keeping them around to warm my bed!"
"Hahaha! Warming beds sounds good!" The others laughed lewdly along with him.
"It's just a pity there are only five of them. The seven of us won't have enough to go around!"
"Then I'll take the short end and share one with you!"
"Hahaha, Brother Sun the Third, you're usually so quiet. Who would've thought you had such unusual tastes?"
"Hahaha, I'm only thinking of brotherly affection. I don't want a few women to ruin our harmony." Sun the Third then changed the subject. "Still, I'll be taking less than the others. When it's time to choose, shouldn't I pick first?"
"So that's what you were after, Third Brother!" someone exclaimed in sudden realization.
"Boss, I've never seen such a beautiful woman. Give her to me, and I'll follow you for the rest of my life without asking for another share!" No one knew whose beauty had stirred him so badly, but someone had grown impatient and was eager to compete with Sun the Third.
"Bullshit, Zheng the Seventh! Who do you think you are? No matter how you count it, it won't be your turn!" Before the boss could answer, another man jumped out to curse him.
"Zhou the Fifth, what the hell are you jumping in for? If we're going by seniority, it won't be your turn either!" Zheng the Seventh cursed back resentfully.
"Zheng the Seventh, what did you just call me? No matter what, I'm still your Fifth Brother!"
"Bah! What kind of brother undermines his own brothers like that? Go to hell!"
"You two, shut up! The boss hasn't even spoken, and you're already fighting among yourselves. Do you want people to laugh at the Seven Fiends of Pu River?"
At that shout, Zhou the Fifth and Zheng the Seventh fell silent. Clearly, the speaker wielded considerable authority among the Seven Fiends of Pu River.
Qin Shuang quietly crept closer to the cabin and peeked through the window. Inside, he saw seven burly men dressed in different styles surrounding five women in the center, laughing and leering as they toyed with them.
The woman in the middle was the same one Qin Shuang had seen by the river earlier, dressed in embroidered robes. She was now wearing a loose, gauzy robe. Her lips were naturally red, her brows naturally green, her face round as a silver basin, and her eyes like water apricots. Her beauty was like a delicate flower swaying with the waves of the Pu River.
"Boss, say something. What are we doing with these five girls?"
The boss pondered briefly before saying coldly, "This isn't a place to stay for long. Bind them and take them back first. We'll decide what to do after receiving instructions from above."
"What? Hand over such beautiful girls to our superiors just like that?" another man questioned.
"The more I look at this woman, the more beautiful she gets. Since none of you dare touch her, I will. If our superiors punish me afterward, at worst I'll take her and flee somewhere far away!" It was Zheng the Seventh again.
"Damn it, Zheng the Seventh! Don't talk nonsense. Don't you know who's backing them or what methods they use? If you want to die, go die alone. Don't drag the brothers down with you!"
"Enough arguing! Do my words no longer carry any weight?" The boss had clearly been angered by Zheng the Seventh, and a hint of fury entered his voice. "Or are you planning to rebel?"
Seeing that the boss was enraged, the others no longer dared to make a fuss. They swarmed forward, preparing to bind the five women as ordered.
Outside the cabin, Qin Shuang was already burning with rage. When he saw these lecherous brutes brazenly begin binding the women, he could no longer suppress his murderous intent. He smashed through the window and charged inside. His Heavenly Frost Fist, Fifth Form—Frost Cold Long River, carried a freezing force straight toward the boss's face. "How dare you, bandits! The Sacred Dynasty watches over all, and the law is clear. You dare disregard justice, kill people, and abduct them for ransom? You're simply courting death!"
"A pack of beasts! Let this lady uphold justice for Heaven. Face my sword!" At the same time, an angry shout rang out from atop the cabin. An eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl wearing a lake-green gauze dress, a white silk sash around her waist, and a phoenix hairpin holding back her hair descended through the air. Her eyes were clear as autumn waters, her beauty as fine as jade, her long brows swept into her temples, and her graceful figure seemed to belong to an immortal. Holding a Frostgreen Longsword in her hand, she struck down like a celestial maiden flying from the heavens.
The boss of the Seven Fiends did possess some ability. In the crisis, he used both fists and feet to block two of Qin Shuang's attacks in succession. But he could no longer withstand the third. A punch slammed into his chest, and the frost force pierced his body, freezing all five of his organs.
While Qin Shuang fought the boss, the green-clad woman's sword flashed like a startled swan. In the time it took sparks to fly, she had already claimed three lives.
Without exception, all three had been stabbed between the brows, each killed with a single sword thrust.
The remaining three were already terrified. They scrambled toward the cabin's exit, only to find their path blocked by a young man in white brocade robes. He had fair skin, sharply defined features, a handsome face, a carefree smile, and a tall, elegant build that seemed untouched by the mortal world.
Qin Shuang used Frost Steps on Thin Ice beneath his feet and caught up with them. He punched the rearmost man in the back, smashing him into fine shards of ice.
The young man in white brocade robes raised both hands and struck with one finger from each side. His movements were exquisite. The remaining two had nowhere to dodge, and his finger force pierced straight through their throats. Along with their boss, they departed for the Yellow Springs.
At this point, all seven bandits lay dead. Qin Shuang, the green-clad woman, and the young man in white brocade robes looked at one another, yet none of them spoke first.
Before you continue