Pu River Robbers

As Qin Shuang was stunned, the oarsmen on the luxurious boat exerted their strength, pushing the boat away from the shore. However, they clearly didn't understand the water currents, their poles splashing water everywhere with loud "pa pa" sounds. It was obvious they were all amateurs.

Seeing this, Qin Shuang frowned and observed carefully. He noticed that the men rowing and poling the boat had bulging temples and piercing eyes, and their stances were steady. They were clearly skilled practitioners, and none of them had the dark, sun-weathered skin of real boatmen who spent their lives exposed to the elements.

This boat, these people, there was something wrong! Qin Shuang immediately made his judgment.

Night fell, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the flowing river mirrored the tranquil night sky, creating a harmonious and captivating scene that could easily lull one into a deep sleep.

The world had fallen asleep, and it was time for sweet dreams.

Qin Shuang, however, had no dreams, for he was not yet asleep. How could a person who was awake have dreams?

Under the moonlight, Qin Shuang moved swiftly, quietly approaching the luxurious boat along the riverbank. His black Dragon Guard uniform served as the perfect camouflage.

Reaching the closest point, Qin Shuang used his agility technique and leaped from the shore onto the large boat.

As soon as he entered the cabin, Qin Shuang smelled a pungent scent of blood. After a careful search, he found that the servants were all lying in pools of blood, having apparently been murdered.

Just as Qin Shuang was about to enter the inner cabin to investigate further, he heard a clear, moon-like female voice from inside the cabin. It was as hard as jade and as agile as a flowing stream: "Who are you? If you're after me, there's no need to trouble others. Those few are just weak maids. Let them go!"

"Haha, my dear young lady, do you still think you're at home? You want them released, so they're released? I still need them to warm my bed!"

"Hahaha! Warming the bed sounds good!" The others beside him let out lewd laughter.

"It's a shame there are only five of them; seven of us isn't enough to go around!"

"Then I'll take one for the team and share one with you!"

"Haha, Third Brother Sun, you're usually so quiet, I didn't expect you to be so adventurous!"

"Haha, it's for the sake of brotherhood, I don't want to hurt our camaraderie over a few women." Then, Third Brother Sun's tone shifted, "However, since I'm at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, shouldn't I get to pick first when it's time to choose?"

"So that's what Third Brother was planning!" someone exclaimed in realization.

"Boss, I've never seen such a beautiful woman. If you give her to me, I'll follow you for life and never ask for any share again!" It was unclear whose beauty was so captivating, but someone was impatient and wanted to compete with Third Brother Sun.

"Nonsense, Old Seventh Zheng, who do you think you are? It's not your turn to speak!" Before the boss could respond, someone else jumped out and cursed.

"Old Fifth Zhou, why are you jumping in? If we're going by seniority, it's not your turn either!" Old Seventh Zheng retorted indignantly.

"Old Seventh Zheng, what did you call me? I'm your fifth brother, no matter how you look at it!"

"Pah, what kind of brother tears down his own kin? Go to hell!"

"Both of you shut up! The boss hasn't even spoken yet, and you're fighting amongst yourselves. Do you want the Seven Fiends of Pu River to become a laughingstock?"

At this person's shout, Old Fifth Zhou and Old Seventh Zheng immediately fell silent. Clearly, the speaker held considerable authority among the Seven Fiends of Pu River.

Qin Shuang quietly leaned closer to the cabin and peered through the window. He saw seven burly men in various attire surrounding five women in the center, teasing and mocking them.

The person in the middle of the five women was the elegantly dressed woman Qin Shuang had seen by the river earlier. She was now wearing a thin, sheer robe. Her lips were naturally red, her eyebrows naturally verdant, her face like a silver plate, her eyes like watery almonds, and her beauty bloomed like a delicate flower swaying with the Pu River's currents.

"Boss, say something. What should we do with these five girls?"

The boss pondered for a moment and said coldly, "This is no place to linger. Tie them up and take them back. We'll wait for instructions from above before making further plans."

"What? We're just handing over such beautiful girls to the higher-ups?" another person questioned.

"This woman gets more beautiful the more I look at her. If you guys are too scared, I'll go for it. If the higher-ups blame me later, I'll just take her and disappear to the ends of the earth!" It was Old Seventh Zheng's voice again.

"Damn it, Old Seventh Zheng, don't talk nonsense. Don't you know the background and methods of the higher-ups? If you want to die, die alone, don't drag your brothers down with you!"

"Stop arguing! Do my words no longer matter?" The boss was clearly angered by Old Seventh Zheng, his voice carrying a hint of rage, "Or are you planning a rebellion?"

Seeing that the boss had lost his temper, the others no longer dared to make a scene. They scrambled forward to tie up the five women according to the boss's orders.

Qin Shuang, who was outside the cabin, was already filled with rage. Seeing these scoundrels brazenly starting to tie up the women, he could no longer suppress his murderous intent. He broke through the window and unleashed the fifth form of his Frost Heaven Fist, Frost Cold Long River, sending waves of icy cold energy towards the boss's face: "Bold thieves! With the Sacred Dynasty above and the law clear, you dare to disregard justice, commit murder and kidnapping. You are simply seeking your own demise!"

"A bunch of beasts, let this young lady dispense justice on behalf of heaven! Take my sword!" At the same time, a crisp shout echoed from the top of the cabin. A young girl of about eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a lake-green gauze dress, with a white sash at her waist and a phoenix hairpin adorning her hair, her eyes like autumn water, her form like jade, her long eyebrows reaching her temples, and her posture light and graceful, held a long frost sword. She descended like a celestial being from the sky.

The boss of the Seven Fiends was indeed quite capable. In the critical moment, he used both fists and feet, blocking Qin Shuang's first two moves. However, he could no longer withstand the third move and was hit in the chest by a punch. The frost energy penetrated his body, freezing his internal organs.

Just as Qin Shuang was fighting the boss, the green-clad girl's sword moved like a startled swan. In a flash, she had taken the lives of three men.

All three died without exception, their foreheads pierced by a single sword strike.

The remaining three were already terrified and scrambled to escape the cabin. However, their path was blocked by a fair-skinned, sharply featured, handsome young man with a dashing smile, a tall and elegant build, and an ethereal demeanor, dressed in white brocade.

Qin Shuang pursued, using his agility technique Frost Steps on Thin Ice. He threw a punch at the back of the last person, turning him into shattered ice.

The young man in white brocade raised his hands, extending one finger from each hand. His moves were exquisite. The remaining two, unable to evade, were pierced through the throat by his finger strikes, meeting the same fate as their boss.

Thus, all seven bandits were killed. Qin Shuang, the green-clad girl, and the young man in white brocade looked at each other, but no one spoke first.