Bait

"Wretch!"

Zhao Si strode forward.

With the strength of the Late Force Refining Realm, he snatched up a fallen Ironwood Javelin with one hand.

"Go!"

The javelin became a black bolt of lightning. With a muffled thud, it pierced straight through the hard layer of slime armor and sank nearly a foot into the Black Catfish Demon's back!

Fetid black blood gushed out at once, staining the river dark.

"Now that's an arm! Captain, beautiful shot!"

The guards erupted in cheers.

Zhao Si's spirits soared. Seeing the Black Catfish Demon thrash in agony and expose its soft belly, he immediately roared, "Strip off the cannon cover! Use the Armor-Piercing Crossbow and kill this beast for me!"

Chen Er and Hou San scrambled toward the bow and tore off the heavy waterproof tarpaulin. A Western-style heavy ballista made entirely of brass and fine steel, connected to a high-pressure steam valve, was revealed.

The bolts were as thick as a man's thigh.

"There's not enough pressure, and the winch is jammed!" Hou San was sweating buckets. He strained to crank the mechanism, but the ship was rocking so violently he couldn't aim.

"I'll do it!"

Lu Zhen darted to the ballista and planted his feet on the slick deck like an old tree taking root.

The muscles in his arms bulged. Veins rose beneath his blue-black skin as he forced the jammed fine-steel winch to turn by sheer strength, wrenching the heavy crossbow around to point at the river.

"Fire!"

"BOOM—!!"

High-pressure steam surged out. Amid a deafening roar, the enormous fine-steel bolt shot forth with the mechanical force of an unstoppable avalanche!

"Splurt!"

The sound of flesh tearing made their scalps crawl.

The fine-steel bolt pierced the Black Catfish Demon's gills with deadly accuracy, pinning its massive head fast!

The river boiled violently for a moment. The terrifying mutated water demon convulsed a few times, then finally rolled over, exposing its huge white belly as dark-red blood spread across the water.

"It's dead! The beast is dead!"

The guards erupted in cheers, relieved to have survived.

"Quick! Use the steam winch and haul this thing aboard! Don't let the other beasts in the river take it!"

With the winch grinding heavily, the enormous carcass, seven or eight meters long, was slowly dragged onto the deck. It landed with a muffled crash, making the entire steamship sink lower in the water.

The stench spread. Several physicians aboard hurried over to set the bones and stop the bleeding of the three men who had suffered serious injuries and broken bones.

Zhao Si wiped the river water and sweat from his face and walked over to the Black Catfish Demon's carcass. He showed not a trace of fear. Instead, he slapped his thigh excitedly and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! We've struck it rich!"

He turned to Lu Zhen, his eyes blazing with excitement. "Brother Lu, you don't know. The blood and flesh of a mutated water demon that's reached this level are priceless to those foreigners in the concessions!

"All the foreign trading houses are offering huge bounties. Just this one intact Black Catfish Demon, hauled back to Ocean City, could fetch at least ten thousand Silver Dollars!"

Ten thousand Silver Dollars?

Lu Zhen's expression remained unchanged, but his heart stirred.

The foreigners were paying such astronomical prices for the flesh and blood of mutated demons... Could this be what those Western "Hetero-Martialists" used to refine "Beast Blood Serum," the raw material for producing Bright Force experts in no time?

With such savage, frenzied blood and qi, no wonder the National Martial Arts world cursed them as half-human, half-ghost beasts if they injected it into people's veins.

But then Lu Zhen's thoughts sank into darker waters.

He quickly calculated to himself: if killing a single water demon could bring in over ten thousand Silver Dollars, then despite the danger, organizing dedicated hunting fleets would be an immensely profitable business for the Gu Family Chamber of Commerce, with its foreign guns, cannons, and steamships.

If killing demons made so much money, why had Old Master Gu gone to such lengths, risking shipwreck and death, to run the Jiang City shipping route?

Unless...

The cargo in the lower hold was worth far more than a mutated water demon fetching over ten thousand Silver Dollars—and was far more dangerous to handle!

Lu Zhen casually pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood from his hands. He strolled over to Zhao Si, seemingly nonchalant, and asked offhandedly,

"Brother Zhao, if the river's so dangerous, what precious cargo are we carrying in the lower hold on this trip to Jiang City?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the delight on Zhao Si's face froze.

His saucer-sized eyes flickered with panic. He glanced around, swallowed, and stammered, "Th-this... Well, Brother Lu, it's the business the family arranged. We're just servants... We get paid to do the job and don't ask questions, heh... It's just ordinary goods that are in short supply..."

Lu Zhen took in every sign of Zhao Si's evasiveness.

He didn't press him. He only smiled slightly and tossed the cloth aside. "Fair enough. I was just asking. Don't take it to heart, Brother Zhao. Go check on the injured men."

"Right, right! I'll go now!" As if granted a reprieve, Zhao Si hurried over to the wounded.

Lu Zhen stood alone on the blood-soaked deck, facing the cold wind blowing off the river. His gaze gradually darkened.

Something was wrong.

The Eastern Foreigners' strange decision to let them leave the docks, Zhao Si's guarded evasion, and the heavy wooden crates in the lower hold that everyone had been strictly forbidden to approach.

This river journey would be anything but peaceful.

A monthly wage of one hundred Silver Dollars, plus a generous supply of the exceptionally precious Red Scale Treasure Fish. How could a shrewd merchant's son like Gu Yanzhi offer such an absurdly high price for no reason?

"Brother Gu, oh, Brother Gu..."

"You may call me brother so warmly, but I hope you're not leading me onto a pirate ship."

Ocean City, the main hall of the Tongjiang Chamber of Commerce.

Half-lidded in a carved sandalwood armchair, Gu Wanshan rolled a pair of century-old lion-head walnuts in his hand. They clicked and creaked, the sound echoing through the vast, shadowy hall with an imposing force that commanded respect.

A trusted steward in a black silk jacket hurried into the hall, stopped with his hands at his sides, and reported in a low voice.

"Master, the fish has taken the bait. Word came back from Shiliupu Pier. The Shen Family bribed an informant and secretly measured the draft of our steamship."

"Seeing how deep she sat in the water, the Shen Family immediately concluded that our heavy cargo was all in the lower hold. They've gathered their elite death squad and set out in full force to intercept us by river."

The walnuts in Gu Wanshan's hand abruptly stopped. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile.

"Good."

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade. "The lower hold is carrying nothing but scrap metal and ballast. If the Shen Family wants it so badly, let them fish it out of the river."

Gu Wanshan leaned forward slightly, his voice turning cold and decisive.

"Pass down the order. Our real cargo goes by land! Have 'Iron Palm' Instructor Sun lead the escort himself. They leave now, take the back roads, and travel day and night. No mistakes!"

"As for the river..." Gu Wanshan gave a cold snort, murderous intent gleaming in his eyes. "Since the Shen Family has moved all their forces onto the water, we'll see this through to the end. Send word to the second fleet: fully arm yourselves and circle around from downstream to support them! Wipe out every last one of the Shen Family's men. Leave no survivors!"

"Use an empty ship as bait, and we can transport the real cargo safely while crippling the Shen Family at its roots. Two birds with one stone. Hmph, they're still wet behind the ears if they think they can challenge me, Gu Wanshan."

"Father!"

Someone swept aside the pearl curtain to the side hall, and the jade beads clattered together.

Gu Yanzhi strode out, his face ashen. Shock and disbelief filled his eyes as he stared at his father, seated in the place of honor.

"You used that steamship as bait?!" Gu Yanzhi's voice trembled. "Lu Zhen is still on board! I personally invited him. Aren't you sending him to his death?"

Gu Wanshan picked up the lidded cup of tea beside him and unhurriedly skimmed off the foam, without so much as raising his eyes.

"Stop shouting. What kind of behavior is that? There are more than thirty guards on that ship. Aren't they all bait? What difference does it make if one more man surnamed Lu is aboard?"