Flying Yaksha (6k)

Seven days later.

The sky was dark, the storm clouds hanging low.

A swift wind suddenly swept across the river, raising waves that battered both banks with thunderous crashes.

A large ship laden with cargo cut through the surging waves, racing downstream at a brisk pace.

Dull thunder rolled through the clouds, yet the rain refused to fall.

Splash!

Deep in the middle of the river, a wave burst open, and a ghostlike figure emerged directly in the cargo ship's path.

The powerful current stirred up by the ship surged toward him.

Rather than being swept away, he pressed forward, broke through the waves, and hooked both hands firmly into the wooden hull. Without any visible effort, his entire body floated lightly upward like a fallen leaf lifted by the river wind.

Whoosh!

Using that upward momentum, he swept his gaze around. As he descended, his toes touched the deck lightly, and he sprang up again, darting onto the roof of the sterncastle in an instant.

The entire sequence was silent, like the work of a legendary water monkey, leaving only a few wet patches on the deck.

The ship carried plenty of people, but neither the busy sailors, the passengers chatting nearby against the railing, nor the guards escorting the cargo noticed that an uninvited guest had come aboard.

The ship was enormous and carried a vast quantity of goods. Its sterncastle was correspondingly imposing, standing nearly twenty feet high.

Hong Yuan stood atop the sterncastle, concealed in the shadows, water dripping from his clothes.

A smile appeared on his face.

Over the past several days, Hong Yuan had kept heading toward Linjiang Prefectural City, passing through three counties and one town.

Along the way, he had repeatedly challenged Martial Arts Hall masters, gang leaders, and independent martial artists. In just a few days, he had defeated no fewer than ten fighters with recognizable reputations.

He merely squeezed martial techniques out of ordinary fighters, but whenever he encountered someone notorious for their crimes, he killed them without the slightest hesitation.

The information he had obtained from Yue Feng had saved him considerable effort in finding those established fighters.

He had passed through more than one town, of course. He singled out that particular town only because one Lineage there ruled like a local emperor.

That Lineage had produced an expert at receive-and-release-at-will, the second level of Form Transformation. According to Yue Feng, the man enjoyed some renown throughout Linjiang Prefecture.

After a brief circuit of the town, listening with his ears and observing with his eyes, Hong Yuan decided the man deserved to die.

This was his first fight against someone at receive-and-release-at-will. Even though Yang Erhu had said that, at his own peak, he would have needed to treat Hong Yuan with caution even when Hong Yuan had only just escaped the Jade Wutong Immortal Realm, lest his boat capsize in a gutter.

Hong Yuan nevertheless remained extremely wary.

He first injured some evildoing juniors from the Lineage, drawing out its expert, then "fled" all the way to the river under pursuit before turning around to fight.

In fact, while the man was "hunting him down," Hong Yuan had observed his movement speed and felt no warning from his mind. He had already begun to suspect he was being overly cautious.

Once they exchanged blows, that suspicion was confirmed.

The expert had been utterly helpless against him. Hong Yuan forced him to exhaust every trick he knew, and when his courage finally collapsed and he fled in panic, Hong Yuan finished him with a heavy blow.

Besides "trading" for various secret medicinal formulas, Hong Yuan also asked the many fighters he faced about tales from the martial world.

The more he learned, the clearer his understanding of his own standing became, especially after fighting that expert at receive-and-release-at-will.

It was not that the man was weak, but that Hong Yuan was far too abnormal.

They were both at receive-and-release-at-will, but that merely meant their force techniques were at the same level. In body and mind, Hong Yuan far surpassed him.

Even the slightest superiority in body and mind, when translated into fighting strength, could create a gap that separated life from death.

With the same variations in force, Hong Yuan could simply act a little faster and strike a little harder. That tiny difference alone could utterly crush someone supposedly at his own level.

And Hong Yuan's superiority was far more than a tiny difference.

Perhaps that realization had elevated his mind, adding another thread to his comprehension.

Of course, this also had something to do with his persistent practice of the meditation method and his discovery of a high-grade incense formula to assist it.

His root bone, on the other hand, had yet to increase.

But Hong Yuan could feel it approaching!

Days of constant combat, supplemented by various secret medicines used both internally and externally, had brought clearly perceptible growth.

Even other fighters with all manner of miraculous medicines at their disposal would not dare use them so frequently. Too much medicine could also harm the body.

Hong Yuan was different. He relied on his "cheat" to absorb them, so however many secret medicines he used, they would only become nourishment for improving his root bone.

The growth of his comprehension and root bone fed back into his abilities, allowing him to rapidly assimilate the unarmed and weapon techniques of the many fighters he had faced.

Earlier, he had practiced his fist techniques underwater, experiencing the resistance of the rushing currents and hidden surges. His control over force had grown increasingly precise. After absorbing the essence of numerous techniques, his Tiger-Subduing Fist had become swifter, while gaining the suppleness and variability of water.

And—

Hong Yuan raised a finger and lightly touched the planking. Not a sound emerged, yet a tiny hole appeared in the thick, tough wood, invisible to ordinary eyes. It was only as wide as a needle tip and penetrated two inches deep.

He had not even used his full strength.

Spiral Force has vaguely begun to take shape, but it'll still take considerable effort to work it out. Instead, I stumbled into understanding this force technique.

This should qualify as subtlety-level force, shouldn't it? How about Flying-Needle Force? No, it can't fly out of my finger. Needle-Condensing Force, then!

Hong Yuan felt his blood and qi flowing through his body without any discomfort. His finger had also borne the Needle-Condensing Force perfectly well.

He nodded.

Just as he had expected, even though his variations in force had yet to reach subtlety, there was no harm in using a somewhat more brute-force approach. His root bone could withstand it completely.

My Needle-Condensing Force, Bone-Penetrating Force, and Air-Piercing Force should all be extensions of hard-force variations, while Silk-Winding Force, Seeping Force, Flying-Floss Force, and the like are extensions of soft-force variations...

As for Spiral Force, it extends both hard and soft force. Naturally, it's more difficult.

If word spread that Hong Yuan had developed the beginnings of such an understanding so quickly merely by observing underwater whirlpools, countless martial artists would be stunned.

Perhaps because rain was approaching, the cabins were hot and stuffy. Footsteps clattered across the deck below as several more people came outside for fresh air.

None of them looked up. Otherwise, they might have noticed Hong Yuan.

Of course, he would not have minded even if they had discovered him.

One man yawned lazily, and their conversation drifted upward:

"The counties we've passed through lately have certainly been lively. A few days ago, Master Huang in Qingxu County took a concubine. It should have been a joyous occasion, but some thug barged right in and battered Master Huang and several of his sons to death. Once his bloodlust got going, he stormed into the inner residence and slaughtered everyone, old and young alike. They say he didn't even spare children just a few years old. Tsk, tsk! Such a grand Huang Mansion, generations of family wealth, all gone just like that."

The man sighed repeatedly as he spoke, though it was hard to tell whether he was lamenting their fate or gloating.

"I heard about that too. They say County Magistrate Zhang of Qingxu was Master Huang's closest friend. He disregarded his own safety and fought desperately to drive the thug off. Unfortunately, he lost an ear himself."

Another, rougher voice spoke up admiringly. "Master Huang may be dead, but having such a devoted friend as County Magistrate Zhang means his time in this world wasn't wasted."

"Exactly, exactly!" The others nodded emphatically.

"Your news is out of date." Several passengers chatting by the railing heard them and joined in. An elderly man dressed as a merchant said with a smile, "The identity of the real culprit behind the massacre at the Huang Mansion has come out these past two days. Apparently, he was originally a scholar, and even a classmate of one of Master Huang's sons. His name is Hong Yuan..."

Hong Yuan had not expected anyone to mention him just then. Their admiration for the friendship between Huang Guiling and County Magistrate Zhang also left him with a peculiar expression.

"A scholar, and Young Master Huang's classmate? How could he be so vicious? What terrible grudge did he have against the Huang Family? And how could a mere scholar be so skilled? It's hard to believe."

A dark-faced man spoke in astonishment.

They all marveled and offered their opinions. Someone else brought up another story. "Even earlier, someone remarkable appeared in Yangquan County. With just one saber, he slaughtered a hundred or so tyrants who'd been terrorizing the docks. After the killing, not a drop of blood stained him. He left laughing, and even left behind a poem about 'killing one man every ten steps'..."

Someone laughed and chimed in, "That poem spread ages ago. Every wandering swordsman in Linjiang Prefecture is reciting it. Even a rough fellow like me can quote it! Apparently, many powerful Lineages and hereditary nobles admired that black-robed saber wielder immensely after hearing the poem. They declared that if he visited, they'd receive him as an honored minister. Unfortunately, he still hasn't shown himself. Instead, plenty of wastrels have impersonated him and thrown their lives away."

"They deserved it. Trying to mend porcelain without a diamond drill? Asking for death!" the elderly merchant scoffed.

"Normally, the stories of Scholar Hong and that black-robed saber wielder would have caused quite a stir. These past few days, though, the Flying Yaksha has stolen all their thunder!"

A burly man with his chest bared, exposing a thick mat of hair, came over and joined the discussion.

The others looked at him in surprise. He laughed heartily. "You gentlemen haven't gone ashore much lately, have you? If you had, you could sit down anywhere along these counties and hear people discussing the Flying Yaksha!"

"Please, tell us more!"

The man smiled. "They say the Flying Yaksha is something of a martial fanatic. He first appeared in Wushan County and loves seeking out Martial Arts Hall masters, gang leaders, and renowned local fighters for matches. His martial arts are formidable. He usually toys with his opponents in the palm of his hand, tormenting them until they wish they could die on the spot... Of course, the Flying Yaksha generally doesn't kill people. But if he encounters an expert who's been committing evil deeds, he shows no mercy!"

"Since he usually strikes at night, and his attacks are so ruthless, he earned the nickname 'Flying Yaksha.'"

Standing atop the sterncastle, Hong Yuan was speechless as the people below kept bringing up his exploits.

He had already heard the nickname "Flying Yaksha" a day or two earlier, however, and it had not particularly moved him. After all, who didn't know he sat at the same table as Jade Gentleman Jiang Feng?

Perhaps because he had defeated more and more renowned experts, Zuo Lie and Shi Meng no longer found their losses embarrassing. They had actually spread word themselves that the Flying Yaksha had challenged them too...

After all, being challenged by the Flying Yaksha was undoubtedly proof of one's strength. Martial Arts Hall masters he had overlooked might even feel they had lost face.

"Ever since the Flying Yaksha appeared in Wushan County, he's challenged experts in the counties along the river, heading straight toward the Prefectural City. Maybe he's among us right now," the man joked.

While they chatted, the ship had traveled a considerable distance.

Suddenly, the sailors and guards on deck gripped their clubs and weapons, their expressions turning wary.

High atop the mast, the lookout in the crow's nest grew solemn, straining his eyes.

The chatting passengers also fell silent, each becoming nervous. Ahead, the river abruptly widened and its current slowed, while vast reed beds appeared along both banks.

These people traveled by boat year-round and knew perfectly well that such places were river bandits' favorite hiding spots. With waterways crisscrossing Ming Province, there was never any shortage of "good fellows" doing business on the water!

Boom!

A thunderclap exploded, and the sky darkened further. The rain pent up in the clouds finally seemed to find an outlet. With that fierce crack splitting the heavens, bean-sized raindrops came pelting down.

Suddenly—

Whoosh! Crack!

A signal arrow screamed into the air and burst!

Immediately afterward, seven or eight swift boats darted from the dense reeds on either bank like swimming snakes!

Their hulls were long and narrow, some larger than others. The larger ones held five or six men, the smaller two or three. Moving as though riding the wind, they swept around to both sides of the ship in an instant!

The men aboard all carried steel sabers or other sharp blades. Their faces were savage, and strange howls poured from their mouths.

"River bandits! River bandits!"

The deck instantly descended into chaos. The merchants and travelers who had been chatting finally abandoned all hope. Their faces changed drastically, and they hurried into the cabins.

The sailors and guards looked alarmed too, but they made their living aboard ships year-round. This was not their first encounter with river bandits. They tightened their grips on their weapons and defended every part of the deck!

Several martial instructors, clearly ranked above the ordinary guards, hurriedly donned leather armor, drew swords and sabers, and sprang out shouting, their movements all brisk and practiced.

"Listen up, cargo ship ahead! Lower your sails and stop immediately! Your grandfathers only want money, not lives! Dare resist, and we'll throw every last one of you into the river to fill the fishes' bellies!"

On one swift boat, the bandits howled and shouted threats. A one-eyed brute, apparently their leader, planted one foot on the bow and brandished a large demon-head saber, roaring so fiercely that his voice shook the river.

"Don't believe him! That bandit leader is One-Eyed Owl. He's utterly vicious. No one he captures ever survives."

A stern-faced, middle-aged man in brocade emerged from a cabin, still reasonably composed. Two sturdy martial instructors with broad hands guarded his sides.

His appearance immediately lifted the spirits of the sailors and guards. He was evidently the ship's owner.

"Kill the bandits! Ten taels of silver for every bandit killed, and a hundred for their leader!" The brocade-clad man wasted no words, issuing his orders coldly.

With such lavish rewards offered, the sailors and guards roared together, "Kill the bandits!"

Their morale surged!

Whoosh!

Several men aboard also carried bows. They now nocked arrows and drew, sending shafts hurtling toward One-Eyed Owl's boat.

But the wind and waves were too strong, and torrential rain was falling. Their aim was poor indeed. Though none hit, One-Eyed Owl was enraged and roared, "Kill them!"

As the melee erupted, the bandits on One-Eyed Owl's boats closed in on the cargo ship. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Grappling hooks flew one after another, seeking purchase on the railing so they could climb aboard.

The sailors and guards fought back fiercely, firing powerful arrows and hacking wildly with their steel sabers, cutting down the hooks as they came.

Thump!

Hong Yuan pressed a palm against the planking and shot upward like an arrow. Before he could land on the deck, one hand caught a sail rope. With a slight exertion, he swept up the tall mast like an agile ape.

The lookout caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and saw someone on the mast above him. Terrified, he thought a bandit had boarded and nearly toppled headfirst.

Hong Yuan dropped down and caught him. Still shaken, the lookout stammered, "Y-you are...?"

Hong Yuan did not answer. Hooking one hand against the side of the mast to support himself, he looked toward the reeds.

After repeated failed attempts to board the ship, One-Eyed Owl was howling in fury when gongs and drums sounded from the reed beds. Another dozen or more swift boats swept out.

"Old One-Eye, you're useless! All this time, and you haven't gotten a single man aboard. Let your great lord handle it!"

The dozen or more boats raced through the curtain of rain like white streaks. On the boat in their midst, a shirtless man who resembled a scrawny monkey laughed loudly.

"Bullshit! These marks are tough! You stinking monkey, get up there yourself if you're so capable."

One-Eyed Owl roared furiously.

"Fine! If my men board first, I want seventy percent of the cargo!" the monkeylike bandit readily agreed, adding his condition.

"In your mother's dreams..."

One-Eyed Owl unleashed a torrent of curses.

Seeing another dozen boats of bandits join the attack—surely at least a hundred vicious raiders altogether—the sailors and guards on deck were horrified.

Even the brocade-clad man's expression changed, his hands clenching. "Impossible. One-Eyed Owl and Skinny Monkey—how could those two river bandit leaders join forces?"

Skinny Monkey's bandits joined One-Eyed Owl's. Some twenty swift boats spread along both sides, clinging thickly to the ship like leeches. Grappling hooks shot upward, and the bandits launched another savage assault.

The sailors and guards roared and fought with all their strength. The martial instructors raced about, swinging their weapons repeatedly to knock down hook after hook. But there were too many bandits. Before long, the first one finally climbed aboard.

With a steel saber clenched between his teeth, the bandit pulled it free with a savage grin and slashed a guard. Though the others immediately hacked him back into the water, more bandits swarmed aboard at once.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen bandits had leaped onto different parts of the deck.

Hong Yuan dropped from the mast and, swift as a hare springing and a falcon swooping, darted before two bandits. Two thuds sounded, followed by two cracking breastbones, and both men plunged into the river like hurled stones.

He had, after all, caught a free ride. When it was time to act, he ought to act, even though letting all the bandits board would actually make them easier to kill.

Acting now would instead leave plenty of fish slipping through the net.

But if he waited, the people aboard would suffer heavy casualties.

Given the customs of this era, these sailors and guards might occasionally moonlight as bandits themselves when they encountered an isolated vessel. Still, Hong Yuan had never witnessed that personally, had he?

His intervention immediately drew the brocade-clad man's attention. He hurriedly asked, "Who is that?"

Hong Yuan ignored him and strode forward, snatching a bow and arrows from an archer. Before the man could curse him, Hong Yuan had nocked an arrow, drawn the bow, and aimed at a bandit.

Whoosh!

The arrow missed!

Hong Yuan drew again. This time, with a crack, the bow snapped outright under his strength. Furious and flustered, the archer cried, "You! If you don't know how to shoot, stop messing around!"

Hong Yuan turned toward another archer. The man glared at him, only to see a large hand reaching over. He tried desperately to hold on to his longbow, but a surge of overwhelming strength jolted him backward onto the deck. His quiver was taken as well.

Just as the first archer was about to curse again, Hong Yuan drew the bow with an arrow nocked.

Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!

Three arrows shot out in succession, almost simultaneously, piercing the throats of three bandits on the river below with incredible speed. Immediately afterward, another three arrows flew, claiming three more lives!

Thud!

One-Eyed Owl climbed aboard from one side and leaped heavily onto the deck. He swung his demon-head saber in a full arc toward a sailor, snarling, "You dared stop your grandfather from boarding? Now your grandfather will send you to your death."

Whoosh!

An arrow streaked toward him and pierced his one remaining eye. The smile froze on One-Eyed Owl's face. Without even uttering a scream, he toppled backward.

Several archers, along with some guards and sailors nearby, were already staring in disbelief. Hong Yuan took more arrows and fired again in rapid succession. Seeing them standing there dazed, he barked, "What are you gawking at? Bring me arrows!"

"Oh! Right!"

With one man and one bow, Hong Yuan was like ten master archers shooting in unison. As soon as an arrow came, he loosed it, and every shot... well, not every shot struck home. Some lucky souls managed to dodge.

In mere moments, dozens of lives were snuffed out, yet Hong Yuan was far from satisfied. With his abilities, he would have killed them even faster if he had let these river bandits climb aboard.

Even amid the torrential rain, with their swift boats scattered along both sides of the large ship and unable to support one another, the remaining river bandits now sensed the danger. Panic seized them, and they scattered in a rout.

Skinny Monkey reacted fastest. He had still been climbing a hooked rope when he suddenly saw his men being shot dead one after another. He immediately leaped into the water and only swam aboard a swift boat some time later.

The men aboard were already corpses. Skinny Monkey hurriedly worked the wooden oar, intent only on escaping as quickly as possible.

Hong Yuan drew his bow and aimed at Skinny Monkey!

Snap!

The longbow broke again.

An archer hurriedly offered his own bow and arrows. His panic had vanished, replaced by admiration. "Use mine."

"No need!" Hong Yuan sprang onto the ship's rail. He drove down with his feet, shattering the rail inch by inch as he shot out like a raging gale, crossed several yards, and landed on a swift boat below.

Boom!

He pushed off with his foot and sprang up again. Before the stunned eyes of everyone aboard the large ship, the small boat abruptly sank lower in the water, while Hong Yuan flew like a great bird across more than thirty feet and landed on another swift boat.

Before he had even steadied himself, he surged forward again, crashing into two river bandits standing aboard with their mouths agape. Bones exploded with a crunch, and the bandits were hurled across the water as Hong Yuan shot into the air, descending straight toward Skinny Monkey's boat thirty feet ahead!

Skinny Monkey's eyes bulged. He, too, had seen Hong Yuan following close behind. Amid his unspeakable terror, a surge of strength welled up, and he swung the wooden oar in his hands with all his might at the descending Hong Yuan.

"Die!"

The next instant, Hong Yuan planted a foot on the wooden oar. With a resounding crack, the entire oar shattered into pieces. Splinters shot into Skinny Monkey's face, covering it in sprays of blood, and through that spraying blood, Hong Yuan's foot kicked downward, striking him squarely on the chin!

In an instant, Skinny Monkey's chin and his entire face twisted out of shape, seemingly shattering inch by inch. He shot away like a ball, tumbled into the river, and vanished without a trace.

Hong Yuan landed on the small boat and paid no further attention to the surviving river bandits scattering like fish. Strength surged beneath his feet as he adjusted the boat's direction slightly and headed toward the bank.

"Take medicine to replenish vitality, train diligently, hone your skills in mortal combat! Root bone +1 sliver!"

Suddenly, a line of small text appeared before Hong Yuan's eyes.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man in brocade aboard the large ship could no longer spare a thought for the river bandits who had climbed aboard and were still being surrounded and killed by the guards. He hurried to the bow and called out, "Hero, please stay!"

But all he saw was the man springing into the air as he neared the bank and disappearing into the curtain of rain. He could not help wringing his hands and sighing. "What a pity not to make the acquaintance of such a man!"

The martial prowess the man had displayed left him awestruck, as though he had beheld a celestial being. Someone like that might well be able to face a hundred armored soldiers alone.

Beside him, a guard who had also heard the passengers chatting earlier could not help murmuring, "This man... could this man be that 'Flying Yaksha'?"