Rescue Fireworks

After Zhang Gu left, Ma San looked at Lu Shaolin. "Boss, how should we keep watch tonight?"

"I'll take the first half of the night, and you'll take the second. If anything unusual happens, notify me. Don't force it—at your strength, you're no match for a River Demon," Lu Shaolin said with a stern expression.

"Understood, Boss!" Ma San nodded.

His strength truly was lacking. He had not even reached the Skin Refinement Realm. By a martial artist's standards, he had no talent for the martial path.

"Have you ever hunted?" Lu Shaolin asked with a smile.

"No." Ma San shook his head expressionlessly.

"Go borrow a hunting bow from the village chief. We're going up the mountain to hunt!" Lu Shaolin ordered, looking toward the forest behind the fishing village.

"Yes, Boss!" Ma San replied with cupped fists, then turned and left the station to find Zhang Gu.

He wondered whether there were many River Demons along this stretch of river.

Lu Shaolin looked at the river before the fishing village and pondered.

Before long, Ma San returned carrying a hunting bow and a quiver of feathered arrows.

"Boss, I borrowed the things." Ma San raised the bow and arrows in his hands.

"Let's go! You teach me to ride a horse, and I'll teach you archery." Lu Shaolin smiled, picked up his spear, and walked out of the station.

Ma San followed behind him with the bow and arrows.

The two passed through the fishing village and entered the outskirts of the forest.

Lu Shaolin took the hunting bow and gave it a pull. It had plenty of force behind it, far better than the soft bow at his home.

Then they began searching for prey.

An hour later, the two came down the mountain carrying game of all sizes.

Even Ma San's long, deadpan face held a trace of excitement.

After all, some of it was his own spoils of battle!

After returning to the station, Lu Shaolin had Ma San toss the prey into the corner by the wall, then sat at the stone table to drink tea.

Once Ma San had put the prey away, he came over and sat down as well.

Lu Shaolin looked at Ma San, whose face remained expressionless.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Li Si talked a lot, so it was easy to strike up a conversation with him. Ma San was different.

To avoid the awkwardness, Lu Shaolin told Ma San to wake him after dark. Then he got up, entered his room, and fell straight asleep.

At dusk, Ma San entered Lu Shaolin's room.

Before he could say anything, Lu Shaolin opened his eyes. "What is it?"

"Boss, the food has arrived."

Ma San said.

"Mm."

Lu Shaolin nodded and rose to his feet.

When he walked into the courtyard, steaming dishes had already been laid out on the stone table.

Lu Shaolin sat beside the stone table and ate with Ma San.

After they finished eating, the sky had gone dark.

Lu Shaolin told Ma San to go rest while he stood watch for the first half of the night.

Ma San nodded and entered his own room.

Lu Shaolin picked up the prey from the corner, took his spear, and headed for the river before the fishing village.

He did not bother digging pits this time. He gutted a pheasant and tossed it into the shallow water by the riverbank, then stood ramrod straight at the water's edge, waiting for a River Demon to show itself.

Before long, a River Demon emerged from the river. Seeing Lu Shaolin standing by the bank, it was slightly stunned.

With its intelligence, it would never think about why someone would stand by the riverbank waiting to die.

The River Demon bared its huge mouth, exposing a maw full of sharp teeth, and charged straight at Lu Shaolin.

Lu Shaolin grinned as well, flashing snow-white teeth as he waited for the River Demon to approach.

When the River Demon came within two meters of Lu Shaolin, his right hand moved. The spear flashed, piercing through the demon's eye socket and bursting out through the back of its head.

Lu Shaolin then flicked his spear, sending the River Demon flying through the air and onto the shore.

Lu Shaolin walked to the River Demon's corpse and touched its sharp claws.

Then he tossed another piece of prey into the river and continued luring River Demons.

Half the night passed. Lu Shaolin killed a total of nine River Demons, but no matter how he lured them afterward, none surfaced again.

It seemed he had slaughtered all the River Demons along this stretch of river.

After cutting off the ears of the nine River Demons and tossing their corpses back into the river, Lu Shaolin carried the remaining prey toward the fishing village.

After returning to the station, he had barely sat down and drunk a cup of tea when Ma San came out of his room.

"Boss."

Ma San called.

"Mm, you're awake. You patrol from here on out. If there's any movement, call me."

Lu Shaolin instructed him.

Ma San nodded, strapped on his waist saber, picked up a lantern, and left the station.

With tonight's moonlight, a lantern was completely unnecessary. But Ma San was not him—having a source of light probably gave him a greater sense of security.

Lu Shaolin entered his room, locked the door, and closed his eyes.

He did not know how long he had slept when a burst of urgent knocking sounded.

Lu Shaolin instantly sprang up and grabbed the spear beside his bed.

"Boss! Boss!"

Ma San's voice came from outside the door.

Lu Shaolin opened the door and saw Ma San's anxious face.

"What happened?"

Lu Shaolin immediately asked.

"The fishing village ahead has set off rescue fireworks."

Ma San hurriedly replied.

"Mm?" Lu Shaolin frowned. "Stay in your room and wait for me to return."

Without waiting for Ma San to answer, he rushed into the stable in the courtyard in a few strides, mounted the Black-Mane Horse, and galloped out of the yard toward the other fishing village.

In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Lu Shaolin reached the village entrance.

Looking up, he saw a powerful River Demon over two meters tall facing off against his four subordinates across the flames.

On the ground lay an iron-wire fishing net torn in half.

Lu Shaolin drove his heel hard into the horse's belly, and the Black-Mane Horse surged forward.

On horseback, Lu Shaolin gripped his spear tightly, ready to stab the River Demon from behind.

Just as he was about to enter the spear's attack range, the River Demon crouched and leaped, dodging to the side.

Lu Shaolin yanked the reins. The Black-Mane Horse sprang forward, then reared onto its hind legs and stopped behind the four subordinates.

Lu Shaolin flipped down from the horse. His thighs exploded with force as he rushed through the ring of flames formed by the fire oil and charged before the River Demon, his spear thrusting fiercely toward its eye.

The River Demon swept a claw, knocking the spear aside.

Lu Shaolin's eyes turned red. He had already entered a demonic frenzy, and he swung the spear in a full arc, smashing it down upon the River Demon like a rainstorm.

The whistling of Skybreak and the endless bang! bang! bang! of impacts rang out without pause.

When Lu Shaolin finally stopped, panting heavily, the spear in his hand had warped and twisted, its head and shaft bent to nearly a ninety-degree angle.

The River Demon was no better off. Both arms that had blocked the spear hung limply at its sides, their bones already broken.

Lu Shaolin threw aside the spear, snatched a steel fork from one of the subordinates beside him, and prepared to attack the River Demon again.

Fear appeared in the River Demon's eyes as it turned to flee.

The muscles in Lu Shaolin's arm bulged. With a savage throw, the steel fork drew a phantom through the air and pierced the River Demon's eye with a pfft!

The River Demon fell to the ground with a thud, twitching violently!

The steel fork lodged in its skull swayed continuously with its convulsions.

Lu Shaolin slowly exhaled, easing the pain in his internal organs.

The battle had been too fierce and had actually aggravated his internal injury.

"Boss! Are you all right?"

The scarred man asked.

"I'm fine. I just used a little too much force!"

Lu Shaolin shook his head, and the blood-red color in his eyes slowly faded.

Once the pain in his internal organs subsided, Lu Shaolin walked over to the River Demon's corpse and touched its claws.

The sound of Source Points increasing by two rang out in his mind.