A New Groom Every Night

The sailboat drifted downstream with the current, neither too fast nor too slow.

Lu Shaoyou still sat cross-legged at the bow, his eyes closed as he silently regulated his breathing and consolidated the surging Inner Force within him.

Old Zhou at the stern seemed far more relaxed. He worked the oar to control their course, humming an off-key river tune. From time to time, he glanced at the utterly motionless Lu Shaoyou, secretly marveling at how well this young fellow could keep his composure.

"Young fellow, that stretch of water ahead is called Ghost's Worry. The river is narrow there and the current runs swift, so sit tight!" Old Zhou kindly warned.

Lu Shaoyou gave an "Mm" without opening his eyes.

Not long after they passed Ghost's Worry, the tranquil river suddenly changed.

From the dense reed beds along both banks came the sound of splashing water. Several long, narrow speedboats shot out like arrows, their pointed bows slicing through the waves as they swiftly formed an encirclement around the fishing boat.

Seven or eight bandits stood aboard each speedboat, bright weapons in hand, all of them glaring viciously and radiating killing intent.

The ease on Old Zhou's face instantly froze, and the oar in his hands came to a halt.

Seeing the flags on their boats, he lowered his voice and urgently said to Lu Shaoyou, "Don't panic, young fellow. They're from the Water Snake Gang! They're old bandits of these waters. For an ordinary robbery, a little passage toll is enough to send them away."

Lu Shaoyou slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm as it swept over the approaching bandit boats.

He did not speak at once. He rapidly weighed matters in his mind. These river bandits were of ordinary strength and not worth wasting much effort on—but if they failed to appreciate kindness...

On the largest boat at the head of the group stood a woman in a scarlet martial outfit, proud and imposing.

Her build was extraordinarily burly, almost the equal of two grown men. Broad-shouldered and thick-backed, her muscles knotted beneath her clothes, and in her hand she carried a Nine-Ring Saber that glinted coldly.

She was the Water Snake Gang's leader, Hong Sanniang, known as the River-Mixing Mother Yaksha.

Hong Sanniang's not-so-large eyes swept across the fishing boat. They first settled on Old Zhou's weathered face before shifting away in disdain, finally fixing on Lu Shaoyou.

When she clearly saw Lu Shaoyou's face, an undisguised gleam flashed through her eyes.

"Hehehe..." Hong Sanniang let out a rough yet coquettish laugh, her voice sending ripples across the water. "Old Zhou, you old thing, your luck is pretty good today! This handsome young fellow aboard your boat has caught my eye! Leave him behind, and you can take your broken boat and scram!"

As she spoke, a faintly sweet, cloying fragrance drifted over on the river breeze.

The scent was unremarkable at first whiff, but after a few breaths, it would make one dizzy, weak in the limbs, and throw one's internal energy into disorder. If an ordinary martial artist fell prey to this Bone-Softening Incense, seventy to eighty percent of their skill would be gone.

Old Zhou's face turned pale. Clearly knowing Hong Sanniang's methods, he hurriedly stepped forward and pulled out a pouch of loose silver from his robes.

With a fawning smile, he said, "Sanniang, you jest. This young fellow is this old man's distant relative, traveling to Azure Province to visit family. Please accept this small token of respect, and I hope Sanniang will make things convenient and show mercy."

Lu Shaoyou frowned slightly, glanced at the boatman, then casually drew several taels of loose silver from his robes. His voice remained even. "The passage toll is here. We have urgent business and must be on our way."

Hong Sanniang did not even look at the silver being offered. Her blazing gaze remained fixed on Lu Shaoyou.

She ran her tongue over her lips. "Silver? The silver in my storehouse is piled so high there's nowhere left to stack it. What I lack is a husband for my mountain stronghold who suits my heart."

"Young fellow, with that soft, tender skin of yours, you're far better than those stinking men. Come back with your big sister. I'll make sure you eat the finest food and drink the strongest wine every day, and become a new groom every night. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, the bandits on the other boats all looked at Lu Shaoyou with eyes full of pity.

At those words, Lu Shaoyou's face instantly darkened, and his fists clenched reflexively.

Do you even hear what you're saying?

As Hong Sanniang spoke, that sweet, cloying strange fragrance seemed to grow several degrees thicker. Even a few Water Snake Gang lackeys grew dazed from it, their steps staggering.

Yet Lu Shaoyou's expression remained unchanged. A faint layer of pale golden Inner Force flickered around his body, completely sealing the strange fragrance outside.

His Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill had already reached the tenth level, and with Inner Force protecting his body, this little bit of incense could not touch him.

"Hm?" Seeing that Lu Shaoyou was completely unaffected and that Inner Force seemed to circulate over his body, Hong Sanniang's smile faded slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed through her eyes.

Though she was carefree and blunt, she was no fool. Anyone capable of cultivating protective Inner Force was at least a First-class Warrior, far beyond ordinary people.

"Oh? I didn't expect this little gentleman to be a martial man!" Hong Sanniang hefted the Nine-Ring Saber in her hand, the iron rings on its blade clattering loudly. "Inner Force protecting the body—kid, I couldn't tell. You've got some skill."

Though she too had only just crossed the threshold of a First-class Warrior, she had been born with immense strength and had spent years fighting on the river, tempering her body into a set of hardened external arts. Combined with this specially made Nine-Ring Saber and her bizarre saber technique—

Ordinary First-class experts could gain no advantage against her. She had even worked with the gang's best fighters to ambush and kill a Super First-rate Martial Artist!

"But so what if you're a First-class expert? Before me, if you're a dragon, you coil up; if you're a tiger, you lie down!" Hong Sanniang snarled. She was confident that with her strength and the Bone-Softening Incense, taking down Lu Shaoyou would be no problem.

Lu Shaoyou's expression darkened. He knew this matter could not be settled peacefully. He calmly told Old Zhou, whose legs had already gone weak with fright, "Boatman, retreat to the stern. Do not come near."

Hearing this, Old Zhou felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled and crawled back toward the cabin.

Seeing that Lu Shaoyou not only refused to comply but looked ready to fight, Hong Sanniang's face turned completely cold. She shouted sharply, "You ungrateful brat! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

"Men, get him! Take this brat down for me! Remember, leave him breathing. I still want to train him slowly!"

"Kill!"

The Water Snake Gang lackeys on the surrounding speedboats shouted as one, brandishing their sabers and fish spears as they prepared to leap onto the sailboat.

Lu Shaoyou wasted no more words. With a tap of his foot against the gunwale, his figure flickered as Lingbo Weibu unfolded. Everyone's vision blurred, and Lu Shaoyou floated down like a falling leaf onto the bow of Hong Sanniang's bandit boat.

"You're courting death!" Several nearby bandits roared and raised their sabers to strike.

Lu Shaoyou flicked his wrist. At some point, the dark Qi Mei Cudgel had appeared in his hand. The cudgel trembled slightly, sending up a blur of shadows.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Several dull impacts sounded, accompanied by the crack of shattering bones. The first three bandits to rush forward did not even have time to scream before the Qi Mei Cudgel struck them. Spitting blood, they flew backward and crashed onto the deck, clearly beyond saving.

Slaughter Value +50.

Slaughter Value +10.

Slaughter Value +10.

"What?!" Hong Sanniang's pupils abruptly contracted. She had not expected Lu Shaoyou's movement technique to be so uncanny, nor his attacks so ruthless. In an instant, three of her subordinates had fallen.

"Good brat! You do have some skill! Take my saber!" Hong Sanniang roared, no longer content to watch.

She stomped heavily upon the deck with a dull thud, yet her burly body displayed agility utterly at odds with its size. In a single stride, she reached Lu Shaoyou.

The heavy Nine-Ring Saber in her hand howled through the air, transforming into a crimson streak as it chopped straight down at Lu Shaoyou's head!

The saber strike was overwhelmingly powerful. Before the blade even arrived, a fishy wind rushed into his face. A faint dark-blue sheen flickered along its edge, clearly revealing it had been coated in deadly poison.

Her saber style was broad and forceful, yet hidden in its details was an indescribably sinister quality that made it impossible to guard against.

Lu Shaoyou's expression did not change. He swept the Qi Mei Cudgel horizontally to meet the Nine-Ring Saber.

"Clang!"

The screech of metal striking metal was ear-piercing.

At that moment, Old Zhou on the sailboat suddenly remembered something. His face turned deathly pale as he screamed with all his strength, "Young fellow, be careful! Her saber has been treated with Bone-Corroding Powder! You mustn't touch it!"