The river breeze gently caressed, sails drifted, and boats moved.
Wei Tuo stood at the bow, pointing toward the mist shrouding the waters ahead. "Young Hero Lu, ahead lies the core waters of the Stony Shoals. That Ghost Shadow moves mysteriously and is especially adept at using the complex terrain here."
He turned to Lu Shaoyou, his expression even graver than yesterday's. "To be frank, Young Hero, the value of that shipment cannot be measured in gold or silver. It concerns the Giant Whale Gang's reputation and future on the waterways of Azure Province. If we cannot recover it, I, Wei Tuo, will bear an inescapable blame."
Lu Shaoyou listened quietly before speaking softly. "Hall Master Wei, rest assured. Since Lu has agreed, I will naturally give it my all."
Following the plan they had discussed beforehand, Wei Tuo personally boarded a medium-sized cargo ship loaded with bait and sailed toward a relatively open stretch of water deep within the Stony Shoals. The remaining gang members split among several small boats, hiding behind the surrounding reefs.
Lu Shaoyou tapped the rail with the tip of his foot, then stepped repeatedly upon the river's surface. He drifted gracefully down behind a massive reef standing alone in the middle of the river dozens of zhang away, his presence completely concealed, as though he had merged with the reef itself.
Time passed bit by bit. Apart from the rushing sound of water striking the reefs, only everyone's suppressed breathing remained upon the river.
Wei Tuo stood on the cargo ship's deck, one hand resting on the saber at his waist, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding waters like that of a hawk.
Suddenly, an extremely faint sound of something cutting through the air came from the mist on the left!
"He's here!" Wei Tuo shouted low.
Almost the instant his words fell, a blurry black shadow, like a weightless willow catkin, drifted unpredictably through layer upon layer of reefs and shot straight toward the cargo ship!
"You dare, thief!" Two Giant Whale Gang experts lying in ambush nearby roared as they leaped from their small boats. Their steel sabers whipped up fierce winds as they slashed at the black shadow from either side.
The black shadow neither dodged nor evaded. With merely a slight sway of his body, he slipped through the gaps in their flashing blades like a butterfly weaving through flowers.
Two soft hiss sounds rang out, followed by two muffled groans. The two experts clutched their throats and collapsed limply, blood gushing between their fingers.
"Trash!" A hoarse, unpleasant voice, impossible to identify as male or female, came from the black shadow, filled with disdain.
The black shadow did not slow in the slightest, already landing upon the rail of Wei Tuo's cargo ship.
He was lean and tall, wrapped in a wide black cloak. A savage demon mask covered his face, while he held a strange, slender sword that glimmered with an eerie blue light.
"Wei Tuo, you old dog, what fine things have you brought for your grandpa this time?" Ghost Shadow's voice was mocking.
The muscles in Wei Tuo's cheeks twitched. "Ghost Shadow! Today will be your day of death!" He abruptly drew the thick-backed saber at his waist. Inner force flooded into it, making the blade hum as it gleamed with a dim saber light. He chopped at Ghost Shadow!
"Heh, just you?" Ghost Shadow gave a strange laugh. Rather than clash head-on with Wei Tuo, he tapped the ground and drifted backward several feet like a ghost, easily evading the blade. At the same time, he flicked his wrist, and the sword tip transformed into several cold stars that stabbed straight for Wei Tuo's vital chest and abdomen.
Wei Tuo roared repeatedly. His saber technique opened wide and closed broad, wind howling from every swing, and for a time he actually forced Ghost Shadow back again and again.
"Hall Master is mighty!" The gang members on the surrounding boats cheered at the sight.
Hidden behind the reef, Lu Shaoyou saw everything clearly.
Wei Tuo's saber technique was fierce and powerful, indeed at the level of a Super First-rate Martial Artist. But Ghost Shadow's movement technique was simply too bizarre, like a slippery loach impossible to grasp. Eight or nine out of every ten attacks Wei Tuo launched struck empty air.
Sure enough, after several dozen exchanges, Wei Tuo's offensive gradually slowed, and sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
Ghost Shadow seized the chance. His body suddenly turned, circling behind Wei Tuo. The strange sword in his hand darted soundlessly toward Wei Tuo's back like a venomous snake flicking its tongue!
"Hall Master, watch out!" A gang member cried out in alarm.
Wei Tuo sensed the vicious wind behind him, but it was already too late to turn around. He could only roll forward across the deck in a miserable scramble, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike.
"Hahaha! Wei Tuo, is this all you can do?" Ghost Shadow did not pursue after missing. Instead, he turned toward the surrounding small boats. With a flash of his body, two or three gang members screamed and fell into the river, blood rapidly staining the water red.
"Bastard!" Wei Tuo's eyes split wide with fury. He flipped himself up and charged forward again.
But he knew perfectly well that he would likely be unable to keep this man here on his own. While attacking madly, he secretly made an obscure gesture toward where Lu Shaoyou was hiding.
Just as Ghost Shadow once again playfully evaded Wei Tuo's blade and prepared to slaughter more ordinary gang members, a figure moved even faster than he did!
Lu Shaoyou pushed off with his feet, driving Lingbo Weibu to its utmost limit. Like an arrow loosed from the bowstring, he crossed more than ten zhang of water in an instant. The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand whistled through the air, striking after yet arriving first as it jabbed at Ghost Shadow's sword-wielding wrist!
"Hm?" Ghost Shadow clearly had not expected such an expert to be lying in ambush. A trace of astonishment entered the voice beneath his mask.
His wrist twisted sharply, and the slender sword coiled around the Qi Mei Cudgel like a nimble snake.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal was clear and piercing.
Lu Shaoyou felt a wave of icy force travel up the cudgel, but it was immediately dissolved by the robust Dragon-Elephant Inner Force within him.
Ghost Shadow, however, let out a muffled groan. That single strike sent him sliding several steps backward, and for the first time, the eyes behind the demon mask revealed solemnity.
"Who are you, sir? Why are you meddling in the grudge between me and the Giant Whale Gang?" Ghost Shadow asked hoarsely.
Lu Shaoyou did not answer. Lingbo Weibu unfolded, his figure drifting unpredictably as the Qi Mei Cudgel transformed into a skyful of cudgel shadows that enveloped Ghost Shadow within.
Ghost Shadow's movement technique was indeed exceptional. Even facing Lu Shaoyou's storm-like assault, he was still able to hold on with difficulty.
His slender sword danced into a curtain of light, occasionally launching vicious and tricky counterattacks.
"What swift movement technique! What a viciously tricky sword technique!" Wei Tuo watched from the side, his heart pounding in terror.
He could now see that Ghost Shadow had not used his full strength when fighting him earlier.
He reckoned that if he faced Ghost Shadow in his current state, he likely would not last fifty exchanges. Yet Lu Shaoyou could actually fight him to an even match!
"Must you truly become my enemy, sir?" Unable to gain ground after a prolonged fight, Ghost Shadow's voice revealed several hints of impatience. "I am..."
"Enough prattle!" Lu Shaoyou snorted coldly and no longer held back. The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill within him surged to its absolute limit without reservation!
Roar!
A dragon's chant and elephant's bellow, as though coming from the primordial wilderness of ancient times, suddenly exploded across the river!
Lu Shaoyou's blood and qi churned throughout his body. Faintly, a pale golden dragon-elephant phantom flashed behind him before vanishing!
The strength of ten dragons and ten elephants—no, now the strength of twelve dragons and twelve elephants—poured entirely into the Qi Mei Cudgel!
The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand seemed to become heavier than a thousand jun in an instant as it smashed down with boundless, majestic force!
Ghost Shadow felt an unprecedentedly terrifying pressure descend upon his head, as though the entire sky were about to collapse. He retreated in horror and raised his sword with all his strength to block it.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the eerie blue slender sword in Ghost Shadow's hand snapped apart! The layer of protective Inner Force around him shattered in an instant under Lu Shaoyou's earth-shattering strike, as fragile as paper pasted together!
Pfft!
As though struck by a massive hammer, Ghost Shadow spat blood wildly. His entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
With a splash, he crashed into the surging river.
Lu Shaoyou stepped forward, driving the Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand without hesitation into the spot where Ghost Shadow had fallen into the water!
Boom!
Water shot skyward, and an arrow of blood spurted from beneath the surface.
Killed a Super First-rate Martial Artist. Obtained 1000 Slaughter Value.
The river gradually returned to calm, leaving only circles of blood-colored ripples spreading across its surface.
Wei Tuo stared blankly at Lu Shaoyou, then at the churning river. Only after a long while did he recover, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Lu... Young Hero Lu... that Ghost Shadow... is he dead?"
Lu Shaoyou stood with his cudgel lowered and nodded. "Dead."
Only then did Wei Tuo let out a long breath, feeling his entire body soaked through with cold sweat. The way he looked at Lu Shaoyou had changed from his initial appreciation and desire to recruit him into profound awe.
This young man's strength far surpassed his imagination! The might of that final cudgel strike was simply horrifying beyond words!
"Quick! Salvage the body! Search for the goods!" Wei Tuo came to his senses and immediately issued orders to his subordinates.
Before long, the men fished Ghost Shadow's corpse from the river. Wei Tuo stepped forward and removed the mask. The instant he saw the face beneath, his expression changed drastically.
"How can this be? How can it be him... wasn't he..."
Wei Tuo's expression shifted constantly. Clearly, Ghost Shadow's face had exceeded all his expectations.
Lu Shaoyou glanced over a few times but did not ask. These matters did not concern him.
Just then, several gang members hurried back carrying several chests.
"Hall Master, we found the goods..."
At those words, Wei Tuo's expression finally improved somewhat. He opened the chests and inspected them. Once he confirmed there was no mistake, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
He cupped his fists toward Lu Shaoyou. "Young Hero Lu, great kindness needs no words of thanks! Had you not acted this time, my Dragon Snake Crossing branch would truly have suffered a disastrous fall!"
He paused, his expression turning solemn. "As agreed, this is the intelligence Young Hero Lu wished to know."
Wei Tuo took a dossier he had prepared long ago from his robes and handed it to Lu Shaoyou. "Inside are all the detailed, verifiable records concerning Lei Xiaotian, hall master of the Thunderclap Hall of the Blood Saber Sect, as well as Li Mo's situation within Thunderclap Hall."
Lu Shaoyou accepted the dossier and tucked it into his robes.
Just then, far out on the river, a small fast boat came breaking through the waves at astonishing speed. The person aboard began shouting himself hoarse from afar, his voice distorted by anxiety.
"Hall Master! Hall Master! Bad news! Something terrible has happened!"
Hearing this, Wei Tuo's brows jumped sharply, and an ominous feeling rose in his heart.
The fast boat rapidly approached. A gang member with a face full of panic staggered onto Wei Tuo's ship and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Hall Master! The Blood Saber Sect... Black Tiger Hall's hall master, Xiong Tai, has brought a large force to Dragon Snake Crossing! He specifically named you and our Giant Whale Gang... demanding that we give them an explanation!"
"What?"
Wei Tuo's expression changed, and he immediately shouted.
"Set sail! Back to the branch!"
Before you continue