Jinx

Whoosh!

The sandboat cut through the water, its sails drawing it northward on a downstream voyage.

The way the canal had been excavated, along with its gradient, meant that its current was quite gentle. Though the water flowed from south to north, the sandboat still relied mainly on its sails for propulsion.

The crew used thick ropes to adjust the sails, and wood creaked as they turned on the masts.

The boat sat deep in the water under its heavy load, so it was not traveling fast. That gave them time to admire the scenery along both banks.

When Lin Hao had first arrived in this world, the rice seedlings had only just been transplanted. Now, a month and a half later, the fields on both banks were lush green, brimming with life as far as the eye could see.

The five from the Evergreen Martial Arts School were traveling on the same voyage.

As a prominent local family in Dam Market, the Qin Clan had extensive connections. Naturally, they would not refuse an easy chance to do a local martial arts school a favor.

Apprentices from the various martial arts schools gathered on deck, chatting as they watched the scenery along the banks.

"I heard from Master that disciples from several schools in the county town were killed or injured during the raid on the bandits. The Clearwater Martial Arts School's Eldest Senior Brother died unexpectedly when a Demonkin fought back. His chest was smashed to a pulp."

Hou Lecheng brought up one of the hottest recent topics.

"Ah, what a shame. He was almost at great achievement in hidden force, wasn't he? I heard he passed the last Martial Examination and was planning to build up his foundations before trying for Martial Presented Scholar this time."

Qian Tao sounded rather regretful as well.

"Exactly. Master said he went there specifically to get some practice because he lacked experience in bloody combat. And this was how it ended."

"According to Master and Eldest Senior Brother, those Demonkin don't stand much of a chance against hidden force experts. But they're incredibly strong. If you fail to redirect that strength and take a solid hit, even a hidden force martial master will pay dearly."

"Ah, he was still too careless. In a fight between martial artists, physique, force control, fighting techniques, courage, and experience are all indispensable. Foundations matter, but without experience in killing, you can still lose to someone weaker."

"Take that incident with the Beggar Gang not long ago. The killer must have been an experienced, decisive fighter. They used fire to draw everyone's attention, then attacked amid the chaos."

"Yeah. Liu Ping beat me by a few moves before, too. He was pretty good."

Qian Tao sighed, remembering how Liu Ping's kicking techniques had left him utterly helpless during their controlled sparring match. If it had been a fight to the death, he probably would have been beaten to death.

"Although I've reached hidden force now, I still often lose to Senior Brother when we spar."

Yang Xing chose that moment to speak. As the only person present who had entered hidden force-and the youngest martial artist among them-he held a rather special position.

At sixteen or seventeen, he tried to act composed, but he could not quite hide the pride and excitement in his expression.

His words sounded humble, but he clearly wanted to show off a little.

If he often lost, that meant he sometimes won!

"You're still young, and you haven't trained for long. Your body and experience are both improving rapidly. Before long, I won't be your match."

Hou Lecheng looked at his youngest junior brother with considerable pride. His talent was truly astounding.

"The same goes for Junior Brother Lin. Judging by Junior Brother Yang's progress, you should be able to enter hidden force in a few months."

"I hope so. Plenty of people get stuck because they can't find the knack for hidden force. Being suited to bright force doesn't necessarily mean you have talent for hidden force."

Lin Hao, who had been listening quietly beside them, smiled and offered a modest reply.

With a training method beyond great achievement, hidden force should not pose much of a barrier for him.

"Senior Brother Lin, what's your relationship with Senior Sister Zhao?"

Yang Xing turned his attention to Lin Hao, a hint of eager interest in his eyes.

Sixteen or seventeen was the most restless age of adolescence. In an era without short videos to expose boys to such things early, seeing an older woman like Zhao Xiaowen was naturally quite a shock.

Wu Xin was actually very pretty too, but she was more heroic-looking, and far too flat. Her visual impact was worlds apart from Zhao Xiaowen's. Combined with her formidable strength, Lin Hao generally had trouble seeing her as a woman.

"She's my woman."

Lin Hao saw no reason to hide it, but his answer made Yang Xing look slightly uncomfortable, as though something beautiful had shattered.

Jealousy was another matter. More importantly, such a blunt answer easily set an adolescent's imagination running wild. His... his woman!

Qian Tao waggled his eyebrows and said,

"Speaking of beauties, I recently heard about a huge incident from last year. A vicious villain at embrace the elixir in Miao South died horribly at the hands of a female hidden force hero."

"Seriously? With that big a gap?"

Even Lin Hao was startled. The weak defeating the strong was common enough, but after experiencing real combat himself, he knew how demanding the conditions were. Hidden force against embrace the elixir?

"That villain at embrace the elixir used to be a senior general in the army. But when he went home on leave, he discovered that his beloved wife had been cheating on him. In a rage, he slaughtered the entire families of everyone involved, and he went mad himself..."

Lin Hao's heart tightened at Qian Tao's words. A Madman!?

He had never expected that even an expert at embrace the elixir could fall into such a state through a moment's lapse!

Perhaps it had something to do with exhaustion from his military duties and his deep love for his wife, but it was still a sobering thought.

Ordinary Madmen were not much of a concern, but the destruction a top-tier expert could cause after going mad was another matter entirely. Still, Lin Hao now understood why the man had been killed by someone weaker. Madmen lacked reason and were easily ambushed.

"Perhaps because of the shock, he developed a fondness for abducting women after he went mad. Miao South's grandmaster, the Recluse of the Lying Mountain, was preparing to hunt him down. But during one of his attacks, a female hidden force hero used soft, insidious hidden force to shred the thing he committed his crimes with..."

Everyone listening felt a chill between their legs. Even Lin Hao was at a loss for words. To think he had died like that...

Hou Lecheng also keenly noticed the strange turn the conversation had taken and hurriedly changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, we may count as fellow townsmen when we travel elsewhere, but the county town and our Dam Market don't exactly get along. The same holds true for martial artists. We're only here to take the examination, so don't go looking for trouble."

Qian Tao nodded at that.

"The last time I came, some martial artists from the county town provoked us. But I hadn't reached bright force then, so I could only swallow it and watch them take turns challenging two of our senior brothers until they lost."

Lin Hao found nothing strange about that. After all, he had been in Dam Market

for over a month, and Yi Feng's big mouth had long since supplied him with plenty of news.

The people of Wei'an County had always felt that Dam Market stole much of the attention and business that belonged to the county town, while the people of Dam Market resented Wei'an County's nominal jurisdiction over them. Neither side was willing to accept the other's claims.

The County Examination was an annual occasion for Wei'an County to assert its status. It was hardly surprising that some county-town martial artists occasionally tried to make their presence felt.

There was no first place in literature, and no second place in martial arts. Scholars and Cultivated Talents might merely argue, but clashes between martial artists were perfectly normal. Usually, though, they were controlled bouts that stopped short of injury, fought purely for pride.

"Heh, I'd like to see what the county town's geniuses are made of."

Lin Hao's earlier answer had shaken Yang Xing enough to leave his confidence somewhat shattered. Now he could only make up for it elsewhere, letting a little of his edge show.

He was right. Rapid progress in bright force didn't mean the same would hold true for hidden force. But I'm already a hidden force expert, and I'm younger, too!

"Junior Brother, have you forgotten what Master told us before we left? When you're away from home, you can't expect everyone to follow the rules. The strong bullying the weak and groups ganging up on individuals are commonplace. A genius who hasn't matured is still only a genius. Plenty of hidden force experts have been hacked to death by a mob."

Hearing Yang Xing's conceited words, Hou Lecheng immediately rebuked him.

"Senior Brother, you're being too cautious. We're candidates here to take the examination. Those county-town types can't act without any reservations. Besides, as martial artists, we can't be afraid of everything we do. You said yourself that courage is part of our strength."

Yang Xing showed none of his earlier obedience. He contradicted Hou Lecheng outright, leaving him looking embarrassed.

"All right, we're coming up on Sandwater Weir. Keep an eye out. There might still be some River Pirates who escaped the net."

Qian Tao stepped in at the right moment to smooth things over, then joked,

"If any county-town types really do come looking for trouble, we'll send you out and let them see our Dam Market genius."

"Is this the place that was washed out when the Sand River flooded a few years ago?"

Standing at the bow, Lin Hao gazed into the distance. He could just make out a branch in the canal ahead, where the waterway widened. There was even a sandy beach beside it, forming a sand weir, and he could vaguely see a lake extending westward.

Dense reeds covered the lake, obscuring its interior.

"That's right. The flood broke through the canal back then, and sand piled up, badly disrupting grain transport. The governor of Qingkou brought sandboats from the sea to Jinkou. We were requisitioned then, too."

A crewman adjusting a sail nearby heard him and answered casually.

"There aren't so many docking taxes along the sea route. It's actually a lot more convenient. I heard the governor even suggested the court switch grain transport from the canal to the sea, but for some reason they never did it. The terrain around Sandwater Weir attracted River Pirates. I heard they were wiped out a while back, but who knows if that's true."

When he mentioned the River Pirates, the crewman still looked a little shaken. Seeing so many experts from the martial arts schools present, however, reassured him considerably.

Even if the pirates had not been completely wiped out, there should be nothing to worry about.

Just then, several black-canopied boats drifted out of the reeds.

They appeared to be nothing more than fishing boats, but both Qian Tao and Hou Lecheng frowned.

There were plenty of fish in the lake, so fishermen working here was normal. But several boats appearing nearby at once and drifting toward the canal was very abnormal!

"Stay alert. Get your weapons ready."

"They're not coming for us, are they...?"

"There really are River Pirates?"

Qian Tao was especially speechless. He had only mentioned it in passing. Why had it actually come true?

Because their view had been obstructed earlier, the black-canopied boats were already fairly close, even though they had emerged slowly.

Soon, a man crawled out from beneath each canopy and thrust a pole into the water. With tremendous force, they sent the boats accelerating through the waves.

That display of boat-poling alone immediately changed Qian Tao's and Hou Lecheng's expressions.

"Careful! They're experts!"

Standing on deck, Lin Hao could not help frowning at the men wielding the poles.

...This-

They're at least close to bright force, if not already there, aren't they?!

There were indeed experts among the River Pirates. Such deadly work brought in money even faster than gang activities, and without experts, they could not keep things under control.

But after the crackdown, how could several of them appear together at the first sign of trouble? And how could they just happen to target this particular boat?

This was probably no ordinary robbery carried out on a whim.

"Tsk... Who dragged us into this...?"