A formidable enemy

Another black-canopied boat lay motionless among the reeds, where someone watched the situation ahead through a gap in the parted stalks.

Inside the canopy, Liu Chengcai, dressed in fitted martial attire, calmly warmed some wine. Its fragrance filled the entire covered space.

His hair was already tied up, and beside him lay a hood that exposed only the eyes, nose, and mouth, almost identical to those worn by the River Pirates outside.

"Incense Master, they're about to make contact."

"Shut up. How many times have I told you not to call me that outside?"

Liu Chengcai had been leisurely sipping rice wine, but now he shot his subordinate a glare. Still, he put down his cup, pulled on the hood, and went to the bow.

Although he had come specifically to oversee the operation, he would never act personally unless necessary.

"Every one of these Qin Family merchant ships brings them several thousand taels of silver a year, yet none of that money ever reaches me. They have this coming."

As Liu Chengcai watched the black-canopied boats close in, a cold smile appeared on his face.

"Water Master, are we taking over the business around here from now on?"

"Since the territory is vacant, it's only right that we take our turn. Keep the numbers and scale under control, and leave it to these pirates who escaped with their lives. We won't get deeply involved."

Liu Chengcai's gaze was cold.

With the Beggar Gang suddenly gone, he had lost a source of easy money and had been searching for other income ever since.

Several members of the Liu Family who had joined the River Pirates had fled back to seek his protection, giving him a whiff of a new opportunity.

Through those clansmen, he had contacted the survivors of the crackdown. Anyone who had escaped alive under those circumstances was no mediocrity. They were all seasoned bandits.

They wanted protection, and he wanted money. They had hit it off immediately.

A single ship's cargo was worth at least several hundred taels. Even after transport, fencing the goods, selling at a discount, and feeding everyone, one job could bring in as much as two months of tribute from the Beggar Gang.

Outworld Demons were involved behind the scenes in this crackdown. The River Pirates and Mountain Bandits joining forces made too big an impact. As long as we control the scale and don't rob anything we shouldn't touch, who would bother sticking their nose in?

If new pirates show up to compete, I'll use the gang's strength to wipe them out. If another crackdown comes, I can warn these men to scatter beforehand. Their current numbers are manageable, too...

Liu Chengcai weighed the matter and had already settled on his arrangements.

With the Grain Transport Gang and the Liu Family Clan behind him, he had unparalleled advantages in everything from intelligence to fencing stolen goods!

"Water Master, Yang Xing from the Evergreen Martial Arts School is aboard this time, too. He's a genius who's reached hidden force. Shouldn't we move closer, just in case?"

Liu Chengcai's trusted aide asked cautiously.

"Hmph. Why would I have chosen this ship if not for him? With that much talent at his age, he could become another Wu Deshui if we aren't careful. What does Dam Market need so many experts for? There's nothing wrong with getting rid of him now."

Liu Chengcai snorted, then continued.

"A little brat who's only just entered hidden force-has he ever killed anyone? If these hardened killers can't even handle a brat like that, they deserve to die. Consider it their test of loyalty.

"Hou Lecheng does warrant some attention, though. Fine, let's move over. Any men we lose are still mine..."

Although some of the pirates who had recently fled back were capable, ruthless men, Liu Chengcai had only a handful of bright force practitioners under him whom he could trust with secrets like these.

As an Incense Master, he could mobilize considerable manpower, but the people he could trust personally were limited.

Besides...

"If I act at the critical moment, I can put some fear into these little wolves, too."

These pirates would not be easy to bring to heel. Right now, they were desperate for protection, but he still needed to wear down their unruly temperaments and let them experience his ruthlessness.

Then, propelled by a man at the stern, the black-canopied boat cut through the waves and headed straight for the Qin Family's flat-bottomed ship.

"Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. With the force we've brought this time, slaughtering everyone aboard will be no problem."

A cold smile spread across Liu Chengcai's face beneath the hood.

"There are brats from the Wu Family Martial Arts School here, too. I'll collect a little interest from you first for my losses with the Beggar Gang!"

This operation would serve several purposes at once!

Still, the few insignificant youngsters from the Wu Family Martial Arts School were nowhere near as troublesome as those from the Evergreen Martial Arts School. They would simply be dealt with along the way...

Aboard the flat-bottomed ship, the response to this sudden turn of events was swift.

At the crew's first shouts, the guard captain quickly brought the merchant ship's guards onto the deck.

Naturally, a merchant ship that earned several thousand taels a year had its own guards.

Their captain had also reached full mastery of bright force.

The guards were all trained fighters. Although there were only eight of them, together with the crew, they were certainly not a force to trifle with.

With a group of martial arts school disciples aboard as well, they did not panic despite encountering bandits.

"Friends, we never expected something like this to happen. Please lend us your aid."

The heavily bearded guard captain quickly cupped his hands to everyone.

"Of course. Just give the word, Captain Qin."

Hou Lecheng and Qian Tao both answered promptly. The apprentices nodded as well, some even looking eager to try their hands.

They had just learned their martial arts. Wasn't this a chance to show off?

"They mean trouble. Get ready! We have the high ground. Don't let them aboard. Bows ready!"

At Captain Qin's shout, several guards picked up their longbows.

Apart from boarding actions, bows and arrows were essential weapons for fighting on the water in this era.

Five powerful bows with eighty-pound draws aimed straight at the approaching canopied boats.

But just as Captain Qin was about to order them to shoot the men propelling the boats, arrows suddenly flew out first from beneath the dark canopies!

Whoosh, whoosh!

The unexpected arrows came hard and fast. Although some of the men standing with their bows drawn reacted in time to dodge, three guards were still hit!

One took an arrow square in the chest. It pierced his leather armor and went straight through his body!

Blood gushed out like water from a blocked tap, even with the arrow still lodged in the wound.

"Look out!"

Qian Tao's expression changed. He dodged an arrow and saw a crewman holding a fishing spear beside him fall to another shot.

Hou Lecheng also pressed Yang Xing down onto the deck.

The martial arts apprentices had never experienced anything like this. Their hot-blooded enthusiasm was instantly

extinguished by the sudden attack.

Seeing the crewmen writhing and wailing on the deck, and blood spurting from the guard whose chest had been pierced, amid the wind and the confused pounding of feet, many apprentices felt dazed, their heads growing muddled.

Even Yang Xing, who had earlier kept declaring that he would teach those county-town fellows a lesson, had gone pale. He retreated several steps toward the middle of the deck, away from the exposed edges.

After all, he was still only a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy who had never experienced anything like this.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Another volley came. Having completely suppressed the scattered return fire from the ship, the pirates beneath the canopies seemed to grow even bolder.

"Damn it!"

Captain Qin could only call for the guards and crew to gather toward the center of the deck.

They dragged the wounded along, leaving long trails of blood across the planks.

The smells of sweat, blood, and canal water filled the deck, leaving many faces tense.

With the ship's height giving them the advantage and their own archers providing support, Captain Qin had initially been fairly confident they could hold out.

They had encountered pirates before!

Though pirates were formidable fighters, they only wanted money!

He had never expected the enemy's arrows to be sharper and strike harder!

These were unquestionably hardened veteran bandits!

The crew gathered their weapons and handed out fishing spears, long sabers, and staves.

The apprentices also drew the weapons they had brought. Lin Hao pulled out the long staff he had used to carry his bundle and kept surveying the situation.

As expected, they came prepared. This ship was their target. Even if the archers haven't reached bright force, they can't be far off. And none of those men handling the poles are weaklings, either!

At five or six men per canopied boat, the attackers had brought more than enough strength even after accounting for all the martial arts apprentices aboard.

They were no longer seeking a simple victory. They intended to wipe everyone out while suffering minimal casualties!

As the merchant ship's guard captain, who had personally encountered bandits several times, Captain Qin naturally understood the situation all too well!

Once the weapons had been distributed, he called the scattered crewmen over while speaking to Hou Lecheng with difficulty.

"Brother Hou, we'll have to rely on the two of you to shoulder more of the burden when the time comes. These men mean business. I'm afraid this will be very difficult."

Captain Qin could only be grateful that Hou Lecheng, a veteran with full mastery of bright force, and Yang Xing, a young Martial Master who had already attained hidden force, were present. Otherwise, the ship's usual complement would likely have had no chance of resisting!

"You're being too courteous, Captain Qin. We must work together now. We'll certainly give it everything we have."

Hou Lecheng's expression was grave, but he remained composed.

"As martial artists, we certainly won't back down!"

Yang Xing had gradually recovered his composure as well, though a trace of nervousness still lingered on his face.

A hidden force Martial Master can go anywhere in the world. Surely none of these surviving pirates could be an expert like that who slipped through the net?

If so, I'm the strongest person on either side!

There's nothing to fear!

Having received their assurances, Captain Qin quickly turned to Qian Tao and Lin Hao.

"I ask you all to lend us a hand as well. The Qin Family will certainly reward you afterward."

Although Captain Qin knew that youngsters who had only just attained bright force would be far less effective in actual combat, they were still bright force practitioners.

Even without experience, surely they could hold off a hardened bandit who had yet to attain bright force?

The other martial arts apprentices were also comparable to Martial Students in strength. Whatever happened, they would be more useful than ordinary crewmen. At a time like this, they needed to muster every bit of strength they had!