Rumble...
A fierce storm raged, and several figures were scattered on boats on the river.
Hearing the commotion, the wandering martial artists along the riverbank also gathered on the river embankment.
Lu Zheng, the Hundred-Pace Feather, crouched on the opposite bank of the river, scanning the water with his bow, but there was no trace of the two who had fallen in on the turbulent surface. The Black Stone Twin Fiends Duo also ran to the edge of the deck and searched carefully in the murky water. After a short while, they discovered blood-red waves on the surface. Upon seeing this, the Zheng Laoda, paled and asked:
"Did Zhou Lie succeed?"
The second brother Zheng Yi, holding the grappling hook, shook his head and said:
" Ye Xingge has Water-Repelling Pearl, and Zhou Lie can kill him single-handedly in the water. There's no need for him to consult us."
Zheng Laoda thought about it and agreed. After a moment of contemplation, he looked towards the riverbank:
"What to do?"
Lu Zheng Hundred-Pace Feather Bai Bu Ling, came here solely to kill and steal treasure.
The target is now underwater. Mingpai is carrying the Fate-Robbing Saber, the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, and the Water-Repelling Pearl. There are no imperial experts on the shore either.
If he were to turn around and leave, why would he come over?
After only a moment's thought, Lu Zheng spoke:
"He's here to practice his skills; we're like tigers and wolves, he won't leave. You lure him out, and once you've succeeded, I only want the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, the rest is yours." The Zheng brothers had also come to seize the treasure, and then looked towards the merchant ship in the distance:
" Ye Jianxing, what do you mean?"
Ye Jianxing was a professional assassin; if he didn't speak now, this guy definitely wouldn't move. He responded loudly:
"If this person is carrying the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, he can't possibly be carrying the Gold-Chasing Bell. If he is carrying the Wind-Traveling Talisman or the Dust-Returning Robe, give me one of them, and I'll take the bounty. You go into the water to lure the enemy, and I'll cover you."
What should I do with the Fate-Robbing Saber?
"This item is hot to handle. Whoever is chosen gets to take it, and those who aren't chosen leave."
The Zheng brothers thought the distribution was reasonable. They glanced at the opposite bank of the river and saw that Lu Zheng nodded. The Zheng Lao'er handed one end of the grappling hook to his elder brother, glanced at the turbulent river, gritted his teeth, grabbed the Immortal Rope, and leaped into the water.
Whoosh~
Seeing this Hundred-Pace Feather and Lu Zheng drew their bows to their fullest extent, intently watching the water's surface.
Zheng Laoda was also on high alert, ready to pull his younger brother back at any moment.
Ye Jianxing also crouched down on the edge of the deck, looking at the "fishing line" extending into the water, and then prepared to go into the water to help.
Meanwhile, on the Shangjin Ferry.
Countless wandering martial artists gathered on the riverbank, observing the scene in the middle of the river, their clamor incessant:
What happened?
"It seems Ye Xingge has arrived. He raided Qin Laosan's stronghold, causing a bunch of Third Rank assassins to emerge..."
"What the heck?!"
"That's Lu Zheng, the Hundred-Pace Feather, on the other side; the ones on the boat are the Black Stone Twin Fiends, they're looking for someone..."
"Has Ye Xingge gone mad?"
Huang Guan, Qian Zhong, and the others also ran to the riverbank, and were all astonished by what they saw.
Qian Zhong was still clutching the bloody hole in his chest, his eyes searching carefully:
"This young man is going to the meeting alone?"
Huang Guan responded, "This is smaller than the Forgetful River Mouth, and judging from the situation, he didn't bring any people with him. How did he find his way here?"
"I don't know..."
Qian Zhong had personally placed the hidden card, but now that he saw Ye Xingge had turned against the Heavenly Gang and actually come to assassinate him, he felt that this was even more outrageous than the assassins he had hired, who had turned around and stabbed him instead!
They also began helping the assassins search for Ye Xingge's whereabouts.
And while everyone was intently watching the river...
After Ye Xingge with Zhou Lie, Ye Xingge swam to the other side of the river without stopping. Using the boat as cover, he quietly climbed ashore and crawled forward on the grassy bank, asking in a low voice:
What's the situation with those people?
Hongyu peered out the window of the inn's second floor, carefully observing the movements on the river through her binoculars. She then fixed her gaze on Lu Zheng on the opposite bank. " The Black Stone Twin Fiends and Ye Jianxing fishing in the Hezhong. Lu Zheng is about three hundred paces ahead of you. He's channeling all his strength into the Dark Green Bow, needing a full breath to draw it... three seconds. You need to hurry. If they see you're not moving, they'll quickly realize you've gone to steal from Lu Zheng."
Three hundred steps is nearly a mile.
Upon seeing this, Ye Xingge sheathed the Fate-Robbing Saber at his waist and hid the inconvenient-to-carry spear in the grass. Then, he crawled on the ground using both hands and feet, taking cover from the riverside bushes, reeds, and slopes, and quickly approached Lu Zheng.
At this moment, a strong wind and rainstorm raged at Shangjin Ferry, causing the grass and trees to sway. It was difficult to see the subtle movements on the opposite bank of the river, and the sound of the wind and rain could obviously interfere with hearing. Ye Xingge quickly climbed up the grass and soon arrived behind Hundred-Pace Feather Lu Zheng. After a brief look, he realized that Lu Zheng was obviously a professional as well, having chosen an extremely tricky position.
It was located behind an abandoned small boat on the riverbank, surrounded by a vast, empty riverbed, devoid of even vegetation.
The abandoned ship hull could also be used as cover to block hidden weapons such as the " Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers " (a type of projectile).
Even if he circled around to the rear and tried to launch a surprise attack, he could only use the "Emperor's Dry Charge" technique, forcing his way through ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).
Lu Zheng had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, and it was said that the arrow would create a sonic boom when released, causing it to travel at supersonic speeds. He didn't hear the twang of the bowstring before he was gone.
Therefore, we must first lure out the arrow that has already been prepared...
Then, after three seconds of building momentum, plus drawing the bow and nocking the arrow, it takes a maximum of four seconds.
He sprinted more than 30 meters across the riverbank...
Ye Xingge felt there was enough time, but baiting out the first arrow was a troublesome matter. Just as he was pondering this, a voice came from the river:
"No movement?"
"He should have known he was luring the enemy..."
Ye Xingge frowned, realizing that Lu Zheng would soon realize the danger. If he couldn't steal this person, he wouldn't be able to kill any of them. He gritted his teeth, took off his robe, used his knife to lift it, bent his legs to gather strength, and then used the Fate-Robbing Saber to lift the robe from a meter away on the right.
Such a test proved remarkably effective.
Shangjin Ferry, Qian Zhong, who was intently observing the situation, sensed something was wrong the moment the unusual movement occurred.
Looking up, he could see faint clothing swaying in the grass about ten feet behind Lu Zheng. From a distance, it looked like a tiger or leopard peeking out to scout its prey. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately shouted:
"Later!"
The sound was extremely loud, penetrating through the wind and rain, and could be clearly heard throughout Shangjin Crossing.
Upon hearing this Ye Jianxing and Zheng Laoda's expressions changed drastically, and they simultaneously turned around to defend their backs.
Lu Zheng, the Hundred-Pace Feather, did the same. He immediately turned his powerful bow, pointing it at the wilderness behind him. He barely caught a glimpse of the outline of a robe before his fingers released the bowstring. Snap
The arrow, charged to its maximum, shot through the air, even exploding into a white mist in front of him.
The raging wind and rain pierced through a vortex tunnel, striking the grass ten feet away, instantly shredding the vegetation and clothing, and shooting towards the open field behind. At almost the same moment, a loud explosion of earth cracking came from the grass!
Boom
A figure clad in yellow soft armor, bare-armored, leaped out of the bushes from the side, charging forward with terrifying speed, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey.
Lu Zheng caught a glimpse of the newcomer and saw that his muscular arms were bulging with veins, and his eyes were like those of a bloodthirsty red wolf. With the help of the Wind-Traveling Talisman, his speed had been pushed to the limit of his body. Every step he took blasted a round crater in the riverbed!
Knock knock knock
With each step nearly ten feet, the Ravine-Leaping Tiger had already been lifted up during the rapid journey.
Lu Zheng was already terrified just from meeting those hungry tiger eyes. He hastily nocked an arrow and drew the bow, but the attack was so fast that there was no time for him to gather his strength. So he pulled the bowstring taut and released it.
Swoosh
Ding~
Ye Xingge sprinted at full speed without dodging or avoiding. Facing the ordinary feathered arrow aimed straight at his face, he simply raised his sword and swept it away while running, closing the distance between them to five zhang.
Seeing that the opponent was trying to fire arrows in rapid succession, Ye Xingge his left hand sharply, and the Ravine-Leaping Tiger transformed into a seven-inch throwing knife, which shot towards the opponent's chest and abdomen. With full force, the speed was not much slower than that of the feathered arrow.
nail
Sparks flew through the rain as an arrow struck a dagger squarely in the path of the dagger.
The broken arrow and dagger had barely bounced off when Ye Xingge had already passed through them, his muscles bulging, he took a large step forward and leaped like a tiger, wielding the dagger with both hands and cleaving Mount Hua with the force of a mountain splitting apart, his momentum like splitting mountains and seas:
"Drink"
Lu Zheng knew he was doomed when his first arrow missed, but as a Third Rank martial artist, he couldn't just train in archery without practicing close combat.
Moreover, he can draw the Dark Green Bow for a long time, and his arm circumference is quite terrifying, only slightly inferior to that of Zheng Laoda.
Seeing the approaching figure leap and slash, Lu Zheng didn't hesitate to discard the Dark Green Bow, pull it back, and draw his ring-pommel sword from his waist, his left hand smoothly bracing against the back of the blade. Clang!
Splash splash~~
The heavy blade slashed down, and the clash of metal exploded with a thunderous roar!
Two slippery grooves appeared under Lu Zheng's feet, and he staggered slightly, his hand split open and his eyes wide with astonishment.
Ye Xingge had already seen out of the corner of his eye that Ye Jianxing and his two companions were coming across the water. Having pushed their physical limits, they slashed at him and then thrust their blades forward, taking advantage of his unsteady footing to pierce his waist and abdomen. The result:
Bang!
The single blade pierced into the abdomen's dantian, shattering the green robe, but was blocked by the armor plates.
The armor plate was dented and shattered, the blade tip penetrated nearly half an inch, and the blade was firmly stuck.
However, the blade failed to pierce the armor; the blade itself, imbued with internal energy, struck the dantian like a barbed knuckle duster.
Lu Zheng's qi and blood were instantly blocked, and he felt a sharp pain in his waist and abdomen. He staggered backward, and his backhand slash swept across Ye Xingge's chest as Ye Xingge leaned back, leaving a clear cut on the yellow soft armor.
Sizzle~
After Ye Xingge the first strike, he noticed that his opponent was also armored. He immediately changed his strategy, and as his opponent staggered, he raised his sword and thrust it at the opponent's face from above, while simultaneously flicking his left hand downwards.
Whoosh~
Lu Zheng suffered a heavy blow to his dantian. Seeing the dagger coming, he immediately raised his sword to sweep it horizontally. As a result, a flying nail hit his right knee, penetrating more than an inch into the flesh, causing him to lose his balance and stagger to the ground.
And at that very moment...
Ye Xingge's thrusting sword was deflected, and he used the momentum to press down, raising his shoulders and back, and then unleashed a full-force horizontal slash with his single sword:
"Drink"
With a loud shout, a blood-red blade swept across the rain, passing right past his legs.
Before Lu Zheng could even fall, he was flipped sideways by the force of the blade, his legs leaving his body as he crashed to the ground.
After Ye Xingge's first strike, he did not immediately follow up with another. Instead, he leaped backward, rolled on the ground, grabbed the Dark Green Bow and the scattered arrows, and knelt on one knee as he flipped up. He drew the bow like a full moon, poured all his energy into the bow, and pointed the arrow at the river.
Tap tap tap...
Ye Jianxing, rushed to provide cover. He was only a dozen or so feet from the riverbank when he saw what was happening. Terrified, he immediately sank into the water. Splash!
The Black Stone Twin Fiends Duo followed closely behind, and upon seeing the arrow turn towards them, they secretly gasped as it slammed into the water, creating a spray of water. "Ah!"
Lu Zheng, having lost both legs, crashed to the ground with a piercing scream. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ye Xingge retreating to a distance to draw his bow and nock an arrow. He intended to throw his knife at Ye Xingge, but the knife barely rose before...
bang
The arrow, its energy fully charged, shot through the air and pierced Lu Zheng's face!
The force was so great that the head exploded on the spot, and the remaining force still penetrated more than two feet into the riverbed, creating a round crater.
Whoosh~
Ye Xingge simultaneously leaped backward, drew his Fate-Robbing Saber and bit it in his mouth, quickly pulled it back, and drew his bow again midway.
Clang clang clang~
Upon hearing the roar from the shore, the turbulent river surface exploded, and a cold iron grappling hook, like a ghostly claw emerging from the river, trailing a rope behind it, shot towards his location.
Ye Xingge simultaneously released the bowstring, and the arrow struck the grappling hook, exploding into blinding sparks.
Ding~
But three figures had already darted out of the river at the same time.
Ye Jianxing pushed his speed to the limit, while Zheng Lao'er retracted his grappling hook at full speed.
Seeing the Ye Xingge immediately threw out a Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, turned around and ran at full speed, picking up the Runnel-Leaping Tiger on the ground halfway...