Chapter 71 - Water Bandits
“Water bandits,” Li Huowang instantly recognized their identity.
This was a trap! They had gathered everyone in one place with the intention to rob them!
“Hoh, looks like they are all simple people,” Li Huowang mumbled as he observed them. He realized that not only were there young men among the bandits, but also elderly, women, and children. It was apparent that it was a family business.
Siu~
An arrow shot over and landed on the wooden boat, causing the rest of the passengers to start panicking.
“Everyone, throw all your belongings and jewelry toward us, and we will spare you. We are all good people who rob the rich and help the poor, so you have our word that we will not harm you. But if you dare to hide even a single coin, hehe~ We will let you choose whether you want to eat some sliced noodles or dumpling soup,” shouted the captain.
Hearing his threat, the passengers became even more panicked and started moving; many of them threw their belongings into the water.
They might have been able to escape if they had encountered bandits on land, but now that they were in the middle of a lake, there was nothing they could do. Even if they were to jump into the water, they would not be able to outswim them.
Li Huowang stared at the boats that surrounded them and stepped forward before addressing the captain, “My friend, just take us all to the shore, and I will pretend nothing had happened here.”
The captain furrowed his brows as he re-evaluated Li Huowang. Then, he spoke with a haughty attitude, “Shoulders together, throw me a vine?[1]”
“Speak properly and take us to the shore,” said Li Huowang, his irritation growing.
“Ai! Look! To think he’s just some amateur! He probably hasn't even grown hair down there! Hahaha!” laughed the captain.
“Hahaha!” The other bandits joined in as well.
“Brat, do you think you are some hot shit just because you are a Taoist? I’ve killed many of your kind before! Let me tell you something: this lake is the territory of my Yuan family. If you are a dragon, then make sure you are prepared to kneel here! If you are a tiger, then make sure you are prepared to sit! Even if the Heavenly Sovereign were to come here, he too would have to pay us a fee!” said the captain.
Meanwhile, the rest of the bandits clapped and whistled loudly, applauding the captain for his words. Some of them were already discussing how to distribute the riches they would get.
“Dad! I want that white-haired lady as my bride! She looks so pretty!” said one of the young bandits.
“Oh Heavens no! You can play with her, but you cannot marry her. I don’t want my grandchildren to end up looking like her,” said one of the slightly older bandits.
“Then, you can play with her first. After you are done, you can give her to me,” replied the young bandit.
“Hahaha! My son is quite filial!” chuckled the older bandit.
Ding ding ding!~
At that moment, the piercing sound of a bell caused the water around them to ripple strongly.
Li Huowang's eyes were filled with killing intent as he grabbed a fistful of dirt and stuffed it into his mouth before shouting out his orders in a fit of rage.
In response, a Wandering God materialized and swiftly attacked the water bandits on their boat.
Faced with this mysterious entity, the water bandits used their arrows and blades to attack it to no avail. Anyone pierced by the Wandering God was instantly killed as they fell into the water.
In just a short moment, tens of corpses were floating on the surface of the lake.
At that moment, the water bandits finally realized that they had encountered a tough opponent. They decided to dive into the water to escape.
“Senior Li! Water is starting to fill the boat! They are drilling the base of the boat!” shouted one of the assistants.
Hearing this, Li Huowang used his finger to signal the Wandering God, commanding it to dive into the water.
Soon, a few half-naked men floated upward. They were already dead.
Thanks to the distraction, the other water bandits managed to escape, abandoning their boats and the corpses floating on the surface of the lake.
The water bandits were gone, but it was not the end of their troubles.
“Quickly bail the water out! Use your clothes to block the holes!” Li Huowang instructed everyone.
They were in the middle of the lake. If the boat happened to sink, then not even the Wandering God would be able to save them.
After some time, they finally managed to block all of the holes.
Li Huowang was just about to relax when Bai Lingmiao tugged at his sleeves before pointing toward the reeds.
Beneath the red light of the setting sun, many more boats had appeared among the field of reeds. When those on the boats saw the bodies floating on the surface of the water, they began crying, their eyes turning red.
An old hunchbacked man with a white beard was being supported by the captain as they stood at the front. Soon, his trembling but ancient voice spread out across the lake, “Senior! You just took the lives of tens of Yuan family members. If you had just told us your great name, we would not have dared to stop you. Or were you just displeased today and wanted to kill someone?”
Li Huowang didn’t bother paying attention to him. He turned around and asked if anyone from their group could swim; they had to fetch the bamboo pole that was floating further away. After all, they still needed to sail the boat. It was not practical to stop the boat in the middle of the water, especially when it was almost night.
Meanwhile, the old man continued in a voice filled with sadness and anger, “Since it has already come to this, it’s useless to talk anymore. While our lives can be considered cheap and worthless, you won’t be able to leave easily, especially not after killing so many of us!”
The old man’s threat immediately caught Li Huowang’s attention. But the gradually darkening sky made it hard for him to see anything properly.
“Which one of you has good eyesight? Help me see what the fuck they are doing,” ordered Li Huowang. He didn’t dare let his guard down in this damned place and wanted to be cautious.
Just then, the one-armed guy squinted his eyes to see what was happening. After a while, he told them what he saw. “They are... kneeling, almost as if they are praying to something. Looks like it's pretty serious since they are using a pig, a cow, and a goat as sacrifices. Aiya! Heavens above! That old man just threw two babies into the water!”
Hearing that, Li Huowang immediately realized that they were in danger and shook the bell. Regardless of what the water bandits were planning, it would definitely not be something good for Li Huowang’s group—he couldn’t care about losing three months of his lifespan at this moment.
Following Li Huowang’s command, the Wandering God quickly flew toward the water bandits but returned halfway back. Just as it was returning, Li Huowang felt the entire boat shake violently as the wood started creaking dangerously.
“Something is in the water!” exclaimed Li Huowang.
Boom!
A large explosion rang out as a great force launched the entire boat into the air before crashing down onto the lake.
The boat was quite old and couldn’t withstand the impact of the landing, causing it to break.
Li Huowang fell into the lake, the cold water around him immediately causing him to tense up as he opened his eyes wide.
Within the dark and muddy waters, something was moving, wriggling around.
Sua!
At that moment, seven eyes opened right in front of Li Huowang, reflecting different colors of light as they constantly changed their form.
1. Jianghu Codeword: Shoulders together = Are you a friend? Throw me a vine = What's your surname. ?
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