After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 108: Chapter 109: Striking Early

Everyone was stunned.

It happened so fast that no one got a clear look at who it was.

A few villagers who had been casually watching the fun straightened up and whispered amongst themselves, "Could that be Boss Lui?"

The surface of the water quickly returned to calm.

Hee Yue couldn’t help but ask a villager, "Is this kind of thing normal?"

"It’s fine," the villager replied. "Boss Lui is an excellent swimmer. He’ll be back up in a moment."

Hee Yue grasped the key point.

’There’s something strange in the lake. Anyone would be astonished, yet the villagers only mention Boss Lui’s skill as a swimmer. That means they don’t believe the strange phenomenon in the lake poses any threat to him.’

Thinking of this, he turned his head and said to Zeng Feixiong in a low voice, "Get ready to move!"

Zeng Feixiong was startled. "Now?"

"No time like the present!" The young man was exceptionally resolute. "He didn’t take his long saber into the water, we’re surrounded by our own men, and there are only four or five bandits. This is the perfect opportunity to capture him in one fell swoop!"

Zeng Feixiong’s gaze swept across the scene, and he realized the situation was exactly as Hee Yue had described.

Normally, Boss Lui had a dozen or so followers with him at all times. This village had become his home turf, a place he could come and go as he pleased. By the time the government soldiers were fully prepared for an encirclement, they might not even know where to find him.

Right now, he was in the water, unarmed. The underlings on the shore looked like a bunch of rookies, with barely a couple of competent fighters among them.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that would be gone in a flash.

Zeng Feixiong nodded.

Just then, the soldiers who had gone into the water earlier had already climbed out and were getting dressed. Some still wanted to goof off and catch fish, but Zeng Feixiong scolded them, "All of you, stand properly! What is this mess!" As he spoke, he made a hand signal.

Fuzzy Peach froze when he saw it. It was the universal signal used by Sand Bandits: "Prepare to attack." Zeng Feixiong had traveled the Red Cliff Trade Road for years and defeated countless bandits, so he was also well-versed in their secret codes.

Naturally, he had introduced this system to the troops under his command.

So, when the soldiers saw the signal, they were first startled and stopped their fooling around, then silently tightened their belts.

Their weapons were tucked into their belts.

With a loud SPLASH, a man and a giant fish surfaced at the same time.

The man was, of course, Boss Lui. He had a hand on the huge fish and shouted to the shore, "Hey, get down here and help!"

The fish was a staggering nine chi (three meters) long and dark green. Its body was as thick as a Door Panel, and the whiskers by its mouth were incredibly long.

This absolute behemoth was motionless in the water, being pushed along by Boss Lui, yet Hee Yue couldn’t see any wounds on its body.

Zeng Feixiong gave a signal with his eyes, and all the soldiers jumped in after him, shouting, "We’re coming, we’re coming."

The few villagers also scrambled into the water. A dozen or so people surrounded the great fish and worked together, trying to lift it onto the shore. The bigger the fish, the tastier the meat. A fish this size would be exquisite whether stewed, pan-fried, deep-fried, or roasted.

Zeng Feixiong jumped into the water and immediately secured a good position next to Boss Lui. He had just tried to hoist it with his shoulder when he slipped. "Ouch! These scales are sharp!"

On a nine-chi-long fish, the scales were thick and hard, yet their edges were sharp and thin. You could probably use one as a plane if you pulled it off.

At this moment, Zeng Feixiong was facing Boss Lui directly. As he pretended to turn back to his original position, he smoothly drew a short spike from behind his back with his right hand and thrust it straight at the man’s ribs!

Everyone was using both hands to hold up the fish, and Boss Lui was no exception, leaving the opening under his ribs completely exposed.

The spike was only a chi and three cun long, but if this strike landed solidly and deeply, it could rupture Boss Lui’s spleen and then puncture his lung.

Once the spleen ruptures and bleeds, a person can easily fall into a coma. And with a punctured lung, they would lose all their strength.

Zeng Feixiong’s move was exceptionally vicious and cunning.

Just as the tip of the spike was about to touch him, Boss Lui’s left hand suddenly shot down and grabbed his wrist, followed by a punch aimed straight at Zeng Feixiong’s face.

’This guy’s reactions are too fast!’

Zeng Feixiong blocked Boss Lui’s punch. Both men were incredibly strong, and they were locked in a stalemate for a few breaths. Seeing that something was wrong, their respective subordinates grabbed their weapons and started fighting.

The scene instantly descended into utter chaos.

Watching from the shore, Hee Yue silently leaped into the water, pulled a short dagger from his boot, and went after Boss Lui’s back.

A bandit rushed to intercept him. Hee Yue dodged the first attempt, but the man grabbed the corner of his clothes, yanked him back, and landed a punch on his eye socket. An intense pain shot through him.

Fuzzy Peach, risking a blow to his own back, yanked him away. "Second Young Master, get back on shore!" Having him here would only distract everyone!

At that moment, Hee Chunhua arrived with his wife, having heard the commotion. The Personal Guard Corps rushed in from all directions.

Likewise, the bandits disguised as villagers dropped their pretenses, pulled out hidden weapons from various corners, and charged forward with loud shouts.

Fighting erupted both in the water and on land.

Boss Lui was already engaged with Zeng Feixiong. He was bare-fisted against a long saber, and despite being in the water, he fought with increasing ferocity. His fists, as large as clay pots, suddenly hardened like Vajra Rock. When Zeng Feixiong’s long saber struck them, it produced a long trail of sparks with a CLANG.

Zeng Feixiong took a closer look and saw that the surface of his enemy’s skin had become fish-like scales, even shimmering with a metallic luster. In the space of just two breaths, this transformation had covered both of Boss Lui’s forearms.

’To think that his bare hands could become weapons themselves.’

Boss Lui let out a roar as a faint black light emanated from his body, and he threw several heavy punches in quick succession. BANG! BANG! BANG!

Zeng Feixiong knew this was not the time for a direct confrontation and could only use his saber to block. He felt as if he were facing a humanoid Violent Bear. On the fourth blow, with a loud CRACK, his saber broke.

Fortunately, two Personal Guards rushed forward to block Boss Lui’s final strike for him.

One was struck and sent sinking to the bottom on the spot. The other was knocked flying out of the side pool and into the main lake.

"Stop!" Boss Lui roared. "Everyone, stop! We don’t want to fight!"

Hee Chunhua had already taken out the Society Command and was about to use it. Hearing this, he paused. "Can the words of a bandit be trusted?"

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. Would I have treated you to a night of good food and drink?" Boss Lui said quickly. "You’re just passing through, and we need to head south. How about we coexist peacefully for one night and go our separate ways tomorrow morning?"

His own side didn’t want to fight either, so this was a perfect excuse to de-escalate. Hee Chunhua quickly assessed the battlefield in his mind. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded. "Fine, a truce! Everyone, put away your weapons!"

Hee Yue retreated to his side, his face grim, not saying a word.

Both father and son understood the situation clearly. Although their side had superior numbers and the boon of the Society Command, they held no overwhelming advantage against this band of bandits. Boss Lui’s ferocity, in particular, was completely unexpected.

Even if the soldiers could eventually win, their losses would be immense. This Personal Guard Corps was the foundation of Hee Chunhua’s power as he headed north; losing even one of them on a normal day was a painful blow. How could he let them be wasted here so carelessly?

The ambush was a failure. Since both sides had reasons not to fight to the death, it was best to end this quickly.

With both leaders having spoken, their subordinates stood down. After spitting in each other’s direction, they returned to their respective camps to tend to their wounds.