novelraw Chapter 143: The Snakes in the Water
Chapter 143: The Snakes in the Water
After Lin Xun advanced to a First-Rank Martial Artist, his confidence rose considerably.
As soon as the Yulong Gang secured Rongcheng County, he immediately expressed to Gang Leader Yang Feiyue his willingness to assume the position of hall master of Rongcheng County.
Yang Feiyue did not agree at once.
Lin Xun was greatly surprised. He soon learned that not only he, but Qin Ming was also competing for the same position. He felt deeply disappointed and dejected.
He had originally prepared himself to give up the competition for the Rongcheng County dock hall master position.
Su Wangchuan’s call instantly rekindled his hope.
Serving concurrently as helm leader was not bad either.
At the very least, he could first gain some benefits.
After accumulating sufficient experience, holding a hall in his own right would not be a bad outcome either.
That very evening, Lin Xun sought out Yang Feiyue and stated that he was willing to serve concurrently as the helm leader of Rongcheng County.Yang Feiyue was delighted.
The pairing of Qin Ming and Lin Xun worked harmoniously. They formally led a team into Rongcheng County to clean up the mess left behind by the Green Bamboo Gang.
Everyone was satisfied.
…
Thud!
Thud, thud!
Thud, thud, thud!
At the Huishui County hall’s training grounds, the sounds of practice rose and fell in waves.
More than thirty inner disciples of the Yulong Gang were training in 《Archery》 under Zhao Heiniu’s guidance.
The people from the Five Poison Sect had not appeared. With little else to do, Zhao Heiniu simply accepted the position of instructor from Su Wangchuan, specializing in guiding the inner disciples in cultivating 《Archery》 and 《Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar》.
In just a few short days, a portion of them had already mastered 《Archery》 and reached the entry level. Whenever they went out on missions, they could shoot fish along the way, gaining Experience Value and advancing their realms.
Those without missions remained behind and continued training with Captain Zhao Heiniu.
After taking in seven or eight Quasi-Martial Artists from the Warring States Game Studio, their numbers had now surpassed one hundred and ten. Guarding ships and cultivating proceeded without conflict.
One hundred and ten Quasi-Martial Artists constituted a considerable armed force.
Since most inner disciples were simultaneously cultivating 《Archery》, arrow consumption was enormous.
The Weapon Room worked overtime every day, constantly forging arrows.
Under Su Wangchuan’s instruction, Qian Sihai continued to produce Hundredfold Steel sabers and Hundredfold Steel longswords.
Su Wangchuan’s goal was to ensure that within two months, every brother in the hall would be equipped with Hundredfold Steel weapons. When facing the Five Poison Sect in the future, they would possess a greater foundation of strength.
Just as everything was progressing steadily…
Another incident occurred at the pass between Rongcheng County and the water stronghold.
Because six large cargo ships had all collided and sunk, the river channel had become blocked. After the Green Bamboo Gang issue in Rongcheng County was resolved, the Yulong Gang focused its efforts on clearing the sunken ships and salvaging the goods at the riverbed to recover as much of the loss as possible.
However—
As everyone was energetically diving and salvaging, a sudden change erupted in the river!
An inner disciple had just surfaced from the riverbed when he felt something bite his arm. Turning his head, he saw a green-patterned creature writhing on the water’s surface. Terrified out of his wits, he screamed:
“Ah!”
“A snake!”
“There’s a snake!!”
The commotion immediately drew laughter from nearby inner disciples.
“Hahaha…”
“It’s normal for there to be snakes in the water.”
“Old Chen, honestly.”
“You’re a full-grown man, and you’re scared senseless by a tiny water snake.”
“Hahaha…”
In the water, many of them laughed so hard they nearly doubled over.
A forty-something inner disciple nearby, who had caught snakes for years, reacted swiftly. With a quick motion, he seized the snake by the vital spot behind its head. The snake immediately coiled around his arm.
The moment he saw its triangular head, his expression changed drastically.
“A venomous snake!”
“This snake is poisonous!”
“Old Chen, get to shore! Old Chen!” As he turned to shout the warning, he saw that Old Chen, who had been bitten, had already turned pale and was slowly sinking into the water. The wound on his arm had begun to darken into a bluish-black hue.
Everyone’s expressions changed at once.
“Damn it!”
“A venomous snake? Old Chen, you’re truly unlucky.” Someone immediately swam toward him to rescue him.
But at that very moment, more screams rang out.
“Snakes!!”
“There are snakes over here too!”
“Ah!! So many! So many snakes!!”
“Get to shore!!”
A disciple standing on the bank stared at the river with a deathly pale face.
Hundreds of venomous snakes in all kinds of colors had emerged from nowhere, chasing down the Yulong Gang disciples in the river.
More than a dozen inner disciples had already been bitten and were struggling desperately.
The rest swam toward shore as if their backs were on fire, fighting for their lives.
Even several fast boats on the river had venomous snakes crawling aboard. The boatmen frantically struck at them with poles, but as more and more snakes boarded, they were forced to leap into the water and abandon the boats to escape.
When He Haisheng and Qin Ming rushed over upon hearing the news, they were shaken to the core by the scene before them.
Dozens of corpses floated in the river, devoid of life.
All the bodies were swollen and pale from soaking. Parts of them had turned bluish-purple, and it was impossible to tell whether they had drowned or died from venom.
On the shore, more than thirty survivors huddled together. Inner disciples holding sabers and swords formed a defensive circle. Scattered around them were chunks of venomous snake corpses, and the stench was nauseating.
Among the crowd, more than a dozen had already succumbed to the poison.
“Save the injured!”
At He Haisheng’s command, he led a team forward.
Most of the venomous snakes were already dead, but the Yulong Gang had clearly suffered a devastating blow.
By the time Yang Feiyue arrived with reinforcements, more than forty corpses had been retrieved from the river.
Seventeen more lay dead on the shore.
A total of sixty-two inner disciples from the water stronghold hall were covered with white cloth.
When the details were reported to Yang Feiyue, this gray-templed waterborne warlord erupted with fury. Flames seemed to blaze in his eyes. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth, enunciating each word:
“What a Five Poison Sect!”
“They dare to strike so viciously at my Yulong Gang!”
“Do they truly think my Yulong Gang is easy to bully?!”
He Haisheng cupped his fists and said:
“Gang Leader! According to news from the Prefectural Government, a branch helm of the Five Poison Sect seems to be hidden in the mountains behind Blackwind Stronghold. Blackwind Stronghold was merely their piece placed in the open. This attack on us may be in retaliation for our destruction of Blackwind Stronghold.”
Yang Feiyue narrowed his eyes, his anger undiminished.
“Blackwind Stronghold was destroyed by its own doing! The Five Poison Sect declared war without notice. My Yulong Gang is not to be trifled with! From this moment on, spread the word—no one is to do business with the Five Poison Sect. If their people board our ships, bore holes in the hull and drown them!”
“Hmph!”
“Without their venomous insects and snakes, those Five Poison Sect people are not much stronger than ordinary Martial Artists.”
“Gather intelligence. Find out how the Five Poison Sect sustains itself. I will cut off their provisions! If they cannot descend from the mountains, then let them grow old and die up there!”
“Send word to Wangchuan and have him contact the yamen immediately! Those officials must know how many of the Five Poison Sect’s informants are in Huishui County.”
Yang Feiyue was truly enraged.
He had only just wiped out the Green Bamboo Gang, without even a moment to catch his breath, when the Five Poison Sect appeared to strike while they were down.
Everyone treated the Yulong Gang as a soft persimmon to squeeze.
A man can endure only so much. Beyond that, he cannot endure at all.
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