Chapter 1227 - 318: Suzhou Locked in Snow, Schemes Startle the Jianghu (Part 3)

"Shut up!" Wu Zhong shook off her hand, his eyes filled with viciousness, "If we don’t achieve military merit, how can we establish ourselves in the Imperial Court?" Although saying this, his heart was also filled with unease, but he was unwilling to show it in front of others.

And a hundred miles away at Piaomiao Peak, sunlight pierced through the clouds, turning the mist wrapping the mountain into wisps of white smoke.

Liao Pei stood at the edge of the broken rock with an iron crutch, the mottled staff still stained with the blood of the Jinyi Guard from the previous day.

He looked at the bodies strewn across the mountain path, a surge of pride welling up in his heart. "These old bones have followed Grand Squad Leader Shi traversing the Jianghu for over a decade, with more than a thousand scars on my body. Do these imperial dogs even deserve to compete with us?" He laughed out loud, his laughter filled with disdain for the enemy.

Lie Quan thrust the Heaven and Earth Saber into a heap of snow, blood beads that had coagulated on its blade fell off in a stream.

He took a hearty swig from the wine gourd on his waist, the spicy aroma mixed with white mist spewing out, "The little hardship they suffered was merely an appetizer! Back in the day when we fought bandits in Liaodong, weren’t we all risking our lives?"

Their laughter echoed through the valleys, and three thousand disciples of the Heroic Sakura Association shouted in unison, the sound startling a flock of cold crows in the forest which flew across the clear sky.

A north wind whipped crushed ice against the boat’s side, three hundred Death Warriors crowded into the hold, the clattering of their iron armor mixed with heavy breathing formed an oppressive tension in the cold air. The Jianghu structure of the Jiangnan Water Village has always been turbulent, with various gangs and sects intertwined.

As a rising star, the Heroic Sakura Association built its reputation on "chivalry", gathering heroes from all over the world in just a few years, with sub-bases throughout the north and south of the river.

Its headquarters was set at Taihu Piaomiao Peak, easy to defend and hard to attack, while the Jiangnan Cao Bang, as an important branch of the Heroic Sakura Association, controlled the major grain transport route in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, countless merchant ships came and went, earning gold every day, being a crucial financial source for the Heroic Sakura Association’s foothold in the Jianghu.

The Sea Sand Gang, on the other hand, was an established force entrenched on the southeast coast with a hundred-year heritage. Its members were skilled in sea combat, proficient in the arts of naval warfare with a fleet of a thousand ships under their command, equipped to the teeth. Every disciple in the gang was an expert swimmer, adept at using various exotic weapons.

Huang Haitian, the Young Master of the Sea Sand Gang, practiced martial arts from a young age, with extraordinary talent, mastering the ancestral "Wave-breaking Halberd Technique", mightily renowned in the Jianghu. The Sea Sand Gang has always maintained a delicate relationship with the Imperial Court, neither actively provoking nor allowing excessive interference, standing firm in the Jianghu with its formidable strength. The Jinyi Guard, as the imperial dogs, acted ruthlessly with sinister means, specializing in eliminating dissidents for the Imperial Court.

As the Commander of the Jinyi Guard, Lu Bing had a deep mind and ruthless methods, determined to bring Jianghu forces under the control of the Imperial Court, and the encirclement of the Heroic Sakura Association this time was a meticulously planned operation to seek credit from the court.

A north wind whipped crushed ice against the boat’s side, Wu Zhong stood at the bow, looking towards the surging dark clouds in the direction of the Tiger Cave Sword Pool, an inexplicable chill rising in his heart. Beside him, Xiao Lingling clutched his clothes corner, her voice trembling, "Husband, I always feel this trip..."

"Silence!" Xiang Yushan sneered, his iron palm heavily striking the mast, wood chips flying everywhere, "If you dare to shake the army’s morale again, I’ll take your head first!" His gaze swept past Wu Zhong, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his lips, "Didn’t Mr. Wu say that the Tiger Cave Sword Pool is poorly guarded? Hopefully, you don’t disappoint Lord Lu later." Miao Menlong lowered his head, wiping his bow and arrow, cold sweat sliding down into his collar. Shan Zhi gripped the plum blossom darts at his waist, his knuckles turning white from exertion.

As the boat moved half a mile from the shore, Lv Yuan suddenly raised his hand, "Hold on!" Everyone followed his gaze and saw that the originally apricot yellow banner with the words "Heroic Sakura" on the shore had unknowingly been replaced by a glaring bright yellow, with the words "Sea Sand" flapping in the wind.

The reeds on the shore stood over two people tall, the withered reed leaves rustled in the wind, concealing the murderous intent underneath. Five thousand Black Armored Warriors had been lurking there for three whole days, with thick animal skins underneath them to insulate against the cold from the ground and to prevent making noise.

The warriors wore full-face iron helmets, the terrifying beast heads on their faceplates spewing scarlet tassels, their bodies clad in finely forged fish scale armor that glinted coldly under the moonlight, each plate meticulously polished, with almost no visible gaps at the joints.

The Sea Sand Gang was renowned for crafting exquisite armor, and these fish scale armors were the work of the top craftsmen in the gang, providing extremely high protection.

They had long and short weapons hanging from their waists, each weapon in their hands glinting with cold light.

The Sea Sand Gang excelled in sea battles, and the weapons they used were mostly naval combat tools.

Some held eight-foot long snake spears, with spear tips quenched in a dark blue poison, spear shafts wrapped with non-slip coarse hemp. These were commonly used in hookship combat by the Sea Sand Gang; others carried Mountain-Cracking Giant Axes, with broad and sharp axe blades full of serrations, axe handles adorned with scarlet cloth strips, gently swaying with the breeze, such giant axes had immense power in shipboarding battles; some wielded Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sabers, blades engraved with complex blood grooves, backs adorned with sharp reverse spikes, lethal in close combat.

Each weapon was telling of its deadly power.

The warriors held their breath, maintaining a motionless stance, even controlling their breathing to be extremely light.

Beneath their feet were buried caltrops, with tripwires set around them, ready to launch an attack the moment the enemy approached.

Between the gaps of the reeds lay dozens of powerful crossbows, arrows coated with a throat-sealing poison, the mechanisms piled with spare arrows, ready at any moment to deliver a fatal strike to the enemy. These powerful crossbows were the "Wave-Breaking Crossbows" developed by the Sea Sand Gang over the years, with a very long range and impressive power.