Chapter 231 - 37: Courting Death

Chapter 231: Chapter 37: Courting Death

"Those hijacked merchant ships have something in common. The bodies of those killed on board were all thrown into the river... This act is a bit... unnecessary."

"Continue the investigation."

A sharp glint flashed in Huo Tong’s old eyes, so quick he didn’t even notice it himself. In that moment, his voice held a trace of excitement it didn’t have before.

...

「Two days later.」

Lin Mingye came to see Lin Yan again, his expression grim.

"Lin Yan, I told Uncle Shouzhi about this. He sent men to Broken Dragon Beach to demand an explanation from that Half Blind Huo. Half Blind Huo denied it, saying Huo Shen has been in the stockade the whole time and never left. He claims someone is framing them. However, Blind Huo did hand over a few men who took part in a river hijacking a while back."

Zhao Tong, who had led the way in, showed no change in expression. He had expected this.

Without real proof, the Lin Family had no motive to take drastic action.

The Water Bandit Alliance would hand over a few Water Bandits to give the Lin Family a way to save face, and the matter would be considered settled.

"Where are those men now?"

"At Gourd Mouth. Uncle Shouzhi is preparing to execute them to deter the other Water Bandits."

"Can you hand those men over to me to deal with?"

Lin Mingye was taken aback by Lin Yan’s words, but quickly replied, "That’s a small matter. I’ll have someone send the three of them over when I get back."

...

「Three days later.」

Zhao Tong entered Lin Yan’s courtyard, his face pale.

"What is it?"

"Huo Shen sent someone with three boxes."

Lin Yan looked up, waiting for Zhao Tong to continue.

"He said he was framed for the massacre on the merchant ships in the river territory. He’s thankful the Lin Family is perceptive and discerning enough to have cleared his name, so he sent a special gift for you, Young Master."

"What kind of gift?"

Zhao Tong found it hard to say. From his perspective, he didn’t want to report this at all; it would have been best to hide it.

But he remembered the immense pressure from Young Master Yan’s gaze on the merchant ship last time, when he discovered Zhao Tong had hidden things from him. He no longer dared to make such decisions on his own.

"A dead pig, a basket of rotten fish, and a net full of dead shrimp."

After forcing the words out, Zhao Tong braced himself for Lin Yan to fly into a rage.

He could guess why Huo Shen was being so arrogant. First, it was in Huo Shen’s wild nature. Second, it was said that Young Master Yan came from a branch of the Lin Family. Even though he was in the Blood Exchange Realm, his status in the clan was likely lower than Young Master Mingye’s, and he had no powerful backer.

As a disciple of a great family, his status was noble, true, but the competition was just as fierce.

Young Master Yan couldn’t possibly go crying to the clan over Huo Shen’s humiliation. It would only make him look incompetent.

"Throw them out."

However, to Zhao Tong’s surprise, Lin Yan’s expression was completely calm, without a trace of anger.

"Ah... yes, I’ll see to it right away."

Zhao Tong hurried away. Lin Yan stared out at the river’s surface. ’Someone... is getting impatient to die.’

「Two days later.」

「Broken Dragon Beach.」

The night was as black as ink. The Reed Marsh rustled in the river wind, as if whispering softly.

A figure drifted through the Reed Marsh like smoke, making almost no sound, not even startling the water birds.

A hundred zhang ahead, the faint glow of lights could be seen.

Lin Yan stopped. This Water Stockade was one of the Water Bandit Alliance’s strongholds.

He had asked Lin Mingye to send him the three Water Bandits not just to obtain some Martial Arts Fruits, but also to interrogate them for the locations of several Water Stockades at Broken Dragon Beach.

This was the outermost Water Stockade. According to the three, it housed about twenty Water Bandits. The Village Chief’s surname was Peng, and his nickname was "Water Monkey." He was a Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, whose strength ranked among the lowest of the dozen or so Bandit Leaders at Broken Dragon Beach.

The three men only knew the general location of the Water Stockade; they knew nothing about its hidden sentries, underwater traps, or other defenses. This was why that Alliance Leader Huo had dared to hand them over.

He wasn’t afraid of people knowing the stronghold’s location. Anyone below the True Gang Realm who entered was extremely vulnerable to an ambush.

For Lin Yan, however, such detailed information was unnecessary.

With his current Perception, he could clearly sense everything within a ten-zhang radius. Hiding underwater would be useless.

Lin Yan glided closer silently and soon perceived three hidden sentries around the Water Stockade. They were positioned to the east, north, and west. The southern side, which faced the interior of the stockade, had no guards.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The figure moved without a sound. Sword Gangs descended, and the three sentries fell. The sound was lost in the rustling of the reeds and the river wind, alerting no one.

After clearing the sentries, Lin Yan snuck onto the boats that were tied together and eliminated the Water Bandits resting inside.

Finally, his gaze fell upon a large, modified boat at the very center of the Water Stockade.

Inside the cabin, the lamps were brightly lit. Seven or eight Water Bandits were gathered around a low table, gambling. Piles of silver fragments were stacked on the table. Some who were losing cursed under their breath, while those who were winning cheered loudly.

At the head of the table sat a lean, middle-aged man, toying with a pair of dice in his right hand. At his feet, a disheveled woman trembled as she poured wine from a flagon into a bowl, preparing to hand it to him.

However, when the woman looked up and saw the man’s face, her own turned deathly pale in an instant, and the bowl slipped from her hands, clattering to the floor.

"AH!"

The woman let out a terrified shriek!

The Water Bandits who were still gambling heard the cry. Just as they started to react, a figure appeared at the cabin entrance.

Three Sword Gangs erupted inside the cabin, the light of the blades cascading like a waterfall, enveloping the entire low table.

The Water Bandits looked bewildered. Before they could even understand what was happening, they collapsed to the ground.

The stench of spilled wine and blood began to fill the cabin. The woman who had cried out in fear finally came to her senses.