The chaotic and noisy footsteps also confused the hearts of the people, thudding against the wooden deck and causing the wooden boat to rock even more violently.
"Thump~!"
It was as if a heavy object had been thrown into the water.
Shouts and curses came from the starboard side!
Twenty li west of Tanshui toward the dock, one could see Hengyang city shrouded in colorful mist, stirred by a flock of birds that suddenly took flight with fish and shrimp caught from the lake.
Three zhang away, two wooden boats of similar size blocked the path of the Zhao Family's fishing boat. They sailed from the left and right, their hulls slightly lower than the fishing boat. A burly man on one boat continuously threw sandbags into the water, raising the boat's waterline until it was level with the fishing boat.
Another crew member pulled the ropes and raised a flag embroidered with a "Black Conch," fluttering gallantly in the lake wind.
"It's Hai Sha Gang!"
Zhao's face changed drastically, then he quickly calmed down and shouted for the crew to arm themselves.
There were no swords or blades, but there were plenty of fish spears.
Clang clang, whoosh whoosh, a jumble of noises. There were nineteen people on the fishing boat, men and women alike, all with panic in their hearts, but their hands tightly gripped the fish spears.
Blue catfish jumped onto the deck, but now they could not be bothered.
"Quite courageous."
"Knowing that it's our grandfathers from Hai Sha Gang, you still don't lay down your weapons and beg for mercy, daring to resist? Do you have a death wish?"
The two boats approached head-on; one had seven or eight people and the other about ten, all dressed like Jianghu people, some carrying swords and some leaning on blades, their mocking gaze freely scanning over the people on the fishing boat.
The numbers were more or less even.
But each member of Hai Sha Gang had lived by the blade and seen human blood. Some even had martial skills, a match the fishermen could not stand against.
Calamity loomed imminent.
Taking the lead, a scar-faced man with a fierce gaze stared at the row of fish spears opposite him. He was wary, but his expression did not change as he stepped forward with his blade, feigning a jump onto the fishing boat.
As he expected, the fishermen were scared and retreated as a group.
The scar-faced man was pleased with his own ferocity.
"Hahaha!"
The gang members laughed heartily, their eyes on their prey, relishing the sight of their fear.
In the vicinity of Hengyang, Hai Sha Gang and Red Wolf Gang were the largest among the many gang forces.
Unlike the Red Wolf Gang, which resided within the city and was relatively restrained, Hai Sha Gang was stationed on Sha Corner Island to the east of Tanshui, taking advantage of the convenient water and land routes to rob passing merchants, which was hardly surprising.
Hengzhou Prefecture once sent three official boats to capture them, but the proficient swimmers of Hai Sha Gang drilled holes in the bottoms of the boats, killing hundreds of officials. The prefecture reported it to the court, but the imperial attention was focused on the rebellious Japanese, leaving no time to deal with them.
Hai Sha Gang grew more arrogant and absorbed a group of Jianghu elites.
The local prefectural and county officials, fearing for their families, dreaded their ferocity and dared not interfere much.
They usually plundered merchant ships and normally ignored fishing boats.
How much loot could a bunch of poor fishermen gather?
But today, who knows which disaster had led the Zhao Family's dilapidated fishing boat to be targeted by this menacing gang.
The scar-faced man sneered, "I am Gao Daqiang, Hall Master of the Purple Wood Hall of Hai Sha Gang. I'm giving you one more chance, put down your weapons, or else…"
"We'll kill all of you!"
The men and women on the fishing boat felt a chill down their spines upon hearing this and began to tremble, barely able to hold onto their fish spears any longer.
If they hadn't been warned beforehand, they would have surrendered by now with their usual temperaments.
Zhao stroked his beard to muster courage and stepped forward.
"Zhang San took his boat out with over a dozen family members a week ago and hasn't returned since. Only the helpless elderly and children are left at home. If we lay down our weapons, our fate will be the same as theirs."
"Tui~!"
He spat out a thick gob of phlegm, "Let them come at us, if we die today, so be it. Our lives are cheap, even if we take one or two of them down, it's a profit. Don't let them say that the people of Zhao Family Fort are cowards!"
"That's right!"
"Let's fight them!"
"Come on over, damn it, I'll stab your balls!"
Zhao Musheng, wearing dark linen pants and skinny in stature, who had been teased earlier by Zhao Rong, now gritted his teeth with fierce determination.
On the Hai Sha Gang's side, they continued with their cursing and swords being drawn.
But none took the first step to jump over.
A longer weapon holds the advantage—being stabbed by several fish spears would turn them into a mess, and they'd end up feeding the fish in Tanshui. They needed someone to push forward and make space for the others to join the attack.
The most skilled in martial arts was Gao Daqiang, the Hall Master!
"Seeking death!"
The scar-faced man, overwhelmed with anger and not one to act rationally, took a step back to leap forward, ignoring the risks. He focused fiercely on the provocative Zhao, "Old man, I'll kill you first!"
He thought it would scare the others off, but he didn't realize how much authority this old man had.
The people on the fishing boat rallied together to protect him.
The deck was so crowded, and everyone was anxious and afraid, the formation instantly became chaotic.
Gao Daqiang, experienced in combat, seized the opportunity and leaped onto the fishing boat with a powerful step. He dodged to the side, swept his leg, and knocked the fish spear out of the leading Zhao Musheng's hand.
Blood spurted from the wounded hand, and Zhao Musheng screamed miserably.
"Hmph!"
Gao Daqiang sneered, slashing his blade toward his neck with a force stronger than that of an executioner, aiming to sever his head!
In a split second,
a figure in blue flashed through the crowd with a sword raised to block the downward slash.
The clash of metal rang out sharp and clear!
It was only a slight movement downward, slicing off a few strands of Zhao Musheng's beard, but he firmly blocked his forceful attack with a horizontal sword!
This...
It is extremely tricky!
Gao Daqiang was startled, unable to closely observe the man's face, but saw the figure in green withdrawing one hand, holding it across his chest, rapidly folding and unfolding, seemingly operating his inner strength.
Engaging in a contest of inner strength right from the start, he clearly had absolute confidence in his own abilities!
Not good!
The lake wind seemed to explode next to his ears, Gao Daqiang's eyes bulged, and he belatedly gathered all his inner strength in a desperate attempt to meet the incoming palm strike.
"Pop~!!"
Like the sound of ripping silk, their palms met, and Zhao Rong stepped back three steps.
Gao Daqiang was sent staggering and flipping over but, thanks to his extensive experience, he performed a roll and deftly flipped back onboard the Hai Sha Gang's boat like a nimble pigeon.
Zhao Rong was inwardly shocked.
"This man's movements are so agile, if we were to fight in an open area, I definitely wouldn't be his match," he thought.
Little did he know, Gao Daqiang was even more surprised inside.
At this moment, he stood leaning on his sword at the bow of the boat, coldly facing Zhao Rong without uttering a word.
"Hall Master!"
The surrounding people yelled out, and Gao Daqiang seemingly casually waved his hand.
Noticing something amiss, a bald man next to him shouted in the direction of Zhao Rong: "And who might you be?"
Zhao Rong stood with his sword, his demeanor brimming with vigor.
"I am Bao Datong, disciple of Mo Da from the Hengshan Sect. Just so you know, the fish on this boat are meant for the Hengshan Sect. Does Hai Sha Gang also intend to plunder?"
He then counter questioned the speaking bald man:
"If you wish to fight, I can signal my sect immediately. Even if Hai Sha Gang has a fierce reputation, you won't gain any advantage today."
Upon hearing Zhao Rong's threatening words.
The Hai Sha Gang members were slightly surprised, realizing he was a disciple of Mo Da, the Sect Leader of the Hengshan Sect!
They hesitated for a moment.
They did not take it as a lie, considering Gao had exchanged a couple of moves with him and clearly did not have the upper hand.
Gao Daqiang and the bald man exchanged glances, the bald man's face turning gloomy with a heavy hint, while Gao Daqiang shook his head.
The bald man was initially puzzled, but then put on a smiling face:
"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
"So it's a distinguished disciple of the Hengshan Sect, no wonder his skills are exceptional."
"We were blind, we will take our leave now!"
"..."
Zhao Rong snorted, sheathed his sword, clearly not wanting to provoke further issues.
When the boats parted ways to the east and the west, streaks of fresh blood trickled from the corner of Zhao Rong's mouth, indicating he had suffered a light internal injury.
"Rong, how are you feeling!"
The people from Zhao Family Fort all looked at him with concern.
"I'm not seriously hurt."
"Grandfather, quickly have Musheng and the others steer the boat to the dock. The wind is favorable now, the bandits' boat is light, I worry they might come back."
"That person is formidable, I only managed to scare him off with a sneak attack earlier. If a real fight breaks out, I'm no match for him."
"..."
Zhao hurriedly told him to rest and urged everyone to row the boat together.
They had just walked through the gates of hell; if not for Zhao Rong's courage and cunning, they might have ended up like Zhang San and his boat crew.
...
Meanwhile, on the Hai Sha Gang's boat.
The bald man, looking puzzled, said: "Hall Master, why not kill that young man?"
"Though he had some skills, he was alone. What if he is a disciple of Mo Da?"
"Just now, seeing you pondering, did the Gang Leader have other instructions, or has there been a change in the gang's operations recently?"
Gao Daqiang, still leaning on his sword, simply shook his head without speaking.
But his body began to tremble more and more visibly.
All the gang members noticed this and looked on, filled with amazement and suspicion.
Then, Gao Daqiang seemed to be about to say something to the bald man, opened his mouth but didn't speak, his face turned red, and with a "puff," he spat out a large mouthful of blood mist.
The bald man, unprepared, was sprayed all over his face with the dirty blood, the smell utterly foul!
"Thud!"
Another muffled sound was heard.
Gao Daqiang's large and towering body fell straight onto the deck.
Pandemonium ensued among the surrounding gang members...
"What happened!?"
"Hall Master!"
...