Sailing in the middle of the night, the only sounds were the waves beating rhythmically against the boat. Naturally, the steady melody resonated through the heart of the man standing alone at the edge of his own vessel. There were hundreds of small boats not far behind, full of people relentlessly chasing the lone boat. The larger, lonely boat sailed steadily toward its destination, completely oblivious to the danger lurking behind it.
The man, a leader of the pirates, took a bite of a drumstick, chewed the meat slowly, and then issued a single command, "Fire."
A wave of hundreds of fire arrows flew toward the boat, striking it in various directions and instantly igniting the wooden structure.
A flash of fire erupted from the corner of Xue Horan's eyes as he sat on the roof. Reacting instantly, he jumped onto Yongzheng and rolled the two of them off the roof and onto the main deck. Both men landed silently on their feet, unscathed.
When Rao Zhengsheng saw the wave of fire arrows, he grabbed Yuan Xiurong and flew behind a large pile of rice sacks for cover. He looked at Yuan Xiurong, his voice urgent. "You stay here, don't move."
Rao Zhengsheng quickly rushed back toward the sleeping compartments, heading straight for Dong Lanying's room. He shouted, "Lanying, get out now! Everyone get out now! The boat is on fire!"
The martial artists began stumbling out of their compartments, rubbing sleep from their eyes.
"What's the matter?"
"Why wake us up?"
Rao Zhengsheng repeated, louder, "The boat is on fire!"
Yong Taihua appeared, stunned. "How could it be?"
Rao Zhengsheng, ever quick-thinking, stated the obvious danger. "A wave of fire arrows shot at us. We might be dealing with pirates." He quickly walked to the last room and opened the door. "Hao'er, we should go now!" He found an empty room; Xue Horan and Yongzheng were gone. "Horan!"
By the time Rao Zhengsheng came out from the lower compartment, the sleepy martial artists were completely awake and panicked. Some tried to put out the fire by throwing the burning rice sacks into the river. Rao Zhengsheng found Yuan Xiurong and Dong Lanying near the bow.
Rao Zhengsheng's voice was strained. "I can't find Horan or Yongzheng."
Dong Lanying instantly grew frantic. "Not good. We have to find Horan!" She shouted his name desperately. "Horan!"
Rao Zhengsheng panicked. His heart burned with worry, the image of his last traumatic rescue of Xue Horan flashing in his mind. He still remembered the last time Xue Horan was bullied by his classmates, who wanted him to take off his clothes to check if he was a boy or a girl. For him, Xue Horan was a precious jade that only he could wear around his neck. He quickly rushed toward the stern of the boat.
The pirate leader, having finished his meat, wiped his greasy mouth and commanded, "Sink the boat."
Twenty pirate boats raised their ballistas and shot a volley of heavy arrows and darts into the hull. The main boat was hit hard, the wood splintering as water rushed in, and it immediately tilted precariously to one side.
A pirate shouted triumphantly, "Chief Jiang, we've broken through!"
Jiang Koshing, the pirate leader, gave his cruel orders. "Get on the boat, kill as many as you want, and drown the rest. But make sure there are survivors to spread the words across Central Plains. Those stupid, useless people killed one of us... they were the ones who declared a war against the Seventy-Two Islands!"
Yong Taihua demanded an explanation. "Who are these people?"
Rao Zhengsheng answered gravely. "They are members of the Seventy-Two Islands."
Yong Taihua was bewildered. "What are they doing here?"
Rao Zhengsheng's focus was on survival. "No idea, but we have to leave here now. This boat will sink in less than an hour."
The Northern martial artists, many of whom were poor swimmers, began to panic. They chattered nervously around the boat.
"I don't know how to swim!"
"What will happen?"
Rao Zhengsheng barked instructions to regain control. "Those who can't swim must grasp something that can stay afloat, such as door panels or anything that can float!"
Dong Lanying, already in fighting posture, gave the tactical advice. "If they attack us, we will attack them and take their boat, but we will wait for them to attack us first."
Yong Taihua reinforced their fighting spirit. "Remember, we have better martial skill than they are." He turned to his juniors, his voice ringing with authority. "Protect Yan Yinsheng!"
The chaos peaked as twenty members of the Seventy-Two Islands flew onto the sinking boat. Jiang Koshing, the leader, stepped forward amidst the smoke and panic and demanded, "Who killed Li Fu?"
Rao Zhengsheng was taken aback. "Li Fu, is he dead?"
Jiang Koshing confirmed the death, his voice laced with venom. "Boss Li died not far from the burning house." He threw a sword directly onto the middle of the floor. "When we found him, this sword was still pierced in his abdomen."
Li Kong Bai, who had lost two of his beloved disciples the day before, picked up the sword. The number four was clearly written on the hilt. Li Kong Bai was irritable and furious. He pointed a trembling finger at Jiang Koshing. "Where is Ru'er?"
Jiang Koshing laughed mockingly. "Ru'er? Who is Ru'er?" He looked back at Li Kong Bai. "So, do you know the owner of this sword?"
Li Kong Bai, recognizing the weapon of his missing student, stated the fact. "This sword belongs to my fourth disciple Yang Ru, and his whereabouts are unknown. If you had his sword, it means you have captured him. If you don't return him to me, Huangshan will never let the Seventy-Two Islands live in peace!"
Jiang Koshing let out a sharp, cynical laugh. "Ha...ha...ha...ha...stupid old man! When the Central Plains martial artists killed Li Fu, second leader of Seventy-Two Islands... they already declared war with the Seventy-Two Islands!"
Rao Zhengsheng stepped forward, aiming for a rational de-escalation. "You really think that the Seventy-Two Islands can fight against the six sects, four clans, and four households of Central Plains? You might be large in number, but their combined strength and marital skill will definitively defeat you."
Yong Taihua added the threat, his voice ringing with the authority of the martial world. "The reason why we chose not to disturb you is because we don't want to cause trouble to the innocent people living on those islands, but if you want to declare war on us..." He looked straight at Jiang Koshing. "We, Central Plains, have no problem accepting your war."
Jiang Koshing stopped smiling and grinned ferociously. "Boy, what is your name? When you die, I will bring your body back to your family for a funeral."
Yong Taihua gave his full, powerful title. "Yong Taihua of Sword Village. Son of Yong Gui, first disciple of Mu Dishi!"
Hearing the name Mu Dishi, the master of the legendary Killer Strings, Jiang Koshing hesitated, and his arrogance instantly eased. He seemed genuinely fearful. "Since you are a disciple of Mu Dishi, Master of Killer Strings, you take your people on one of our boats and leave." He offered an immediate truce to Yong Taihua. "I can be an enemy of anyone, but it is definitely not Master Mu... Yong Gongzi, this way."
Yong Taihua stood firm, refusing to abandon his allies. "I came with all these martial artists, and I plan to leave with them."
Jiang Koshing sneered. "Not an option."
Yong Taihua gave the ultimatum. "You let us go, or fight us."
Jiang Koshing's eyes narrowed, all respect for Mu Dishi gone. "Very good. Mu Dishi is dead long ago! If you see your Shifu in the underworld, remember to tell him that you died voluntarily." He sighed dramatically. "Kill them all without leaving a trace of life!"
The battle began.
Rao Zhengsheng grabbed Yuan Xiurong. "Remember not to stray from me."
Yuan Xiurong smiled, her fear masked by trust. "Just like when we practice."
Rao Zhengsheng returned the smile. "Yes, treat it like our practice inside the Yuan Manor."
More Seventy-Two Islands members rushed onto the sinking boat and began attacking the martial artists.
Rao Zhengsheng shouted instructions amidst the chaos. "Yong-Xiong, grab a boat and let those who can't swim get on!" He slit the throat of a charging pirate with a swift movement. "Lanying…" He couldn't spot Dong Lanying. "Lanying!"
Dong Lanying had flown straight toward the leader, Jiang Koshing, and initiated combat. She stabbed her sword toward him. Jiang Koshing jumped back, then quickly jumped onto Dong Lanying's sword. She flipped the sharp blade upward. Jiang Koshing flipped forward, falling behind her, and released a nine-section chain whip at her. To avoid the deadly whip, Dong Lanying whirled in the air and flew to the boat's roof.
Jiang Koshing refused to let go of this opportunity. He hurriedly jumped onto the roof behind Dong Lanying and fanned the pointed end of the chain whip toward her. Dong Lanying swiftly raised her sword and wrapped the chain whip tightly around it, temporarily binding the weapon. This maneuver, however, gave Jiang Koshing a chance to unleash a powerful kick to Dong Lanying's belly. The blow sent Dong Lanying flying off the roof to the other side of the boat.
Dong Lanying fell hard on the rear deck, landing not far from where Xue Horan and Yongzheng had taken cover. Xue Horan immediately kicked a pirate away and rushed toward his Senior Sister. "Shijie..."
From his vantage point above, Yongzheng saw Jiang Koshing jump down to pursue the injured Dong Lanying. Yongzheng rushed forward, kicking Jiang Koshing's sole hard, which sent the pirate leader flying back up to the top of the compartment.
Yongzheng flew up and unleashed three rapid kicks to Jiang Koshing's chest, but Jiang Koshing managed to block the attacks with his forearms. The pirate leader quickly retaliated, releasing his chain whip and wrapping it around Yongzheng's left arm. Despite the counterattack, Yongzheng's three kicks were still strong enough to knock Jiang Koshing back to the very edge of the roof.
Jiang Koshing immediately loosened the chain whip and yanked Yongzheng forward, hitting the Taoist's right chest. Yongzheng, however, used his light internal skill to condense Jiang Koshing's internal strength into the palm of his own right hand. He struck Jiang Koshing's lower abdomen fiercely.
The blow from Yongzheng's fist was devastating, causing Jiang Koshing to fly from the roof all the way to the floor of the front deck, sliding backward to the edge of the front railing. Jiang Koshing violently vomited a mouthful of blood.
All the young and old martial artists on the front deck, stunned, turned to see who had just defeated the feared pirate chief. The martial artists saw a young man standing motionless under the moonlight, holding Jiang Koshing's chain whip. The reflection of the firelight made the young man—Yongzheng—look like a demon who had just awakened from hell.