Just as they were wondering what the people on the opposite shore were planning, the ship suddenly lurched. "Something's wrong!" Prince Zuo shouted. "Get men in the water to investigate, now!"
But it was too late. He could already feel the ship slowly starting to list.
Beneath the hull, out of sight, a group of men in tight-fitting clothes breathed through long reeds that broke the water's surface.
They yanked away wooden planks that had already been loosened with special tools, then immediately retreated in a single direction.
But no matter how skilled they were in the water, they were no match for the bandits known as the Water Ghosts.
Seeing their armed pursuers about to catch up, they calmly stopped and made a provocative gesture.
This infuriated the Water Ghosts. They surged forward, determined to leave these men dead in the water.
They failed to notice their targets calmly pulling bizarrely shaped objects from behind their backs.
