Chapter 111: Taking Action First

Everyone froze.

The figure had moved too quickly, so no one had seen clearly who it was.

Several villagers, who had been watching the spectacle at ease, straightened up and whispered among themselves, “Was that Boss Lu?”

The lake surface soon calmed again.

He Yue could not hold back and asked the villagers, “Is this normal?”

“It’s fine,” one villager replied. “Boss Lu is an excellent swimmer. He’ll be back up soon enough.”

That single remark struck a chord with He Yue.

The disturbance that happened on the lake was bizarre enough to shock anyone. Yet the villagers had not expressed concern about the lake itself, only confidence in Boss Lu’s swimming skills. In other words, they did not think whatever lurked within the lake posed any threat to him.

At that thought, He Yue turned to Zeng Feixiong and whispered firmly, “Get ready to attack!”

Zeng Feixiong was taken aback. “Now?”

“It’s better to seize the moment than have to react!” The young man’s tone carried unusual resolve. “Whoever that was, they went in without a changdao or any weapon. We have men on all sides, and there are only four or five brigands here. This is the perfect chance to take him down in one move!”

Zeng Feixiong’s eyes swept across the scene. Indeed, the situation was just as He Yue described.

Usually, Boss Lu traveled with over a dozen subordinates. Here in the village, which was his stronghold, he could come and go at will. By the time the authorities mustered their strength to encircle him, he would have already vanished.

But now, he was right there in the water, and he was unarmed. The lackeys on shore looked weak and inexperienced; none of them even seemed worth mentioning.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they missed it, they might not even have the chance to regret it later on.

Zeng Feixiong gave a decisive nod.

At this moment, the soldiers who had just bathed were back on shore, pulling on their clothes. A few looked ready to jump in again to catch fish, but Zeng Feixiong snapped at them, “Stand straight! What sort of behavior is this?” At the same time, he made a subtle hand gesture.

Mao Tao noticed and froze. It was a sand bandit signal that meant “prepare to act.”

Zeng Feixiong had spent years traversing the Hongya Trade Route, clashing with sand bandits again and again. Eventually, he knew their secret signals as well as they did. Naturally, he had incorporated those very same signals into his own troops.

The soldiers stiffened at once. All playfulness that had been present just moments ago was now nowhere to be seen. Each man quietly tightened his belt, weapons hanging at the ready.

Suddenly—

Splash!

A man and a giant fish broke the surface of the lake together.

The man, of course, was Boss Lu. He had one hand braced against the massive fish, shouting up to the bank, “Hey, give me a hand down here!”

The fish was enormous. It was three meters long, its scales were a dark azure, and its body was as thick as a door. On top of all that, there were long whiskers trailing from its mouth.

The colossal creature lay perfectly still in the water, letting Boss Lu push it along as though it were no more than a raft. As he looked at the man and fish, He Yue immediately noticed something strange: the fish bore no wounds at all.

Zeng Feixiong gave another signal, and the soldiers all leapt in together, calling out, “Coming, coming!”

The nearby villagers also came splashing down, eager to help. A dozen men surrounded the giant fish, straining to heave it toward the shore. The larger the fish, the better the feast—whether roasted, fried, or stewed, it was definitely a rare delicacy.

Zeng Feixiong waded into the water and quickly seized a prime spot, right beside Boss Lu. He shouldered the fish, but the moment he pressed against it, he slipped with a wince. “Tch, these scales scrape like knives!”

The scales of the three-meter-long fish were thick and hard, yet their edges were sharp and thin enough to serve as paring knives if pried off.

Zeng Feixiong now found himself face-to-face with Boss Lu. Seizing the moment, he shifted slightly and, with his right hand, drew a short stabbing blade from behind his back, thrusting straight for the man’s exposed flank!

Everyone had both hands occupied with the fish, Boss Lu included. His ribs were unguarded, wide open to attack.

The blade was only about half a meter long, but if driven deep enough, it could shred the spleen and pierce straight through the lung. A ruptured spleen meant heavy bleeding and imminent unconsciousness; a punctured lung meant breath would leak away, leaving no strength to fight.

It was a vicious move, both cruel and precise.

The blade’s tip was just about to touch flesh when Boss Lu’s left hand suddenly dropped, clamping down on Zeng Feixiong’s wrist like an iron vice. His other fist snapped up, driving straight for Zeng Feixiong’s face.

His reflexes were incredibly quick!

Zeng Feixiong managed to meet the blow head-on. As both men were undeniably formidable, they became locked in a contest of brute force for several breaths. Neither of them gave the other any advantage. Their followers, realizing something was amiss, brought out weapons, and the whole scene erupted into chaos.

On the shore, He Yue leapt silently into the water. From his boot, he drew a short dagger and lunged at Boss Lu’s back.

A brigand rushed in to block him. He Yue dodged the first swing, but the man seized his sleeve and yanked him back, driving a brutal fist into his eye socket. Pain exploded straight through his skull.

Mao Tao, heedless of his own safety, grabbed He Yue and pulled him away. “Second Young Master, go back to shore! Your presence here only divides everyone’s focus!”

By now, He Chunhua and his wife had arrived with their guards, drawn by the uproar. At the same time, the villagers who had been pretending to be innocent tore off their disguises, weapons flashing as they charged.

The melee spread across both water and land.

In the shallows, Boss Lu and Zeng Feixiong were already clashing in earnest. One was barehanded, while the other was wielding a changdao. They fought ferociously despite the water. Boss Lu’s fists were as large as bowls, and suddenly they hardened like diamond rock. Each time Zeng Feixiong’s blade struck them, sparks flew.

Zeng Feixiong’s eyes narrowed. Unexpectedly, Boss Lu’s skin had begun sprouting scales. These were gleaming, metallic scales like those of a fish. In just two breaths, his forearms were fully sheathed.

Out of nowhere, his bare hands had become living weapons.

With a savage roar, Boss Lu’s body flared with a faint black light. He hammered down blow after blow.

Zeng Feixiong dared not meet him head-on. He parried frantically with his blade, but it was like fending off a man-shaped bear. On the fourth strike, there was a ringing clang, and his weapon snapped in two.

Two guards rushed to shield him. One was struck and sank without a trace. The other was sent flying effortlessly from the side pool into the main lake.

“Stop!” Boss Lu bellowed. “Stop fighting! We don’t want to fight!”

He Chunhua had just drawn out the mandate token, preparing to act. At those words, he hesitated. “Are a brigand’s words truly to be trusted?”

“If I wanted you dead, I would’ve struck already! Why waste the night feeding and hosting you?” Boss Lu spoke quickly. “You’re only passing through. We’re heading south. Let’s share the night in peace! Come morning, we part ways.”

They themselves did not wish to fight to the death. It was the perfect excuse to de-escalate the situation. He Chunhua swiftly weighed the battlefield. After a brief pause, he nodded. “Very well. A truce! Everyone, put away your weapons!”

He Yue returned to his father’s side in silence. His face wore a grave expression.

The He father and son had gotten a much better grasp of the situation now. On numbers, they held the advantage, and with the mandate token, their strength would be bolstered. But against these brigands, they did not necessarily have that much of an advantage. Boss Lu’s ferocity was simply beyond expectation.

Even if their side managed to prevail in the end, the cost would be severe. This unit was the foundation of He Chunhua’s rise in the north. To lose men recklessly here was unthinkable.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The ambush had failed. Since neither side wanted annihilation, it was best to withdraw now.

With both leaders calling a halt, the men spat curses and phlegm at each other, then slunk back to their own camps, tending to their wounds in uneasy silence.