Chapter 130: Sudden Reversal

Zhao Qinghe suddenly pointed toward the lake below. “Lu Yao’s trying to escape by boat!”

Everyone looked down. Sure enough, Lu Yao was gathering what remained of his men, fighting as they retreated, untying the skiffs moored to the wooden pier. It was clear that he intended to flee into the heart of the lake.

But by now, he had barely thirty or forty men left, their numbers thinning by the moment. With seven or eight boats on hand, it was more than enough for them.

All pretense cast aside, Lu Yao leapt aboard the foremost skiff and shoved off toward deeper waters.

Wu Shaoyi cut down two men in fury and bellowed, “Seize the boats! Don’t let him get away!”

The fight on the shore turned into a vicious tug-of-war over the vessels. Meanwhile, Wu Shaoyi’s men, who had just fallen back from the western mountain, loosed volleys of arrows at the fleeing boats.

Lu Yao raised a shield, blocking every shot. Two of his personal guards were not so fortunate, though, as arrows punched through their chests, toppling them into the hull. Without hesitation, Lu Yao shoved their corpses into the water.

No one noticed his other hand slip beneath the surface, releasing a pinch of powder.

The powder dissolved, staining the water red. But with so much blood already seeping into the lake, no one could tell that he had done anything.

The brigand rowing his skiff caught an arrow through the back and slumped lifeless. Lu Yao’s boat spun, drifting less than a meter from shore.

So close!

Wu Shaoyi saw the gentle slope of the bank and realized he could wade across. Eager to finish his foe, he splashed into the lake, water rising to his waist as he lunged for Lu Yao’s boat.

Lu Yao’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.

You’ve walked right into my trap.

Just a meter and a half from the skiff, Wu Shaoyi surged forward. But then, the water to his left suddenly exploded.

A massive shadow erupted upward.

Splash!

A geyser of water shot halfway up the sky, then came down as a fine mist.

This mist was laced with the stench of blood.

From halfway up the mountain slope, He Lingchuan and the others stood dumbstruck. Before the waves even settled, they realized that Wu Shaoyi was gone.

That infamous rebel general, the same rebel general who had personally cut down three royal generals in open battle, had been seized and dragged under in the blink of an eye.

Mao Tao’s back went cold. He stammered, “W-what was that?”

The shadow had appeared too suddenly, too swiftly, and the periphery of the lake was cloaked in darkness. Even with their sharp eyes, all they glimpsed was a mass of black, gone as soon as it surfaced.

But compared to the skiff beside it, its size was staggering, and it was at least as long as two boats tied end to end.

No mortal force could resist such a beast, least of all Wu Shaoyi, who had been ambushed while waist-deep in water and unable to strike back.

Both teams of brigands froze mid-fight, stunned. Then, their reactions split.

Lu Yao’s men howled in triumph, weapons waving as they surged forward with fresh ferocity. Only moments ago, they were getting beaten and begging for mercy, yet now they fought like men possessed.

Wu Shaoyi’s men, by contrast, were shaken. Aside from a handful of Wu Shaoyi’s diehard loyalists, who screamed “General!” and plunged into the water to search for their leader, the rest wavered, bewildered.

“Lu Yao and his men know exactly what that shadow is,” He Lingchuan said hoarsely. “It’s the same thing that killed Mrs. Zhu’s husband!”

Mrs. Zhu had told them how her husband fled by boat, only for it to capsize before reaching the middle of the lake, with no witness able to say what dragged him down. Not a soul in the village had seen clearly what had happened.

Isn’t this exactly the same as what had happened before?

Even as Wu Shaoyi’s men gaped in shock, one of them suddenly gave a shriek and toppled backward into the lake.

Something in the water seized him and shook him like a rag. He had no strength to resist.

The others howled and scrambled frantically for shore.

From where they stood, the distance was too far for He Lingchuan to hear clearly. “What are they shouting?”

“I think...” Zhao Qinghe suddenly pointed with a stiff finger. “Crocodile!”

Mao Tao cried out, “What the fuck! It’s huge!”

Wu Shaoyi’s men were dragged under one after another, clearly being mauled by something in the water. One poor wretch had even already managed to set foot on shore when a black shadow surged up behind him, clamping down across his waist!

The creature hauled itself fully onto the bank, and at last, He Lingchuan and the others could see it clearly. It was an enormous crocodile.

Its body was armored in brutal, gleaming black scales.

This one was nearly seven meters long. Beside it, another one that was about five meters long rushed in to snatch a share of the kill.

With one bite and a savage tear, they split the man neatly in two, each taking half.

Judging from the thrashing shapes in the water, there had to be more of these monsters lurking beneath the surface.

From this, it became clear that what had ambushed Wu Shaoyi had also been a crocodile monster. However, that one had been far greater in size. These others were not even fit to carry its tail.

Humans were born with a primal fear of such gaping maws and gleaming fangs. Wu Shaoyi’s men forgot all thoughts of fighting, shrieking as they fled to dry land.

Lu Yao threw his head back in laughter. “My lads, ashore!”

He lifted his axe and pointed it toward the shore. “Listen well, you pups! Wu Shaoyi is dead. Any who surrender to me will eat meat, drink wine, and share the spoils with us. If you refuse me, then you’d better fuck off!”

Borrowing the terror of the shadow, he had flipped the tables, transforming from prey into predator. His men swarmed ashore and regrouped, surrounding him in tight ranks once more.

By now, He Lingchuan understood. Lu Yao’s show of weakness earlier, his staged attempt to flee by boat, had all been bait to lure Wu Shaoyi to the lake.

Greedy for merit, Wu Shaoyi had overreached and fallen right into the trap.

In the blink of an eye, the balance of power was overturned. Wu Shaoyi’s advantage had evaporated, while Lu Yao looked poised to enjoy the last laugh.

Just then, Lu Yao raised his head, his gaze sweeping up toward the western slope. It was as if he and He Lingchuan were linked by the same thought.

Torches burned bright along the mountainside. The silhouettes of soldiers were plain to see.

Lu Yao grinned at them, dragging a hand across his throat in a mocking gesture.

At that moment, Wu Shaoyi’s remaining adjutants shouted curses at him, “Surrender to the likes of you, a beast in human skin? Are we supposed to spend our days eating human flesh alongside you?”

Lu Yao’s smile froze.

Mao Tao muttered under his breath, “This is going to be trouble.”

“Trouble or not, we hold on as long as we can. We’ve still got a dozen wagons, and even some villagers!” He recalled that among the rearguard there was a spellcaster. He hurried to summon him, peppering him with questions.

About an hour later.

Lu Yao wiped a smear of bloody flesh from his axe and slung it across his shoulder. “Rally up! Someone do a headcount!”

Wu Shaoyi’s forces had been shattered. Some had fled, some submitted, some surrendered, and the diehards had all been fed to the crocodiles.

Several of the beasts now crawled sluggishly onto the bank, reeking of blood and sated on flesh. The largest one, however, had not appeared, as if deliberately keeping itself hidden.

When the tally was done, Lu Yao’s men, once more than two hundred, had been reduced by half by Wu Shaoyi’s ambush. Now, with defectors swelling his ranks, they had climbed back to nearly four hundred. Counting the seven hundred lying in wait at Whistle Rock and the five hundred holding the nearby town, his total force was pushing a thousand and six hundred strong.

Yet, Lu Yao was still dissatisfied.

If all three armies had met properly, he should have been sitting firmly in the top seat, commanding far more than this.

But many of Wu Shaoyi’s men had refused him, turning their backs rather than submit.

And whose fault was that? Lu Yao lifted his eyes toward the western slope once again. His gaze glinted with cold light. Of course, it was the fault of the state troops!