Chapter 4: I Am an Embroidered Uniform Guard

The sound of clashing blades rang out all around, with screams erupting from time to time. The entire merchant ship was shrouded in a thick, bloody stench.

These river bandits were all desperate criminals who knew that being caught by the Embroidered Uniform Guard meant death, so they struggled desperately, fighting with extra ferocity.

Likewise, the Embroidered Uniform Guards would not show mercy, so everyone soon became bloodthirsty. As for taking prisoners, they couldn't care about that much anymore.

At this time, Lin Zuo found himself in an awkward position. He was dressed entirely as a river bandit; if he died at the hands of his own people, how unjust would that be?

Considering this, he didn't join the battle to join the fun, but circled around the cabin and returned to the room where Yagyu Ichiro and Lord Wu had conspired earlier.

The first thing he saw was the wine pot from earlier sitting on the table. Lin Zuo subconsciously picked it up and shook it, his brows furrowing.

The wine inside was still full, which meant Yagyu Ichiro hadn't drunk the Monghan Drug. No wonder he was still full of energy.

Immediately after, he noticed Lord Wu, who was lying on the ground groaning, clutching his forehead. A large bump had swollen on his forehead, and he was probably still dazed.

Lin Zuo froze for a moment, a wicked smile appearing on the corner of his mouth—this guy could also be considered a big fish. The superiors had always suspected that officials were colluding with river bandits in private, engaging in corruption and breaking the law, but they suffered from a lack of evidence. Now, it was great; he had caught one red-handed.

If he was lucky, he could follow the vine to find the melon and pull out the whole string behind them.

This was a "treasure" that could not be lost.

Thinking of this, Lin Zuo hurriedly stepped forward to help Lord Wu up and asked with concern, "Lord Wu, are you alright?"

"It hurts... it hurts..." Lord Wu was dizzy from the bump and said subconsciously. When he opened his eyes and saw the ferocious Ghost Face Tattoo on Lin Zuo's chest, a strong desire to survive surged in his heart.

"Save me, save me!" Lord Wu grabbed Lin Zuo's hand, wishing he could kneel down to him on the spot.

"Lord Wu, rest assured, I am here to save you." Lin Zuo said with a sincere face, "Follow me."

Dragging the stumbling Lord Wu, avoiding the fierce battle groups, Lin Zuo arrived at the ship's railing and pointed to the surging river water below, saying three words to Lord Wu: "Jump down!"

"Ah?" Lord Wu was dumbfounded. "I can't swim."

"Don't worry, I'm here."

"No... no..." Lord Wu's face turned pale. "I'm afraid of water, it's too dangerous."

"If you want to live, jump down. If you want to die, I won't stop you."

"This... this..." Lord Wu's lips trembled, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.

Just then, a river bandit who had gone bloodthirsty screamed wildly and rushed over with a blade.

"Koufun shinaide kudasai, uchimawa no hito." (Don't get excited, one of us.) Lin Zuo lifted his clothes to reveal the Ghost Face Tattoo and shouted loudly.

A flash of confusion appeared in the river bandit's eyes, then he nodded and turned to leave.

However, just as he turned his head, Lin Zuo struck with lightning speed, a hand-blade chopping onto his neck.

The latter collapsed without a sound.

"You... what are you doing?" Lord Wu asked, both shocked and angry.

"Why so many questions?" Lin Zuo grabbed Lord Wu's collar, twisted his body, and then kicked him in the butt.

"Go down."

"Ah!" With a scream, Lord Wu's fat body drew a perfect parabola in the air, splashing into the water with a *plop*, and then he began to struggle in a panic.

Lin Zuo chuckled, jumped onto the railing, and dove into the river water.

"Kuso, kuso." (Damn it, damn it.) Yagyu Ichiro cursed loudly, waving his Tachi frantically, charging back and forth in the crowd.

But in such a situation, the courage of one person was of no help to the overall battle. As more and more Embroidered Uniform Guards approached the merchant ship on small boats and climbed onto the deck, the river bandits had been compressed into a small circle, with people being injured, falling, and being captured from time to time.

Taking advantage of a gap in the battle, Yagyu Ichiro scanned his surroundings and found that the defeat was clearly irreversible. For a river bandit like him, dying for a cause was just a joke, and living and dying with his subordinates was never an option he would consider. Keeping the green hills meant not worrying about firewood—that was the truth they believed in.

If he didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Yagyu Ichiro swung his blade violently, forcing back an Embroidered Uniform Guard in front of him, then did a swallow-flip, leaped onto the mast of the merchant ship, and with a tap of his feet, leaped toward the center of the river.

In mid-air, he suddenly stretched out his hands and pulled a mechanism on his clothes. Immediately, a thin membrane popped out from the connection between his back and ribs, the other end of which was connected to his arms, as if he had grown a pair of wings on his back.

Yagyu Ichiro glided toward the shore like a large bat, aided by the river breeze.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards on the ship could only stare helplessly at this scene.

Tang Xiao was the only one on the riverbank. Seeing Yagyu Ichiro gliding over from afar, Tang Xiao flew onto his horse without hesitation and chased after him.

Lin Zuo dragged Lord Wu, who was like a dead dog, to the shore and pulled him onto the bank by his collar.

Lord Wu was choked by the river water, his eyes rolling back. He lay on the ground and retched for a while before he recovered.

"Brother, thank you very much."

"You're welcome."

"Don't worry, I will definitely repay you for saving my life."

Lord Wu said, subconsciously raising his head, but then he froze.

The tattoo on the chest of the river bandit who had just saved him had actually faded after being soaked in water. The black pigment was smeared together, not only not ferocious at all, but even a bit comical.

"Your tattoo... how..."

"Oh, this." Lin Zuo followed Lord Wu's gaze, looked down at his chest, and even rubbed the pigment on his chest with his hand, finding his fingers covered in black stains.

"That damn profiteer actually lied to me and said this pigment was waterproof. Wait until I find him to settle the score!"

"You... you... could it be... you are..." Lord Wu asked, stuttering, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Congratulations, you guessed it." Lin Zuo smiled, tore off the beard stuck to his face, and shook it at Lord Wu. "I am an Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

The latter's mouth twitched, and he suddenly turned around, trying to run using his hands and feet. But before he had crawled more than a few meters, a hand-blade had accurately landed on his neck.

Lord Wu's eyes rolled back, and his body softened as he fainted. ===== CHAPTER 5 =====