Chapter 305: Water Bandits

The heavy rain fell desperately, whipping the ground like a lash, driving the entire Heishuihe to gallop forward.

Water foam flew off the roof of the pleasure boat.

Liang Qu stood under the eaves of the boat, looking out at the rain pillars falling into the low mountains on both banks, washing down to form waterfalls.

Occasionally, trees collapsed, rolling up stones and yellow mud, falling into the Heishuihe, staining large patches of yellow mud, only to be diluted by the turbulent current.

"The water level is dropping."

Liang Qu lowered his head; several meters above the junction of the river line and the mountain body were all exposed rock walls, without any vegetation coverage, and it wasn't caused by a single landslide; the pleasure boat had been seeing this all the way.

The rain was pouring, but the water level of the Heishuihe was not rising; instead, it was dropping!

So much rainfall could not disappear into thin air; there must be another place replacing the Heishuihe to accept all the excess water, becoming a discharge site.

The forked lightning dimmed.

The scout Awei vibrated its wings, flickering from the sky, and flew down to the bow of the boat. It shook its wings, shedding water droplets, and the two antennae on its forehead swayed gently.

Liang Qu's eyes flashed: "Someone nearby?"

Awei shook its head.

Liang Qu took out the map to browse.

There were no markings for any villages or settlements nearby.

What kind of people would run to the banks of the Heishuihe during a flood?

"Go take a look."

Awei rushed into the curtain of rain.

Places with plenty of water often have lush vegetation.

A small mountain stronghold was hidden between two low mountains.

In the misty heavy rain, covered by dense forest, it was exceptionally hidden.

Pushing the pole and drenching in water, a sheepskin raft crashed onto the shore along the turbulent current.

Two men in coir raincoats jumped off the raft and went ashore; one tied the rope tight, and the other broke into the small stronghold shouting.

Someone on the sentry post took off their bamboo hat: "What are you shouting about? Don't you let people sleep?"

"Fish are coming, fish are coming!"

"Fish coming?" The sentry pointed to the sky, "Are you blind? Fish coming in this weather? Such heavy rain, you take a tree for a boat?"

"Screw your mother," the raincoat man cursed, "My eyes are bright as a light, have I ever been wrong in so many years?"

The sentry rolled over and sat up: "Big fish or small fish?"

"Big fish! I saw it clearly, there's a big date-red horse on the boat! It's worth at least this much!" The raincoat man held up two fingers.

That's quite a lot.

The sentry hurriedly opened the door, let the two raincoat men in, and after a few shouts, the entire small stronghold quickly woke up.

"Boss, Boss! A big fish is coming from outside!"

"Big fish?" Lu Xinqing opened his eyes, puzzled by the sound of rain outside, "Did the rain stop?"

"No, it's coming through the rain."

"Didn't stop?" Lu Xinqing sat up from the bed, grabbed a single garment, and draped it over himself, "Speak clearly."

"It was Zhang Shun and Guan Xian who caught it; the two are waiting in the hall!"

The Heishuihe is fast, and fish slip away quickly.

Lu Xinqing didn't dare to be slow.

"Let's go!"

A dozen water bandits crowded into the hall.

Lu Xinqing put his arms into his sleeves, came out from a small door on the side, and asked for details.

"Boss, the rain is too heavy, the two of us didn't see clearly, only saw a big date-red horse kneeling in the middle of that small boat. I looked from afar and felt it was a good horse, worth at least two hundred taels!"

Two hundred!

The water bandits were in an uproar.

"Are you sure it's a small boat?"

"Sure, how could I be wrong about the size of the boat? Who would put such a good horse on a small boat, and it's a pleasure boat, must be a horse dealer in a hurry! Bad luck to run into a flood, we'll rob him, no one will know! No one will find him!"

Guan Xian echoed: "That's right, that's right, must be a horse dealer! Let's get ready quickly, the water is too fast today, if we let him pass, we definitely won't catch him!"

Lu Xinqing's brain turned fast.

Being a water bandit isn't easy; if the strength isn't enough, they don't dare to touch big boats, only small ones. How much money can a small boat be worth?

It's all old men fishing, their old bones aren't worth much money if sold.

Zhang Shun and Guan Xian don't understand horses; how could they tell if it's good or bad?

Saying two hundred taels must be bragging, afraid of letting the big fish go; in fact, Lu Xinqing was also bored to death.

A horse, at the very least, is worth dozens of taels.

The knives in his hands were all notched; he had long wanted to replace them.

Lu Xinqing didn't hesitate.

"Rob!"

"Good!" The big man beside Lu Xinqing waved his hand, "Brothers, put on your masks and grab your weapons! The boss's divine skill has reached perfection recently, just in time to test the quality of that guy!"

"Good!"

"Rob his mother!"

The water bandits tied on their oil-painted masks and rushed out of the small stronghold.

They untied the sheepskin rafts, grabbed the ropes hanging from the trees, and waited in the bay.

Little did they know, Awei in the dense forest took everything in, and transmitted the words word-for-word through the spiritual link.

In the heavy rain, the pleasure boat emerged.

The water bandits were focused, and seeing the red shadow in the pleasure boat, they were overjoyed.

"It's a horse, it's a horse!"

"Boss, Boss, it really is a horse! A good horse!"

"I saw it!"

Lu Xinqing was also stunned when he saw the red shadow; that horse's momentum was truly different from other horses, no wonder Zhang Shun and Guan Xian said it could be worth two hundred taels.

Two ignorant bumpkins.

Too little, at least three hundred taels!

Lu Xinqing's heart was burning.

When the boat got closer, a figure suddenly appeared at the bow, the indigo long robe exceptionally conspicuous.

Someone questioned: "How... it looks like an official uniform?"

Zhang Shun, who reported the news first, couldn't shirk responsibility, and stuttered upon hearing this: "Off... official, official uniform? Is that an official uniform?"

Lu Xinqing had the highest strength and the best eyesight: "The style is wrong, black, uh, dark blue? There seems to be a white pattern on the chest? Have you ever seen this kind of official uniform?"

Everyone was stunned.

That's right, what kind of official uniform is this?

The water bandit who said it looked like an official uniform fell into deep thought, doubting himself: "Did I remember wrong?"

Zhang Shun cursed: "Damn, you scared the kid, bullshit official uniform, it's just a flashy brocade suit!"

Guan Xian added fuel to the fire: "A seventh-rank official magistrate traveling would have a big boat; if it really is an official, it's just a small clerk, at most two passes; with the boss here, what are we afraid of?"

"That's right, look at him, sitting on a pleasure boat, an outsider!"

A group of water bandits agreed deeply.

The Heishuihe is turbulent; the covered boats and sampans used in other counties are easy to capsize; locals mostly use sheepskin rafts, fast and stable.

The other party doesn't use a sheepskin raft, an outsider! No background!

Everyone said a word, and they actually persuaded each other.

"Guan Xian is right, everyone don't be afraid!"

Lu Xinqing whispered, and he pressed a palm onto the rock wall.

"Claws are the surplus of tendons, teeth are the surplus of bones, hair is the surplus of blood, tongue is the surplus of flesh; these are the four tips of the human body!

The Four Tips Body Refining Technique I learned is the unique method of the Panshan Martial Arts Hall in Huazhu County! Now my tendon tips are perfected! My fingernails are as sharp as knives and swords, capable of piercing chests and digging hearts at will; below four passes, there are few rivals!"

After speaking, Lu Xinqing curled his fingers to hook the stone, and in front of everyone, he squeezed the stone into powder; the pale yellow lime drifted out, wrapped by the damp and stuffy water vapor, and dissipated without a trace.

The water bandits' morale was greatly boosted!

A small horse dealer, the boss will take him easily!

When the pleasure boat entered thirty zhang, several sheepskin rafts rushed out from the bay like dumplings, surging up.

Yet before they could rush to the surroundings of the pleasure boat, the bowstring exploded, an arrow pierced the curtain of rain, exploded through the water mist, and slammed into a sheepskin raft.

Boom!

The arrow overflowed with lightning, and all ten sheepskins under the wooden raft exploded.

Three water bandits screamed and fell into the water, rolled into the flood, and disappeared.

The remaining twelve water bandits were stunned on the spot.

At a loss. ===== CHAPTER 306 =====