Chapter 71: The Alpha Shinobi Assassins (Part Three)

Not until he watched Huo Jundong crash into the sea, sending up a spray of water several feet high, did Kou Li finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. If it were possible, he would have liked to slay his opponent on the spot—being targeted by a Grand Boxer was simply too dangerous—but his physical condition would not allow for it. Even a single mistake, he had no doubt, would give the gravely wounded Huo Jundong the chance to kill him in return. These Grand Boxers of the Four Great Refinements level were truly fearsome. In just one exchange, he had probed enough to understand—the opponent’s mastery of boxing, especially his sheer strength, utterly surpassed his own. And this was only the first stage of muscle refinement, already possessing the strength of nine oxen; if he were to add a second or third level of body refinement, it would be unimaginable.

He finally understood why, in the past, Master Lin Xian had seemed so at ease when uprooting trees to strike at men. Moreover, at the Grand Boxer’s level of mastery, one could already sense sorcery in advance. If the two of them had not been so close, Huo Jundong might have been able to evade his attack completely.

Gritting his teeth, Kou Li struggled to his feet. His lungs were fine—after all, the tiger’s lungs were robust—but his whole body was drenched, sweat beading densely on his brow, both inner and outer garments soaked through. His mouth was parched, his whole body feverish, his eyes and nose dry and swollen as if from a high fever.

‘As expected, even with mastery of the Child’s Stake, facing a Grand Boxer, a master of the Four Great Refinements, I’ve reached my limit. Perhaps only when the tiger bones are transformed will this limit be broken.’

This was a battlefield—at any moment, assassins from the Wa lands might spring out to kill him. Staying put was too dangerous. Kou Li glanced at the still-unconscious Lin Su’e, hesitated, then hoisted her onto his back. Her soft, fragrant body carried a unique medicinal scent.

What a calamity!

Could it be that her sweet, naïve nature came bundled with a curse of misfortune?

In any case, every time he encountered this woman, nothing good ever came of it. But since she hadn’t betrayed him, he might as well save her, just this once.

The mist thickened once again. If one breathed it in too long, a feeling of dizziness would set in. But perhaps owing to the wordless diagram, this level of mist had no effect on him; if he stared hard, he could just make out vague human shapes moving within it.

The ship began to rock again, accompanied by a harsh scraping sound—as if the gambling vessel had finally broken free from the pincer of the two pirate ships. Cannon and musket fire rang out once more. Though he couldn’t see what was happening, the gambling boat, and the Xu family warship alongside it, both seemed to spring back into action.

“Are there any brothers left from the Canton Guild or the Water Dragon Gang? I am Zhong Quan—the matter is urgent, hurry and show yourselves!”

Kou Li pricked up his ears. Amidst the thunder of guns, he caught a shout—Zhong Quan, wasn’t that the elder of the Canton Guild?

This old man must be the one Zhai Guan had mentioned, a figure from the faction hoping to see the Water Dragon Gang collapse. Judging from the current situation, he shouldn’t be a threat to Kou Li.

He followed the voice for a hundred paces. Near the stern, he spotted the man and called out softly, “Elder Zhong, it’s Kou Li.”

Zhong Quan was taken aback, blurting, “You’re still alive?”

“It seems King Yama isn’t ready to claim me yet,” Kou Li replied wryly.

“Time is of the essence—come with me at once,” Zhong Quan said solemnly, then added, “That was a fine fight just now. Traitors should be struck down on the spot!”

Kou Li raised his brows but didn’t respond. In these struggles between factions, no one’s word could be trusted. He believed Diao Fengsheng had indeed dabbled in cults, but as for outright rebellion—that was a question mark.

Seeing his silence, Zhong Quan’s expression darkened. Gripping his iron staff, he strode ahead to lead the way.

Suddenly, two shadows flickered in the mist. Kou Li instantly called out, “Careful!”

Zhong Quan reacted with surprising agility, stepping wide, whirling his staff, the wood spinning in his palm and stirring the fog as it passed. Dropping into a crouch, he struck out like a snake in the grass, staff butt lashing out to send one assassin flying. Spinning about, he reversed his grip and, with a shout, brought the staff down in a mighty arc—iron clanged and bone cracked. A flick of the staff dispatched a second Wa assassin.

It was as if he had performed these maneuvers countless times before.

“Your staff technique seems particularly effective against these assassins,” Kou Li remarked curiously. He had noticed the three moves: first dispersing the mist, then overturning the opponent, and finally crushing the skull—all clearly devised to counter assassins who used the fog for cover.

“Hmph. Back when I followed Grand Marshal Hong to quell the Sea Calamity, I used this improved Arhat Monastery Fire Staff technique to flatten countless Wa devils. These little thieves have keen, brittle blades; as long as you stop them from drawing, they’re nothing to fear. The five hundred monk-soldiers under the Marshal’s command must have smashed who knows how many skulls,” Zhong Quan said, pride in his voice.

The improved Arhat Monastery Fire Staff technique... As Kou Li recalled, wasn’t the Arhat Monastery itself burned down in the past for ‘harboring ulterior motives’?

Back on the battlefield, the old man seemed to regain his youthful vigor, charging and killing his way forward, leaving Kou Li little room to intervene. Soon, they rejoined their allies.

“Miss Su’e!”

“You’re safe, Eighth Brother—thank heaven,” Luo Yanzong exclaimed beneath the triple sails, then frowned. “I sent Third Brother to find you—didn’t you run into him?”

Kou Li was momentarily taken aback, about to reply, when two severed heads were tossed from the mist. Mo Yi, blood-soaked, emerged, saying coldly, “Ran into some trouble on the way—took a bit of time.”

“Those are Zhu Baozai’s foster sons—you actually killed them,” Master Chen said in surprise.

Present, apart from the four from the Scorched Body Hall, were four boxers from the Water Dragon Gang. Young Master Wolf stood impassively over a sea chart, with Master Chen of the Eight Gates Boxing, Zhong Quan, and his three apprentices, all bearing wounds—burns, scalds, or lead shot grazes.

After all, the firearms here were not modern; with a martial artist’s physique, as long as a shot didn’t hit the head, it was rarely fatal.

Moments later, Young Master Huang appeared from the mist with two young boxers, all pale-faced. Guo Feng was still cursing, “Madwoman! All women from Wa country are lunatics!”

The Chief Steward was dead, Master Chen was dead, Zhong Quan’s three apprentices were dead, several retainers recruited by Young Master Huang were dead, and who knew how many Water Dragon Gang members had perished. The Feathered Wolf was burnt nearly bald.

All these men, each with their own motives, had been thoroughly humiliated by Zhu Baozai, the great pirate. Rage blazed in their eyes, enough to set the sky aflame.

Young Master Wolf surveyed the group, face cold. “I’ll be brief. You all know the situation. If the ship is lost and we die, Zhu Baozai won’t care who you are—the Canton Guild, the Scorched Body Hall, or any martial sect, you’ll all mean nothing to him.”

“Now, three Shark Ships are surrounding us. The gambling vessel is no match for their speed, nor is the Xu family’s modified government ship. Unless we destroy at least two of the Bone Shark, Blood Shark, and Evil Shark, there’s no hope of escaping the encirclement.”

“How do we do it?”

“Blow up the dragon bone!”

The Mighty Wolf and Iron Wolf emerged from the mist, blood-soaked, carrying the corpses—or at least the black uniforms—of dead Wa assassins.

“The reason the Ten Shark Ships are so fast and have repeatedly bested government vessels is mainly because their keels are made from the spines of deep-sea leviathans, imbued with some strange power. Their tactic has been to wear us down with ordinary pirate ships first, not surround us with the Shark Ships directly, because they want to capture us alive. That’s our only chance.”

“When the four ships close together, we’ll disguise ourselves as ninja assassins, board their ships, and use fire pots to blast the dragon bones apart. That’s my plan!” Young Master Wolf said darkly. “Anyone have a better idea?”

No one spoke. Zhong Quan frowned, “Someone must stay behind to take command. If the dragon bone is destroyed, what’s to stop someone from simply sailing away? Young Master Wolf, you’ll have to go yourself.”

“I’ll do it!” Young Master Wolf replied, his tone cold. This was not the time for internal strife, but he had already placed the old ghost on his kill list.

“We also need to find a way to notify the other ship, so they can coordinate,” Luo Yanzong added.

“I have a way,” said Young Master Huang. She hesitated, then looked at the unconscious Lin Su’e on Kou Li’s back. “You can hand her over to me. Of everyone here, I have the least interest in her.”

Kou Li understood her meaning. After all, Young Master Huang was a woman disguised as a man; he couldn’t very well entrust Lin Su’e to the Water Dragon Gang again. At least for now, she would be safe in her hands.

“Very well!”

In the half-stick of incense before the ships were to close, they spent their time in tense planning, dividing tasks, and steeling their resolve.