Volcanic Age

"I think you're being overly sensitive because of what happened in Weng'An. Why don't you go inside and rest?"

"It's not that bad. Thank you for looking out for me." Qiu Feng brushed it off, agreeing he was being too sensitive.

He calmed down and began enjoying the scenery. Although there was no wine in his hand, the magnificent scenery of the Yangtze River was still enough for him to enjoy himself. The rows of cliffs could only be seen properly if he looked up, and the thick forest located above made it feel like he was in another world.

When he first came into the world and saw the Yangtze River for the first time, he was awestruck, and overwhelmed by mother nature.

Now, he had gotten used to it to some extent, but the scenery of the Yangtze River was truly a sight to behold.

As he gazed down at the river, captivated by the fish swimming below, Qiu Feng suddenly snapped to attention.

"Men of the Martial Alliance! Listen up!"

The sword on Qiu Feng's waist was drawn smoothly. A rough and sharp aura emanated from the sword.

"Immediately guard the Lotus Pavilion members and the Zhuge Family!"

Before he could ask any more questions, the cultivators of the Martial Alliance stood around them in a protective formation.

"Hmph! As expected of the Fourteenth Sword Hero! You catch on quick!"

Zhuge Xiao's face stiffened instantly. He quickly looked around to locate where the voice was coming from. On top of the cliff, the thick forest that he couldn't see through seemed to move before men clad in blue appeared one after the other.

"Jump on!" someone's voice echoed through the air.

Splash, splash-!

"Whoa!"

The tranquil river suddenly shot upwards as fierce-looking men holding weapons got on board the ship. There were about thirty or forty of them at first glance.

"Oh no!"

"The ship's shaking!"

With a maximum capacity of about sixty people, the ship began to lose its balance with too many people on board.

"The Nine Water Gangs!" shouted Zhuge Xiao, his face pale.

There weren't many people who could swim in the Yangtze River due to the chaotic current. Moreover, a cultivator would need training in water arts in order to catch up to a ship while submerged. In the Yangtze River, only the river bandits trained in that.

"If you have targeted the wrong ship, we'll let you go, so get off immediately," Qiu Feng warned, revealing the Plum Blossom pattern on his sleeves.

"Haha. You and I are old acquaintances, so there was no way I mistook the ship, is there?"

The man with the largest build among the river bandits stepped forward.

"You are…"

The man's face was covered with scars. Not many people had such features in the world.

"You must not recognize me since I didn't introduce myself then. I am Lu Dalang. Thank you for the protection fee you gave us last time. Hehe."

Lu Dalang smiled viciously, baring his yellow teeth.

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"Ah! The river bandit from before!" Zhang Hong recognized Lu Dalang.

Only then did Qiu Feng, Zhang Xuen and Zhou Xuchuan realize who he was. It was the head of the river bandits that they met when they crossed the Yangtze River in the Chongqing province.

"Lu-Lu Dalang? That means you are…" Zhuge Xiao mumbled in a trembling voice. "One of the Hundred Experts Under Heaven, the Watertop Spearman!"

"Oho, I am so touched that a proud man of the Five Great Families recognized me that I'm moved to tears," Lu Dalang grinned insidiously.

The atmosphere turned grim, especially among the Martial Alliance cultivators, who appeared despondent.

Lu Dalang took out the long spear behind his back and spun it around once before stabbing the floor, halting the ship's violent shaking as if nothing had occurred.

'He's the real deal.' thought Qiu Feng, swallowing hard.

"What business does the Watertop Spearman have with us on this ship?"

"What business? Hahaha!"

Lu Dalang jerked his head backward and laughed. It was devoid of any warmth.

"You ask a river bandit what business he has by boarding another's ship. Is that even a question?" Lu Dalang's tone turned icy, sending shivers down their spines.

"Watertop Spearman, are you crazy?!" Zhuge Xiao shouted amid the escorts, drawing everyone's attention.

"Crazy, you say?"

"You dare attack future talents from Mount Hua and the Zhuge Family. You won't get away with this!"

"Huh, you are of the Zhuge Family alright. You are skilled in scheming against someone." Lu Dalang grinned unpleasantly. "Listen up. We are the Nine Water Gangs, the protectors of the Yangtze River. From times of old, it has been customary to pay a toll to the protectors of the Yangtze River if you want to cross it. However, you were the one who called us thieves and refused to pay the toll. It was you who picked a fight with us."

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is…"

Zhuge Xiao stopped mid-sentence, realizing Lu Dalang's intentions after seeing him grin.

"The first ones to oppose the toll were the impudent kids of the Lotus Pavilion and the Zhuge Family, no? They pointed their swords at us, saying that they refuse to compromise with river bandits."

Lu Dalang raised his spear, directing it at the center of the guards.

"Uncle, it seems something's amiss. They do not plan to let us go."

Zhuge Xiang cautiously felt the sword at his waist. He didn't know how useful he would be, but the situation was just that dire.

"The reason there were no boats at the boatyard was… because of this?" Qiu Feng gnashed his teeth.

"Isn't it a 'common occurrence' to make mistakes during one's first trip into the martial world because of lack of knowledge about the situation in the martial world?"

Lu Dalang tightened his grip on the spear, and the muscles in his arm and shoulder began to swell.

"I will say this again, but the Yangtze River is the domain of the Nine Water Gangs. You have caused trouble here, so as the protectors of this place, we will ensure law and order are restored. Hahaha!"

Lu Dalang's voice rang out. "Leave no one alive!"

"Keheheh!"

The river bandits charged.

*

"Eh?" a voice of surprise escaped Zhou Xuchuan's mouth, his expression reflecting his incomprehension about the unfolding events.

"Apprentice-brother, hide behind me!" Zhang Hong stepped forward.

"Xiuluan! Shengji!"

Zhuge Xiang also shielded the younger members of his family behind him.

Zhou Xuchuan, Zhuge Xiuluan and Zhuge Shengji were in the center of the formation, while Zhang Hong, Zhang Xuen and Zhuge Xiang surrounded them. Lastly, the cultivators from the Martial Alliance stood in a protective formation. All of them looked resolute.

What the heck is happening?

He felt that all troubles were over when he boarded the ship. He even wondered if he should throw himself and Zhuge Shengji overboard.

However, something totally unexpected happened.

If they fought the Watertop Spearman here, there's no way I wouldn't remember it… did something like this happen?

The Hundred Experts Under Heaven changed frequently, especially during the Era of War and Chaos. The constant changes made keeping track nearly impossible.

However, among them, there were a few people whose positions didn't change. One of them was Lu Dalang, the Watertop Spearman.

Lu Dalang used to be in the riverine navy. However, one day, in a fit of anger, he clashed with his superior and ended up killing him, forcing him to flee and become a water criminal.

One thing led to another and he eventually sought asylum in the Nine Water Gangs. Originally, he planned to stay there temporarily, but after spending some time with them, he found that being a river bandit suited him.

Here, he no longer needed to hold back his trashy personality, and because of his martial prowess, he quickly rose through the ranks, firmly establishing himself as a river bandit.

There were two reasons why Zhou Xuchuan remembered Lu Dalang. First was that the Nine Water Gangs didn't have that many experts, and second was that Lu Dalang managed to live a long life.

The Nine Water Gangs was a faction that even the government couldn't do anything about, despite their nuisance. To eradicate the bandits, power was necessary, but the Ming Dynasty's government mainly concentrated its forces on the army to confront northern invaders, neglecting its navy. They had no intention of investing anything in the Navy either.

Even if they were to raise a riverine navy, at most they would be stationed in the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze River was within the country. It was much better to focus their attention on defending against foreign forces.

Anyway, as a result of these circumstances, the government didn't have enough forces to hunt down the Nine Water Gangs, and Lu Dalang, who never left the Yangtze River, was even harder to catch.

Due to the special traits of water arts, Lu Dalang could be considered higher up in the ranks of the Hundred Experts Under Heaven if he were to fight on the Yangtze Gangs. Realistically, it would take a lot of manpower and time to catch him, so the government just decided to give up.

If Qiu Feng happened to fight such a famous man, there was no way rumors about it had not spread. It was strange that Zhou Xuchuan had no recollection of this at all.

It's a future I had not experienced!

His mind raced with deductions.

"Arrgh!"

Amidst the screams and clashing metal, he realized the urgency of the present situation.

This is no time to be thinking!

From the looks of it, the water bandits all appeared weak. At best, they were Second-Class. How strong could thieves be?

They were all stricken with fear at the appearance of the Watertop Spearman, but in truth, they had enough forces to take down the other water bandits.

C-c-clang-!

"Urgh!"

"Hahahaha!"

However, the problem was with Qiu Feng and Lu Dalang. It hadn't even been that long since the fight started, but Zhou Xuchuan could already tell that Qiu Feng was exhausted.

Senior Uncle is at a disadvantage in the fight.

In the first place, water arts were martial arts designed for combat inside water and on top of a rocking boat. It was obvious that Lu Dalang would have the advantage. On top of that, he used to be in the riverine navy and spent nearly half of his life on top of a ship.

On the contrary, Qiu Feng was easily affected by the rocking of the ship, and was unaccustomed to fighting on deck. He might have been able to win if Lu Dalang was weak, but unfortunately, the enemy was one of the Hundred Experts Under Heaven, just like him!

I must help him.

Zhou Xuchuan gripped his sword. It didn't matter if his true skills were exposed here. Letting his guard down for a moment might cost him his life after all.

I cannot die here! Zhou Xuchuan's expression turned vicious.

"Argh!"

Splash-!

While he was thinking, one of the cultivators from the Martial Alliance was pushed off the ship by the water bandits.

"Don't kill the women!"

"Hur hur, you look ripe for the picking!"

Sinister gazes landed on Zhuge Xiuluan. Even she, who had been expressionless until now, trembled at the unpleasant gazes and frowned.

"Kehehe!"

A river bandit seized an opportunity to reach for Zhuge Xiuluan.

"No!"

Zhuge Xiang hurriedly changed the course of his attack. However, he was too late. The hand of the river bandit was too fast.

I'll go down to the water like th… huh?

The river bandit's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't see his hand that was about to grab Zhuge Xiuluan's thin wrists.

"What is… urgh!"

The river bandit clutched his chest and stepped back. A small hole had been poked on his chest.

"Apprentice-brother?"

Zhang Xuen's shock was evident in her gaze as she looked at Zhou Xuchuan. Zhou Xuchuan swung his sword to shake off the blood.

"I'm going."