Chapter 45, Five Bloods

Translator: StarReader

 

Li Jiao spotted the blue-clad laborer leap into the water after the pirates, only for him to vanish moments later. She leaned over the rail, frantically scanning the river’s surface, but there was no sign of him.

 

There was something familiar about him, though she couldn’t place him. Despite her efforts to recall, she couldn’t pinpoint who he might be among the people she’d seen there. The only possible connection that came to mind was Su Chen, a former disciple of their master, but even that seemed unlikely.

 

Reflecting on the time Su Chen spent training under Master Li Kui, his martial skills were unremarkable—nowhere near as impressive as Zhang Tieniu’s—and it was hard to believe he could have become so skilled in such a short period. Moreover, it had been over a year since she last saw him; at fourteen or fifteen, he was still growing, and his appearance would have changed significantly.

 

Li Jiao sighed, wishing her parents had learned the name of her family’s savior. She would have personally thanked him for his kindness.

 

Just then, Wang Fugui joined her, with his refined demeanor as he gazed at the river mist and spoke with respect.

 

“The Errand Hall Senior showd to us his skill and humility, his strength belied by his modesty. He hides his name as he stays in the Errand Hall, giving favors and wanting nothing back. We all have much to learn from Senior’s example.”

 

The pirates had retreated, and Wang Fugui had regained his composure, though his soaked clothes remained disheveled. The other members of the Medicine King Group, being inner disciples, were puzzled as to why Wang Fugui had suddenly seemed contemplative. However, they quickly caught on and hurriedly agreed with him.

 

“Absolutely! This esteemed Senior must be a senior executive from the Errand Hall—a top-tier expert!”

 

“I was just thinking how familiar he seemed. Once Senior Brother Wang mentioned his name, I remembered! This must be a senior executive from the Errand Hall… perhaps even their deputy leader! With such strength, defeating Ding Shisan, that second-rate pirate chief, is no challenge.”

 

“Exactly! If it weren’t for this esteemed senior from the Errand Hall, we might have been in serious trouble today. But since he chose to remain anonymous and travel through martial paths while concealing his identity, he clearly wants to avoid being recognized. We shouldn’t disturb him; otherwise, he might scold us for not understanding his wishes.”

 

Hearing their blatant lies, Li Jiao felt a flush of embarrassment wash over her. What a humiliation.

 

The blue-clad laborer, though masked, had delicate features and a slender build. Clearly no older than fourteen, he was but a youth in age, not much different from the other disciples.

 

To become a senior executive within the Medicine King Group, one had to endure at least a decade or two—exclusively middle-aged and above. Those in deputy leader positions were seasoned elders; their appearance and demeanor were vastly different from that of this youthful attendant.

 

She was very clear about the mindset of Wang Fugui and several other male inner disciples. Such a forced explanation was merely for appearances’ sake, deluding themselves. Otherwise, considering their esteemed status as Medicine King Group inner disciples, it would be unbearable for them to be inferior even to a lowly Errand Hall junior laborer. Being rescued by the deputy Leader of Errand Hall at least made them feel less ashamed.

 

Li Jiao was deeply disappointed. She never imagined that the Senior Brother Wang she once admired and worshipped so deeply could be so vain, someone who couldn’t bring himself to admit his own shortcomings.

 

…

 

Ding Shisan swam more than thirty yards underwater before finally emerging with a loud splash, gasping for air. His swollen cheeks burned painfully from the cold water’s sting. He frantically scanned his surroundings; seeing no trace of the blue-clad laborer, he calmed down.

 

The mist on the river made visibility poor from a distance, so those on the cargo ship likely couldn’t see his submerged position.

 

Soon, four or five other pirates emerged from the water, joining Ding Shisan.

 

“What do we do now, Boss Ding? Should we head back to base or make a move elsewhere?”

 

The crew of pirates expressed their frustration.

 

“Sigh, let’s find a place to rest. We’ll figure out where to strike it rich later. We can’t return empty-handed to the Vastest Lake base,” Ding Shisan said with a look of despair and gloom.

 

He had led over a dozen men on this mission, relying on solid information he’d received beforehand, hoping to easily take down Merchant Li, the big target. But instead, his plan backfired, resulting in significant losses—no silver taken, but half his crew lost.

 

Returning to Whale Gang’s main base was daunting enough, let alone facing Water Devil Hall’s leader. With such a failure, Ding Shisan feared his future within the gang was bleak.

 

It was pitiable that ordinary people only knew that these pirates stuffed themselves with meat and drank wine but had no idea that their lives were hanging by a thread—any moment could be their last.

 

The group of pirates were busy discussing where to strike next for another easy target when they suddenly heard a splash nearby. They looked over and saw a familiar blue-clad figure diving into the water, which immediately scared them out of their wits.

 

“Boss Ding, that kid just won’t give up—he’s back again!”

 

The pirates panicked and scrambled to escape.

 

Ding Shisan had been beaten by that blue-clad laborer before and was too scared to even move—he ducked straight down into the riverbed.

 

But then he suddenly stopped and hesitated.

 

Wait, something didn’t feel right.

 

He was a notorious tough guy in the Whale Gang, after all. On land, he might only be a second-rate fighter, but in the water, he was a first-rate expert at navigating aquatic battles. Meanwhile, those so-called first-rate martial experts would have their strength cut in half in the water—no match for him whatsoever.

 

In the martial world of the Wu Region, he had been around for two or three decades, earning himself the nickname White Fish of the Waves, known by all as Ding Shisan.

 

“Hold your horses! Men, don’t panic. On a boat, I’m no match for him, but in the water? That’s our turf—ours, the Whale Gang! Let’s kill this punk and head back to the cargo ship. Maybe we can turn the tables and retrieve those ten thousand silver taels we lost!”

 

The thought struck Ding Shisan, his eyes gleaming with ferocity as he bellowed his defiance.

 

“Yes! Yes! Boss Ding is a top-tier water combat expert, and so are we. We’re not just skilled; we outnumber him. Why should we fear him? Even if there were three of him, we’d still cut him down!”

 

The pirates’ confidence returned with a surge of realization. The Whale Gang’s fearsome reputation wasn’t without merit. They trained relentlessly in water combat and underwater techniques, often surpassing their land-based skills by far. This was why they dominated the Vastest Lake and rivers across the Wu Region.

 

The pirates stiffened with renewed courage, spreading out as they closed in on the lone blue-clad boy.

 

[By scattering you’d have made it harder for me to catch you. But you fools want to corner me like this?]

 

Su Chen noticed Pirate Chief Ding Shisan and the other pirates closing in around him. He couldn’t help but let out a smirk. There was no way he’d fear them; he was born into a fishing family, having spent his entire life navigating the rivers and mastering the art of swimming. Moreover, with his extraordinary perception, any slight movement within thirty meters would be impossible to escape his notice.

 

Rather than engaging them head-on, Su Chen chose to dive straight down into the deeper parts of the river. The morning mist blanketed the river surface, severely limiting visibility. As he descended further, the water grew darker and murkier, blocking one’s sight. Along the riverbed lay thick, slippery waterweeds that clung to his feet, threatening to ensnare him in their grasp.

 

Ding Shisan and five other pirates plunged after Su Chen. The murky depths were their playground, a place where they felt right at home engaging in underwater battles. However, as they dove deeper, the dimness enveloped them entirely, and soon, Su Chen vanished from their view.

 

“P-puff~!”

 

“Shh~~!”

 

“Help… wu~! Gu~gu!”

 

A faint, cold gleam emerged from the water, darting like a sleek Silverback Swordfish. It effortlessly glided over the necks of the pirate scum.

 

In an instant, thick streams of blood poured out from their slit throats.

 

The pirates hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Su Chen before a streak of cold light severed their lives. They thrashed in panic, kicking frantically to reach the surface, but their strength faded rapidly.

 

Ding Shisan, ever cautious, had held back and wasn’t among those foolish enough to charge ahead.

 

When he saw his crew being picked off one by one without so much as a sound, terror gripped him. In just one breath’s time, all five of his men were gone.

 

The mysterious Medicine King Group blue-clad laborer turned out to be an unparalleled first-rate expert in water combat, far superior to him, who was known as the White Fish of the Waves.

 

Ding Shisan noticed a glint of cold light streaking past his vision like a ghost, silently closing in on him. His pupils dilated in fright as he frantically unleashed his signature underwater technique, Single Strip of the Wave, rushing for the riverbed. He gathered all his True Qi at his feet, breaking through the thick water plants and landing on the solid sand below. In an instant, he burst forward, transforming into a wave of white energy that carried him ten meters clear of danger, escaping with barely any margin to spare.

 

The experience terrified the living soul out of him. He realized that even underwater, this enigmatic blue-clad figure surpassed him again. Without daring to linger any longer, he dove down the river for his life.

 

“Did he get away?”

 

Suo Chen surfaced from the water, holding his herb-picking knife tightly. His expression was one of disbelief as he gazed at the five floating pirates bodies and the pools of blood around him. The sight made him feel faint and close to vomiting. In his more than one year walking the martial path, this was the first time he had taken a life.

 

He floated on the river’s surface, his mind racing with the events that had just unfolded.

 

However, these pirates were evil to the core, having taken so many fishermen and innocent lives—I suppose it was just karma that they met their end. There was no need for him to feel guilty about it.

 

Nevertheless, Ding Shisan had escaped, which was troublesome. The more powerful a pirate was, the greater the chaos they could cause. He couldn’t let this go.

 

…

 

“Who in the world was that? Such an unusual fighter from the Medicine King Group.”

 

Ding Shisan fled desperately, swimming hard for over three miles along the river before finally reaching shore near Gusu County City’s west entrance pier, specifically by the Maple Bridge.

 

He disguised himself as a fisherman wearing a straw hat and blended into the bustling crowd at the pier. Keeping his head down, he hurried away and soon arrived at the outer wall of the Han Mountain Daoist Temple. He found a secluded spot with no one around and, after glancing around to ensure he wasn’t spotted, scaled the wall and slipped inside the temple grounds.

 

Su Chen tracked Ding Shisan’s scent and also reached the shore near the west gate pier. The pier was filled with all sorts of fishy smells from fishermen and vegetable vendors—it was easy to lose someone in such a chaotic environment.

 

But Su Chen’s heightened sense of smell wasn’t fooled. Ding Shisan had an odor of blood on him, and his feet carried the stench of river grass. The two scents combined created a pungent, fishy aroma that was hard to mask among the crowd of dock workers.

 

Soon, Su Chen sniffed out the lingering aquatic scent and tracked it all the way to the walls of Han Mountain Daoist Temple. Noticing water dripping from the wall, he knew for certain that Ding Shisan must have scaled over here.

 

Han Mountain Daoist Temple?!

 

Su Chen stared at the towering walls of the temple compound, his eyes widening in surprise.