Chapter 44, Ruthless Tricks!

Translator: StarReader

 

When the fight began, Su Chen knew that his martial arts skills were far superior to Ding Shisan’s. Hitting this pirate chief would be an ordinary matter.

 

However, the pole in his hand was light and flimsy, lacking the necessary power when used to strike.

 

He struck Ding Shisan several times with the bamboo pole but still couldn’t kill this second-rate pirate chief. The pirate actually dared to glare at him with a fierce and unyielding look.

 

Su Chen couldn’t help but sigh with regret.

 

If only he had another three or five days, once his Middle Dantian gained True Qi, and he infused even a small amount of True Qi into the bamboo pole, the power would increase by at least two to three times. He was sure that one strike would make this pirate chief beg for mercy, crying out for Mommy.

 

Su Chen noticed Ding Shisan adopt a desperate and aggressive stance, as if ready to charge and fight to the death. His heart tightened with apprehension.

 

[This pirate chief—could he be preparing for a last-ditch effort?] Su Chen thought.

 

He wasted no time, quickly turning and backing away, gaining ten meters between them.

 

The battle on Li’s cargo ship was beginning to turn in their favor. Wang Fugui and his group of inner disciples and retainers were swiftly eliminating the remaining seven or eight pirate lackeys. They would soon be free to focus on surrounding Ding Shisan, with victory all but assured.

 

With an overwhelming likelihood of success, Su Chen had no intention of engaging in close combat with Ding Shisan. He prioritized his safety above all else.

 

Ding Shisan feinted the charge. Seeing Su Chen turn and retreat, he halted, a cunning smirk spreading across his face.

 

“Hmph, you little punk! You fell for it. You’re still green—no experience at all. Fighting someone like me, with decades of martial prowess under my belt, you’ve got no chance.”

 

Ding Shisan swiftly raised his left arm, revealing the hidden crossbow tucked beneath his long sleeves.

 

The sleeve crossbow was small, no larger than a palm, crafted from finely forged iron with intricate mechanical precision. It was an ingenious device but had its drawbacks—it could only hold a single short toxic arrow at a time and required manual reloading, making it cumbersome to use. Its range was limited, only extending three or four meters, but it compensated for this by its rapid fire rate, capable of hitting its target in the blink of an eye.

 

This was a last resort, used only on skilled opponents deemed second-rate or higher. In such dire situations, when his back was to the wall and survival depended on it, he might risk deploying it as a final attempt to turn the tide.

 

If he couldn’t incapacitate his enemy with this weapon, then his fate would be sealed. He’d have no choice but to flee, perhaps even resorting to drastic measures like jumping into water for escape.

 

Ding Shisan raised his arm, and the crossbow let out a sharp whistle, releasing a three-inch toxic arrow aimed directly at Su Chen’s vital spot on his back.

 

Su Chen, who had been running backward while looking over his shoulder, felt an ominous chill in the air. He froze mid-step and threw himself forward onto the deck.

 

The arrow streaked through the air with deadly precision.

 

A streak of several inches of black light shot past, barely missing Su Chen, its faint whistle almost brushing against his back as it struck hard into the ship’s railing ahead of him, quivering violently.

 

“Poisoned arrow!”

 

Su Chen looked up, spotting the short poisoned dart lodged firmly in the railing, its tail still trembling uncontrollably. He was struck with a cold sweat, overwhelmed with shock.

 

The pirate chief’s move was insidious. He feigned an aggressive charge, forcing Su Chen to turn and flee far away. Then, at the last moment, he launched a sneak attack from behind with a hidden crossbow.

 

Had it not been for his extraordinary perception, detecting the crossbow’s release, and reacting by diving onto the deck in one swift motion, the poison would have found its mark.

 

This close call made Su Chen realize how precarious life was in the martial world. If he had been struck by that poisoned arrow, his life would have ended right there. Forget about any future dreams of achieving greatness in the martial world, wearing fine clothes, and returning home in glory—this journey through the martial world was nothing but a gamble with death, walking a knife’s edge every day.

 

Ding Shisan had sneaked up from behind, fired the poisoned crossbow, and was now gleefully awaiting the demise of the blue-clad laborer.

 

But all he saw was how the punk dove onto the ship’s planks, narrowly avoiding the short poisoned arrow.

 

“Damn it, how’d you manage to dodge that? That’s uncanny. Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?”

 

Ding Shisan was startled, his eyes bulging in shock.

 

He had been crawling through martial circles for over a decade. These sudden, silent arrows were launched without any warning, fired with incredible speed—practitioners as skilled as first-rate experts would still fall victim to their sneak attacks, meeting their end in the martial world.

 

But this blue-clad errand disciple, a mere third-rate practitioner, saw it coming.

 

“Damn pirate! You think you can just walk all over me because I’m an errand disciple? Think again!”

 

After recovering from his initial shock, Su Chen gathered himself and rolled onto his feet. He grabbed the bamboo pole by his side and swung it wildly at Ding Shisan, sending a flurry of bamboo shadows raining down on him.

 

This was Su Chen’s debut in the martial world, facing off against a second-rate adept at the Middle Dantian realm. He fought cautiously, trying to drag out the fight without planning to engage Ding Shisan in a desperate battle.

 

Now, overwhelmed with anger, Su Chen unleashed his full strength, his overwhelming aura surpassing even Ding Shisan’s ruthless ferocity.

 

Ding Shisan’s face filled with terror as he was about to raise his sword to block. But Su Chen’s bamboo pole shifted direction an incredible number of times in the blink of an eye. The shadow of the bamboo, elusive and cunning, stabbed, pierced, swept, and slashed, like a ghostly phantom that could slip through any opening, slipping through the gaps in Ding Shisan’s sword slashes.

 

This was no ordinary technique for a third-rate practitioner. It required at least the skill level of a first-rate martial artist to achieve such precision and mastery.

 

[This guy’s martial arts aren’t those of a third-rate…] Ding Shisan thought frantically. [He’s wearing a mask, so maybe he’s a first-rate master posing as a lowly blue-clad? I need to escape!]

 

Ding Shisan’s protective True Qi was shattered by the bamboo pole’s relentless blows, leaving him battered and distraught. With blood streaming down his face, he turned and fled toward the river.

 

As he jumped into the river, he glanced once more at the Li cargo ship.

 

The remaining seven or eight pirates were completely overpowered by Wang Fugui, Li Jiao, and several other inner disciples, as well as the sailors and retainers, who were attacking them with relentless ferocity.

 

It was all over—the cause was lost! Ding Shisan’s heart sank with sorrow as he plunged into the river, swimming away in escape.

 

A shout was heard on the Li cargo ship: “Men, kill all of these pirates!” Wang Fugui bellowed, drenched in wet clothes and brandishing his sword. His face twisted with anger and humiliation, he hacked furiously at the pirates who had disgraced him, exacting revenge for their earlier insult.

 

Because of falling into the river and becoming a wet rag, losing both the prestige of being an inner disciple and his dignity, he wanted to regain his face by defeating these pirates and venting his anger on them.

 

Though he wasn’t a match for Ding Shisan, that second-rate pirate, he was more than capable of handling the others. With his superb sword techniques, those small fries were cut down in three moves.

 

The Medicine King Group disciples, sailors, and retainers drove the remaining five or six pirates to the edge of the boat.

 

The pirates had been counting on Ding Shisan to defeat Su Chen and come to their rescue. They were shocked to find that Ding Shisan had already fled in disgrace, unable to even hold his own against that laborer, and had jumped into the water first.

 

Instantly, they lost all hope and courage. Without hesitation, they jumped off the boat, following Boss Dingin in their escape.

 

Just as Su Chen was about to pursue Ding Shisan, he was called back by the shout of Merchant Li from behind.

 

“Young Master, please hold on a moment. Thank you for saving us—I deeply appreciate it! May I ask your respected name? I would be honored to see your face. This favor is as heavy as a mountain! When I return home, I will personally come to pay my respects and repay your great kindness!”

 

Merchant Li and his wife barely escaped with their lives. Overjoyed, they stumbled out from under the wine table on the deck.

 

They quickly performed a kneeling salute toward Su Chen, expressing their gratitude for saving their lives.

 

The entire cargo ship’s sailors, servants, and maids also followed suit, bowing on the ship’s deck and loudly thanking this blue-clad errand disciple for his heroic act.

 

Only Wang Fugui and the Medicine King Group’s inner disciples were left utterly flustered, their expressions filled with deep embarrassment. They were unsure how to address this Errand Hall junior executive.

 

By rank, these Medicine King Group inner disciples should have been of higher status than him, and it would normally be the latter who would pay respects to them.

 

However, they had just witnessed firsthand how the ruthless pirate chief Ding Shisan was utterly defeated by this blue-clad errand disciple. These inner disciples, who usually held themselves in high esteem, were barely able to fend off ordinary pirates and were on the verge of being wiped out. It was this Errand Hall disciple who intervened and saved their lives.

 

It instilled intense shame in them, their faces burning with embarrassment.

 

“No need, I just happened to pass by here and helped. Master Li and I have met in the past, and today I am returning the favor!”

 

Su Chen spoke calmly.

 

Two years prior, he had run away from home to find work at the west entrance pier in Gusu County City. Coincidentally, he overheard a conversation between Merchant Li and Madam Li about how the Medicine King Group was recruiting disciples, aiming to take Li Jiao to the Han Mountain Daoist Temple to seek connections through Daoist Qinghe and become an inner disciple.

 

This overhearing sparked his strong desire to join the Medicine King Group as a martial disciple to learn arts.

 

Had he not heard their conversation, he might have missed the recruitment by the Medicine King Group during those two days of December, and whether he could survive that month was uncertain. Even if he had survived, he likely would have been eking out a living as a lowly commoner in Gusu County City, always worrying about how to earn enough for his next meal.

 

He naturally couldn’t have trained martial arts within the Medicine King Group. Yet, through fortunate coincidence, he saved the Li family today. Had he not intervened, Master Li and Madam Li, along with Li Jiao and their household and crew, would likely have been killed by the ruthless Ding Shisan.

 

The Li family and Su Chen were linked by fate, cause and effect, and a curious interplay of karma.

 

As for who saved whom, that was anyone’s guess.

 

So he settled this old connection.

 

Su Chen had no intention of exposing his identity. Should those pirates manage to escape back to the Whale Gang, and upon discovering his true self, they might seek their revenge against him—a move that could bring about significant trouble.

 

The Whale Gang wouldn’t go to full-scale war with the Medicine King Group over a mere group of pirates. However, dispatching a first-rate martial artist to take him out, considering he was just a junior executive in the Medicine King Group, would be an easy enough task for them.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Merchant Li listened intently but were thoroughly confused. Did this benefactor of theirs share some past connection with them? When had they ever met such a formidable martial expert?

 

There was no time to dwell on questions, for Su Chen discarded the inconvenient bamboo pole, took a deep breath, dove into the river, and began his pursuit of the fleeing pirates.

 

The pirates were led by Ding Shisan, a cunning and ruthless man. [Earlier, he had nearly killed me with a poisoned arrow, and if he isn’t dealt with today, there is no telling when he might come back looking for clues—leading the pirates straight to me.]

 

“Ding Shisan had barely entered the river and can’t have gotten far,” Su Chen muttered to himself as he dove underwater, gripping the small dagger tied to his calf. “Today, he dies.”