Chapter 217 - 215: A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 8)

Chapter 217: Chapter 215: A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 8)

A Gratitude Sensing Realm Martial Artist moved with a speed far beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

Smoker seemed to transform into an incorporeal, gray wisp of smoke. Before anyone else could react, he was already lunging at the Young Master’s back.

The instant Smoker attacked, the modified man who looked like a Western gentleman and had been facing off against the Young Master also struck.

With a strange BANG, like a steam valve suddenly bursting open, the man charged the Young Master. His movements defied all Martial Arts conventions; his posture was bizarre, but his speed was nearly on par with Smoker’s.

Caught in a pincer attack from front and back, the Young Master was completely overwhelmed, no matter how fast his reactions were.

The three figures clashed in a deadly tangle. A breath later, they separated.

Amidst a few muffled grunts, a figure was "thrown" out from the fray, stumbling.

Under the moonlight, the Young Master landed at the edge of the clearing and staggered back three steps.

Each step he took left behind a sticky, crimson footprint.

When he finally managed to steady himself, his previous air of calm and dashing confidence had vanished without a trace. His handsome, well-maintained face was now pale as paper and beaded with sweat.

The Young Master’s entire right arm hung limply at an unnatural angle. He clutched his right shoulder tightly with his left hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging from the pressure. Still, he couldn’t stop the blood from gushing between his fingers.

Despite his grievous injury, the first thing the Young Master did upon landing wasn’t to check his wound. Instead, he stared fixedly in one direction, his eyes filled with shock, disappointment, and profound disbelief.

The agony in his eyes was a hundred times worse than the pain in his shoulder.

"Smoker! You..."

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."

Smoker, who had frozen in place after his successful strike, was now trembling violently, his shoulders heaving.

He had reverted to his lost, dazed, and vacant look. Expressions of guilt, remorse, and madness flashed across his face, but he didn’t dare meet the Young Master’s eyes, simply apologizing over and over.

After muttering for a moment, Smoker suddenly let out an agonized howl as if driven mad. He then bolted from the scene, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. No one could have imagined that Smoker, one of the Thirteen Taibao, would turn traitor and attack his own companion, the Young Master.

It was unbelievable, yet upon reflection, it seemed to make a twisted kind of sense.

Tonight’s mission was to lure the Fish Demon, all for half a boatload of gold and the treasure. The various factions had joined forces, stopping at nothing to ensure their success.

Bribery, coercion, betrayal...

Weren’t these the very things that the powerful elites and their agents, lurking behind the curtains, excelled at?

Back in the day, quite a few of the Shenghai Thirteen Taibao had died in bitter infighting, turning on their sworn brothers for women, power, and money.

Tonight was just a repeat performance of an old drama.

With Smoker gone, the gentlemanly Western-style modified man showed no intention of letting the Young Master go. Strange, grayish-white, narrow Bone Blades extended from beneath the sleeves of his tailcoat. A smirk-like expression on his face, he lunged again with his bizarre posture.

The Young Master’s face darkened. With a flick of his good left hand, he sent several silver coins flying as he rapidly retreated. The Instructor, wielding his Qi Mei Stick, rushed in from the side to block the Western gentleman, placing himself in front of his charge.

But another modified man, this one burly and imposing with a body of steel, joined the fray. The Instructor, protecting the injured Young Master, found himself facing two opponents. The situation was instantly fraught with danger.

"Heh—"

The old man in silver from Toad Palace, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, finally let out a slow, contemptuous sneer. "Overreaching. You really think you’re somebody, don’t you..."

He drew his Longsword, a venomous glint in his eyes, and began walking step by step toward the Instructor’s battle.

As he walked, he casually ordered his subordinates in a condescending tone, "What are you standing around for? Get them!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept past Fu Juemin before locking firmly onto Li Huaisuang.

The Jianghu Wanderers, who had been intimidated by the three Taibao, now saw that one had fled, one was injured, and one was locked in a desperate fight. Jolted back to their senses by the old man’s words, they began to slowly close in on Fu Juemin and Li Huaisuang once more.

Just then, gunshots rang out in the distance. A figure, wreathed in the sound of gunfire, rushed toward them.

It was Tang Jing, lips pressed tight, charging forward with dual blades. Several of the Jianghu Wanderers broke off to intercept her, braving the bullets from the Revolutionaries behind her to engage her in battle.

Under the moonlight, a dozen or so figures formed a circle, closing in on Fu Juemin and Li Huaisuang step by step.

An invisible, chilling killing intent filled the air. A dozen pairs of greedy, blazing eyes fell upon Li Huaisuang. She felt a surge of fear and tried to shrink behind Fu Juemin.

To her surprise, however, Fu Juemin gently pulled his arm away, effectively pushing her forward.

"Are you... abandoning me?"

Li Huaisuang looked at him and murmured the question, her voice so faint it seemed it might shatter at any moment.

Though Fu Juemin had already told her he wouldn’t fight to the death for her, and she was mentally prepared to some extent, she still felt an inexplicable sadness and helplessness now that the moment had arrived.

"No."

Fu Juemin shook his head. He backed away while saying coolly, "It’s not time for that yet."

"Huh..."

Li Huaisuang froze, confused. Why was he saying comforting words while constantly moving away from her?

Just then, Fu Juemin suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Stay right here! I’ll go get help!"

His words seemed directed at Li Huaisuang, but they made the advancing Jianghu Wanderers laugh.

"This kid sure knows when to quit!"

"Help? Haha..."

"SWOOSH—"

A scimitar sliced through the air and, with a CLANG, embedded itself in the stone path at Fu Juemin’s feet.

"Shameless!"

From a distance, Tang Jing, who was trapped in a fierce battle and unable to break away, glared at Fu Juemin. Gritting her teeth, her eyes practically shooting fire, she spat, "Coward!"

But Fu Juemin didn’t spare her a glance, nor did he care about the mocking and jeering looks directed his way.

He quickly retreated to the edge of the embankment. Then, with his back to the dark, churning river, he simply fell backward, his body quickly swallowed by the dense darkness and vanishing from sight...

With Fu Juemin gone, there was no one left to protect Li Huaisuang.

The Instructor and Young Master had their hands full, and Tang Jing couldn’t break free. The group of gun-wielding Revolutionaries wanted to charge in, risking death, but to a group of Tongxuan Martial Artists, their short-barreled Western guns were fine for "scaring people," but in a real fight, few would take them seriously.

The Revolutionaries and Tang Jing’s group charged several times but were repelled each time.

Li Huaisuang was like a helpless little animal. Trembling, she watched the crowd of malicious, menacing figures. Instinct drove her backward until she reached the riverbank, with nowhere left to retreat.

In a certain moment, it was unclear who made the first move—

Over a dozen figures, having lost all patience, exploded into action at almost the same time! From all directions, they pounced on the petite figure in the center!

In the middle of the chaos, someone threw a Plum Blossom Dart, sparking a string of curses. A skinny middle-aged man with a mole on his left cheek stood out with his superior Body Technique. He broke through the confusion first, appearing before Li Huaisuang like a phantom.

The man’s eyes burned with greed. He looked at Li Huaisuang as if she were a pile of gleaming gold beckoning to him. Without a word, he reached out to grab her.

But before his hand could touch her clothes, a sudden, inexplicable cold wind blew against his face.

Immediately after, a shadow so dense it was tangible rose up like a phantom city wall, suddenly appearing between him and Li Huaisuang.

The middle-aged man was stunned, his claw-like hand frozen in mid-air.

He subconsciously looked up—

And saw that an unusually tall and powerful figure had appeared by the river, though he didn’t know when.

The newcomer stood with his back to the moonlight, his features obscured. All that could be seen were a pair of eyes like cold stars, looking down on him calmly.

"You don’t recognize me?"

The man met the middle-aged man’s gaze for a second, then spoke in a flat tone.

The middle-aged man’s throat went dry. Alarm bells screamed in his mind. Without even thinking, he threw a palm strike at his opponent.

"BANG!"

The palm landed squarely on the man’s body, but it made a dull thud, like striking leather.

The man didn’t retreat. Instead, he took a step forward.

With that movement, an unstoppable and terrifyingly immense force, like a flood from a broken dam, brutally crushed forward!

The middle-aged man was hit head-on. With a sharp CRACK, his chest caved in. The next second, he was sent flying backward, spitting blood.

The newcomer didn’t stop, continuing to walk forward.

"You don’t recognize me?"

"You don’t recognize me either?"

He asked calmly as he walked.

Every Jianghu Wanderer who stood in his path was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, as if they had been hit head-on by a rumbling mountain.

Finally, he reached the center of the clearing.

Just then, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, obscuring the crescent moon.

The cold moonlight receded from the newcomer’s body inch by inch. Great masses of shadow spread out from his feet, climbing upward.

They gradually enveloped an area several yards wide, exuding a heart-stoppingly cold aura.

"None of you recognize me?!"

In the dead silence, the newcomer surveyed the scene and seemed to let out a soft sigh.

The next second, an indescribable and irresistible terrifying aura exploded from his body!

Like a black hurricane, it swept across the entire riverside battlefield in an instant.

"I am... Demon Elephant Ji Shaotong!"

As his words fell, everyone on the scene stared at each other, their eyes filled with nothing but profound shock and horror.