Chapter 278: Sweeping Them All in One Net

Bai Jingtang’s boat left Sanhe Commandery and entered the Sanhe River. Before long, the surrounding boats became sparse.

Her expression turned slightly serious as she noticed several small boats trailing behind hers at an unhurried pace. They neither overtook her nor fell back.

“As expected.”

Bai Jingtang let out a cold laugh.

“There is nothing new under the sun. The same old trick—robbery and plunder.”

As she spoke, she removed the Yellow Dragon Bow.

She muttered softly to herself,

“Perfect timing to test the new weapon.”

When the boat reached a bend in the river, the three small boats behind suddenly accelerated, closing the distance with astonishing speed.

Each small boat had at least four or five people standing on it.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A fierce rain of arrows descended.

The boatman who had been quietly rowing was instantly shot into a porcupine by the sudden arrows. Clutching his wounds, he toppled into the river.

Even Bai Jingtang was momentarily stunned.

So vicious?

She stood up and drew her bow.

Four arrows shot back through the gaps in retaliation, but only one struck an unlucky target.

The other three arrows were casually knocked aside by people beside him.

“This is bad.”

“They’re all Second-Rank and Third-Rank Martial Artists?”

Bai Jingtang reacted decisively and prepared to abandon the boat and escape.

But she worried that if she ran across the water, she might be shot down by a barrage of arrows.

She glanced toward the river.

There was still one path left.

Into the water.

If she jumped into the river before they fully closed in, she could dive beneath the surface and escape.

But she was carrying a wooden box. With that burden, her speed would certainly be affected.

Just as she hesitated, startled cries suddenly rose from behind the attackers.

“The boat!”

“The boat’s leaking!!”

“There’s someone in the water!”

“Damn it!”

“Who drilled holes in our boat?!”

Bai Jingtang was stunned.

She saw that the three small boats behind her had all begun sinking at the same time.

She had no time to investigate further and immediately raised her bow to shoot.

This time, two people were struck and fell into the river.

“Ah!”

Amid the screams, blood churned in the water.

The three small boats spun wildly as they sank. The people aboard could no longer draw their bows, and Bai Jingtang seized the chance to shoot several more, wounding many.

Some, seeing the situation turn hopeless, threw away their bows and arrows altogether. With sabers and swords in hand, they stepped across the water and rushed toward Bai Jingtang.

Her reaction was swift.

Her white sword left its sheath.

CLANG!

A clear sword cry rang out.

The leading Third-Rank Martial Artist was struck in the chest by the white scabbard;

A Second-Rank Martial Artist beside him had his weapon knocked away and was kicked in the chest, his ribcage collapsing.

Bai Jingtang returned to the boat. Clad in blue robes, she stood calm and composed, her gaze cool and indifferent.

“Fourth Rank!”

“Attack!”

“Everyone together!”

Just as the group of martial artists prepared to swarm her, a large ship suddenly emerged from behind the bend.

The deck at its bow was packed with people.

“Loose arrows!”

At the command, bows were drawn to the full moon, and Armor-Piercing Arrows flew in a volley.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Wangchuan, Zhao Heiniu, and Chen Ergou had arrived with reinforcements.

With their boats gone, the martial artists had no footing. Running across the water, they looked utterly miserable and had no way to dodge the arrows.

One after another, they were struck.

Several were turned into porcupines on the spot.

The remaining few attempted to flee by diving into the water.

But people were already waiting beneath the surface.

The Caobang were masters of underwater combat.

The moment those men entered the water—before they could even see what was below—white blades plunged in and emerged red, stabbing straight through them.

Thirteen men…

All dead.

One man with sharp eyes even recovered Bai Jingtang’s scabbard and respectfully handed it back to her.

“Sister!”

Bai Yuhui waved and shouted.

Bai Jingtang smiled faintly and looked toward Wangchuan beside her.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you today, it really would have been troublesome.”

“You are too polite, Captain Bai. We had just finished buying our things and happened to be heading back. It was simply a fortunate coincidence.” Wangchuan smiled. “Do you recognize these bandits?”

“They’re river bandits who specialize in watching large merchants and auction events. They target lone fat sheep. If we take their heads to the authorities, we should earn a fair bounty.”

Bai Jingtang clearly had plenty of experience with such matters.

Wangchuan nodded and turned to his men.

“You all heard that?”

“Brothers, haul up the bodies and send them to the authorities to claim the bounty. Today’s reward—split it among yourselves!”

“Thank you, Helm Leader!”

The group burst with excitement.

Wangchuan then invited Bai Jingtang.

“Captain Bai, where are you heading? Would you like to ride along with us?”

“Sure.”

Bai Jingtang did not stand on ceremony. With a light step, her robes fluttering in the wind, she landed on the deck.

“I was heading to Huishui County to see Monk Dalong, but the boatman is gone now. Give me a ride to Hejiang Town so I can find another boat.”

“Of course.”

The item Bai Jingtang had purchased at the Hall of Master Artisans was actually a medicinal pill.

The last time Monk Dalong had been in Huishui County, he had not suffered a serious injury, but his muscles and bones had been damaged. His recovery had been slow, greatly affecting his cultivation.

Bai Jingtang had found a Jin-Gu Pill at the Hall of Master Artisans, a pill specially used to restore injuries to muscles and bones, and she intended to deliver it to Monk Dalong.

Only then did Wangchuan learn that Bai Jingtang had bought the medicine for Monk Dalong.

At that moment, Chen Ergou approached to report.

“Helm Leader.”

“We found some silver on the bandits’ bodies. Altogether it comes to more than 1,700 taels.”

“You and the brothers can divide it.”

Wangchuan’s casual response made Bai Jingtang reveal a look of shock.

After Chen Ergou left, she turned her head.

“Wangchuan, that’s seventeen taels of gold.”

She lowered her voice.

“You’re just letting the NPCs split it?”

“Of course. That’s how it’s always been.”

Wangchuan sounded completely matter-of-fact.

“This time forty brothers came. Each person only gets about forty taels of silver.” Wangchuan felt that was perfectly normal.

These men had wasted time running around with him and even participated in a battle.

Bai Jingtang was speechless.

“Do you know how much a land-clearing team earns from escort missions?”

“…”

Wangchuan shook his head.

Bai Jingtang gave a number.

“Ten taels of gold.”

“Under normal circumstances, if we take two or three missions a month, we might save up twenty or thirty taels of gold.”

“As for me, when I was Third Rank I could ask for twenty taels of gold per job. Now that I’m more valuable, I can ask for more than thirty.”

“…”

Wangchuan looked completely incredulous.

A Fourth-Rank Martial Artist earning less than one hundred taels of gold a month?

“Escorting goods earns so little?”

“That’s only when the market is good. If bandits attack the convoy, or if there are no jobs, we earn even less. Sometimes we even have to pay for medicine ourselves.”

After explaining, Bai Jingtang sighed.

“Your Caobang is truly wealthy. If Monk Dalong and the others saw you throwing money around like this, they would become depressed.”

“…”

Wangchuan fell silent.

Bai Jingtang continued,

“For NPCs, giving them a symbolic bounty is enough. You should save the larger share for the future—to buy Third-Rank and Fourth-Rank martial arts manuals. Otherwise… one day you will regret being so extravagant today.”

“I understand. Thank you for the advice, Captain Bai.”

Only now did Wangchuan realize the financial situation of the land-clearing teams.

It was rather grim.