Free Web NovelChapter 311: Chapter 164: Cuizhu Mountain Villa
The encounter with Dongfang Wujiu had been an accident, and after they parted ways, Fang Shuwen did not leave Anyue City immediately.
He found an inn, took a bath, and changed into a set of clean clothes.
Fang Shuwen and Long Qingzhi stayed there for the night.
Anyue City was anything but peaceful that night.
The death toll was staggering. It seemed even the Golden Bell Tower had run into some trouble, but Jin Youdao was no ordinary man, so he dealt with it effortlessly.
Most significant of all was the death of Wang Lu’an.
He was the City Lord of Anyue City. After his death, his subordinates didn’t dare seek revenge on Fang Shuwen, but they couldn’t allow Anyue City to remain leaderless for even a day.
The Five Domains Under Heaven were once ruled by a great, unified dynasty, but with imperial authority now crumbled, each region was autonomous.
Wang Lu’an’s position as City Lord hadn’t required an appointment from the Court, but there was also no chance of it becoming a hereditary title passed down through his family.
Because that very night, Wang Lu’an’s entire family, young and old, was hunted down and slaughtered by the people of Anyue City.
What followed was a scramble for the title of City Lord.
One could say that no less blood was shed that night than by Fang Shuwen’s hand during the day.
However, none of this had anything to do with Fang Shuwen.
He simply got a good night’s sleep within Anyue City. It wasn’t until the next morning, after breakfast, that he and Long Qingzhi, with Fang Dabao in tow, leisurely departed from the city.
Fifty li to the north lay a river.
The locals called it the Liujing River. Its waters surged, and under the sunlight, the brimming river shimmered like brilliant, sparkling jewels, giving the river its name.
The river was too wide, and with the temperature neither high nor low, it hadn’t frozen solid. To cross, one had to take a boat.
However, the Liujing River ferry crossing, usually bustling with people, was completely deserted today.
There was only a single, kindly-looking old man tidying up his small boat.
Fang Shuwen approached.
"Ferryman, can you take us across?"
The old man looked up at Fang Shuwen, smiling and nodding.
"Come aboard, sir."
Fang Shuwen had Fang Dabao get on the boat first, which scared the poor furry creature half to death.
Such a massive, fearsome beast, now trembling on the boat.
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Fang Shuwen reached out and pinched its ear.
"So brave."
Fang Dabao let out a couple of whimpering growls. ’Leaving home to learn martial arts is just too hard,’ he thought.
Long Qingzhi couldn’t help but shake with laughter.
Once everyone was seated, the old man untied the mooring rope, began to row, and the boat slowly pulled away from the bank, heading for the north shore.
Fang Shuwen watched the scenery on the bank and asked the old man with a smile,
"How long have you been in this line of work, sir?"
"Decades."
The old man said with a soft sigh,
"Born on the water, raised in the water, die in the water."
"In the early years, the boat was my home."
"Later, a town was built over there, and that’s when I moved ashore."
Fang Shuwen nodded.
"In that case, you must be an excellent swimmer."
"But of course."
At this, a proud look appeared on the old man’s face.
"When it comes to skill in the water, on this entire Liujing River, if I claim to be second, no one would dare claim to be first."
"Truly impressive."
Fang Shuwen let out a soft chuckle.
"In that case, what about the two people who have been hiding under the boat since we departed? Their swimming is also quite good. I wonder, what is their relationship to you, sir?"
The moment he said this, the color drained from the old man’s face.
Without a second thought, he threw himself backward, tumbling over the side of the boat and into the water.
Long Qingzhi’s heart tightened.
"Brother Fang..."
Fang Shuwen gave a slight wave of his hand.
"It’s nothing."
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
The muffled sound of hacking came from beneath the water, but the vibrations were considerable.
Fang Shuwen’s eyes narrowed. He stood up, and his Inner Breath suddenly flared.
The two men hacking at the hull with daggers suddenly felt a powerful force rebound from the wood. They each let out a muffled grunt as blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.
For a moment, they were utterly dumbfounded.
They could only feel that Fang Shuwen’s Martial Arts had reached a truly terrifying level.
He could project his Inner Strength through the hull of the boat and use it to injure them with a counter-shock.
It was simply unheard of!
Just then, another figure approached, and the two men hurriedly made way.
It was none other than the old man.
This old man was, of course, no ordinary ferryman.
The Liujing River was vast. Simply crossing from one bank to the other was one thing, but traveling along its length? That was another story entirely.
Along the entire three-hundred-some-li stretch of the Liujing River, there were a total of eight Water Stockades.
They made a living through plunder and robbery, a business that required no capital.
While these eight Water Stockades had once fought viciously amongst themselves, they were later unified. To the outside world, they were known collectively as the Eight Liujing Stockades, and their Chief of the Stronghold was this very same old man.
The people of the Jianghu called him the ’Water God Dragon.’ His name was Xun Shou.
He had, of course, heard about Fang Shuwen’s massacre in Anyue City. But Fang Shuwen carried a great secret, and there were great benefits to be had from Long Qingzhi.
And now, both this secret and these benefits had been delivered right to his doorstep.
Xun Shou had pondered this for a long time and decided that to refuse a gift from the heavens was to invite disaster.
That was why he had cleared the other boats from the pier, leaving only his own. When Fang Shuwen arrived, he would have no other choice for crossing the river.
Moreover, after leaving the bank, he hadn’t been rowing straight for the opposite shore.
Instead, he was guiding the boat east, following the river’s course.
This was the perfect way to lead Fang Shuwen into the ambush set by the Eight Liujing Stockades.
Then, they would all swarm him. ’No matter how heaven-defying Fang Shuwen’s skills are, I refuse to believe he can still run rampant in the water!’
