Chapter 2, Robbery

Her lightness skill is named "Instantaneous Thousand Miles"; her movements are extraordinarily exquisite, difficult to describe in words, and within this beauty lies an indescribable sharpness. In the blink of an eye, she has already landed on the deck like a flying bird, leaving no trace, only the sound of arrows piercing through the rain, coming with great force.

The distance between the claw hooks is astonishingly uniform, as if deliberately embedded by a craftsman. This level of craftsmanship is truly remarkable, rivaling that of any renowned master of the present age.

Until the followers had retreated completely, leaving her all alone, Su Ye finally seemed to awaken from a deep slumber and slowly said: "I was previously worried that if you all fought to the death, I might have to resort to a massacre today. Fortunately, I was just worrying for nothing."

The Twelve Linked Docks established their headquarters at Taihu Lake, serving as one of the key hubs of the Yangtze River waterway, located near the prosperous regions of Jiangnan. This area is situated to the southwest, still a considerable distance from Taihu Lake. Su Ye was unwilling to take the risk of returning to Taihu Lake, so she chose a reliable branch as the meeting point. She intended to first tally the gains from this trip, then separate the stolen goods, and transport them back via both water and land routes to avoid being caught by the authorities.

While both parties were engaged in a war of words, the members of the Twelve Linked Rings had already entered the water, taking action to carve out a large hole, allowing the river water to flood the lower cabin. This action, apart from serving as intimidation, also obstructed the other party's ability to trace the matter afterwards

She prioritizes achieving her goals and is unwilling to cause unnecessary loss of life, which is why she did not use poison. The hidden weapons are coated with a rare and precious anesthetic. Once the opponent is hit, they immediately become completely limp and lose their ability to move, which is not much different from being dead

Fortunately, his mind was quick enough, and the next line was: "Your Majesty, spare my life!"

The soldiers were either dead or wounded, panic mingled with fear, as if a swarm of wild bees had lost their queen, darting about aimlessly. Most people could not tell whether she was human or ghost, nor could they clearly see how she moved; they only caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing in the rain, darting into the main cabin where the escort officer was located

Su Ye held a long spear in her hand, dressed in black and masked, her appearance was extremely terrifying. The escort officer, surnamed Li, was a civil official who had been huddled in bed, too afraid to go out and see what was happening. Upon seeing her enter, he immediately screamed, "Who are you!"

Su Ye was slightly taken aback, thinking how coincidental it was, and hurriedly walked to his side. There, she saw a carved wooden sword box, which was long and narrow. Upon opening the sword box, a long sword measuring about four feet in length was revealed.

It was not until this moment that Xiahou Qing and the others successfully boarded the ship and charged towards the nearest enemy. Su Ye did not even need to land; she turned in mid-air and swiftly pounced towards the most conspicuous cabin with the speed of lightning. Before she arrived, her palm strike had already reached its target, and within a radius of three zhang, rain-like arrows shot outwards, leaving everyone gasping for breath. Five or six people, unable to evade in time, were struck in the chest by that immense force and immediately lost consciousness.

At this moment, several capable members of the gang climbed aboard the ship and joined Xiahou Qing and the others. They slowly gathered around Su Ye, vigilantly watching the enemies within the ship

The tribute ship was thrown into chaos, and only then did the soldiers on board realize they were encountering water bandits, resulting in immediate disorder.

Su Ye let out a sneer, altering his voice through his internal energy, and said: "Rest assured, I only want the goods, not your life. However, I must warn you in advance, if you act recklessly, do not blame me for being ruthless."

The patrol boats may discover the anomaly and rush to the rescue. However, Su Ye believes in his own strength and thinks he can successfully relocate most of the tribute before the reinforcements arrive. Tonight, it just so happens to be pouring rain, which significantly reduces the likelihood of being detected

Meanwhile, she remained motionless, her shoulders unmoving, her feet unraised, as if a ghost in the rain, drifting to the edge of the deck. Everyone could see clearly that she even raised her hand, waving it to them as a farewell, and suddenly her figure sank, plunging into the river.

The night rain outside the cabin falls continuously on the river, the cold wind biting to the bone, yet inside the cabin, the beaded curtains and embroidered drapes create a warmth akin to spring. In the center of the room stands a bronze incense burner shaped like a beast's head, from which wisps of blue smoke rise. The charcoal fire within the burner glows red, scorching the sachets containing spices, filling the air with an intoxicating fragrance.

She made a bold judgment, believing that the officers and soldiers, upon seeing their superior being taken hostage, and not knowing how many enemies were coming to attack in the rainy night, would never fight to the death. In the unfortunate event that Lord Li were to die, they would not only fail to receive a reward, but might also be held accountable by their superiors. It would be better to keep this lord alive. Even if the tribute were to be stolen by bandits, the responsibility for the court's reprimand should fall on the escort commander.

Su Ye did not even blink, casting aside the iron oar, and with a casual motion of her right hand, she unleashed a hidden iron claw and flying rope from her sleeve. With a single wave of her hand, more than ten steel claws soared into the air, scattering like flowers released by a celestial maiden. The sound of "duo duo" echoed continuously as these claws embedded themselves deeply into the hull of the ship

Su Ye, seeing that the escort officer was extremely cooperative, requested the boatmen to drop anchor and stop in this isolated location. He then ordered the dock masters to act independently and transport the tributes stored in the cargo hold onto the small boats. These individuals were very nimble, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of small boats were filled to the brim, setting sail downstream swiftly towards the planned branch.

When everyone and all the ships successfully returned to the branch, it was still dark. In fact, it was deeper into the night, and one should have been sweetly asleep in dreams, but those involved in this matter were incredibly excited, and there was a thrill in having offended the court's dignity, so not a single person thought of resting

Xiahou Qing is indeed worthy of being the deputy leader she personally selected and nurtured, as he handles matters with great composure and prudence. The tribute ship has already sunk more than halfway, so she immediately noticed that he had positioned the small boat in an extremely appropriate location, far from the whirlpool created by the sinking tribute ship, yet not so far that it would be out of her reach

As soon as the main force arrives, the water ghosts on the ship will immediately leap into the Yangtze River, armed with Emei daggers and water-dividing awls, to pierce through the bottoms of the tribute ships, causing the four tribute ships to slowly sink

She looked through several boxes, all filled with clothing, gold, and silver, as well as specialties from Jiangnan, but there was nothing of particular note. However, she heard Mei Shijian, the leader of the Wushan Gang, exclaim, "Huzhu, there is a sword box here!"

As she spoke, her elbows suddenly lifted to the sides of her body, and she took a small step to the right. Two long spears thrust in through the damaged hatch, and she caught them with her hands. The spears suddenly became scorching hot, like burning coals. The spear-wielder let out a loud cry, feeling as if struck heavily in the chest, and could not help but fall to the ground, the spear in his hand also snapping in two.

The tribute ship carried at least several hundred people, surrounding her so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through. Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, she remained so composed, casually grabbing the hostage by the shoulder and throwing him into the crowd

The iron oars plunged into the water once more, sending up two splashes of spray. This small boat was even lighter and faster. The people on the tribute boat were still attempting to intercept, continuously shooting arrows, all of which were effortlessly deflected by her. In the blink of an eye, the small boat had already gone far away.

In fact, on the other three tribute ships, there was an official stationed on each, so they were not truly unguarded. However, their official ranks were not as high as that of Lord Li, and fearing the responsibility, they merely pretended to resist for a while before giving up. At that time, the escorting official was already hoarse from shouting, angrily rebuking them for disregarding the life of their superior in pursuit of personal glory.

After the hidden weapons were deployed, this tribute ship finally fell into an irretrievable chaos

The escort officer with the surname Li, upon seeing her spear break like a chopstick, turned pale with fright, only nodding his head and unable to utter a single word. Su Ye did not bother to engage him in conversation, reaching out to pull him out from under the blanket and pushing him towards the door

It has been proven that these ideas are entirely correct. She discarded the spear in her hand, picked up a dagger, and held it against the neck of the escort officer, forcing him to step out of the cabin and ordering the ship's guards to cease their actions

Even though the elite troops of the Yuan army were present, they could hardly withstand the power of her innate skills, let alone these ragtag officials' troops. Seeing their incompetence, Su Ye smiled charmingly under her hat, swiftly seized a spear from the side, lightly tapped the spear tip on the ground, and leaped up again using the force. In mid-air, she shot out a flurry of silver needles and hidden weapons, targeting the area with the highest concentration of soldiers.

Her plan is very simple, yet highly effective. She herself boarded the ship first and captured the highest-ranking official, causing the soldiers to hesitate and refrain from taking rash actions. As a result, the tribute ship will inevitably fall into chaos, directing all attention towards her and leaving the subsequent smaller boats unnoticed.

This person is the highest-ranking officer on the ship in terms of martial arts, yet he still cannot withstand her strike. At this moment, someone finally took action to remedy the situation, shouting a meaningless phrase: "Who goes there!"

Regardless of the north or south, pirates and water bandits prefer to use sturdy small vessels, as these small boats are agile and convenient for seeking opportunities to attack, while also making it easier to find hiding spots. They cover the bow and stern of the boats with iron plates and install sharp iron spikes. When in action, they use the small boats to ram into large wooden ships, first breaking the hull before slowly surrounding the unfortunate victims

Su Ye said nothing, threw the rope to his mesmerized subordinate, and leaped up, climbing towards the top of the tribute ship

Xiahou Qingzheng held an iron oar, waiting in the small boat. Upon seeing her arrive through wind and rain, he effortlessly leaped onto the boat and handed her the iron oar, exclaiming, "The lake master possesses excellent martial skills"

Su Ye slightly turned to the side, and the arrow whizzed past her. She swiftly caught the arrow in her hand and casually hurled it towards the archer's direction. The sound of the opponent's arrow was like a copper whistle, yet the arrow she threw was silent, swift as lightning. The man could hardly believe his eyes; in a moment of distraction, he was pierced through the chest by that arrow. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and as his vision blurred, he was involuntarily propelled into the air, flying off the deck and falling into the Yangtze River.

The scabbard is unadorned, yet a faint layer of azure energy is discernible, indicating its extraordinary nature. It is inlaid with golden threads that form the two characters—"Yi Tian"

Su Ye smiled and said, "You flatter me!"

She exerted little effort and soon caught up with the main group of followers who had retreated ahead, joining them to proceed to Hongye Ferry

Su Ye was also afraid that the long night would bring many dreams, and he could not attend to other matters. He first instructed his subordinates to tally the casualties, as well as the quantity and types of tributes, and to keep detailed records. Meanwhile, he took several important subordinates with him to inspect in batches.

She leaped down from the air and with a swift motion of her hand, the scattered wooden planks on the water's surface were stirred by the wind from her sleeve, smoothly aligning themselves right beneath her feet. This plank was limited in size, only capable of accommodating one person. However, when she stepped onto it, she became one with it, rapidly gliding downstream with the force of the water, in an extremely stable manner

About ten ship guards reacted quickly, each wielding swords and shouting in protest. Su Ye did not even glance at them; with a graceful and ethereal motion of his sleeve, he unleashed a force that was both powerful and gentle, leaving others at a loss as to how to resist. Wherever the wind from his sleeve passed, those struck were left with broken bones and tendons, collapsing to the ground and crying out loudly while clutching their injuries

At this critical moment, someone on the ship reacted promptly, drew the bow, and shot an arrow at her

The force exerted by the oars was astonishing, causing the river to tremble violently and suddenly raising two towering columns of water. The small boat was lifted by the water columns, truly leaving the surface of the water, resembling a celestial visitor emerging from the mist, traversing several zhang in distance before crashing heavily into the large ship. The impact of this collision was akin to a heavy hammer, breaking numerous wooden planks and iron bars in succession, and creating a gaping hole twice the size of the ship's bow.

Having a satisfactory subordinate would immediately reduce work pressure by half Su Ye murmured quietly, tightening his hat

This small boat is no different. Su Ye saw that the target was within reach, while the people on the boat remained oblivious, his smile deepening as he instantly elevated his power to its peak