Chapter 4, Night Raid

At this moment, four or five men emerged from the cabin, each trembling with fear. Upon seeing the approaching pirate ship, their terror intensified. One of them looked at Wei Tianqing and asked in a trembling voice: "What... what should we do?"

"You all know that there are bandits on the river coming to rob the boats. Anyone who wants to survive should step forward and fight them," the man in black said in a deep voice. He noticed a man in his thirties cowering in the corner, clutching a bundle in fear, and immediately approached him, pulling him up. He shouted, "With a sturdy body of seven feet, do you not have the courage of a man? If you hide here like this, do you think those bandits will spare you?" Holding up a large knife, he sternly declared, "Women stay here, men should take up whatever they have, and we must fight them no matter what!"

Xue Laoliu and the others exchanged glances, still somewhat hesitant, and for a moment did not dare to disembark. At this time, Captain Pan was in a state of panic; upon hearing Wei Tianqing's words, he became somewhat anxious. This ship was his greatest asset, and if it truly sank, it would be a tremendous loss for him. He immediately shouted, "Xue Laoliu, why aren't you going down? Kill all the little rabbits in the bottom of the ship!"

Wei Tianqing cast a glance over the people in the cabin and said coldly: "Whether to sit and wait for death or to fight with all our might, the choice is yours." He then said to Erhu beside him: "Erhu, let us go out and confront the enemy!"

Captain Pan, for a moment, did not dare to step forward, standing there in a daze, his face as pale as death

Wei Tianqing observed the appearance of these individuals, their expressions grave, and he knew that tonight would be fraught with peril. Although there were many people on the ship, those who could truly fight were few and far between

As two boats drew near, several men who had emerged from the cabin hurriedly retreated back inside, seemingly too afraid to resist. Wei Tianqing let out a cold smile upon seeing that a few individuals from the enemy ship were about to leap onto his vessel. He shouted fiercely, "Who dares to come aboard? I will kill anyone who tries!" He brandished his knife and advanced, striking at a bandit attempting to jump over.

Captain Pan's body trembled all over as he looked over and let out a startled cry. What had flown from the side of the ship to the deck was none other than a boatman who had just gone into the water. He was struggling on the deck, his body wet and even stained with blood, and his left arm had been severed at the wrist.

Laughter immediately erupted from the pirate ship, and one voice mocked, "There are indeed those who are not afraid of death. Brothers, let us deal with this bold one first!"

Although the bandits were numerous, Wei Tianqing and Erhu were not ordinary individuals. Facing a larger group with a smaller force, they did not show any signs of losing ground. Wei Tianqing wielded his large knife with great vigor, slashing horizontally and vertically, making it impossible for three or four bandits to approach him. Although Erhu appeared somewhat strained under the assault of several bandits, judging by his demeanor, it was not an easy task for the bandits to subdue him.

Before he could speak, he heard a rough voice coming from the river shouting: "Everyone listen up, we only want the goods, not the people. If anyone thinks their life is too long, feel free to resist. My knife does not discriminate!"

She spoke with such ease, as if at the sound of this command, the bandits would surely be captured

The two tigers were clearly well-trained warriors, nodding and saying: "They are merely a rabble; although their numbers are considerable, we are not necessarily destined to lose to them!"

A fierce roar echoed from that direction. Surrounded by several ruthless bandits, Wei Tianqing exuded an imposing presence, with blades flashing in the air. Although those bandits were quite skilled, they could not get close to Wei Tianqing during the intense battle. Instead, Wei Tianqing seized an opening, striking one of the bandits on the shoulder with an elbow, and then executed a sweeping kick that sent the bandit tumbling into the river from the edge of the boat

The man in black remained calm in the face of danger, exuding the demeanor of a great general. Upon entering the cabin, he observed that the people inside were already in disarray, with most tightly clutching their bundles and huddling together.

Although the person's face was covered with a black veil, and even her head was wrapped in a black cloth, Chu Huan could tell at a glance that she was a woman, with a slender waist and ample bosom, long legs and a curvaceous figure, the black attire accentuating her alluring silhouette.

The man in black released his grip, and his expression immediately became respectful. He stepped forward and whispered, "Madam, there has been some trouble outside; bandits have attacked the ship. I have instructed Hei Zi to protect you here while I organize a team to eliminate the bandits"

After Wei Tianqing repelled the intruder with a single strike, he felt a strong wind rushing towards him. Without having time to think further, he swiftly dodged to the side, and an arrow whizzed past him.

In fact, he truly felt uncertain. Although these few boatmen appeared robust and seemed capable of holding their ground, the expressions of fear on their faces suggested that they would likely be unable to withstand much if the bandits really came.

Captain Pan wanted to retreat back into the cabin, but at that moment, his legs felt as heavy as lead. Suddenly, another figure flew up from the side of the ship and landed with a "bang" on the deck. Captain Pan was terrified; this time it was still a waterman who had fallen into the water. Although there were no knife wounds on his body, he lay motionless on the deck, leaving it uncertain whether he was dead or alive

Wei Tianqing turned around and said to Chu Huan, "Little brother, if we can successfully subdue this group of bandits tonight, I, Wei, will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Captain Pan, originally holding a knife, was already terrified upon seeing Wei Tianqing engage with the bandits. He dropped the knife in his hand and began to retreat step by step, preparing to shrink back into the cabin. Suddenly, he saw a shadow leap up from the side of the boat, followed by a loud "bang" as an object fell heavily onto the deck.

Chu Huan smiled faintly, remaining silent

Wei Tianqing swung his knife, and a fierce wind rushed past, swift and urgent. The first bandit who was about to leap over was taken aback by the sudden flash of cold light. His hand, which was originally reaching for the ship's side, trembled, and his entire body fell down, unexpectedly landing in the river between the gaps of the two boats.

Chu Huan furrowed his brow, realizing that if he allowed the man to continue bleeding, he might very well die from excessive blood loss. Without considering anything else, he stepped forward, crouched beside the boatman, tore a piece of fabric from the boatman's clothing, and skillfully bandaged the severed arm. The boatman had already lost consciousness, but fortunately, Chu Huan was adept in his actions and quickly managed to dress the wound.

The beautiful woman was taken aback upon hearing this, and then raised her willow-like brows, scolding, "What audacity! How dare you rob a ship? Wei Tianqing, take your men and capture all those bandits, and make sure to interrogate them thoroughly when we return!"

The sound, however, came from the pirate ship, which was now very close, allowing a clear view of the pirates on the other vessel. On the bow of that ship stood seven or eight individuals, each wielding a gleaming large knife, all dressed in identical black tight-fitting clothing, yet their faces were all covered with black cloth.

It appears that the leader of this group of bandits is actually a female bandit chief

He and the other person had not yet walked out of the cabin when they heard a scream coming from the bow of the ship. Wei Tianqing's expression changed drastically, and he sternly said, "The thief has started." He rushed out of the cabin like a gust of wind.

The opponent shot an arrow, which has already had a deterrent effect, greatly undermining the morale on this side.

Xue Laoliu also understood the severity of the situation and knew that he had to fight with all his might. With gritted teeth, he shouted, "Follow me!" and quickly made his way to the side of the ship. He leaped into the river without hesitation, and several boatmen behind him looked at each other before summoning their courage and jumping in one by one.

Inside the cabin, everyone looked at each other. At this moment, the door of the single cabin on the left suddenly opened, and a beautiful and charming woman came out from the cabin. She was in her early thirties, with fair skin, well-maintained figure, and attractive curves. She was wearing a white fox fur coat and a water-red brocade skirt, with a graceful posture, just like a beauty stepping out of a painting. Her hair was slightly messy, giving the impression that she had just woken up, with a hint of misty charm in her starry eyes. Obviously, she was unaware of the bandit attack on the ship. Seeing a black-clothed man grabbing a guest's collar, she frowned and said, "Wei Tianqing, what are you doing? What happened?"

In the blink of an eye, another bandit took the opportunity to jump onto the boat. Without saying a word, he swung his big knife and aimed it at Wei Tianqing's head. Erhu rushed forward with his knife to help, but a third bandit had already jumped over and confronted Erhu.

The bow of the ship was already in chaos. The ship owner, Mr. Pan, also held a knife in his hand, but his hand was trembling, causing even the large knife to shake. Meanwhile, there was already a sailor lying on the deck with an arrow inserted in his shoulder, obviously shot from the enemy ship, injuring the sailor.

Xue Laoliu and the other seven or eight boatmen were holding knives at this moment, gathering at the bow of the boat. They originally had some courage, but when the enemy boat had not yet approached, a feather arrow had already injured one of their companions, which made them feel a sudden sense of fear.

Chu Huan leaned against the edge of the cabin, squinted his eyes, and at this moment, through the flashes of swords and knives, he looked at the black-clothed man at the bow of the enemy ship.

The man in black, Wei Tianqing, remained expressionless and said, "Madam, there are many bandits around. It would be safer for you to go inside." He then turned to his companion guarding the door and said, "Heizi, stay here to protect the madam. If the bandits come, they must step over your dead body before they can get close to her."

Wei Tianqing caught a glimpse of Chu Huan holding a package standing at the side of the ship, frowned slightly, and then said to Xue Laoliu, "There are people under the ship. Once they pierce the bottom of the ship, this ship will sink, and everyone will be in danger. You take people down and deal with the bandits underwater first!"

Open the gap, one pirate after another jumped over the thief ship. In an instant, seven or eight people jumped over. Only one person in black was still standing at the bow of the pirate ship, watching coldly.

The companion agreed with a sound, drew out the sword hanging from his waist. The beautiful woman obviously sensed something unusual from Wei Tianqing's expression, and quickly turned around and returned to the room, closing the door. The dark figure immediately held the knife in his hand and stood in front of the door.

"What a tough character!" Someone among the bandits shouted loudly, "Brothers, shed some blood for this idea first!"

The ship is not large, but it is quite fast. In an instant, it has come closer. Wei Tianqing tightly grips the large knife in his hand, coldly smiles, and quietly says to his companion Erhu, "This group of bandits must have a leader. Later, we will identify their leader and capture the leader to capture the bandits. As long as we take down their leader, we may be able to turn the danger into safety tonight!"