Chapter 142 Blood Sprayed on Face

Jiang Zhi felt a chill run down her spine.

They were sailing on a desolate, boundless river. As they went further and further away, there were no more boats around, and it was so quiet that only the sound of the flowing water could be heard.

Who in their right mind would come over at a time like this?

Jiang Zhi followed Lu Yuan to the cabin window and looked out.

But on the silent river, two small boats could be vaguely seen trailing behind their vessel.

The small boat was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye it stealthily closed in on them. A flash of silver light appeared in the moonlight, and with two sharp "thudding" sounds, the two small boats were instantly pinned to the back of their boat.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of burly men dressed in black appeared on the ship. Their faces were obscured by veils, but their movements revealed that they had lived a life of constant danger. They quietly climbed aboard one by one from the stern without making a sound.

"They're river pirates!" Jiang Zhi exclaimed in a low voice.

Lu Yuan patted Jiang Zhi's shoulder reassuringly, "I notified Ruying and Anyue before we came here, and the boatman also told him to find a place to hide. Stay with me and don't stray more than ten feet from my side."

With so many people around, and seeing that they were all carrying weapons, Jiang Zhi's drowsiness vanished completely, and she nervously turned the ring on her hand.

"Boss, I've already scouted the boat during the day. There's only one boatman and two men on it. One of them is a pretty boy with weak legs, and the other two are women!"

The man with the slanted eyes and short, broken eyebrows grinned maliciously. "Very good, judging by their clothes, they're easy prey. Brothers, keep your eyes peeled. We're going to pull off a big heist, and we'll have a good winter this year!"

They boarded the boat one by one under cover of darkness.

The bottom deck was piled with miscellaneous items and food; apart from a horse, there was nothing of value. They quickly abandoned the bottom deck and tiptoed up to the second deck.

However, just as the group stepped off the stairs leading to the second floor, they heard a whooshing sound, and were instantly struck by arrows, falling to the ground with cries of agony.

Immediately afterwards, a deep red firework shot into the sky, exploding into a dazzling display of light in the dark air.

"Not good, they've become aware!" the man with the slanted eyebrow and droopy eyes shouted, gesturing to the person beside him.

Soon half the crew left the narrow staircase and climbed up the sides of the cabin.

Jiang Zhi followed Lu Yuan, hiding in the shadows, her heart pounding in her chest.

These people were clearly seasoned veterans who frequently robbed passing ships. They were excellent swimmers and skilled in martial arts, and their numbers appeared to be as many as forty or fifty.

After Dark Moon and Shadow unleashed a barrage of arrows, seven or eight more people fell, but the rest of the group reached the second floor and immediately engaged Dark Moon and Shadow in a fierce battle.

The river pirate leader, with his slanted eyes and broken eyebrows, couldn't help but curse under his breath.

These two women are actually skilled in martial arts, and they're tough nuts to crack.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released.

If they back down now, they'll be out of a job in the underworld.

"Get them! Take those two women down first, the rest of you come with me to find the others!"

Lu Yuan did not participate in the battle; instead, he and Jiang Zhiyin secretly fired arrows from the shadows.

But the river bandits were no pushovers either. They quickly discovered Lu Yuan's hiding place, and several of them charged forward, brandishing their weapons.

"Hide here and don't come out." Lu Yuan threw down his bow and arrows, drew his embroidered spring knife, and with one stroke, severed the throat of the first person.

He handed the man's long knife to Jiang Zhi, saying, "Hold it tight, for self-defense."

More people rushed forward.

The river pirates were experienced. Seeing that several of them were skilled in martial arts, they stopped their attack and started setting the boats on fire.

Jiang Zhi was hiding in a corner at the stern of the ship, where wooden crates and sacks were piled up, and no one had noticed her for the time being.

Lu Yuan's moves were swift and ruthless; he killed the river pirates who rushed at him with a single strike. However, he remained in place, never leaving the spot where Jiang Zhi was.

The river pirate leader quickly realized something was wrong.

He watched from afar and whispered to his men, "Send a few men to check behind that pile of stuff. That man is highly skilled in martial arts, so don't confront him head-on. Just keep him occupied. If we can catch the pretty boy, we can use him to threaten him."

More people gathered around Lu Yuan.

They didn't get close, but instead harassed him from a distance with whips or bows and arrows to distract him.

Jiang Zhi was focused on the battle before her and didn't notice that someone had secretly climbed up from under the ship and circled around to her back.

The blade flashed a cold light in the moonlight, and by the time Jiang Zhi realized something was wrong, the long sword had already slashed down at her.

Jiang Zhi's pupils contracted violently as she raised the knife in her hand to block.

But she wasn't strong enough. The moment the blades clashed, she was jolted so badly that her hand went numb, and the weapon slipped from her grasp.

She stared wide-eyed as the cold light descended.

Immediately afterwards, warm blood sprayed onto her face.

The attacker was pierced through the throat by Lu Yuan's flying embroidered spring knife, blood gushing out, and the long knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

All that remained before Jiang Zhi's eyes was a cloud of blood mist.

"How are you? Are you alright?" Lu Yuan stepped back to her side, placed one foot on the corpse, and expressionlessly pulled the Embroidered Spring Blade from her neck and held it in his hand again.

"It's nothing." Jiang Zhi wiped the blood off her face haphazardly with her sleeve.

The fires set by the river pirates in various places have already set the boat ablaze, and the fire is spreading from the bottom up.

Ruying and Anyue fought and retreated, protecting Jiang Zhi in the middle.

Behind them was the surging, bottomless river.

"I advise you to give up resistance now, and I might spare your lives. Otherwise, once the ship burns out, you won't be able to escape."

The river here is swift, and with the darkness, if you fall in, no matter how good your swimming skills are, you won't make it back to shore safely.

The river pirate leader stared at Jiang Zhi with a pair of slanted eyes and a sinister look.

The boy surrounded by the three must be the one of the most distinguished.

He took out his bow and arrows, drew the bow, and aimed at her.

With a clang, the arrow was deflected by Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes, snatched the longsword from the person in front of him, and swiftly threw it towards the river pirate leader.

The river pirate leader narrowly dodged in a panic, but a bloody gash appeared near his ear.

"Shoot me as hard as you can!" he roared in fury.

More arrows came flying in, and the three of them not only had to face the river bandits rushing up, but also dodge the arrows and protect Jiang Zhi behind them.

Ruying and Anyue were both soon hit by arrows and their strength gradually gave out.

This can't go on forever.

Lu Yuan kicked away the attacker, put his arm around Jiang Zhi's waist, and, in full view of everyone, leaped off the boat with her.

"Don't let them get away!"

The river pirates swarmed aboard, only to find the waves rolling and the outside of the boat pitch black, with no sign of anyone.

"Go down and search them, they're definitely still on the boat." The pirate leader viciously wiped the blood from his ear. "Tie up these two women, perfect for taking back for the brothers to have some fun with."