Everyone froze in place.
It had happened too fast; none of them got a clear look at who that fellow was.
Several villagers who had been casually watching the commotion straightened up, murmuring among themselves, "Could that be Boss Lu?"
The water's surface soon smoothed over.
He Yue could not help asking the villagers, "Is this sort of thing normal?"
"It's fine," a villager replied. "Boss Lu is a superb swimmer. He'll be back up in a bit."
He Yue seized upon the crucial point.
Anyone would find such strange goings-on in the lake alarming, yet the villagers only mentioned Boss Lu's swimming ability. In other words, they didn't believe whatever was strange in the lake posed any threat to Boss Lu.
With that thought, he turned to Zeng Feixiong and whispered, "Get ready to strike!"
Zeng Feixiong was startled. "Now?"
"No time like the present!" The youth was exceptionally resolute. "He didn't take a saber when he went into the water, and we have all our men here while there are only four or five bandits. This is the perfect chance to take him down in one stroke!"
Zeng Feixiong scanned the surroundings and realized the situation was indeed just as He Yue said.
Normally, Boss Lu was flanked by a dozen or more lackeys, and this village had become his home turf, allowing him to come and go as he pleased. By the time the government troops made full preparations for an encirclement, they might not even know where to find him.
Right now he was in the water without a weapon, and his lackeys on the bank looked like novices—hardly two of them could put up a fight.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, fleeting and rare.
Zeng Feixiong nodded.
By now, the soldiers who had entered the water earlier were clambering ashore to put on their clothes. Seeing a few who still wanted to catch fish, Zeng Feixiong barked at them, "Stand in line! What kind of display is this?"
As he spoke, he flashed a hand signal.
Maotao started. That was the universal signal among sand bandits for *get ready to strike*. Zeng Feixiong had traveled the Red Cliff Trade Route for years and fought countless bandits, making him fluent in their secret signals.
Naturally, he had introduced the system to his own troops.
So when the soldiers saw it, they were taken aback at first, stopped fooling around, and quietly tightened their belts.
Their weapons were tucked right into their belts.
With a loud splash, a man and an enormous fish surfaced at the same time.
The man was naturally Boss Lu. Resting a hand on the giant fish, he shouted to the shore, "Hey, come down and give me a hand!"
The fish reached an astonishing nine chi—a full three meters long. Dark green and as thick as a door panel, it had long barbels trailing from its mouth.
Yet such an outright behemoth was completely still in the water, pushed along by Boss Lu. He Yue could see no wounds on its body either.
Zeng Feixiong flashed a look, and the soldiers jumped into the water alongside him, shouting, "Coming, coming!"
Those few villagers also hurried into the water. A dozen or so men gathered around the massive fish, straining together to haul it ashore. The bigger the fish, the better the taste; a specimen this large would be a culinary masterpiece whether braised, pan-fried, deep-fried, or grilled.
Zeng Feixiong took an advantageous spot right next to Boss Lu as soon as he hit the water. He braced his shoulder against the fish to hoist it, only for his shoulder to slip right off. "Ouch, these scales are sharp!"
A nine-chi fish had scales both thick and hard, yet their edges were razor-thin and sharp enough to be used as planer blades if pulled off.
By now, Zeng Feixiong was facing Boss Lu directly. Turning as if to regain his balance, his right hand slipped behind his back to draw a short spike and drove it straight toward Boss Lu's ribs!
At that moment, everyone was supporting the fish with both hands, Boss Lu included, leaving his flank completely exposed.
The spike was only one chi and three cun long, but if this strike hit home and drove deep, it could tear Boss Lu's spleen to pieces and punch straight through his lung as well.
Once the spleen ruptured and bled, a person would quickly slip into unconsciousness, and with the breath leaking from the lung, all strength would drain away.
Zeng Feixiong's move was vicious in the extreme.
Just as the tip was about to pierce flesh, Boss Lu's left hand dropped like lightning, clamping firmly onto his wrist, followed instantly by a punch aimed straight at Zeng Feixiong's face.
The fellow's reaction was terrifyingly fast!
Zeng Feixiong blocked Boss Lu's punch. Both men possessed formidable strength, and after a few breaths of deadlocked grappling, their respective subordinates caught on that something was wrong. Grabbing their weapons, they lunged into a melee.
The scene devolved into utter chaos.
Watching from the bank, He Yue leaped into the water without a word, drew a dagger from his boot, and lunged toward Boss Lu's back.
A bandit rushed over to intercept him. He Yue dodged the first swipe, but was grabbed by the hem of his robe and yanked back. A fist crashed into his eye socket, sending an agonizing bolt of pain straight to his heart.
Risking having his back hacked open, Maotao grabbed He Yue and hauled him back. "Second Young Master, get on the bank, quick!" With the young master here, everyone would only be distracted trying to protect him!
By then, He Chunhua had arrived with his wife after hearing the commotion, and the personal guards converged from all directions.
Likewise, the bandits disguised as villagers cast off their pretense, pulling hidden weapons from every corner and charging forward with wild shouts.
The fighting raged both in the water and on land.
Boss Lu was already locked in combat with Zeng Feixiong, fighting barehanded against a saber, growing fiercer the longer they clashed in the water. His fists, each the size of an earthen bowl, suddenly hardened like adamantine rock. When Zeng Feixiong's saber struck them, a trail of sparks burst forth with sharp clangs.
Zeng Feixiong took a closer look and saw that his opponent's skin had taken on the appearance of fish scales, gleaming with a metallic sheen. In merely two breaths, the transformation spread across both of Boss Lu's forearms.
Bare hands could actually be turned into weapons.
Boss Lu roared, a faint dark glow washing over his body as he rained down heavy blows with resounding crashes.
Knowing better than to meet him head-on, Zeng Feixiong could only parry with his blade. He felt as though he were facing a raging bear in human form. On the fourth blow, with a sharp clang, his saber snapped.
Fortunately, two personal guards charged forward and took Boss Lu's final strike for him.
One was knocked straight to the bottom of the water, while the other was sent flying out of the side pool and plunged into the lake outside.
"Hold it!" Boss Lu roared at the top of his lungs. "Everyone stop! We don't want to fight!"
He Chunhua had already drawn the State Token and was about to activate it, but paused at those words. "Can the words of bandits be trusted?"
"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago! Why would I bother treating you to good food and wine all night?" Boss Lu spoke rapidly. "You're just passing through, and we're heading south. Why not spend the night in peace, and we'll go our separate ways tomorrow morning?"
His own side had no desire for a pitched fight either, and this provided a graceful exit. Rapidly assessing the situation, He Chunhua pondered for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Cease fighting! Sheathe your weapons!"
He Yue retreated to his father's side without a word, his expression heavy.
Father and son both saw the reality clearly. Although they had superior numbers and the backing of the State Token, they held no overwhelming advantage against these bandits, and Boss Lu's ferocity had exceeded all expectations.
Even if the soldiers won in the end, their losses would be severe. This guard unit was the capital He Chunhua needed to make his mark in the north; losing even one man under normal circumstances would pincer his heart for days. How could he squander them here?
This ambush had failed. Since neither side had any reason to fight to the death, it was best to call it off at once.
With both leaders having spoken, their subordinates ceased hostilities. Spitting contemptuously at one another, they withdrew to their respective camps to tend to their wounds.
Chapter 105