Chapter 6

The tall man in black stood calmly in the face of danger, exuding the air of a seasoned general. As he entered the cabin, he saw that the people inside were already in a state of chaos, with most of them huddled together, tightly clutching their belongings.

"You all know that bandits are coming to raid the ship. If you want to live, stand up and fight," the man in black said sternly. Seeing a man in his thirties cowering in a corner, clutching his package, he immediately stepped forward and pulled the man up, shouting, "A man of your stature, do you still have the courage of a man? If you cower here, do you think the bandits will spare you?" He raised his large saber and said sternly, "Women stay here, men take whatever they can and fight to the end!"

The people in the cabin looked at each other. Suddenly, the door of a single cabin on the left opened, and a beautiful woman in her early thirties stepped out. She had fair skin, a well-preserved figure, and a graceful posture, wearing a white fox fur coat and a water-red brocade skirt. She looked like a beauty from a painting, with her hair slightly disheveled, as if she had just woken up, her eyes still a bit dazed. Clearly, she was unaware of the bandit attack. Seeing the man in black grabbing a passenger by the collar, she frowned and asked, "Wei Tianqing, what are you doing? What's going on?"

The man in black released his grip and his demeanor became respectful. He stepped forward and whispered, "Madam, there's some trouble outside. Bandits are raiding the ship. I've ordered Heizi to protect you, and I'm organizing people to fight them off!"

Hearing this, the beautiful woman was first startled, then raised her eyebrows and scolded, "What audacity, to dare raid a ship! Wei Tianqing, lead your men to capture all the bandits and interrogate them thoroughly!"

She spoke with such ease, as if her command would surely result in the bandits' capture.

Wei Tianqing's expression remained unchanged, but he said, "Madam, there are many bandits. You should stay inside for safety." He turned to his companion by the door and said, "Heizi, stay here and protect Madam. If the bandits attack, you must stop them, even if it means sacrificing yourself."

The companion nodded and drew his saber, while the beautiful woman, sensing the gravity of the situation from Wei Tianqing's expression, quickly turned and returned to her cabin, closing the door. Heizi stood guard at the door, saber in hand.

Wei Tianqing scanned the people in the cabin and said coldly, "Do you want to sit and wait for death, or fight for your lives? Choose for yourselves." He turned to his companion, Erhu, and said, "Erhu, let's go fight the bandits!"

Before they could leave the cabin, a scream came from the deck. Wei Tianqing's expression changed dramatically, and he shouted, "The bandits have attacked!" He dashed out of the cabin like the wind.

On the deck, chaos reigned. The ship's owner, Pan, held a saber, but his hands were trembling, causing the large saber to shake. A boatman lay on the deck, an arrow embedded in his shoulder, clearly shot from the enemy ship.

Xue Lao Liu and about seven other boatmen were now armed with sabers, gathered at the bow. They had some courage, but the arrow that wounded a companion before the enemy ship even approached had struck fear into their hearts.

Wei Tianqing noticed Chu Huan standing by the railing with a package, frowned slightly, and then said to Xue Lao Liu, "There are people under the ship. If they breach the hull, the ship will sink, and we'll all die. You lead a group underwater to deal with them first!"

In truth, he was unsure of the outcome. These boatmen looked strong and capable, but their fearful expressions suggested they might not last long against the bandits.

The arrow had already had a demoralizing effect, severely dampening their spirits.

Xue Lao Liu and the others looked at each other, hesitant to go into the water. Pan, the ship's owner, was at a loss. Hearing Wei Tianqing's words, he became anxious. The ship was his most valuable asset, and if it sank, he would suffer a great loss. He immediately shouted, "Xue Lao Liu, get down there and kill those bastards under the ship!"

Xue Lao Liu understood the gravity of the situation and, with a determined bite of his lip, shouted, "Follow me!" He quickly moved to the railing and jumped into the river. The other boatmen, after a moment's hesitation, followed one by one.

At this moment, four or five men emerged from the cabin, trembling with fear. Seeing the approaching bandit ship, they became even more terrified. One of them looked at Wei Tianqing and asked in a trembling voice, "What... what should we do?"

Wei Tianqing, seeing their frightened faces, knew that the night would likely end in disaster. Although there were many people on the ship, few were truly capable of fighting.

Before he could speak, a rough voice from the river shouted, "Listen up, we only want the cargo, not the people. If anyone wants to die, they can resist. My blade has no eyes!"

The voice came from the bandit ship, which was now very close. The bandits on the deck were clearly visible, about seven or eight of them, each holding a gleaming saber, dressed in black and masked.

The bandit ship, though not large, was fast, and it quickly closed the distance. Wei Tianqing gripped his saber tightly and smiled coldly, whispering to his companion, Erhu, "These bandits must have a leader. When the time comes, we'll target their leader. Capture the leader, and we might turn the tide tonight!"

Erhu, clearly a well-trained warrior, nodded and said, "They're just a mob. Even though they're many, we might not lose!"

Wei Tianqing turned to Chu Huan and said, "Young man, if we can work together to subdue these bandits tonight, I won't let you down."

Chu Huan smiled faintly but said nothing.

As the two ships drew closer, the men who had come out of the cabin quickly retreated back inside, too afraid to resist. Wei Tianqing smiled coldly, seeing that several bandits were about to jump onto the ship. He shouted, "Whoever dares to come aboard, I'll kill them one by one!" and swung his saber at a bandit about to jump.

The bandits on the other ship laughed, and a voice mocked, "There's a brave one. Brothers, let's take care of this one first!"

Wei Tianqing's saber swung with great force, fast and fierce. The first bandit, seeing the sudden flash of cold steel, was startled. His hand, which was about to grab the railing, trembled, and he fell into the river between the two ships.

After repelling the bandit, Wei Tianqing felt a gust of wind in front of him. He had no time to think and sidestepped, narrowly avoiding an arrow that flew past him.

As he dodged, another bandit took the opportunity to jump onto the ship and swung his saber at Wei Tianqing. Erhu rushed to help, but a third bandit had already jumped over to engage him.

The bandits began to pour onto the ship, and within moments, seven or eight of them had jumped over. Only one bandit remained on the deck of the bandit ship, watching coldly.

Although the bandits were numerous, Wei Tianqing and Erhu were not ordinary men. Despite being outnumbered, they held their own. Wei Tianqing's saber swung with great force, and several bandits could not get close to him. Erhu, though under attack from several bandits, showed no signs of being easily defeated.

Chu Huan leaned against the cabin, squinting his eyes. Through the flashing blades, he focused on the bandit on the deck of the bandit ship.

Although the bandit's face was covered with a black mask, even her head was wrapped in black, Chu Huan immediately recognized that she was a woman. Her slender waist, prominent chest, long legs, and shapely buttocks were accentuated by her black clothing, making her figure appear very alluring.

From this, it was clear that the leader of the bandits was a female bandit chief.

Pan, the ship's owner, had been holding a saber, but seeing Wei Tianqing engage the bandits, he was already terrified. He dropped his saber and retreated step by step, preparing to hide in the cabin. Suddenly, a shadow flew up from the railing and landed on the deck with a thud. Pan trembled, looked over, and screamed. The figure that had flown from the railing to the deck was one of the boatmen who had gone underwater. He was struggling on the deck, drenched and bleeding, his left arm severed at the wrist.

Pan, momentarily too frightened to move, stood there, his face pale.

Chu Huan frowned, knowing that if the boatman continued to bleed, he might die from blood loss. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, knelt beside the boatman, and tore a piece of cloth from the boatman's clothing to quickly bandage the wound. The boatman had already fainted, but Chu Huan's skilled actions quickly secured the wound.

From the other side, a fierce shout came. Wei Tianqing, surrounded by several bandits, wielded his saber with great force, and the bandits, though skilled, could not get close to him. Wei Tianqing found an opening, struck a bandit's shoulder with his elbow, and then kicked the bandit over the railing into the river.

"Such a tough opponent!" one of the bandits shouted, "Brothers, let's bleed this one first!"

Pan, trying to retreat to the cabin, found his legs heavy as if filled with lead. Suddenly, another shadow flew up from the railing and landed on the deck with a thud. Pan was terrified. This time, it was another boatman who had gone underwater. Although he had no visible wounds, he lay motionless on the deck, dead or alive.

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ps: Brothers, you're really powerful! We're almost at the top of the new book chart, just a little more effort, and we'll make it to the top!

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