Chapter 1467 – Cutting Down Nie Liang, Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Pointing at the World (7)
“Would the water bandits agree to this?”
Bringing a hundred thousand bushels of provisions to Zhangzhou was just a ploy to line their pockets!
These unscrupulous merchants would do anything for a profit, with no shame whatsoever.
Instead of letting them harm the Common People with the grain, it’s better to rob them—supporting hundreds of brothers and families in the stronghold.
If it weren’t for their keen information network, suppressing news while secretly making moves, this big fat sheep wouldn’t even know it was being intercepted!
Yang Si stood on deck waiting for a response. The water bandits’ ships surrounded the fleet like an impenetrable wall.
The Fisherwoman curiously poked her head out, glancing around. With her keen eyesight, she spotted the silhouettes of the water bandits in the distance.
Usually, she watched everything through the live-stream screen; even when the scene became blood-soaked, she managed to adapt. But now, standing face to face with it, she felt nervous.
To relieve her anxious and fearful emotions, the Fisherwoman could only force herself to focus on the comments.
When she crossed over, she was already inside the cargo hold. There were only about ten Guards, the rest were sacks of provisions.
This suggested that the other ships were in similar situations.
The entire fleet likely had fewer people than the water bandits, and they were bound to lose in a fight!
The Fisherwoman bit her lip; little did she know that the situation outside was changing.
The fleet pretended to be weak, boosting the water bandits’ arrogance, creating the illusion that they had many supplies but few people, making them seem harmless.
“Boss, let’s not waste time chatting with them. We can’t afford delays,” advised a small captain among the bandits. “Our target is too big; if we attract attention from nearby strongholds, it will be hard to swallow everything whole. It’s better to test the waters first…”
The big bandit boss thought the same; dragging this out only led to more problems.
He immediately ordered his men to bring the boats closer to the outer ships, forcibly boarding the deck and storming into the cargo hold, which was stuffed with sacks of grain. The small bandit flaunted his bravado, kicking the Guards who tried to resist into the water, shouting, “Boss, it’s all grain!”
This was the situation on the nearby ships as well, prompting the big bandit boss to issue orders at once.
Seeing this, Yang Si curled his lips into a cold smile.
The Fisherwoman accidentally spotted this and shivered.
Yang Si had shown no signs of panic or distress. It was clear he was entirely composed.
“They… they are coming!”
The Fisherwoman saw those fierce water bandits board the deck, her heart raced, her hands and feet turned icy, and color drained from her face.
Li Yun stood beside her, gravely saying, “Don’t panic; just watch.”
The Fisherwoman widened her eyes, soon witnessing a scene she would never forget.
The water bandits, upon realizing the outer ships were only loaded with grain, grew overly excited. Their guard lowered significantly, failing to notice the hidden peril.
As the bandits climbed aboard, entering the cargo hold, what greeted them was not grain but the awaited slaughter blades.
The screams echoed, and before long, bodies fell into the water like dumplings, instantly staining the surface red. Yang Si took advantage of the bandits’ delay, commanding the ships to shift positions, blocking the bandits’ escape route, effectively encircling them.
Only then did the water bandits realize they had been duped. Unable to fight back, they found no escape route and were left with little choice; many jumped overboard. They had grown up dealing with water and were excellent swimmers. Yet Yang Si had no intention of letting them go. Line after line of archers aimed at the surface, shooting arrows down at the water. The bandits were caught off-guard and couldn’t mount any effective resistance, instead facing a rout.
The Fisherwoman witnessed everything—bodies sinking and resurfacing, blood nearly coloring the green surface a dark red.
Frozen in shock, she didn’t notice a bandit climbing aboard to attack, until Li Yun cut him in half, spraying blood across her face. The severed head rolled right before her eyes, prompting her to finally react with a scream.
This experience was far from pleasant for the Fisherwoman.
Having grown up in a harmonious society where firearms were regulated, the most gruesome scene she had ever witnessed was a domestic violence episode, leaving her neighbor bruised and crying. This had been a deep psychological scar for her, only to find herself thrust into a reality where she saw live, breathing individuals die right before her eyes. Tears welled up in the Fisherwoman’s eyes, startling Li Yun in the process.
Thanks to the ambush, Yang Si achieved a great victory with minimal losses.
Yang Si declared, “Interrogate them well. If they’re willing to work for us, we’ll spare their lives. If not, dispose of them.”
Most water bandits were loud but cowardly, not tough at all; a bit of pressure was all it took to subdue them. Yang Si had little worry about that.
However, the one claiming to be the “Mountain Spirit” cried pitifully, more timid than his underage daughter.
“What are you crying for?” Yang Si asked him.
It took the Fisherwoman a while to recover, her limbs still feeling weak.
“People… people have died…”
She didn’t know whether to consider herself lucky or unfortunate—she had met Li Yun and the others, even receiving their autographs and blessings. It should have been a good omen, yet in the very next moment, a flood of water bandits appeared, turning joy into a one-sided slaughter.
Yang Si coldly remarked, “In a chaotic world, there’s no lack of death.”
She had heard others say similar things during live streams, at the time thinking it sounded cool, but now it felt especially desolate.
“I thought… I thought killing was illegal…”
Yang Si snorted. “That’s in peaceful times; in turbulent times, a life is worth less than weeds.”
He observed carefully and started to piece things together.
Though he didn’t know the origins of the “Mountain Spirit,” she didn’t look like a wicked person, and her living situation seemed quite innocent.
The Fisherwoman swallowed her tears while feeling a sliver of relief.
Relieved that she had only been here for twelve hours, relieved that her era was free from war…
Uncertain what drove her, she hurriedly shared any useful information she thought would help with Qi Kuang and the others.
Qi Kuang listened intently, unknowingly, the sky outside had turned to a sea of stars and moonlight.
“I’ve never seen such a beautiful starry sky.”
Sitting on the deck, the Fisherwoman supported herself with her hands behind her, sighing, but was reminded by the system that time was counting down.
Yang Si suddenly asked, “Since you’re a Mountain Spirit capable of communicating with the heavens, do you know if my lord has any hope of seizing the world?”
Just as the Fisherwoman lamented that time was too short, she instinctively shot back.
“Who else but her could do it?”
She had followed the streams for so many years, just to be with Jiang Pengji and see a peaceful world in her lifetime.
