Chapter 0: The Hidden Threads of Romance (17)
Wang Da had been working for the Giant Wave Gang for over a year.
A year ago, he was just a wandering swordsman, but ever since he joined the Giant Wave Gang, he truly understood the phrase “it’s good to be under a big tree for shade.”
The merchant nobles, who would never give a second glance to a down-and-out swordsman, would suddenly transform into obedient little grandsons, handing over all sorts of fees when on the Gang’s turf.
Not paying? Well, whether your ship would be attacked by bandits or if your cabin would spring a leak at night, that was anyone’s guess.
After teaching a few well-known merchant teams a lesson, the influence of the Giant Wave Gang expanded even further.
The branch in Lehua Town was located by a nearby lake, serving as a transportation hub connecting to several towns downstream. Merchants preferred the waterways to save on transportation costs.
As for protection fees, as long as they allowed merchants some profit, most would grudgingly accept it.
Wang Da, as a small leader, had just finished questioning a merchant when he spotted a young boy in white slowly walking out of the woods, head down.
The dock had a passenger ship business, but every passenger had to pay a tiny protection fee to board.
So, to Wang Da’s eyes, this little recipient was just an ordinary traveler and not worth his over-the-top attention.
“Hey, kid! The ticket booth is over there!” shouted one of his gang members, pointing him in the right direction.
After all, this was the stronghold of the Giant Wave Gang. Who would have thought someone would dare cause trouble here?
The member closest to the boy suddenly let out a wail, clutching his arm where a deep cut gushed forth with bl**d.
The boy held a bloodied long sword, panting heavily.
In his imagination, that strike should have sliced through the thug’s throat, taking him down quickly.
But unexpectedly, at the moment of attack, his heart thudded in fear at the thought of killing for the first time, changing the trajectory of his strike.
Even so, the surprise attack still left the thug with a nasty injury.
Thus began the chaotic escapades of our little recipient storming into the Giant Wave Gang’s branch.
“You little brat! How dare you hurt people!”
“k*ll him! k*ll him!”
“Who does he think he is, disregarding the Giant Wave Gang?”
All the members, led by Wang Da, drew their sabers and charged at the boy.
The little recipient turned tail and ran without a moment’s hesitation.
Though he had only dabbled in his light-footed skills, they were still way better than the average Joe’s. At least when it came to breathing and stamina, his training had paid off.
And so, he used way less oxygen than a regular person, giving him plenty of energy to outlast his pursuers.
Among this group of Giant Wave Gang members, aside from Wang Da, who had some skills, the rest were just ruffians, gathered for their knack for intimidation.
They gathered to collect protection fees, and boy, did they have the scare factor! Who wouldn’t fear relentless thugs?
But put them in a martial arts competition, and just with light footwork alone, they couldn’t keep up with the little recipient.
Before long, they were huffing and puffing, panting as if they had run a marathon.
Wang Da, running at the front, quickly lost sight of the boy.
In the dense forest, with its thick branches and sturdy trunks, once the group spaced out a little, only a few close to him could see. The rest were swallowed up by the foliage.
Wang Da sensed something was off.
At that moment, a bl**d-curdling scream echoed from afar.
“Help… m-m-m-me! Ah…”
The panicked cries cut off abruptly.
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, another scream followed.
d*mn it! That little brat was clearly trying to take them out one by one!
“Quick, everyone gather around me! All of you, come here!” Wang Da shouted.
If they all stuck together, the boy’s ambush tactic would fall flat.
He firmly believed that if he could force the boy into a head-on confrontation, he would surely be able to chop his head off within ten moves.
Nearby gang members hurried to gather around Wang Da.
One yelled, “Boss, boss! I remember who that boy is!”
“Who? Spit it out!” Wang Da exclaimed.
“I was with Old Zou in town yesterday. That kid led in a female assassin who took out Old Zou with a single sword stroke. I never thought he’d dare stroll into our territory today. He must have that female assassin backing him up, which is why he’s so brazen!”
Wang Da slapped his thigh, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Let’s hurry back and report to the boss!”
The remaining ten members, terrified of being ambushed again on their way back, huddled together and moved slowly.
Unfortunately, the forest didn’t have paths; they had to forge a makeshift way through the dense bushes.
At that moment, a shadow flashed by again, and a sword pierced one of the gang members right through the chest.
Before the others could react, the shadow vanished into the dense woods.
Hearing the chaotic shouts of his enemies nearby, the little recipient for the first time felt the power he wielded was precious.
No doubt about it; this tactic had been taught to him by Sister Hong Chen.
She called it “drawing aggro.” Though he didn’t quite understand where the term came from, he had grasped the technique well enough.
It meant luring the enemies into a place where he could exploit his advantages, taking them out one by one and eventually shattering their resolve.
With the thought that Sister Hong Chen was watching him from the shadows, the little recipient, who had just killed three people and still couldn’t believe it was him, felt a surge of strength.
His technique, initially clumsy, became more agile with time.
In the dense forest, he moved like a nimble monkey, always appearing in the weakest spots of the fleeing group’s defenses.
One strike, and another life was taken.
After a few rounds of sneak attacks, only four panicked individuals remained by Wang Da’s side.
Luckily, the edge of the forest was not far off.
The fleeing few saw glimmers of hope and almost tumbled forward, scrambling desperately, hoping to escape this place of despair.
But just then, a slender woman in red blocked their path.
Wang Da didn’t even think to ask who she was; gripping his sabre tightly, he swung it horizontally, expecting that his sudden, desperate display of swordsmanship would send her running or at least split her in two.
Unbelievably, instead of backing off, the woman charged in.
With a swift turn, her heel delivered a sharp kick to his chest, and he clearly heard a light cracking sound from his ribcage as he slammed against a thick trunk, knocked unconscious.
The remaining four were frozen in terror, their despair skyrocketing like mushrooms after rain, becoming more than they could bear.
The woman in red said calmly, “I’ll give you a fair chance for a duel.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a young boy stepped slowly out of the shadows.
