Chapter 939: Rainy Night Attack

Chapter 929: Rainy Night Raid

A few strong gusts of wind swept in from an unknown direction, pulling masses of dark clouds across the sky.

In an instant, the heavy rain arrived.

It could no longer be called torrential rain; it was more like someone was pouring basins of water—as if the heavens were holding a large bathtub and endlessly emptying it onto the ground.

With the rain, the island seemed isolated from the world, and visibility on the water was less than fifteen zhang.

Yue Pinghe had some wine, then dozed off for a bit. He suddenly awoke at midnight, remembering something. "By the way, have Min Tianxi and the others returned?"

His subordinates inquired among themselves. Soon, someone came to report: "I heard they returned to the dock an hour ago. The brothers on patrol saw their ships returning; both ships are back, and their lights were very bright."

Yue Pinghe lifted his leg and kicked him. "You have news and you don't report it to me?!"

The man clutched his leg, kneeling in pain. "You, you were asleep, so I was going to report it to you tomorrow morning. It's, it's not a big deal either."

"Whether it's a big deal or not, are you the one to decide?" Yue Pinghe rubbed his eyes and thought about it. Indeed, it wasn't a major issue, so he kicked him again. "Did they have any casualties? Did that guy named He also return?"

"They were all talking and laughing, looking very relaxed," the man replied with a pained expression. "There was a young man standing at the bow of the ship, looking like he was under twenty, but Master Huang, Master Min, and several fierce-looking fellows were all standing behind him. It must, it must be that guy named He."

The news that Yangshan Archipelago had a new owner had recently spread throughout Blade Harbor. Initially, everyone rolled their eyes and made fun of it, but now they had ripped off the "big sucker" label from the new island master, replacing it with "profound and unfathomable."

This was because more rumors were circulating, saying that the two pirate groups that roamed Yangshan Archipelago had actually pledged allegiance to this new island master!

Those who first heard the rumors all said: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

How could a pirate menace that even the authorities were powerless to resolve be so easily subdued by a young outsider?

This wasn't logical.

Even if the pirate who reported the news didn't recognize He Lingchuan, just by looking at his demeanor and the attitude of the two pirate leaders towards him, he could guess that it was He Lingchuan, the legendary new island master.

"Does the Yin Kui really have no way to deal with him?" There were many legends about this new island master, the most widespread one being that he could dispel malevolent energy. But no matter how many times Yue Pinghe heard this news, he felt it was biased.

He wasn't some ignorant rustic. Could a young man easily deal with something even ancient immortals wouldn't dare to touch?

Yet, it was the Yin Kui's attitude towards He Lingchuan that puzzled him the most.

"I heard they killed many Yin Kui during their last voyage," his subordinate said. "Perhaps they intimidated the remaining Yin Kui?"

"Deep within Dragon Ridge Island, there's a creature that has survived since ancient times. It's not an ordinary person... no, it's not something humans can deal with." Yue Pinghe frowned, thinking for a long time. "What exactly did that guy named He go to Dragon Ridge Island for? Did he not provoke it?"

If they had provoked the King of Yin Kui, how could those two ships of people have returned completely unscathed?

"Investigate again!"

"Yes." His confidant replied, preparing to send more people to inquire tomorrow morning.

Yue Pinghe yawned. As he leaned against the couch, drowsiness washed over him again.

With the pattering of raindrops and a pleasant tipsiness from the wine, it was the perfect time for a good sleep.

Before falling asleep, his last thought was: "That guy named He seems to genuinely have some abilities. When Min Tianxi comes to negotiate on his behalf later, should I adjust my strategy and lower my demands?"

If he didn't know how to size people up and adapt his approach, he wouldn't have climbed to this position.

As dawn approached, the wind and rain gradually subsided.

Yue Pinghe dreamed that he led his men to plunder a large ship, filled with countless gold, pearls, and beautiful women. He was hesitating which bracelet to wear—a gold-inlaid jade one or a silver-engraved ruby one—when he suddenly heard a deafening shout:

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

Yue Pinghe was startled. He was about to hide the treasure chest behind his bed when suddenly his arm was violently shaken:

"Master, wake up!"

He sat up with a start, realizing that plundering ships and seizing treasures were all just a dream. The reality was that someone had come to attack his home!

Yue Pinghe grabbed his subordinate by the collar. "Calm down, who's attacking?"

"The First and Second Bands! They landed on the island from the west, using the rain as cover. Our brothers didn't notice..."

"Useless!" Yue Pinghe hurriedly put on his armor and grabbed the long saber from beside his pillow. "Where have they attacked to?"

"The outer gate of the main stronghold couldn't be held. Those who charged at the very front are formidable, and there are great demons assisting them..."

"Tell everyone to retreat to the second gate and hold them off!" Yue Pinghe's heart tightened. "What kind of great demons?"

"A spider as big as a house!"

Yue Pinghe swore, "That guy named He!"

The process of Min Tianxi being subdued by He Lingchuan had already reached him days ago. That guy named He had a powerful helper: this enormous spider demon.

It was said that it could single-handedly fight more than ten Giant Hui without falling into a disadvantage.

Why did He Lingchuan suddenly attack? Yue Pinghe was both shocked and enraged. Hadn't it been agreed that Min Tianxi would come to negotiate?

As he just rushed out, another pirate, his face covered in blood, rushed in to report:

"Boss, the second gate has been breached!"

This was bad. The strongest main gate, and the most heavily defended second gate—both breached in such a short time? A sense of dread filled Yue Pinghe. He forced himself to calm down and said, "To Centipede Cave! Everyone retreat to Centipede Cave and get on the boats!"

The island itself was named after Centipede Cave, which led directly to the sea, serving as a natural and hidden dock. Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, the pirates of the Third Band had secretly moored several boats of various sizes there for emergency escapes.

As Yue Pinghe rushed out with a group of his trusted followers, he saw his own men retreating in disarray while arrows rained down from the enemy, forcing everyone to scatter and dodge.

The sturdy second gate of the stronghold had been broken open by something unknown; one of the doors had fallen off and was being trampled underfoot by the crowd.

The enemies charging at the front were indeed fierce. Yue Pinghe instantly recognized Min Tianxi and Huang Zhao, those two scoundrels.

Especially Min Tianxi, that guy. He usually preferred to stay at the back during raids and fights, claiming that a commander shouldn't easily expose himself. Yet now, wasn't he in the first row of the charge?

Was he trying to curry favor with his new master?

Yue Pinghe's teeth ached with hatred.

There were indeed great monsters among the enemy formation. However, it wasn't one, but two!

The giant spider reported by his subordinate was among them. The other was a ghost-faced giant ape, over a zhang tall!

This creature was covered in bony armor, impervious to blades and spears. Arrows shot at it were like hitting a steel plate. It picked up the broken stronghold gate from the ground as a weapon and smashed many people flat with thunderous blows.

Yue Pinghe also saw it casually grab a pirate and throw him into its mouth. The man's desperate cry abruptly ceased, then blood spurted from the ghost ape's mouth, as if Yue Pinghe himself had bitten into a plump, juicy tomato.

This scene of it devouring a living person terrified many pirates of the Third Band. None of them wanted to die such a... tragic death.

Fortunately, Yue Pinghe's several loud roars after appearing still acted as a morale booster, temporarily stemming his side's rout. There were many brave individuals among the crowd who now responded to Yue Pinghe's command, turning to fend off the enemy's attack.

In the chaos of battle, Yue Pinghe suddenly met eyes with a young man.

This man stood tall and refined, possessing a sharp, watchful gaze. With a casual gesture, several orders were issued, and he effortlessly controlled the pace of the attack.

From somewhere, a stray arrow flew, heading straight for his face. The young man didn't even twitch an eyelid; a brawny man beside him merely lifted his bronze staff and deflected the arrow.

Yue Pinghe had never met He Lingchuan, but he knew at first glance that this was the new master of Yangshan Archipelago and the instigator of tonight's attack on Centipede Island!

"Retreat!" He glared hatefully at He Lingchuan. "Everyone to Centipede Cave, fight steadily!"

The pirates of the Third Band obeyed his command and indeed retreated while fighting.

Qiu Hu, with two strikes of his staff, fractured the skull of a fierce pirate and said to He Lingchuan: "Their formation isn't chaotic during retreat; these pirates aren't much worse than Blackwater City's army."

He Lingchuan smiled wryly. "Has the Blackwater City army of the Kite Kingdom become the unit of comparison?"

After all, they are a regional army; no matter how incompetent, they are still better than ordinary pirates.

However, the pirates of the Third Band advanced and retreated with order, and attacked and defended with method. Facing the combined assault of the First and Second Bands, apart from initial panic, their performance was quite commendable.

This level of quality reminded him of the fierce bandits who once occupied Xianling Village and fought fiercely against He Chunhua's army.

On the other hand, the First and Second Bands on his own side had unfamiliar coordination, and fighting on unfamiliar ground, they didn't fully utilize their numerical advantage.

Fortunately, he had already investigated this problem beforehand. Huang Zhao and Min Tianxi both admitted frankly that while the two pirate groups had collaborated many times before, it was always to intercept ships and plunder, and their opponents were mostly guards hired by merchant caravans, not well-trained regular soldiers.

In other words, they were very experienced in raiding together, but had no precedent for formal battles.

He Lingchuan wasn't too concerned. Lack of experience could be trained.

He commanded calmly and unhurriedly, and didn't bother about the Third Band retreating to Centipede Cave.

The more problems exposed during the battle, the easier they would be to adjust later. Besides, these few hundred pirate soldiers were hard-won and would be his main force for a long time; he was reluctant to see even a few more of them wounded.

Tonight, with the sudden rain and dispersing wind, He Lingchuan immediately changed his mind and decided not to return to Blade Harbor.

After the heavy rain, mist permeated the sea surface, and visibility was less than ten zhang. Wasn't this the best time for a sneak attack?

So he ordered Min and Huang to gather their forces and launch a surprise attack on Centipede Island before dawn.

The attacking side extinguished their ship lights beforehand and approached Centipede Island, hidden in the thick fog. By the time the island's sentries discovered the anomaly, the enemies had already landed on the island and immediately stormed the stronghold gates!

If this gate had remained intact, He Lingchuan's side would certainly have suffered greater losses.

Even though the two gates were now shattered, Yue Pinghe's stronghold still had many mechanisms, which were now activated one after another, genuinely injuring many of Min and Huang's subordinates.

Especially as the pirates of the Third Band fought and retreated, two of their sorcerers chanted incantations, then raised their staffs and simultaneously struck a stone wall by the roadside.

The terrain here was excellent, with two huge rocks meeting above, forming a triangular gap with the ground. The pirates of the Third Band had been fleeing through this gap.

In front of the huge rocks were several artificially built stone walls whose purpose wasn't normally apparent, seeming like an unnecessary embellishment. But now, with the two striking them, the stone walls trembled a few times, then suddenly split apart and rose as three stone giants, completely blocking the narrow passage!

These stone figures moved clumsily and were difficult to injure people, but each was over a zhang tall and as wide as a wall. When they sat down in front of the passage, stacking like Arhats, the pursuers couldn't pass.

(End of this chapter)