Chapter 71: Water Bandits

"Water bandits," Li Huowang identified the people on the small sampans.

This was clearly a trap, designed to lure everyone in before robbing them collectively.

"Heh, what a truly 'simple' folk this place has," Li Huowang muttered to himself, watching them.

He also noticed that the bandits weren't just able-bodied men; there were elderly people, women, and even half-grown children among them. It seemed this was a long-standing family business.

*Swoosh!* An arrow shot past, embedding itself in the ship's railing, intensifying the panic among the dozens of people on board.

"Folks, young and old, just toss over your bags, luggage, and all your gold and silver jewelry. We, the righteous heroes of Hengshan Lake, who rob the rich to help the poor, swear we won't harm a single hair on your heads."

"But if we find you've hidden even a single coin, hmph hmph... then you'll have to choose between 'rolling knife noodles' and 'wonton noodles'."

Upon hearing the boat captain's threatening voice, the panicked crowd grew restless again.

Many began throwing their luggage and bundles into the water.

If they had encountered bandits on land, they might have been able to escape, but now, stranded in the middle of the water, they had no choice but to surrender.

Even jumping into the water wouldn't help; they were no match for those who knew how to swim.

Li Huowang watched the small sampans circling on the lake. He took a step forward and spoke to the bandit leader on one of the boats: "Friend, just honestly bring the boat ashore, and I'll pretend nothing happened."

The boat captain frowned slightly and re-evaluated Li Huowang for a moment. He asked with a hint of disdain, "Brother, what's your deal?"

"Speak plainly. Take us ashore," Li Huowang replied, his tone growing annoyed.

"Hey! Look, brothers! This one's still a clueless rookie! Maybe he hasn't even grown all his hair yet! Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!!" The water bandits roared with laughter.

"Young man, do you think you're impressive just because you're a Taoist? I've already chopped up seven or eight Taoists like you!"

"Let me tell you, this lake is our Yuan family's territory. Dragons must coil for me! Tigers must crouch for me! Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he'd have to pay me a toll!"

The boat captain's threats immediately drew cheers from the bandits, accompanied by claps and whistles.

Many of them had already begun to prematurely divvy up their spoils.

"Dad! I want to snatch that white-haired girl as my wife! She's so pretty!"

"No, you can play with her, but such a useless person can't be your wife! I don't want my grandson to grow up with that strange appearance."

"Then let Dad play with her first, and when Dad gets tired of her, I'll play."

"Haha, good son, truly damn filial!"

*Jingle jingle jingle!* A piercing ringing sound immediately rippled the water.

With murder in his eyes, Li Huowang took a pouch of dirt from his bag and poured it into his mouth. "Tsan! Pu! Ju!"

The swiftly formed Wandering Master immediately swam over, pouncing on the bandits in the small sampans.

Facing this unknown entity, the panicked bandits instinctively retaliated with bows, arrows, and blades, but it was clear their attacks had no effect.

Any body the Wandering Master passed through would instantly stiffen and fall into the water.

Before long, over a dozen bodies floated on the water.

The bandits clearly hadn't expected to provoke such a formidable figure. They cried out, calling for their parents, and leaped into the water to escape.

"Senior Brother Li! The boat is leaking! There are water ghosts chiseling at our hull from below!!"

As Li Huowang moved his finger, the Wandering Master swiftly dove underwater. A moment later, several half-naked corpses of water bandits slowly floated up from below.

During this brief window, the remaining bandits had all fled, leaving only leaderless sampans and bodies drifting with the current.

Though everyone had fled, the matter was far from over.

"Quickly bail out the water! Use clothes to plug the holes!" Li Huowang urged the others to start self-rescue.

They were in the middle of a large lake; if the boat truly sank, even multiple Wandering Masters couldn't save his life.

After a frantic scramble, the holes were finally plugged.

Before Li Huowang could even take a moment to rest, Bai Lingmiao pulled his sleeve, pointing towards the distant reeds.

Under the red sunset, small sampans emerged once more from the reeds. The people on board had bloodshot eyes, staring intently at the dozens of bodies floating on the water.

A white-bearded, stooped old man, supported by the boat captain, stood at the very front. His trembling, aged voice carried far across the water.

"Oh, great master, these are dozens of lives from our Yuan family! If only you had announced yourself, how would we simple folk dare to block your way? Or perhaps you just weren't feeling well today and wanted to see some blood?"

Li Huowang couldn't be bothered with his nonsense. He turned to the others behind him and asked who among them was a good swimmer, telling them to retrieve the bamboo poles used for punting from the distance.

The boat needed to move; staying stranded in the water was not an option, especially as dusk was approaching.

The old man's voice was filled with intense grief and indignation. "What's done is done, and more words are useless. Our lives may be cheap, but whoever killed so many of our Yuan family members and thinks they can just walk away, it won't be that easy!!"

The old man's unusual words from afar caught Li Huowang's attention, but it was too distant, and the sky was growing dark, so he couldn't see clearly.

"Who has good eyesight? Help me see what they're up to."

Li Huowang still dared not be careless; in this wretched place, caution was paramount.

Just then, the one-armed man beside him squinted hard into the distance, alternately closing and opening his eyes for a while before finally speaking: "They seem to be... all kowtowing. It looks like they're performing some kind of ritual, quite high-ranking. They're using three animals: pigs, cattle, and sheep. Oh my goodness! That old man just threw two infants, not even a month old, into the water!"

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang's heart immediately tightened. He quickly shook the Taoist bell in his hand once more.

Whatever they were doing, this abnormal act was definitely not right. Now was not the time to save three months of his lifespan.

The swiftly formed Wandering Master flew rapidly towards them, but halfway there, it abruptly turned back.

The moment it turned back, the entire large boat beneath Li Huowang suddenly shuddered, and the creaking sound of wood groaning under increasing pressure came from underwater.

"There's something underwater!"

*Boom!* An earth-shattering sound erupted.

The entire large boat was violently flung into mid-air by an enormous force, then slammed back down onto the lake surface.

The already dilapidated boat couldn't withstand such abuse and immediately disintegrated, tearing into pieces.

Li Huowang tumbled into the lake. The icy water made him shiver instantly, and he sharply opened his eyes.

In the dark, murky mud at the lakebed, a vaguely outlined mass could be seen crawling and writhing.

*Whoosh!* Seven grotesque, constantly shifting eyeballs, gleaming with an eerie reflection, suddenly opened, staring directly at Li Huowang.