Chapter 111: King of Hell’s Decree, Bone-Attaching Needle
The “Three-Headed Flood Dragon” wielded a steel fork, its weight and force immense. As he swung it, he moved like a flood dragon, stabbing at the Taihu Lake Water Village soldiers positioned in front. Amidst chilling screams, he killed all twenty-odd people on a large boat beneath his fork.
Hou Tonghai, who had been pursued by Huang Rong from Fengling Ferry all the way to Lin’an Prefecture, suddenly felt incredibly powerful again.
What Taihu Lake Water Village heroes? They were practically clowns.
Once the Prince obtains the Wumu’s Military Writings and leads the troops southward, Taihu will be under the Yellow River Gang’s control.
In an instant, Hou Tonghai felt he had the ability to smash the Taihu Lake Water Village with oars and punch the Yangtze River boat gangs.
Everything was almost exactly as Zhou Yan had predicted.
Wanyan Honglie employed a two-pronged approach. He sent the “Three-Headed Flood Dragon” Hou Tonghai, the “Ghost Gate Dragon King” Sha Tongtian, and the “Thousand Hand Butcher” Peng Lianhu to Lin’an Prefecture to scout ahead. Then, under the guise of an Imperial Envoy’s visit, they would lull the enemy into a false sense of security while Ouyang Ke, Liang Zi Weng, and Monk Lingzhi stole the Wumu’s Military Writings. With Ouyang Feng overseeing, it was foolproof.
Hou Tonghai scouted and gathered information. As arranged, he was to meet Wanyan Kang. However, upon arriving at Taihu Lake, he inadvertently learned that the water village was planning to act against the Lin’an Prefecture court’s reception of the Imperial Envoy’s team and Wanyan Kang and his group. After a brief deliberation, he infiltrated the Lingao Island Mountain Stronghold.
The Taihu Lake Water Village raised its banner, recruiting soldiers and buying horses. The stronghold was a mix of dragons and snakes, making it difficult to identify the identities of Peng Lianhu and others, which was quite normal.
Seeing the Lin’an Prefecture court’s troops beginning to falter under the Taihu Lake Water Village’s attack, Hou Tonghai and the other two, leading dozens of subordinates, suddenly launched an assault. Lu Guanying was caught completely off guard. It was only because the Young Manor Lord of Guiyun Manor’s large boat was a bit further away from Peng Lianhu and the others that they weren’t captured or killed.
Even so, five or six village leaders had already met their end at the hands of the trio.
Zhou Yan traveled northward from Jingzhou, practicing his skills amidst the river waves. His water combat skills were also quite formidable, and he was not afraid of water battles. He steered his boat and, from afar, saw Hou Tonghai standing arrogantly on a large boat.
There were corpses of Taihu Lake Water Village soldiers floating on the water. He crouched down and removed a soldier’s headscarf to cover his face.
Such attire was quite normal amidst the raging flames and billowing smoke of the battle. Many people, both from the attacking and defending sides, would wet their headscarves and cover their mouths and noses to prevent smoke inhalation.
“Brother, lend me your headscarf. I’ll kill a few more Yellow River Gang water ghosts.”
Zhou Yan muttered to the corpse and rowed his boat towards Hou Tonghai.
He knew the “Three-Headed Flood Dragon’s” cultivation level like the back of his hand. With his current realm, it wouldn’t be difficult to challenge him with a spear.
As the small boat approached, Hou Tonghai was about to jump into Taihu Lake and swim towards Lu Guanying’s large boat when the Three-Headed Flood Dragon suddenly heard a voice from the lake below, “Over here!”
The Three-Headed Flood Dragon, Hou Tonghai, looked over and saw Zhou Yan, his face covered by a headscarf. He asked, “Who are you?”
“One of us.”
Hou Tonghai’s mind couldn’t process it quickly enough. He assumed Zhou Yan was one of Peng Lianhu’s subordinates and exclaimed with joy, “You’ve come at the perfect time.”
Without any hesitation, he said to a Yellow River Gang disciple beside him, “Take a boat and go kill the Taihu Lake Water Village leaders.”
“Got it.”
Hou Tonghai leaped down first, followed closely by his subordinates.
Amidst the smoke of battle, a “hum” of the spear sounded. Zhou Yan thrust out his great spear, the wind whistling as the tip, like a spirit snake flicking its tongue, aimed for Hou Tonghai’s abdomen.
If this spear strike landed, his internal organs would be instantly shredded.
“Chii!” A sudden gust of wind sounded like tearing silk, followed by a “clang” as Zhou Yan’s fine steel spear was struck by a stone and deflected.
Hou Tonghai landed on the bow of the boat.
As Zhou Yan’s spear struck, the Three-Headed Flood Dragon felt a chill down his spine, thinking he was going to die at the hands of an unknown person after a lifetime of hunting. However, the spear tip was deflected by a hidden weapon. He landed safely on the boat.
Knowing he had been saved by an expert, he was overjoyed and sneered, “Kid, I’ll skewer your head!”
As he spoke, he unleashed the move “Flood Dragon Emerges from the Sea,” swinging his steel fork towards Zhou Yan’s head.
With a “pa,” another stone flew through the air, striking Hou Tonghai’s “Qu Chi” acupoint on his elbow. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon felt his arm go numb, and the steel fork slipped from his grasp, falling into the lake with a “peng,” creating a large splash.
Zhou Yan’s arm also went numb, but he changed his move with incredible speed. The moment his spear was deflected, his right foot suddenly curved inward from an outer arc, its momentum flashing like a spark and sweeping towards Hou Tonghai.
Hit by the stone and with his steel fork gone, Hou Tonghai was in no position to dodge Zhou Yan’s “Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg” in his haste.
With a “bang,” Hou Tonghai cried out as he was kicked into the air and sent crashing towards the lake.
Zhou Yan retreated with his spear, standing at the other end of the small boat, and looked in the direction from which the stone had come.
Under the silver moonlight, a man in green robes and cloth stood tall on the crossbeam of a large boat several yards away, half-hidden behind the sail. The visible half of his face was stiff and peculiar, like wood or stone.
Zhou Yan instantly realized: Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi.
That day by the Jingzhou riverside, he had told the Eastern Heretic the whereabouts of Hou Tonghai and Huang Rong. Huang Rong, unable to find the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, had ridden north to Zhongdu. However, the Eastern Heretic had, by chance, found the target.
It would be easy for Huang Yaoshi to kill Hou Tonghai. He must have seen that Hou Tonghai was heading to Taihu Lake to meet Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu. Not in a hurry to act, he first wanted to investigate. He was also looking for Huang Rong.
The Eastern Heretic had just deflected his great spear with a stone. His intention was clear: Hou Tonghai was not to be killed by him, or perhaps he wanted Huang Rong to do it, and he would not allow anyone else to interfere.
Zhou Yan chuckled inwardly. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon had been marked by the King of Hell. Huang Yaoshi must have recognized him as well.
He no longer paid attention to Hou Tonghai. With a flick of his wrist, his iron spear leaped from the deck of the small boat. The “humming” sound of its vibration, initially small, grew louder, transforming into a sharp, mournful cry as it struck at the Yellow River Gang disciples.
The disciple swung his saber to block, but with a “clang” of metal on metal, his steel saber flew away. His abdomen was instantly hollowed out by the spearhead, as if a ferocious beast had suddenly taken their lives.
Zhou Yan steered his boat directly towards Lu Guanying’s large boat.
The Three-Headed Flood Dragon emerged from the water, cursing loudly, “I curse your ancestors! Have the guts to duel me, you sneak who ambushes and schemes.”
Hearing Hou Tonghai’s furious curses, Zhou Yan almost spat out his breath.
Behind the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, Huang Yaoshi’s figure appeared above him like a water bird floating on the lake, arriving without a sound. The Eastern Heretic struck Hou Tonghai’s back with a palm and then used the momentum to retreat to the crossbeam of the large boat where he had stood earlier.
Hou Tonghai suddenly felt a slight prick on his neck and back. He reached back to grab, but his hand met empty air. He turned in the water and began to curse, “I curse you! Let’s duel.”
With a “ping,” a stone struck Hou Tonghai’s mute acupoint, rendering him speechless.
Zhou Yan had previously thought that Hou Tonghai had been marked by the King of Hell by Huang Yaoshi, and it had indeed come true. The Eastern Heretic’s palm strike carried a needle, which penetrated deep into the flesh and was firmly lodged within the bone joints. The needle was poisoned, and the poison would act slowly, six times a day, following the circulation of the blood, causing one to experience indescribable and intense agony without dying. The suffering was like adding fuel to the fire.
If Huang Yaoshi had truly killed the Three-Headed Flood Dragon with a single palm strike, he would not have lived up to the name “Eastern Heretic.”
As Zhou Yan’s small boat approached Lu Guanying’s large boat, another large boat suddenly approached diagonally. The two boats collided with a “boom,” and the Thousand Hand Butcher “Peng Lianhu,” along with several fierce disciples, leaped over.
Zhou Yan’s toes touched the bow of the boat, and he landed on the bow as lightly as a flying goose.
A Peng Lianhu disciple who had leaped onto the large boat asked suspiciously, “Who?”
“One of us.” Zhou Yan approached with his spear and thrust it out.
“You wicked dog,” the man cursed and swung his fist to strike. Suddenly, the iron spear danced like a giant dragon, and killing intent erupted.
“Be careful.”
Before Peng Lianhu could finish his warning, in his field of vision, the disciple’s right fist had already been shattered. Blood spread down his arm. Zhou Yan’s spear first pierced the opponent’s fist, then the arm, and entered his right chest.
Peng Lianhu roared like thunder, drawing the Judge’s dual brushes from his waist. He immediately used his weapons, intending to kill.
