Chapter 41: Capture the King First, Masterstroke Interrogates the Villain
Hou Tonghai felt he had suffered a great humiliation; the young man in green actually wanted to compete with him in the water.
His weapon was a steel fork, inconvenient for underwater combat, so he discarded it and drew a pair of water-splitting daggers from his back, leaping into the river.
Nicknamed “Three-Headed Flood Dragon,” his water skills were naturally superb. He plunged into the water, and no splash was seen.
In the Yellow River’s depths, two figures, one blue and one gray, rapidly approached, circling constantly.
Zhou Yan was a little worried about Huang Rong.
He knew the opponent had trained her water skills by battling waves on Peach Blossom Island, but Hou Tonghai’s profession was murder and robbery on the water. Crucially, winter had set in, and the river water was bone-chillingly cold; the Three-Headed Flood Dragon was more adapted than Huang Rong. Huang Rong was alert, but underwater combat offered little room for strategy.
However, his rationality did not falter.
Even if Huang Rong couldn’t defeat Hou Tonghai, she wouldn’t be in trouble for a while. Moreover, with Huang Rong’s intelligence, self-preservation wouldn’t be difficult, and the opponent was surely wearing a soft armor.
First, repel the enemy, then provide aid.
Zhou Yan drew his bow again.
The area within thirty zhang was within range. Because he attacked suddenly, most of the Water Ghosts were entangled by the Runners and Escorts, unable to reach the Yellow River.
Arrows then whistled through the air with continuous “bang bang” sounds, flying out with absolute accuracy. Even with the fight happening on the ferry, he could always find a fatal angle. His bow was like thunder, and ten arrows killed an equal number of Water Ghosts and Yellow River Gang disciples on the boat and shore.
He then rowed closer to the fishing boat.
Zhang Wangyue had already reached the riverbank. The distance of four to five zhang was far beyond the limit of his leaping ability, and he couldn’t swim. Suddenly, the Head Escort stomped his right foot, and with a crack, the bluestone ground shattered.
He grabbed a brick and hurled it.
Sha Tongtian’s disciple, “Iron Arms Arhat,” rushed out from the cabin. The sound of breaking wind suddenly intensified as the brick flew towards him. Confident in his arms, which were as hard as iron, he swung his arm to smash it.
With a “bang,” the brick shattered, and Iron Arms Arhat staggered, falling onto the bow of the boat, his arm burning with pain.
The sound of breaking air continued incessantly as bricks were thrown one after another. At this moment, a flashing saber light spun out from the cabin. “Ground Rolling Tiger” wielded his twin sabers as if water couldn’t penetrate, deflecting the incoming bricks.
In just about ten breaths, the fishing boat, rowed by the Water Ghosts, drifted five to six zhang with the current. The bricks Zhang Wangyue threw could no longer reach the fishing boat, creating water columns in the river.
Zhou Yan’s ferryboat rowed closer.
He first glanced underwater.
He felt Hou Tonghai was like a short-tailed crocodile, churning the river water, while Huang Rong’s figure, like a piranha, darted rapidly around the Three-Headed Flood Dragon.
He exhaled lightly; Huang Rong was not at a disadvantage.
While gathering strength underfoot, Zhou Yan took out a lime packet from his **Abdomen**. He shouted, “Take another brick from me!”
“Whoosh!” The substantial lime packet was hurled towards “Ground Rolling Tiger.”
The dwarf wielding twin sabers was still affected by the momentum from Zhang Wangyue’s throws. Without a word, the saber light swept towards the lime packet.
With a “hiss,” the packet shattered, and lime powder dispersed in the air.
“You’re cheating!”
“Ground Rolling Tiger” and “Iron Arms Arhat” retreated simultaneously, roaring.
The decapitation saber light extended from the ferryboat towards the fishing boat. The moment Zhou Yan landed, his straight saber entered from the side of the neck and slanted downwards, splitting half of the helmsman’s body into pieces, splattering thick blood and flesh.
He didn’t even have time to draw his saber. Within his sight, the burly “Iron Arms Arhat” lunged forward, his fists delivering “Double Ears Blowing Wind,” descending like drumbeats.
The opponent was a full head taller than Zhou Yan.
He abruptly lowered his body, his elbow striking like a knife onto “Iron Arms Arhat’s” thigh. As he sprang up, he raised his knee like a spear, thrusting it into the opponent’s abdomen.
This was all skill from the Yue Family Fist Manual.
Iron Arms Arhat was sent flying by the thrust. Zhou Yan’s hands shot forward from his chest, grabbing the opponent’s elbows with a “snap” and pulling, intending to drag him into the Yellow River.
“Ground Rolling Tiger” was shocked. He dropped his twin sabers and grabbed his Junior Brother’s ankles, pulling back with all his might.
The pitiable “Iron Arms Arhat” was suspended in the air like a rubber band, pulled by the two.
Zhou Yan delivered a “groin kick.”
With a “bang,” “Iron Arms Arhat” let out a hysterical scream and fell onto the deck.
He stepped on the opponent’s back and pounced upwards. His right arm bent inwards, his right palm drew a circle, and with a whoosh, he pushed outwards.
“Ground Rolling Tiger’s” martial arts were slightly superior to Escort Su of the Four Seas Escort Agency. Zhou Yan had diligently practiced throughout his escort journeys, his cultivation steadily improving. The opponent had now lost his weapons; how could he resist? There wasn’t much room to maneuver on the fishing boat, and the dwarf was directly blasted into the cabin and knocked unconscious.
Zhou Yan felt that using “Kanglong Regret” to bully the dwarf was a bit like playing whack-a-mole.
He kicked “Iron Arms Arhat” unconscious, grabbed the boat oar, and stared intently at the water surface. Just then, he saw Hou Tonghai’s arm bleeding as he tried to surface.
He raised the boat oar high.
Hou Tonghai’s water skills were indeed no less than Huang Rong’s, and his internal force and stamina surpassed hers, giving him the upper hand. He was only disadvantaged by Huang Rong’s soft armor. During the underwater battle, the water-splitting daggers struck Huang Rong, but she was unharmed. Instead, he was pricked in the arm by a hairpin. He couldn’t understand how she carried feminine items like a man.
Hou Tonghai, unaware of the situation on the boat, tried to step onto it. Suddenly, he saw Zhou Yan standing on the gunwale, holding the oar. Due to the light, he couldn’t clearly see his face in his haste. He felt bitter and dove deep into the riverbed.
The oar smashed down with a “bang.”
The crushing water pressure hit him like a brick. Hou Tonghai gulped down several mouthfuls of murky water and fled desperately from the river.
Huang Rong, who was about to surface, thought about how indecent she would look completely soaked. Angered by Hou Tonghai’s insult to her mother and father, she, being a very stubborn person, directly pursued in the direction Hou Tonghai had fled.
In Zhou Yan’s sight, two water trails, one behind the other, sped away in a straight line.
…
To shoot a horse, shoot its head; to capture a thief, capture its king.
Hou Tonghai fled underwater like a stray dog, Ground Rolling Tiger and Iron Arms Arhat were captured, and the Yellow River Gang disciples and Peng Lianhu’s men, who had been slaughtered on the shore, retreated in panic.
The Water Ghosts who fell into the Yellow River and miraculously survived dared not cause any more trouble, swimming ashore and fleeing into the mountains and fields.
Zhou Yan rowed towards the riverbank, and Zhang Wangyue leaped over. Escort Wang Kui also rowed over to Zhou Yan’s side. He jumped onto the bow and said, “That person just now was Hou Tonghai of the Yellow River Gang. I recognize him.”
Zhou Yan recognized Hou Tonghai, but he thought he should be in Zhongdu. Why was he here intercepting this escort mission on the Yellow River? There was something fishy. He said, “Interrogate him.”
“Alright!” Zhang Wangyue nodded.
Zhou Yan walked over to the dwarf “Ground Rolling Tiger” and performed a blood-circulating massage.
…
The light wasn’t very strong. The memory of being struck into the cabin by a palm still lingered. “Ground Rolling Tiger” suddenly sat up. When his vision cleared, he saw Zhou Yan, Wang Kui, and Zhang Wangyue before him.
Zhou Yan spoke, “Tell us, who ordered you.”
“Ground Rolling Tiger” cursed, “Kill me or flay me as you wish, but if I utter a word, I’m a son of a turtle!”
Zhou Yan believed his stubbornness. Martial artists train their muscles and bones externally and their spirit internally, making them resilient to hardship and pain.
“I’ll beat him to death,” Wang Kui said angrily, having a grudge against the Yellow River Gang.
“I have a way!”
Zhou Yan rowed the boat to the shore and asked the Runners to fetch some bamboo paper. The Runners, now seeing him as the backbone of the escort team, quickly found and delivered bamboo paper.
Zhou Yan said, “Please control this person, Head Escort.”
“That’s easy!” Zhang Wangyue pressed the acupoints on the man, rendering him immobile.
Zhou Yan dipped the bamboo paper in water and covered “Ground Rolling Tiger’s” face with it.
