Zigui, an ancient city nestled within the gorges, stood with its back against towering mountains and its face toward the vast, surging Yangtze River. The scenery was nothing short of magnificent.

  Xiao Qiushui arrived in Zigui County early in the morning, greeted by the sight of boats rge and small moored along the riverbank. Among them, over a dozen dragon boats were adorned with colorful decorations in preparation for the festival. As the birthpce of Qu Yuan, Zigui became especially lively every year on the fifth day of the fifth month—a grand tribute to the patriotic poet.

  Since it was still early, most boats remained docked. The majority were dragon boats, but there were also several well-kept fishing vessels, a few merchant ships, and one particurly extravagant pleasure boat—a hua fang—standing out among the rest.

  (T/N: A hua fang (画舫) is a luxurious, ornately decorated pleasure boat commonly used by wealthy individuals for leisure, entertainment, or travel on rivers and kes in ancient China. These boats were often adorned with intricate carvings, elegant furnishings, and sometimes even pavilions or small rooms, making them floating retreats for the elite.)

  Clearly, some wealthy family had traveled from afar to witness the dragon boat races.

  Having grown up by the banks of Huanhua Creek, Xiao Qiushui was no stranger to such opulent vessels; the Xiao family owned one or two themselves. However, seeing such a luxurious hua fang in this pce piqued his curiosity, and he couldn't help but take a second gnce.

  Originally, he had only intended a fleeting look—just enough to confirm it was nothing more than a rich person's indulgence.

  But in that brief moment, something unusual caught his eye!

  He immediately stopped in his tracks!

  His friend followed suit.

  Since it was early morning, the riverbank wasn't crowded.

  At other times, this pce would usually be deserted.

  Just then, on a decorated riverboat, a servant stretched and yawned at the bow while a maid was emptying a spittoon into the river.

  Meanwhile, eleven or twelve men approached from the shore.

  Strong, sturdy men.

  There was nothing unusual about that, but what caught the eye was that each of these men carried weapons—swords or bdes—either at their waists or strapped to their backs.

  It was broad daylight, yet they walked together so openly, armed to the teeth—something quite out of the ordinary.

  Then, suddenly, all twelve men drew their weapons and leaped onto the boat.

  The leader wielded a pair of golden axes. He nded on the bow, startling the servant, who was about to cry out for help—“Save me—” when the man pressed a golden axe against his neck and shoved him into the cabin.

  The maid let out a sharp scream, but before she could react, a man wielding a long spear kicked her straight into the river. She thrashed and called for help as she struggled in the water.

  The others swiftly stormed into the cabin, leaving only two burly men armed with broadswords to guard both sides of the boat.

  This commotion naturally drew the attention of bystanders. A dozen onlookers gathered to see what was happening, but the two men twirled their bdes in a menacing dispy and bellowed in rough voices,

  “We're under the command of ‘King of the Yangtze Waterways,’ Zhu Dawang! We're here for business—stay out of it, or you'll be killed without mercy!”

  The crowd stirred restlessly, but no one dared to step forward.

  Xiao Qiushui and his three friends exchanged gnces, all realizing the same thing—this was a robbery!

  How could such a thing be allowed?

  If Xiao Qiushui was unaware, that was one thing, but now that he knew, there was no way he would let it slide.

  Just as he was about to move, his tall friend immediately grabbed his arm.

  Xiao Qiushui frowned impatiently. “Spit it out.”

  The tall friend asked, “Do you know who ‘Zhu Dawang’ is?”

  Xiao Qiushui smirked. “Zhu Bajie?”

  (T/N: Zhu Bajie (猪八戒), literally meaning "Pig of the Eight Commandments," also known as Pigsy or Pig, is a major character from the cssic Chinese novel Journey to the West (西游记), written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. Zhu Bajie is a half-man, half-pig creature—big-bellied, zy, gluttonous, lecherous, but ultimately loyal and good-hearted.)

  The tall friend's expression grew serious. “The supreme leader of the Twelve Linked Strongholds along the Yangtze’s Three Gorges—Zhu Dawang.”

  Xiao Qiushui raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I've heard of him.”

  The tall friend sighed and shook his head. “Do you know who those two men—the one with the twin axes and the one with the spear—are?”

  Xiao Qiushui tapped his foot impatiently. “Can you stop keeping me in suspense?”

  The tall friend said, “The one with the golden axes is ‘Purple-Gold Axe’ Xue Jinying.

  The one with the long spear is ‘Spear that End Lives’ Zhan Qili.

  Both are highly skilled fighters and trusted lieutenants of Zhu Dawang.”

  He sighed again. “Are you sure you want to take them on? Maybe you should think it over.”

  Xiao Qiushui turned to the other two friends with a smile. “What about you?”

  The two friends grinned. “We’ll think about it.”

  Xiao Qiushui raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  The schorly-looking friend chuckled. “We were originally pnning to teach them a lesson.”

  The friend with the feminine voice followed up, “But now we're considering killing them instead.”

  Xiao Qiushui ughed and turned back to the tall friend. “And you?”

  The tall friend sighed. “I was never asking you to teach them a lesson—I want you to kill them.”

  Xiao Qiushui grinned. “You all?”

  The tall friend chuckled. “No—we.”

  These were Xiao Qiushui's friends—three of them.

  Just then, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from inside the decorated boat. A young nobleman stuck his head out from behind the curtains, crying for help—but before he could finish, his voice abruptly cut off. He colpsed against the window frame, and the curtain behind him was soaked in red.

  Xiao Qiushui and his friends saw such a thing and knew there was no more time to hesitate.

  The two burly men guarding the boat saw a blur before their eyes—suddenly, four elegantly dressed young men had appeared on the deck.

  The guards, unfazed, sneered at them. One pointed at Xiao Qiushui and barked, “Get lost!”

  They singled him out because, in any situation, whenever Xiao Qiushui was present, he was the one people noticed first. Even if he stood among a crowd, all eyes would instinctively be drawn to him.

  It was simply something innate.

  But before the burly man even finished speaking, three of the four figures on deck had already disappeared—leaving only the refined, schorly young man standing there, while the curtains of the cabin trembled violently.

  The two guards froze in shock.

  Then the white-faced schor spoke softly, “You work for Zhu Dawang—you must have killed many people, haven't you?”

  One of the burly men instinctively responded, “If not a hundred, then at least fifty.”

  The other bellowed, “One more won't make a difference—including you!”

  The white-faced schor let out a soft chuckle and murmured, “Good.”

  In that instant, he was suddenly right in front of the two men.

  A heartbeat ter, he was already behind them, strolling leisurely into the cabin.

  A gasp rippled through the crowd on the shore—women shrieked, unable to hold back their fear.