The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 333 - 212: Sightings on the River_2

Chapter 333: Chapter 212: Sightings on the River_2

"Fast Ship Zhang" nodded, "That’s right, Jingzhou has always been a land of countless battles. With its complex waterways, every dynasty has set up military fortresses at strategic points, which later turned into villages."

"Brother Yan hasn’t visited, how does he know?"

"The City God Temple is over there, and there just happens to be a mission..."

During their conversation, the deck suddenly shook.

It turned out that the person sent to gather information had returned. He hurried into the cabin and saluted, "Reporting to Master Zhang, it’s the Pai Sect members fighting among themselves!"

"Which leader is it?"

"’Wei Lao Ba’ and ’Black Fish Head’."

"Hmph, it’s always these two."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Zhang’s face immediately took on an ugly expression.

Seeing Li Yan and the others’ inquisitive looks, Old Man Zhang sighed and said, "Gentlemen from the northern pugilistic world have some connections to the Cao Gang. When facing the Pai Sect, one cannot be too careful. Whatever I know, I will share with you all."

"The Cao Gang originated from the Cao Yun, and has close ties with the court, but the Pai Sect arose from the common pugilistic world."

"In Xiangxi, the custom of rafting is practiced. The locals cut timber from the mountains in exchange for rice, tie the logs into large rafts, float them on the river, and sell the timber in the Dongting Lake region."

"These people live on the rafts all year round, even setting up houses on them, planting vegetables, and raising children, whose swimming skills are astonishing from a young age. To prevent being bullied, they gradually formed societies and gangs."

"At that time, they were still called raft gangs."

"But making a living on the water, one can’t avoid encountering strange events. During the Tang Dynasty, there was a mage named Chen Si Long, who saw the hardships of the ship workers and their uncertain fate. He took an oath to manage the Dongting Waterway, clear the rocks, and slay the water ghosts..."

"From then on, the Pai Sect gradually took shape."

"The original teachings of the Pai Sect were to despise evil and assist those in danger, base their actions on laws, and not betray their masters’ teachings. But over the years, it had gradually lost its essence."

"The Pai Sect has no Sect Leader, but is managed by the leaders of each raft. These leaders come from the Four Seas, and some are even renegades from the Magic Veins; though they all worship the Ancestor of the raft drum, their spells vary greatly."

"These leaders, each wealthier than the last, no longer care for traditional rafting and now organize transport fleets. Some are even overbearing, controlling the waterways; other fleets have to pay tribute to pass through..."

Li Yan interrupted with a cold voice, "Quite audacious!"

"There’s no helping it,"

Old Man Zhang replied with a wry smile, "These leaders all practice spells, and many of them even have water ghosts to cause accidents in secret, leaving no evidence behind."

"The waterways of Yunyang, Jingzhou are controlled by two leaders of the Pai Sect, ’Wei Lao Ba’ and ’Black Fish Head’."

"’Wei Lao Ba’ practices the Huaguang Skill, while ’Black Fish Head’ comes from the Xiangxi Witch Sect. Both are fierce and prone to fighting, and they’ve had quite a few conflicts."

"Up ahead, there is a tributary of the Han River called ’Savage Water,’ directly leading to Baokang County. Not far from there is Shennongjia, where you can buy medicinal and timber materials to transport through the waterways to various places; the profits are quite substantial."

"In order to fight over this waterway, the two sides have battled for years, and several times the disputes have become so large that they’ve drawn the Pai Sect elders to mediate."

"It seems they have started again..."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head, "With the conflict underway, they act so recklessly, blocking the river, aren’t they afraid of punishment from the court?"

Old Man Zhang’s lips curled in a mocking sneer, "They’ve been rampant on the Han River for years. If they didn’t have the support of government officials behind them, how could this be possible?"

"There’s no lack of victims who went to the government offices to complain. The offices would put on an act, impartially handling the case, arresting a few people from the Pai Sect as scapegoats."

"But afterward, the victims would suffer retaliation; the lighter cases would have their boats sabotaged and their capital lost, while in the severe cases, people would mysteriously lose their lives."

"Over time, everyone was forced to keep silent about their grievances."

The group, having heard all this, felt helpless and could only continue to wait.

And so they waited for an entire night.

They were stuck in the middle of the river, unable to move forward, and a large number of boats were coming up from behind, as far as the eye could see, growing increasingly irritable.

Just then, a turning point arrived.

Eagles soared in the sky, and Lv San immediately spoke up, "A team is coming from downstream, it’s the court’s men!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Lifei chuckled, "These people picked the wrong time to cause trouble. If they block the riverways and delay important military matters, even the officials behind them won’t be able to walk away unscathed."

Indeed, the court’s Navy arrived to clear the waterway.

In less than an hour, the congested section ahead began to clear, and ships of all sizes set sail once again.

"Look over there!"

When they reached the previously congested area, the ship workers suddenly pointed to both sides.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan and the others peered through the window.

They saw the riverbanks lined with dense rafts and charred hulls of boats drifting on the water, which soldiers with iron hooks were pulling towards the shore.

And on the riverbank, stakes were driven into the riverbed, with many people hung from them, all bare-chested, their backs covered in bloody marks.

Everyone took one look and immediately knew what was going on.

"Ha ha ha, serves him right!"

Sha Lifei’s face was instantly full of schadenfreude.

However, Li Yan, standing to the side, furrowed his brows slightly as if deep in thought, with not a trace of a smile on his face.

"Brother Yan, what’s wrong?"

Sha Lifei sensed something was amiss and quickly asked.

Li Yan stroked his chin, eyes slightly narrowed. "At the Yunyang City ferry crossing, the Pai Sect suddenly went mad, troubling the Cao Gang, causing quite a bit of chaos."

"And here, they’ve started fighting among themselves, also blocking the river."

"It’s neither early nor late for a fight, but they choose to make trouble just as the Jing Chu Mountain people rebel and the Tusi stage their uprising. Who knows... if it’s intentional?"

Sha Lifei was startled. "These two have a problem!"

Li Yan nodded and said, "After all, the Heavenly Saint Sect has some reputation in the pugilistic world and a wide network of friends; it’s possible they’re involved in secret dealings."

Hearing this, Sha Lifei inhaled sharply, "The Pai Sect dominates Xiangxi, controls many southern waterways, and possesses formidable power. If they too have turned traitor in secret, that would be a big problem."

"I hope I’m wrong..."

Li Yan hesitated for a moment, but then stood up and called for Old Man Zhang. "Senior, if I wanted to send a letter to the Yunyang Prefecture, could you manage it?"

"Of course!"

"Fast Ship Zhang" said with a smile. "We travel to various places and naturally have our ways of communication. I just saw a few workers set to deliver goods to Yunyang."

"Let them help with sending the letter. Where should it be sent to?"

"The Captain Bureau."

"Fast Ship Zhang" paused for a second, his expression turning grave. "We need to find someone reliable. I’ll go have a look."

With that, he walked over to the deck, looking around.

Meanwhile, Li Yan fetched paper and ink, wrote down the events, and tucked them into a bamboo tube.

Sha Lifei, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Brother Yan, haven’t you always looked down on the people in the government? Why help them now?"

Li Yan sealed the bamboo tube with wax, with a calm demeanor, "Foreign countries vie for supremacy at sea, the Divine State reforms its land, matters concerning the fate of the people of Divine State, that’s righteousness. We do what we can."

"Huh?"

Sha Lifei was somewhat baffled, not understanding how these things tied together, but still nodded in agreement. "I don’t understand, but I’ll follow your lead."

Wang Daoxuan, who was nearby, appeared contemplative...

Just then, Old Man Zhang hurried in. "Young Hero Li, I’ve found a trustworthy old worker!"

"Much appreciated. Hand it to Huang Qianhu of the Yunyang Captain Bureau." Li Yan handed over the bamboo tube.

"Fast Ship Zhang" solemnly took it and personally leaped onto the adjacent boat, holding a bamboo pole, whispering to a ship worker.

The ship worker nodded solemnly, carefully keeping the bamboo tube safe.

Li Yan also stepped out of the cabin and stood on the deck, and when he saw the old man looking over, he solemnly raised his hand in salute.

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then solemnly returned the gesture.

The two boats passed by each other, the Han River rolled on, and the green mountains on both sides were enchanting.

On another boat in the distance, an old man in a Confucian robe, upon seeing this beautiful scene, couldn’t help but recite, "Where the Three Xiang meet the Chu borders, the nine rivers of Jingmen intertwine. The river flows beyond the earth, the mountain’s beauty lost and found... Such magnificent rivers and mountains!"

...

Another day of sailing, as it neared evening, "Fast Ship Zhang" commanded the ship workers to divert from the course and enter a tributary.

The river here was narrow, navigable only by their vessel.

And in the distance, there were undulating mountains, with the river winding its way through them.

Everyone had come out to the deck to watch.

"Fast Ship Zhang" said with a serious tone, "Young Hero Li, this is the river. If we navigate through the eighteen bends in the mountains, we can reach Zhu Family Castle."

"The river and mountain paths are full of hidden reefs and perilous spots, but those are no trouble for me. However, the thick mountain fog makes it hard to see far, even in daylight, let alone at night, not to mention those filthy things."

"It’s getting dark; perhaps we should rest on the shore for the night and set off again in the morning?"

"Let’s follow the senior’s advice..."

Li Yan had only spoken when he furrowed his brows and looked into the distance.

On the riverbank, several riders galloped forward, shouting angrily from afar, "Who are these fools? Clear off!"