Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Although Nan Zhi didn't know what was inside that gourd, her intuition told her it was nothing good. She immediately summoned a water shield to block her front.
The foul-smelling green liquid came fast and hard, slamming into the water shield. With a sharp hiss, half of the shield was dissolved away.
Nan Zhi was startled. What toxic liquid!
“I certainly underestimated you!”
Seeing her block the strike, Ma San’s eyes filled with venomous resentment.
“Judging by where you came from, you must have seen those meat sheep already, haven't you?
In that case, all that talk about a white tiger skin was just a load of rubbish to lure me onto the deck.
If you ask me, you’d better hand over all your belongings right now if you want to avoid suffering!”
Since the mask was off, he no longer held back. He chanted a spell and recalled the gourd hovering above them.
The gourd spun a few times with a gurgling sound before flying back into Ma San’s hand. His green Taoist robe lay on the ground like a discarded rag.
Nan Zhi sneered, forming a hand seal. “If you want to fight, then fight. Stop wasting your breath. If I don't give you a proper thrashing today, you won't realize who you're dealing with!”
Strike first to gain the upper hand!
Nan Zhi repeated her tactic, summoning a thick vine that lunged straight for Ma San’s face. Not to be outdone, he flipped into a Seven Star Kick. The mouth of his gourd flew open, spitting out several jade-green peach leaves that landed between them with a soft rustle.
Hiss! As soon as the peach leaves touched the deck, they transformed into four hedgehogs the size of millstones, scrambling toward Nan Zhi!
Nan Zhi recognized them instantly; these were the same four hedgehogs she had seen at the foot-shop!
One of them, a smaller red hedgehog, froze for a moment upon seeing Nan Zhi. Then, its quills bristled as it let out a series of sharp squeaks and suddenly turned to bite its companions!
It was the little red hedgehog she had saved!
Nan Zhi paused her thunder curse, unsure for a moment whether to intervene.
Though small, the little hedgehog was fierce and aggressive, its sharp snout aiming specifically for the soft underbellies of the others. For a while, it actually held its own against the other three!
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!” The deck was filled with the sounds of snarling little beasts and scattered with broken quills.
“Useless beast! You idiot! White 49! I told you to bite her!”
Ma San turned red with fury and began to curse. He raised his foot to crush the little red hedgehog, but before he could move, a fireball hurtled toward his face!
The man was a seasoned veteran; in his desperation, he spat out a glob of clear water that struck the fireball dead-on, knocking it an inch off course.
The fireball flew a few feet before plunging into the river. A brief flash of light flickered and then vanished.
The deck remained shrouded in darkness, save for a single light at the bow.
Nan Zhi and Ma San stared at each other from a distance.
“Fool! You're a fool! Your spiritual energy is limited. So what if you know more spells than I do? I don't believe you can keep casting such powerful techniques!”
Ma San laughed loudly at Nan Zhi. As he spoke, a steel blade shot out from his sleeve, flying straight for her neck. “Again!”
The blade was incredibly fast, aimed right at her vitals. Nan Zhi instinctively raised a water shield to block it, but it only slowed the blade for a fraction of a second!
The flying blade arrived in an instant, but her body reacted faster than her mind.
She flipped backward, summoning a vine to sweep the blade aside. A sound like clashing jade rang out as the blade pierced the vine, splitting it in two.
Thud! The blade sank several inches into the deck, leaving a hole behind—a testament to its power.
“You're only in the Qi Refinement stage, yet you still have enough energy to cast spells?”
Ma San stared at Nan Zhi in disbelief, as if trying to see right through her. His eyes glittered with excitement. “You really do have treasures on you. Once I kill you, I'll take my time sorting through them.”
Before he had even finished speaking, he waved his hand. The gourd flew into the air, spinning rapidly. In the next moment, it spat out countless needles as fine as cow hair!
Ma San was finally showing his true strength.
The cow hair needles fell like a dense rain, shrouding the area like a mist. They moved with incredible speed. In an instant, Nan Zhi’s ears were filled with the crisp sound of needles piercing wood!
Ding, ding, ding! Clink! Clink, clink! Clatter, clatter, clatter!
With Nan Zhi’s current cultivation, her water shield was only large enough to protect her chest. Seeing the faint green glow on the tips of the needles, she knew they were poisoned!
The needles came too fast for the hedgehogs still fighting on the deck to escape. They all let out sharp cries before falling silent.
“Truly vicious!” Nan Zhi cursed under her breath. She leaped onto the mast as nimble as a monkey, tore off a corner of the thick sail to wrap around herself, and jumped back onto the deck. Reaching down, she scooped up the little red hedgehog and tucked it into her robes.
Looking up at the furled sails, an idea struck her. She leaped again, soaring into the air and climbing up the mast.
She moved with startling speed and agility, reaching the very top of the mast in just a few breaths.
“Let's see you survive this!” Growing desperate, Ma San leaped onto the mast as well. He slapped the bottom of his gourd, unleashing dozens more waves of dense needles toward Nan Zhi.
Clink, clink, clink! Clink, clink! Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Nan Zhi huddled behind the sail with the red hedgehog. The sound of needles piercing the canvas was as frantic as a sudden downpour or falling stones, a relentless pitter-patter.
Ma San’s face grew paler and paler, and he began to wobble. The force behind the needles was weakening.
Nan Zhi suddenly looked up, a flash of determination in her eyes. Now!
Nan Zhi kicked loose the hemp rope binding the sail. The massive canvas, previously furled tight, suddenly unfurled with a loud whoosh.
As the sail opened, the night wind rushed in, catching the heavy fabric and causing it to snap outward in a graceful arc.
“Aah!” Caught off guard, Ma San was struck head-on by the sail. With a scream, he tumbled from the mast several yards high, falling straight down!
Nan Zhi dove after him, her right hand pressing against the vitals of Ma San’s chest. As he looked up in terror, she grinned and shouted the mantra of the Five Thunder Curse into the whistling night wind: “Fire burns the world; demons turn to dust!”
...
Thump!! The sound of a body hitting the deck and the loud crash of the falling sail jolted everyone awake from their dreams.
The boat owner climbed onto the deck with a lantern, only to find a scene of absolute chaos. A Taoist lay in a crater in the deck, his fate unknown.
The Taoist’s face was charred black, his clothes were in tatters and soaked in blood, and he was coughing up great mouthfuls of gore. He was clearly mortally wounded, with bits of internal organs mixed in the blood.
Meanwhile, Lady Nan Zhi was squatting right in front of him, her head bowed as she rummaged through his belongings.
Good heavens! He shouldn't have been so greedy as to let these two troublemakers onto his boat!
The boat owner was terrified. The lantern slipped from his hand, spilling candle oil everywhere, but it was gently picked up by a pale, slender hand.
A beautiful female ghost covered her mouth and chuckled, her ashen face radiating an aura of death. “The masters of the Demon Suppression Division are capturing an evil Taoist. You lot should clear out!”
The Demon Suppression Division? There was a demon on the boat! As soon as the onlookers heard those words, their curiosity vanished. They ducked back into their rooms, pulling the covers over their heads, not daring to make a sound.
Rate on N.U.
