Chapter 26: Chapter 26
The following day.
As twilight faded to black, Li Suifeng commandeered a small boat at the docks and set off downstream toward Sanshui Prefecture.
The skiff had neither oars nor sail, yet under Li Suifeng’s feet it sliced through the water like a loosed arrow.
Sanshui Prefecture wasn’t far from Nanyang.
In barely an hour, Li Suifeng was within sight of the Three Rivers Fortress.
He stowed the skiff on a small island in the middle of the lake.
Then he walked across the water.
A boat was too conspicuous. The Three Rivers Fortress might be only one of the Moon Lake Eighteen Strongholds, but its defenses were tight. Even a peak sixth-rank master wouldn’t dare charge in uninvited.
The Nanyang Branch had clashed with the Three Rivers Fortress on multiple occasions over the years, never gaining the upper hand.
Because the fortress master, Iron-Chain Jin Buhuan, was himself a sixth-rank fighter.
Li Suifeng slipped past the outer perimeter sentries and crept deeper into the heart of the fortress.
…
The Three Rivers Fortress consisted of three closely spaced islands linked by wooden piles and plank bridges.
It sat in the middle of an enormous lake, about a dozen li outside Sanshui Prefecture proper.
Assaulting it was a nightmare. Even at the height of the Daye Dynasty’s power, water bandits had held this position.
On the largest island stood a lavish manor.
This was the residence of Iron-Chain Jin Buhuan himself.
Jin Buhuan had made his name across Nanzhou’s martial world with his seventy-two-style Chain Saber Art. Thirteen years ago, another sixth-rank master had held this territory. Jin Buhuan had arrived, cut the man down in thirteen moves, seized the fortress, and allied himself with the Moon Lake Eighteen Strongholds — replacing one of the original eighteen, the Tiger’s Roar Stockade.
Night had fallen.
But inside Jin Buhuan’s manor, lamps still blazed.
Four men were drinking deep inside the hall.
Among them was a face Li Suifeng knew well — Nanyang Branch Elder Qin Wuyang.
“I never expected Brother Qin to be Red Lotus Sect. Quite the surprise.”
Jin Buhuan was genuinely taken aback.
He hadn’t even known the Moon Lake Strongholds had ties to the Red Lotus Sect.
And Qin Wuyang — the man had previously clashed with the Three Rivers Fortress. One of Jin Buhuan’s own fighters had wounded Qin Wuyang’s manhood in that fight.
Yesterday, the Moon Lake emissary had arrived with a Red Lotus Sect representative. Today, Qin Wuyang showed up too.
What the hell kind of gathering was this?
He didn’t believe for a second that Qin Wuyang harbored no grudge, given what had happened to his most private possession.
“Brother Jin — you know Qin Wuyang’s position. He’ll be aboard the ship when it sails toward Yangzhou Prefecture. When the time comes, you hit from outside while he sabotages from within. The ship must be taken.” Qian Bao, the Moon Lake emissary seated to Jin Buhuan’s left, drained his cup in one gulp.
“Once the job is done, the Red Lotus Sect will reward you handsomely. And you’ll have earned our sect’s friendship, Brother Jin.” The elderly man on Jin Buhuan’s right — the Red Lotus Sect envoy — raised his cup with a smile.
Who the fuck wants your friendship?
Jin Buhuan squirmed inwardly but raised his cup and drank.
He wasn’t afraid of crossing the Canal Gang. The Moon Lake Eighteen Strongholds and the Canal Gang had been rivals for years — both sides had established unspoken rules.
Neither faction’s top fighters would target the other’s smaller outposts.
Otherwise, you destroy one of my branches today, I raze one of your forts tomorrow — nobody could sustain that.
What he didn’t want was entanglement with the Red Lotus Sect.
The Red Lotus Sect’s reputation in the jianghu was toxic. Getting linked to them meant the court and every self-proclaimed righteous sect in existence would have you in their crosshairs.
Too many headaches.
As if sensing Jin Buhuan’s reluctance, Qian Bao smiled:
“Relax. The fact that the Moon Lake Eighteen Strongholds cooperate with the Red Lotus Sect is known to very few.”
“The day after tomorrow, only your Three Rivers Fortress acts. We won’t be involved.”
The Red Lotus Sect envoy added coldly:
“Brother Jin — the man leading the Canal Gang escort, Li Suifeng, should be taken alive if possible. He disrupted our sect’s plans at the docks and killed a number of our people. He may also have ties to Ye Qingmei. Elder Yun specifically instructed — bring him back. There may be unexpected gains.”
Qin Wuyang nodded.
“This kid attacked our sect’s people at the docks, and the very same night, Ye Qingmei hit the Yang compound. They’re definitely working together.”
Jin Buhuan frowned.
“Has it not occurred to you that this Li Suifeng might be the very same mystery master who entered the Yang compound with Ye Qingmei?”
“Impossible.” Qin Wuyang shook his head emphatically.
“I examined the wounds on our sect’s disciples at the dock. They’re completely different from the injuries on the branch master’s body.”
“Totally different techniques. Li Suifeng picked up some external hardening art from who knows where, and pairs it with a brutal palm technique. Powerful, yes.”
“But that mystery man’s blade…” A flicker of fear crossed Qin Wuyang’s eyes. “That blade carries a hint of something… demonic.”
Demonic?
“Ha ha ha!”
The Red Lotus Sect envoy and Qian Bao burst out laughing simultaneously.
“That sort of thing can only be touched by Grandmasters of the fourth rank or above. Hand you a supreme blade manual right now, and at your level, you couldn’t comprehend it.”
“Are you seriously suggesting the person with Ye Qingmei was a Grandmaster?”
A Grandmaster was a towering figure in any of the Daye Dynasty’s thirteen provinces.
The total number of Grandmasters in all of Nanzhou could be counted on two hands.
If Ye Qingmei truly had a Grandmaster at her side, they’d have rolled through the entire Mingzhou Red Lotus Sect operation in a single night. Why bother going to a backwater like Nanyang to kill one Song Xian?
“Hah.”
Just then — a sigh drifted in from beyond the door.
“Who’s there?”
All four men shot to their feet, hands flying to weapons.
Wariness filled every eye.
Three of the four were sixth-rank. The exception was Qin Wuyang at seventh. Every one of them had a name in Nanzhou — yet someone had crept to their very doorstep without any of them noticing. If the intruder hadn’t sighed, they’d have remained oblivious.
CREAK.
The door was pushed open from outside.
A figure in blue stepped through. Handsome features, skin a shade darker than fair, a saber slung horizontally across the small of his back.
“Li Suifeng?”
Qin Wuyang stared at the doorway, disbelief stamped across every feature.
This was the most heavily guarded area in the Three Rivers Fortress. Even a sixth-rank master shouldn’t have been able to slip in undetected.
Yet Li Suifeng was standing right here.
“So that’s Li Suifeng?”
Jin Buhuan studied the newcomer with open curiosity.
Qian Bao and the Red Lotus Sect envoy, meanwhile, had gone cold — flanking Li Suifeng on either side from a short distance.
“Gentlemen — what a wonderful gathering. Drinking under the moonlight.”
“If word got out that the Moon Lake Eighteen Strongholds and the Red Lotus Sect were in bed together, the entire Nanzhou martial world would lose its collective mind.”
Li Suifeng strolled toward Jin Buhuan as though Qian Bao and the envoy didn’t exist.
“Even if the news came from your mouth, how many people would believe you?” Qian Bao’s voice was frigid. “And do you really think you’ll live to spread it?”
“Why are you even wasting words on him?” The Red Lotus Sect envoy matched his tone. “Seize him. Let Elder Yun deal with it.”
“Hah.” Li Suifeng sighed again.
“You really should have listened to Fortress Master Jin.”