64: Chapter 63: Crossing the River!
64: Chapter 63: Crossing the River!
“Do you have anything like a hairpin?
I don’t see one on your head,” Zhao Changhe suddenly asked.
“Yes, I have one in my bag,” Cui Yuanyang was unsure why he needed it, as he took out a gold hairpin from his small bag: “Will this do?” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0velFire.ɴet
Indeed, a woman’s bag is the same in both worlds, looks small, but has everything just like Doraemon’s pocket.
“It will work,” Zhao Changhe grabbed the hairpin and using a steel knife he forcefully chopped off a pointed tip, then quickly left the cabin.
Thinking it over, he felt the heavy steel knife was inconvenient underwater, so he left it on the boat and went to grab a thin knife used for filleting fish, which he tucked into his waistband before diving into the water.
Cui Yuanyang hurried to take control of the boat and only then saw the scene Zhao Changhe mentioned, there were indeed many boats approaching from the rear.
The originally tranquil river had suddenly tensed up as if a river battle was about to occur; definitely not normal.
A few of these boats were even very close now, seemingly fast entering into arrow range.
Forget whether the fish were poisonous or not, even if they weren’t, leisurely eating them there would probably mean it wouldn’t be long before his family could hold a feast…
Cui Yuanyang anxiously paddled the boat toward the bank, his eyes occasionally glancing at the ripples on the water’s surface, wondering how Zhao Changhe was doing under the water…
No, does he, can he actually swim?
In the known life of Zhao Changhe, places like Zhao Mansion, Luo Family Manor, and Beimang were just areas with clear streams and ponds.
Nobody knew why Zhao Changhe could swim, but he indeed could, and he was quite good at it…
He dived into the water and right away saw the boatman working underneath the boat, taking out a chisel to work.
Working underwater wasn’t convenient, and the man had only managed to chisel a shallow pit.
The noise of Zhao Changhe entering the water had startled him, turning his head in complete surprise.
This decisiveness of Zhao Changhe, was he really new to the Worldly Society?
If he wasn’t an old veteran of this society, then there was only one possibility: a natural-born player of the Worldly Society.
A thought crossed the boatman’s mind, and a nefarious intent briefly showed as he abandoned the boat’s bottom, pulling out a Water Dividing Spear and swimming towards Zhao Changhe.
Swimming and underwater capability are two different things.
Apart from other aspects, just being able to open one’s eyes underwater needs deliberate practice, how could Zhao Changhe have possibly trained specifically for this?
Not to mention holding breath and maneuvering underwater, those from the Worldly Society who make their living on the waters have cultivation techniques tailored for these, with longer breath-holding and better utilization of water currents; even a land-bound Heavenly God would have to be cautious in the water!
As expected, when he approached Zhao Changhe, the Water Dividing Spear darted out.
Zhao Changhe pulled out the Fish Knife to block it, one movement readily showing his unpolished skills under water, his eyes barely open and clearly struggling, and his movements not as agile as on land.
The boatman thought secretly that if Zhao Changhe’s skills were limited to this, he could die here now.
I am also at the Mystical Gate Third Layer; could I directly replace his ranking in the Chaotic World Book?
The thought passed quickly.
He kicked slightly with his leg, closing in even more on Zhao Changhe.
Zhao Changhe awkwardly sliced with the Fish Knife, which the boatman skillfully caught under his armpit, the situation now reversed from the earlier fight in the cabin.
The boatman revealed a hint of a smile, his right hand’s Water Dividing Spear viciously stabbing towards Zhao Changhe’s chest.
However, just at this close twist and grip, Zhao Changhe’s tightly pursed lips suddenly spat out.
A broken piece of the gold hairpin enveloped with Inner Strength shot out!
At such a close range, unexpectedly swift, even though the hairpin moved somewhat slowly in the water, it still turned into a death knell in the boatman’s eyes.
He was startled and wanted to dodge, but it was too late at such a close distance, and the hairpin had viciously shot into his eye socket.
Blood spurted, the boatman instinctively cried out in pain, but river water instantly filled in, silencing any sound.
Are we the treacherous assassins, or are you the treacherous assassin, aiming to outdo us in cunning!
This was the boatman’s last thought.
In reality, just before he died, his Water Dividing Spear had still stabbed into Zhao Changhe’s chest, but without enough force, grasped by Zhao Changhe’s left hand at the wrist, barely penetrating an inch… but the Water Dividing Spear was poisoned.
Treacherous players weren’t only among Zhao Changhe’s ranks…
Zhao Changhe had no time to attend to his wound and the poison, he mobilized his Inner Strength forcefully suppressing the poison, his trapped right hand forcefully pulling free, the Fish Knife suddenly flinging backward.
The thin blade spun, just barely missing the boatwoman’s throat from behind.
The boatwoman’s eyes widened, unable to comprehend.
She was heavily injured and had planned to leave, but seeing an opportunity to attack Zhao Changhe amidst the entanglement, she had thought to stealthily advance and ambush him.
Yet, how did Zhao Changhe know she was sneaking up on him during the intense battle, and even accurately locate her throat?
How exactly did he know?
No one could tell the boatman who was really playing the sneak, nor could anyone tell the boatwoman how Zhao Changhe saw what was behind him.
Zhao Changhe clung to his chest wound, desperately bursting from the water, gasping for air.
It might seem like just a few simple and quick movements, but in reality, quite some time had passed—two to three minutes at least.
He would have suffocated in normal circumstances.
If not for Xia Longyuan’s Inner Strength, which could briefly sustain his internal circulation, he couldn’t have executed such a sharp killing strategy.
Zhao Changhe momentarily wondered, if this Inner Strength were practiced to its later stages, could it truly transform to Inner Breath so he wouldn’t need to breathe?
The situation did not allow him to ponder the intricacies of the cultivation technique.
Enduring the pain of his wound and the havoc of the poison, Zhao Changhe surveyed the scene around him.
Cui Yuanyang said she knew “a little” about rowing, which really meant just that—barely more than playing around.
Who would normally let a young mistress do such rough work?
At this moment, her rowing speed towards the shore might not even be better than drifting with the stream; she barely managed to avoid spinning in place.
The river was quite wide, and seeing that the shore was not far but the boat behind was getting increasingly closer, Zhao Changhe could already see someone attempting to draw their bow.
At that moment, his position was precisely between Cui Yuanyang’s boat and the approaching one, almost equidistant to both.
Without thinking, Zhao Changhe burst forth, stepping on the waves and instantly boarding the boat behind him.
A few people on the boat were gauging whether it was a good distance to shoot arrows, when suddenly a man leaped from the water, startling everyone.
With no weapon at hand, Zhao Changhe punched the archer in the temple, grabbed the bow and arrows in one swift maneuver, and then flipped back into the water.
The people on the boat finally reacted, shouting in unison, “It’s Zhao Changhe!
The River Child and Water Hawk might have fallen!”
“He can’t qinggong back to the boat from such a distance!
Look, he’s swimming there!
Quick, shoot him with arrows!”
Sadly, amid the chaos, they were a beat too slow.
By the time someone drew their bow and aimed at Zhao Changhe, he had already swum over half the distance, quickly rising on the waves, and leaping towards the approaching Cui Yuanyang.
Throw me the rope at your feet to help me over!”
Cui Yuanyang decisively dropped the oar, bent over to pick up the thick rope used to tie the boat, and threw it with force.
Zhao Changhe caught it mid-air, used the momentum to fly back to the bow, while arrows rained down behind him, none coming within a meter of his back.
In Cui Yuanyang’s heart, only one thought remained—if this isn’t what a Heavenly God is, then what is!
But the heart’s Heavenly God had barely landed at the bow of the boat when he staggered, his face pale.
Cui Yuanyang saw the black-stained blood on his chest.
“You’ve been poisoned!”
“Yes, I play dirty, but others play dirtier,” Zhao Changhe leaned against the hull, still smiling.
“It’s up to you now, Multitreasure Lolita, you won’t let me down, right?”
Cui Yuanyang, hardly in the mood for jokes, frantically opened a small package from her bosom, and shoved an elixir into his mouth.
“Different poisons need specific cures!
The Cui Family doesn’t have Immortal Pills!”
“Alleviation and suppression are enough.” Zhao Changhe felt the effect, indeed the medicinal power was suppressing the toxins from spreading further.
Satisfied, he chuckled, picked up his knife, and cut around the wound, removing the poisoned flesh.
Blood gushed from the wound, with no suitable material left for bandaging.
The visible cloth was dirtier than each preceding piece, and hasty bandaging might lead to infection.
Zhao Changhe didn’t care much, poured liquor from a gourd around the wound, and stood up again.
He turned and saw that the closest boat behind had entered range, with many archers ready.
Zhao Changhe grabbed the bow and arrow he had just seized, strung it fully, sending the arrow like a shooting star.
With a “twang”, the opposing sail suddenly fell, the speed of the sail aided by the wind abruptly slowed, followed by a swarm of arrows darkening the sky and falling like locusts, but fittingly fell short of range, hitting mostly the deck of the boat.
Seizing the chance, Zhao Changhe retrieved his own steel knife, slung the bow across his body, and secured the arrow bag.
After adjusting his gear and taking a quick breath, he gauged the distance to the shore, finally flashing a smile.
After such a long time, the little rabbit sweating profusely while rowing—the boat, even if crawling, should be near the shore!
Zhao Changhe grabbed Cui Yuanyang and leaped towards the shore.
The river wind carried his laughter, “Thanks for the send-off!
Until we meet again!”