There were sounds of yelling, scolding, clashing weapons and the sounds of splashing as bodies dropped into the water. After awhile, the officials’ boats were on fire which lit up the dark sky and cast a fiery red glow over the lake. Guo Jing and Huang Rong knew that the pirates had succeeded in their mission and saw a few little boats sailing forward furiously with shouts of, “The soldiers have been defeated and the commander has been captured.”
Lu Guanying was delighted as he walked to the bow of the boat and shouted, “Inform the various chiefs on each boat to put in a little more effort so that we can capture the Jin Ambassador!” The pirate who delivered the news obeyed and flew off to pass on the message.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong nudged each other at the same time and had the same thought, “That Jin Ambassador must be Wanyan Kang; I wonder how he will deal with this.”
They heard the seashell tune coming from various boats again and saw that the group of boats had turned back in their direction and the pirates were tugging at their sails. The west wind suddenly blew furiously, causing the boats to sail like arrows shooting towards the east. Lu Guanying’s boat had been at the rear of the fleet, but now his boat had become the lead. Guo Jing and Huang Rong were now sitting on the cabin’s roof with the wind blowing on their backs. They were sailing fast 382
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across the misty lake and the myriads of stars in the sky came into view and they had the urge to sing out loud. Suddenly, the little boats sailed past one by one and ended up in front of the boat Guo Jing and Huang Rong were on.
The boats sailed for about an hour and the sky turned brighter before two boats sailed quickly towards the boat. One of the men in the boat raised a green flag and waved it, shouting, “We have spotted the Jin boat! The commander’s boat has already taken the lead to capture it.”
Lu Guanying, standing in the bow of his boat, called out, “Good!”
After a short while, another small boat sailed back and reported, “That bastard Jin Ambassador has deadly claws; our commander is injured but leader Peng and Dong are currently trying to subdue him.”
In a while, two pirates carried the injured and unconscious commander onto Lu Guanying’s boat.
As Lu Guanying was inspecting the wounds, two small boats rowed up and the pirates helped their two injured leaders up onto the boat. The pirates also reported that Piao Miao Peak’s Leader Guo suffered a deadly blow from the Jin Ambassador and fell into the lake. Lu Guanying was furious and shouted, “I am going to personally kill that vicious Jin dog.”
Guo Jing and Huang Rong were strongly against Wanyan Kang’s actions but could not bear to let him fend off the group of pirates alone. This would make Mu Nianci hate them forever. Huang Rong whispered into Guo Jing’s ear, “Are we going to help him?”
Guo Jing replied with a slight sigh, “Save him but make him repent.” Huang Rong nodded.
At the same time, Lu Guanying leaped onto a small boat and yelled, “Let’s go!”
Huang Rong said to Guo Jing, “Let’s go and stop the small boat.” Both of them leaped onto the side of the small boat and heard some shouting from the group of pirates in front. They looked out and saw the Jin Ambassador’s boats slowly sinking one by one. They thought that it must have been the doings of the ‘Water Ghosts’ who were in charge of wrecking the bottom of the boats from below.
As the pirates waved the green flag, two small boats hurriedly rowed over and reported, “The Jin dog fell into the water and has been captured by us!”
Lu Guanying was delighted and leaped back onto his boat. After awhile, the seashell tune was blown again and the various little boats assembled, one by one bringing along with them the Jin Ambassador and his guards onto the boat. Guo Jing and Huang Rong saw that Wanyan Kang had his hands and feet bound with ropes and his eyes were tightly shut. They thought that he must have swallowed too much water but his chest had not congested and he was still breathing. By this time, the sky was already light as sunlight shone brightly from the east revealing a line of boats floating gracefully on the lake.
Lu Guanying commanded, “The various leaders may return to the manor and hold a banquet to celebrate. Please lead your teams and await your rewards.”
The pirates cheered loudly and the boats parted ways and slowly disappeared into the cloud of mist.
The lake became peaceful and quiet once more. Guo Jing and Huang Rong waited for the boat to sail back to the Lu Manor and after Lu Guanying and his group of pirates left, they flew back to the Eagle Shooting Hero
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shore. The pirates were overjoyed with their rewards and did not notice that there had been people secretly hiding on their boat. Huang Rong sought out the directions and led Guo Jing into the manor via the backyard and back into their room.
By this time, the servant who took care of them had checked a few times to see if they had awakened, but since the room door was still locked, he thought that the two young men must have had a long day yesterday and thus slept longer. After they got back into their room, Guo Jing opened the door and two servants who waited outside came forward to greet him before bringing some breakfast. One said, “Master Lu is waiting in his study. Please go and join him after your breakfast.” The two ate some dishes and buns before following the servant to the study.
Master Lu smiled and said, “The winds from the lake are strong and when they blow against the shore, the noise might be disturbing. Did you two sleep well?”
Guo Jing wasn’t used to lying so when he heard the question, he froze for a moment. Huang Rong answered, “We only heard sounds of seashells blowing during the night, I think it must have been the monks and Taoist priests chanting and practicing their rituals.”
Master Lu laughed and did not ask more. Instead, he said, “I have collected some artistic works and would like you two brothers to have a look.”
Huang Rong answered, “Of course. Anything that Master Lu collects must be priceless.”
Master Lu ordered the keeper of the study to bring out some artistic pieces and Huang Rong observed each of the pieces curiously. Suddenly, noises came from outside. They could hear footsteps and it sounded like a group of people chasing someone. A voice said, “Once you’ve stepped into the manor grounds, it will be impossible for you to escape!”
Master Lu acted as if nothing had happened and as if he hadn’t heard anything. He asked, “The art of calligraphy in our dynasty is dominated by the four families, Su, Huang, Mi and Cai. I wonder which family brother Huang likes best?”
Huang Rong was about to answer when the door of the study suddenly burst open and a person, who was wet from head to toe, rushed in. It was Wanyan Kang. Huang Rong tugged on Guo Jing’s sleeve and whispered, “Look at the pieces of art, don’t look at him.” The two turned around and lowered their heads to the calligraphy works.
Wanyan Kang didn’t know how to swim; when his boat sank earlier, though he was well versed in martial arts, he could not save himself. He passed out and when he regained consciousness he had been captured and brought to the manor for questioning by Lu Guanying. Wanyan Kang noticed that the pirate guarding him did not carry his usual dagger and came up with a plan. He summoned his internal strength and used his fingers to grab onto the ropes which bound him and used the ‘Nine Yin White Bone Claw’ to free himself. The guards were stunned and rushed forward to re-capture him but were attacked by his claws and fell to the ground. Wanyan Kang ran off but couldn’t have guessed that the manor was structured with bizarre mazes. If a stranger did not know the secret to the formations and did not have a guide from the manor, he or she would get trapped on the manor grounds. Wanyan Kang, anxious when he could not find his way out, barged into Master Lu’s study. Although Lu Guanying knew that he had freed himself from the ropes, he also knew that Wanyan Kang would not be able to find his way out of the manor grounds and was not worried. He chased after Wanyan Kang and saw him dash into Master Lu’s study. Afraid that his father would 384
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get hurt, he dashed forward and stood in front of his father. The section leaders of Lake Tai blocked the doorway.
Wanyan Kang was furious at being trapped; he pointed a finger at Lu Guanying and yelled,
“Despicable pirates! You people used dirty tricks to sink my boat. Have you no sense of shame; aren’t you afraid you’ll be mocked by the other Jianghu swordsmen?”
Lu Guanying laughed heartily and said, “You are a Jin Prince, what business do you have with us Han swordsmen? What have the people of Jianghu got to do with you?”
Wanyan Kang answered, “When I was in Yanjing, I heard of many stories regarding the heroes of Jiangnan and thought that the men of Jiangnan were all upright and courageous. Hah! Who would have thought that you people…hai, you people do not live up to your reputations at all!”
Lu Guanying was furious and shouted, “So?”
Wanyan Kang answered, “You people are no more than despicable cowards who use vast strength to defeat one person!”
Lu Guanying laughed coldly, “So if anyone takes you on alone and wins, then you will die without regrets?”
Wanyan Kang was using words to infuriate Lu Guanying and trick him into saying exactly this. He immediately replied, “If the manor has just one person who can exceed me in terms of fighting, I would willingly give in and will die without regrets. But I wonder who would I spar with?” As he said this, he arrogantly looked around the crowd with hands behind him laughing coldly.