Vol. 2 - Ch. 15 - The Mysterious Man! A First-Rank Expert!!

A hoarse yet commanding voice echoed across the waters.

Six Doors Bureau?

At the mention of those three words, every fighter in the lake abruptly halted.

Shock and disbelief flickered in their eyes.

The Lake Tai bandits had long been a serious problem. The authorities had sent the Six Doors Bureau to exterminate them before, but the results had been... less than ideal.

Years had passed, and the local officials had all but given up on Lake Tai.

And yet, here they were.

…

On the small boat.

The young woman looked up at the dark night sky.

The golden dagger emblem from the firework flickered twice before slowly fading into nothingness.

She clapped her hands, eyes sparkling.

"Wow! That was actually kinda pretty."

The two men beside her had their attention elsewhere.

Wang Jie glanced at Sun Sheng and said flatly, "Looks like you Lake Tai bandits have been getting too bold."

"Even the Six Doors Bureau had to step in."

Sun Sheng shot Wang Jie a sideways glance, then turned toward the source of the voice.

Across the shimmering silver lake, two small boats glided toward them.

One in the lead, the other following behind.

On the rear boat stood several men dressed in dark, embroidered robes, golden daggers fastened at their waists.

From their attire alone, it was clear—they were from Six Doors.

But it was the man standing at the bow of the front boat who drew the most attention.

He was tall and powerfully built, clad in deep ocean-blue robes, hands clasped behind his back.

Facing Sun Sheng and the others, he stood unmoving.

As if the Six Doors enforcers behind him were of no concern whatsoever.

Sun Sheng narrowed his eyes at the man before looking away.

"Hate to disappoint you. This has nothing to do with us Lake Tai bandits."

With that, Sun Sheng stopped paying Wang Jie any attention.

Instead, he turned to face the approaching boats and barked out:

"Who the hell are you? Don’t you know the rules?"

This stretch of the lake belonged to him.

To enter without an invitation was a blatant disregard for the unwritten codes of the Jianghu.

Sun Sheng waited for a response.

A few breaths passed.

Nothing.

His expression darkened.

"Tch. So the Six Doors think they’re hot shit now?"

"This whole lake is my turf!"

"You dare ignore me?!"

Just as Sun Sheng was about to roll up his sleeves and smash their boats apart,—the frontmost boat suddenly moved.

The man in ocean-blue robes bent his knees ever so slightly—

Then, in a flash, he shot forward.

"Boom!"

In the next instant, the very boat he had stood on exploded into a blazing fireball.

A column of fire streaked skyward.

Wang Jie’s eyes widened.

"Thunder Hall’s explosives?!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of deafening explosions rang out.

The man’s boat was instantly consumed by the flames.

Sun Sheng had been mid-motion, ready to jump into the water—

But seeing this, he froze.

A sneer curled his lips.

"Hah. Fireworks? You think that’ll scare me?"

"You think I was raised in fear?"

Sun Sheng suddenly let out a long, piercing whistle.

"Wind’s shifting—"

"Time to bail!"

The moment his words fell,

The scattered water bandits all took deep breaths and dove beneath the surface.

Effortlessly breaking free from the Taiheng Martial Hall disciples’ hold, they vanished into the depths, swimming swiftly in one direction.

Sun Sheng turned and cast a glare at Wang Jie, sneering.

"Lucky bastard."

"I’ll let you off this time."

"Next time we cross paths, you better watch your back!"

He spat out his warning before shifting his gaze to the young woman dressed as a man.

She felt his eyes on her, smiled, and bared her tiny tiger fangs.

"Oh? Are you taking me with you?"

"Dragging me back to be your mountain bride?"

Sun Sheng’s brows twitched.

For some reason…

This woman seemed a little off in the head.

Ignoring her, he leaned forward, ready to dive into the water.

And then—

He froze.

A flicker of shock crossed his face.

…

The ocean-blue-robed man who had leaped from the burning boat—

His feet touched the surface of the lake.

Yet he did not sink.

With an almost weightless grace, he skimmed across the water, each step sending gentle ripples outward.

In just a few breaths, he had crossed several zhang.

Sun Sheng’s pupils contracted.

That footwork—

He recognized it.

His gaze snapped up to the man’s face.

Under the pale moonlight, his features came into sharp relief—

A strong, rugged countenance.

Sun Sheng squinted.

He felt like he had seen this man somewhere before...

But he just couldn’t place him.

The man met Sun Sheng’s gaze.

A single glance.

Then, in a deep, steady voice, he spoke.

"Young friend."

"That man is a fugitive of the imperial court."

"Would you mind delaying him for me?"

That hoarse, commanding voice rang out once more.

Almost at the same time, a Six Doors enforcer standing on the rear boat flung out a bamboo pole—a full two zhang long.

The pole whistled through the air like an arrow, shooting forward several zhang before landing steadily on the water’s surface.

It bobbed slightly with the ripples, yet remained afloat.

Then—

A figure suddenly leapt from the Six Doors boat.

In his right hand, he held a smoking pipe, its tip still glowing with embers—clearly, he had been smoking just moments ago.

"Tap. Tap. Tap."

With effortless grace, the enforcer stepped repeatedly in midair before landing precisely atop the bamboo pole.

One foot.

Balanced in the classic "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg" stance.

His posture was steady, his footwork impeccable.

…

Under the moonlight, Sun Sheng finally saw the man's face clearly.

It was an elderly man, easily in his sixties, his weathered face lined with deep wrinkles.

His skin was dark and tanned, like someone who had spent half his life toiling in the fields.

He wore the same dark embroidered robe as the other Six Doors enforcers, a golden dagger strapped to his waist.

But on him, the uniform looked strangely out of place—

Rather than a government enforcer, he looked more like an old farmer.

——

Still balanced on one foot, the old man raised his smoking pipe to his lips and took a deep, deliberate puff.

A stream of white smoke curled from his nostrils, drifting nearly three chi before dissipating.

At the same time—

The bamboo pole beneath his foot suddenly accelerated!

Like a spear thrust forward, it shot across the lake, carrying him straight toward the man running atop the water.

…

Meanwhile, the ocean-blue-robed man lightly tapped the water's surface—

And landed gracefully on Sun Sheng's boat.

His gaze swept over the three people on board before flicking toward the distant shore, still several dozen zhang away.

His brows furrowed slightly.

…

The young woman disguised as a man studied him carefully for a few moments.

Then, shaking her head, she sighed in disappointment.

"Not handsome enough."

"Too much masculinity, not enough elegance…"

The man: "???"

…

Wang Jie, however, paid no attention to the man who had boarded the boat.

His eyes were locked onto the old enforcer, who was racing toward them atop the bamboo pole.

With a slow, measured breath, he uttered a name:

"One of the Three Great Divine Constables—'Iron Spear' Murong Longyuan."

——

Sun Sheng’s eyes widened in shock.

He turned to look at the old man calmly puffing on his pipe.

That’s him?!

One of Six Doors’ only three First-Rank experts?

Murong Longyuan.

A legendary grandmaster, feared throughout the Jianghu.

——

In his youth, he had reached Second-Rank, challenging every spear-wielding expert he could find.

One battle, three victories.

Armed with a 30-jin iron spear, he had fought alone against three famed warriors: "Storm Spear" Lü Tang, "Silver Spear King" Chen Xihou and "Little Spear King" Li Binfei.

And won.

After that battle, his name shook the martial world, earning him the title "Iron Spear".

Shortly after, he joined Six Doors.

Twenty years ago, he broke through to First-Rank, becoming one of Six Doors' three greatest hunters.

Relentless. Precise. Unstoppable.

In the past two decades, he had captured countless criminals and brought down more bandit leaders than anyone could count.

Sun Sheng’s mind raced through everything he knew about him.

Then, he glanced at the man who had just boarded their boat.

For a First-Rank grandmaster to personally chase him down…

Who the hell was this guy?

Sun Sheng stared at the man’s face, that lingering sense of familiarity gnawing at him.

…

Out on the lake—

"Puff… Puff…"

Murong Longyuan took another slow drag from his pipe.

Then—

With a sudden stomp, he sent the bamboo pole tilting sharply to the side.

Using the force, he soared forward, gliding ten zhang in an instant before landing lightly on the boat.

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