Chapter 943: The Unfortunate Youth
Chapter 943: The Unfortunate Youth
Huang Zhong felt incredibly unlucky.
Two months ago, after returning from Luoyang, he had planned to bring his wife and son to Beifeng. But upon arriving home, he discovered his son's condition had worsened, dashing his hopes of curing his son.
Huang Zhong spent over a month searching for doctors and medicine, finally managing to save his son, ensuring he was well enough to travel. Only then did he set out on the journey to Beifeng.
To care for his son's health, Huang Zhong specifically chartered a merchant ship, opting for a smoother journey by water.
However, to Huang Zhong's surprise, shortly after they set sail, over a dozen large and small dilapidated ships surrounded them, clearly indicating the presence of pirates or, more accurately, river bandits.
Imagine Huang Zhong's struggle to save his son. For nearly a decade, he had dedicated himself to his son's well-being. Just as a glimmer of hope appeared, this group of river bandits dared to intercept them, leaving Huang Zhong feeling disheartened and wronged.
While Huang Zhong felt wronged, the leader of the river bandits also experienced a similar emotion.
What shocked the leader of the bandits was that the youth who confronted him was in the midst of his rebellious teenage years, his mind filled with fantasies of becoming a wandering swordsman. With great effort, he had managed to gather a fleet of over a dozen shabby ships, and before he could even savor the excitement, he had stepped into a trap.
As the merchant ship was being surrounded, the youth didn't wait for the pirates to make their demands. Instead, he leaped from his ship onto theirs.
Naturally, the pirates were prepared for resistance, but there was only one person, and the youth wasn't overly concerned. In fact, he was thrilled to finally encounter someone who dared to resist. He planned to subdue this individual and establish his authority.
However, to the youth's surprise, the person he tackled was a formidable opponent. Before he could even initiate a fight, he was overpowered and captured, and it seemed that the youth's fate would be more than just a simple capture.
The youth initially thought this would be the end, but as he was held captive, he realized that the middle-aged man had no intention of killing him. At most, he would be handed over to the authorities. For the youth, being taken away from the middle-aged man was a form of liberation, akin to a dragon breaking free from its constraints. So, he waited for the man to make his move.
But before the middle-aged man could take any action, another unexpected event occurred.
On the river, over a dozen ships suddenly appeared, a starkly contrasted the youth's shabby vessels. These new ships were clearly more extravagant and well-maintained.
As a native of Jingzhou, Huang Zhong had some knowledge about the Jingzhou Water Army. At a glance, he recognized that these ships belonged to the regular water army.
Despite some confusion about the water army's sudden efficiency, for Huang Zhong, their arrival was a welcome development. He could directly hand over the youth to the water army and continue his journey without any further complications.
However, the situation was not as simple as Huang Zhong had hoped. Just as he thought the water army had come for the youth in his custody...
The over a dozen water army warships, under the youth's pained gaze, effortlessly smashed the youth's dozen or so dilapidated ships. Ignoring the river bandits, they surrounded Huang Zhong's merchant ship.
Witnessing this, Huang Zhong's heart sank, filled with a foreboding premonition.
Indeed, after the ships encircled Huang Zhong, a person emerged from one of the ships facing Huang Zhong's merchant vessel.
The person was young, appearing to be in his early twenties. Despite wearing a military uniform, he lacked the demeanor of a soldier and instead exuded a frenzied madness.
Upon seeing this person, a glimmer of recognition flashed across Huang Zhong's face.
He knew this individual, or rather, he had met him before. This person had sought to recruit Huang Zhong, but his efforts had ended in failure.
Huang Zhong was a top-tier historical general, and the person before him was merely a third-tier force leader, a significant gap in their standings. For someone of such a lowly status to attempt recruiting Huang Zhong was no small feat.
The last time Huang Zhong had encountered this person, he didn't exhibit this frenzied madness. The current state was a result of being pushed to the brink.
After the coalition against Dong Zhuo, small forces like his found it increasingly difficult to survive. His territory was now under threat, and his strength far surpassed his own. If circumstances didn't change, his demise was imminent.
In this desperate situation, he had learned of Huang Zhong's departure with his wife and son.
With his territory's safety at stake and considering Huang Zhong as a potential meal ticket, the man had gone mad, ready to take a risky gamble.
Gazing at Huang Zhong, the Outsider's lips curled into a slightly maniacal smile as he said, "General Huang, I have a favor to ask of you!"
Huang Zhong looked at the young man before him and clasped his fists, "General Huang has urgent matters to attend to..."
Before Huang Zhong could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.
"General Huang, don't be quick to refuse. Before you decline, I want to tell you something. I have a dozen ships surrounding your merchant vessel, ready to ram into you at any moment. If you refuse now, they will crash into your ship."
The Outsider Lord's face bore a maniacal smile, "General Huang, your martial arts are profound, and even if your ship is rammed, you will likely remain unharmed. But I wonder if your young master can withstand such a disturbance."
As the Outsider Lord spoke, Huang Zhong's face darkened, "How dare you!"
"Normally, I wouldn't dare, but at this point, there's nothing I wouldn't dare to do. General Huang, will you help me or let the young master die here?" The Outsider Lord's face was filled with a desperate, maniacal madness. He had worked hard for years, and now it was all about to go up in flames. What could he not dare to do?
"General Huang, I'll give you the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Help me or not, it's your choice!"
As the Outsider Lord spoke, a smile of satisfaction and madness played on his lips. He turned and left.
Just as the Outsider Lord turned to leave, the young man beside Huang Zhong whispered something into his ear. Huang Zhong's eyes flashed with understanding, and he took a careful look at the youth. Then, he removed the bow from his waist and aimed it at the Outsider Lord.
As Huang Zhong's arrow locked onto the Outsider Lord, the latter's body trembled. He immediately sensed the danger, for the feeling of being trapped with nowhere to escape was truly terrifying.
However, at this moment, Huang Zhong's face showed no fear. Instead, he turned around and strode to the bow of the ship, arms outstretched.
"Come, General Huang, shoot at my chest! I know your archery is superb, and it's almost impossible for you to miss. I also know that if you shoot me, I will surely die. But you must understand that if you shoot, your son will have to accompany me in death..."
"Pfft!"
Before the Outsider Lord could finish his sentence, a large hole appeared in his chest.
As Huang Zhong's arrow pierced the Outsider Lord, he quickly nocked another arrow and shot it, cutting down the flag on the enemy ship.
At the same time, the young man on the merchant ship had already killed the sailors and forced them to lower the sails, setting the ship in motion.
Meanwhile, the dozen or so enemy ships nearby were idling, not launching an attack. This was because the flags on their ships, which were used to signal commands, had been shot down by Huang Zhong. Without these flags, the enemy ships were waiting for orders from their leader, giving the young man and Huang Zhong time to escape through the encirclement.
This seemingly absurd scenario had actually occurred, and even Huang Zhong himself found it unbelievable. How had they managed to escape so easily?
In truth, the Outsider Lord himself wasn't entirely confident that he could sink the merchant ship. From the beginning, he had been gambling, betting that Huang Zhong would surrender for the sake of his son.
But what he hadn't anticipated was the presence of a youth skilled in naval warfare by Huang Zhong's side. The Outsider Lord's plan had backfired due to this unexpected factor.
However, due to the youth's intervention, Huang Zhong's group now included a new member.
Because of the siege, Huang Zhong's identity had been exposed, and his whereabouts and destination were likely to become known to those who sought him. His journey north was not going to be an easy one.
...
As Huang Zhong headed north, in Beifeng City, a mysterious aura began to spread from Lu Hai Kong's residence within the city walls. The ancient zither that had been set aside for several days finally reacted to this aura.
A strange energy permeated the residence, causing Lu Hai Kong's expression to change. Princess Yue Er, sensing this energy, also reacted, and the two of them immediately headed towards the residence.
At the same time, within the Northern Pavilion, Shi Zhi Cai and the others felt this mysterious aura and frowned, sensing something amiss.
"It's this aura! My luck is indeed remarkable!"
Outside Beifeng City, a Taoist priest looked up at the city walls, his eyes filled with unconcealed greed...
(End of Chapter)
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