They thought tonight would mark the beginning of their glory. They thought tonight would bring them a mountain of riches, wealth they would use to build a grand palace on the eastern coast to solidify their dominion. They thought tonight would be filled with joy, feasting until dawn and reveling in the company of beautiful women.

  But that was merely what they thought.

  Reality was far from it.

  A treacherous betrayal from those they once considered allies had turned against them. Now, those very people had defected to the warriors and were determined to destroy them.

  Long Wei severed the ship’s mooring ropes even before his father gave the order.

  “Fall back!” he shouted. “Get back to the water! Stay away from the shore!”

  The dozen or so of his father’s men who had yet to board the ship immediately leaped onto it. Some were left behind and had to swim against the currents of the Bai He River, struggling for several feet before finally hauling themselves aboard.

  “Fire the arrows!” Long Wei shouted again as he saw enemy boats giving chase. “Unfurl the sails! Hurry! Move!”

  The black sails, emblazoned with the words "Sea Ghost" in white ink, billowed in the wind as they headed toward the open ocean.

  Long Wei approached his father, who stood silently at the stern, observing the situation.

  “Father, Zhu’s people won’t let us escape.”

  His father slammed his fist against the ship’s railing. “Damn traitors!” he growled. “Keep sailing east, to the open sea.”

  Yet, Long Jian, Long Wei’s father, knew that escape was no longer an option. They were surrounded. The smaller boats were fast, and soon, they would catch up.

  Before Long Wei could turn to carry out the order, a thunderous crash erupted behind him, followed by the sight of one of the ship’s masts collapsing. Long Wei gasped in horror when he saw the one responsible.

  Behind him, Long Jian let out a furious growl.

  “Death Hand! You liar!”

  The man stood atop the fallen mast, surrounded by Long Jian’s crew, who brandished their sabers and spears. But Death Hand merely let out an irritating chuckle.

  “I have no interest in hearing that from a lowly pirate.”

  Long Jian unsheathed his massive sword and leaped, his body soaring through the air like a great bird.

  Death Hand cackled even louder, jumping up to meet him.

  Their clash midair sent shockwaves rippling in every direction. Some of the men standing too close stumbled backward, unable to withstand the force of their Qi colliding.

  As their bodies descended, the battle resumed the moment their feet touched the deck. They lunged at each other once more.

  “Wei-ji, handle them!” Long Jian commanded.

  (The suffix "-ji" is commonly used by parents to affectionately call their child, showing intimacy and care.)

  Long Wei turned and saw that the pirates of the "Sea Devil" crew had boarded their ship.

  He drew his sword and raised it high. “Charge!”

  A fierce battle erupted. Flanked by two of the elite members of the Sea Ghost crew, Long Wei engaged the enemy, his small frame, barely reaching an adult’s shoulders, moving nimbly to dodge attacks and strike back with slashes and thrusts.

  However, his focus wavered when he caught sight of his father’s battle. Long Jian was being pushed back—Death Hand’s martial arts were beyond anything he had ever seen.

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  Despite using only his bare hands and the wide sleeves of his robe, Death Hand fought against Long Jian’s massive sword without a hint of fear. His feet never fully touched the deck, one foot was always moving, whether to strike or to deceive his opponent. He would spin unpredictably, and before anyone realized it, a devastating blow would land on Long Jian’s shoulder.

  Just as the battle reached its peak, a white blur flashed through the air above them.

  Then, a deafening explosion rang out, momentarily deafening everyone.

  And suddenly.

  CRAAACK!!

  The ship split in two.

  “Liar!” Long Wei roared in rage at the sight of the old man’s face.

  “So this is what it means to be a so-called righteous warrior?” he spat. “Is this the honor of noble warriors, brave fighters who are just as skilled at deception as they are at battle?”

  “Silence, you insolent brat,” the man’s voice carried a powerful resonance, heavy with authority. “To rid the world of worthless pirates who terrorize innocent people, any means are justified.”

  “You self-righteous bastard! We have more honor than you—Argh!”

  Long Wei was forced to roll forward, toward the part of the ship tilting into the water, narrowly avoiding a sword strike from behind.

  “Damn it!” Long Wei clung to a broken beam, the wood threatening to snap at any moment. One wrong move, and he would plunge into the river.

  A creeping dread gnawed at his heart as he saw the leader of the Sea Devil pirates, a man surnamed Zhu, approaching on a small boat. Long Wei could see the faint smirk forming on the man’s lips.

  “Traitor,” Long Wei seethed.

  Two of his Sea Ghost crew members slid down, trying to help him. But before they could reach him, the very same person who had attacked Long Wei from behind swiftly ran them through.

  “Damn it… Damn it all!”

  Without warning, a bloodied body plunged into the river, nearly colliding with Long Wei as he dangled. Water splashed high into the air, and Long Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  For a brief moment, he refused to accept what he had just seen.

  But when the body resurfaced, the face of a middle-aged man came into view—a man with a thick beard and wide, lifeless eyes.

  Long Wei’s breath hitched. His chest tightened.

  Then—

  “FATHER!” he screamed in anguish.

  The young man screamed in terror again when the piece of wood he had been clinging to broke, or rather, was broken. His body was swept into the swift current of the Bai He River.

  He swallowed a large mouthful of water before desperately trying to surface. He had been dragged much farther than he realized. The battle continued on the ship, now tilted and carried away by the river’s flow. Rather than a battle, what was unfolding there was better described as a massacre.

  Tears welled up in Long Wei’s eyes as he looked across the river, where his father’s body was carried away by the much stronger current.

  Furious, Long Wei glared at the old man in white standing on the ship, now side by side with the man in all black, Death Hand. The two of them were looking right at him.

  "Come back in a few years and take our heads when you're ready," the old man in white called out, his voice echoing loudly due to his Qi.

  The leader of the Sea Devil pirates, his sword stained with blood, laughed loudly, intentionally amplifying the sound.

  Long Wei’s body was swept farther down the river, and the last thing he remembered was his own vow to sever the heads of the three men.

  ***

  The next morning, as the first light of dawn broke over the towering mountains to the east, the old man with the wide-brimmed hat, who looked as though he had long given up on life, emerged from his small hut.

  His skin was wrinkled, and his hair, eyebrows, mustache, and beard were all white. He stretched his body for a moment, then grabbed his fishing rod leaning against the side of his hut.

  “I’ll probably only catch one or two fish today,” he muttered as he gazed up at the cloudy sky. His brow furrowed. “If I’m lucky.”

  He walked toward the river, his back slightly hunched with age, but his steps were steady and quick.

  Arriving at the edge of the Bai He River, he was greeted by the sound of the rushing water smashing against the black rocks. The old man chose the largest, smoothest rock to sit on, baited his hook, and cast his line into the river. He sat and waited, sighing repeatedly.

  Time passed, not long at all, barely the length of one incense stick, when suddenly, the old man’s eyes widened and he shouted loudly.

  “This is my lucky day!” He gripped his bamboo fishing rod. “It’s a good day!” And, laughing, he began to reel it in with all his might.

  A large black object shot into the air, making the old man gape in astonishment. At first, he thought it was a giant fish, but only a fool would think something that large could be a fish. And even more foolish would be someone who thought it was a crocodile, considering it had hair and no tail.

  “Demon!” The old man leaped back, his movements quick and agile.

  However, as the “catch” came closer, he realized that his hook had caught onto a man’s robe. The old man’s face went pale as the person fell headfirst toward the black rock where he was sitting.

  “Hyah!” he shouted loudly.

  With swift, graceful movements, the old man flew into the air, spinning. In the next moment, he caught the unfortunate man by the collar.

  The old man quickly dropped his “catch” onto the ground and punched his stomach. Instantly, water sprayed out of the man’s mouth.

  The old man parted the man’s hair and discovered that the individual was remarkably young, perhaps around fifteen.

  He jumped back in shock when the young man’s eyes suddenly opened.

  The young man shouted, “You lying bastard!”

  Without thinking, the old man muttered a curse. “Ungrateful little demon!”