Chapter 76: The Unlucky Ding Li

Ding Li’s nerves were taut the moment he boarded the ship. Though he had steeled himself in advance, he hadn’t anticipated that, after only a few steps along the outer corridor toward the stern, two ship guards would round the corner ahead, whispering and laughing quietly. On the narrow corridor, there was no way for Ding Li to avoid them.

Without warning, his legs coiled with force, and he sprang forward like a panther, swinging the iron rod in his hand with the speed of a gale, smashing it toward the two men. They were caught completely off guard—though their boss, Fifth Master Hua, had already given orders to stay alert, nothing had happened so far, and so they had relaxed. Seeing Ding Li suddenly leap before them, they had no chance to react.

The heavy rod crashed down on one man’s head, splitting it open with a sickening crack. As a roar echoed inside his skull, the man toppled slowly to the side. His companion let out a strangled cry and just started to raise his own iron club when everything went black. He felt his mouth and nose tightly covered, unable to breathe. Before he could struggle, Ding Li kicked him hard behind the knees, seized his head, and jerked it backward, his knees braced against the man’s back. With a slight twist of his arms, there was a faint snap—the man’s neck was broken easily.

“Who’s there? What are you sneaking around for?”

He’d barely tossed the body aside when a shout rang out behind him. Ding Li gave a bitter, silent laugh. It seemed his luck, spent in the Colorful Clouds Pavilion and the Celestial Pavilion, had deserted him. Ever since arriving at the Sea Palace, nothing had gone smoothly.

He ignored the voice behind him and stood his ground, listening intently. The rush of footsteps told him there were more than a couple of pursuers. Worse, from ahead, heavy, hurried steps echoed from the direction of the stern.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the turn. The man had barely straightened himself when, seeing Ding Li’s unfamiliar face, he instinctively tried to step back. But Ding Li moved like the wind, his iron rod swinging out.

With a solid thud, Ding Li lunged forward, slamming into the man before he could retreat. The man staggered backward, arms flailing, blocking his companion behind him, which bought Ding Li precious seconds. In a few swift strides, Ding Li cleared the corridor and reached the open space of the stern. Ahead, a group of guards blocked the entrance to the pleasure boat, and behind him, two plank bridges led to smaller boats. For now, Ding Li was both attacking and defending, with room to maneuver.

He relaxed a little, but reality proved more complicated than he’d hoped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doors to the two pleasure boats behind him swing open. From the brightly-lit interiors surged a throng of guards, waving clubs and machetes—a sight that made Ding Li’s heart jolt.

“What swift arrangements!” Inwardly, Ding Li couldn’t help but admire Fifth Master Hua’s speed. Seizing on his proximity to the plank bridge, he turned and smashed down with his rod, hoping to break it. But the solid wood had been crafted with care—no doubt to protect the Sea Palace’s reputation in case guests fell into the water.

“Damn it!” Ding Li cursed, abandoning the idea of destroying the bridge as he saw the guards almost upon him. Turning back, he realized that while he could storm the pleasure boat, he’d be foolish to try—who knew what traps waited inside. Looking up, he considered the second-story balcony, but the hostile crowd below made climbing risky.

Then, with a move that stunned everyone, Ding Li spun around, dashed onto one of the bridges, swung his rod to drive back the guards, and before anyone could follow, dove headlong into the water.

“After him! No matter what, capture that brat!” The door at the stern of the Sea Palace’s boat burst open. Fifth Master Hua himself, having just arrived, saw Ding Li leap into the water. He wouldn’t let him escape. Pointing with a commanding gesture, he shouted, “Alive or dead, catch him! Great rewards await!”

With Fifth Master Hua’s command and promises of reward, the guards were emboldened. Their courage surged, and they began to strip off their jackets to jump in, when one scoffed, “Strip for what? By the time you’re done, he’ll be long gone!”

That snapped them out of it. Dozens of men plunged into the water in pursuit, their heads bobbing on the surface, arms churning as they swam after Ding Li.

The sound of splashing behind made Ding Li’s heart skip a beat. Glancing back in alarm, he saw that half the boat’s crew had jumped in, and the nearest was less than ten meters away.

He was about to swim harder when a sudden sense of danger—a product of years of instinct—made him turn. There, illuminated by lantern light, Fifth Master Hua stood, aiming a crossbow, its tip glinting coldly even at a distance.

Without hesitation, Ding Li dove underwater, holding his breath and sinking fast. At this range, a single bolt could kill or cripple him.

Just as Fifth Master Hua was about to pull the trigger, his target vanished underwater. Even though he knew it was futile, he gritted his teeth and fired. As expected, the solid iron bolt struck the water and quickly disappeared into the depths, lost from sight.

Underwater, Ding Li watched the heavy bolt sink past him and sighed in relief. But then, alarm prickled his senses again. Turning his head, he saw a twisted face, cheeks puffed, and a short dagger glinting as it thrust toward him.

Shocked, Ding Li arched his body, dodging the attack as he kicked out, sending the attacker away. Using the force, he twisted and swam ahead, limbs working furiously.

Warned by the crossbow, Ding Li dared not surface. He pressed on underwater as hard as he could. The pursuers were skilled swimmers, and worse, they could surface for air at any time. If Ding Li hadn’t been adept himself, he’d have passed out long ago.

He had no idea how far he’d swum when, lungs burning, he finally broke the surface, sucking in deep breaths and glancing toward shore. Then he dove again, heading directly for land.

The shore of Little South Sea was lined with great stones set by hand, close to the water’s edge. As soon as Ding Li surfaced, he climbed out with ease. Looking back, he saw chaos at the Sea Palace—shouts and screams, flashes of blood among the crowd.

“Could it be Zhang Wu?” Ding Li’s first thought was that the Zhang Merchants had arrived. But he couldn’t be sure at this distance. He glanced at the water, a wry smile curling his lips as he watched the remaining pursuers hesitate, weapons raised but afraid to come ashore.

“If you’ve got guts, come up here!” Ding Li scanned the ground, picked up a fist-sized stone, and brandished it at the men in the water, grinning tauntingly.

“You—if you’ve got guts, you come down here!” the nearest man stammered, watching Ding Li pace the shore but not daring to climb out himself. He waved his machete threateningly, but Ding Li suddenly lunged, raising the stone high, frightening him back under the water with a splash.

Yet Ding Li had never meant to throw the stone—his actions were just a bluff. He tossed the stone aside, clapped his hands clean, and looked at the man with scorn, laughing, “What a coward! Just one stone and you’re scared witless!”

The man, having just surfaced, caught the words and Ding Li’s retreating back. Furious, he brandished his machete, but his companions only snickered, which stoked his anger further. He could do nothing but slap the water and glare after Ding Li.

Hurrying away from the shore, Ding Li found the nearby streets full of people fleeing the chaos at the Sea Palace. He had little choice but to head toward the commotion when suddenly a familiar shout reached his ears.

“Brother Li! Brother Li!”

Startled, Ding Li turned and leaned against the roadside. There, covered in blood, came Zhang Wu and a crowd of armed men from the Zhang Merchants. When they reached him, Ding Li shrugged and said with a faint smile, “You’re awfully late!”

“Not at all—it’s you who came too early!” Zhang Wu panted, grinning as he looked Ding Li over in surprise. “Brother Li, what happened to you?”

“Just got out of the water,” Ding Li replied, guessing at Zhang Wu’s confusion. He jerked his head toward Little South Sea with a careless grin, but then paused, glancing back at the Sea Palace and asking, “Brother Wu, aren’t those our people fighting Hua?”

“No—well, yes!” Zhang Wu shook his head, then nodded, suddenly remembering his mission. He grabbed Ding Li and hurried him along, explaining, “They are our people—Lu Dachi and Aguda. We arranged it, but we’d been searching for you all day!”

He stopped abruptly, looking at Ding Li in surprise. “Brother Li, where have you been all day? Why didn’t you join us? You nearly worried Second Brother sick!”

“It’s nothing—just checking the situation. I’m fine, see?” Remembering what Zhang Mingzhi had told him earlier, Ding Li didn’t want to explain further. He clapped Zhang Wu’s shoulder and changed the subject. “Since it’s all arranged with Lu Dachi, we’d best hurry. His power rivals Hua’s.”

“Right, right! Let’s get to work!” Zhang Wu nodded, resuming his brisk pace, though he kept glancing curiously at Ding Li. But Ding Li’s expression gave nothing away, and as they drew closer to the Sea Palace, Zhang Wu’s attention shifted back to the task at hand.