Xiao Zhan and Master Longbrow quickly turned their heads to look at Ye Qiu.
“Boss, how did they die?” Xiao Zhan asked.
Ye Qiu replied, “They were scared to death.”
What?
Xiao Zhan and Master Longbrow were stunned.
“Little brat, are you sure?” Master Longbrow, somewhat incredulous, said, “From the facial expressions of these deceased, I didn’t see any signs of fear.”
Ye Qiu explained, “To be precise, they drowned because they were overwhelmed with fright.”
“I just examined every corpse here and noticed a common trait: their eyeballs were protruding significantly.”
“After close inspection, I found a subtle hint of terror deep in their pupils.”
“These details are easily overlooked.”
“It’s as if they encountered a ghost before they died.”
As soon as Ye Qiu finished speaking, a chilling gust of wind swept through.
Xiao Zhan shivered, his eyes nervously scanning the surroundings, his fists clenched tightly.
Seeing his reaction, Master Longbrow couldn’t help but mock him.
“Coward!”
Then, Master Longbrow said, “No need to be afraid. If it’s some evil spirit causing trouble, leave it to me. The Taoist sect has many secret techniques specifically for dealing with ghosts.”
“I was just using an analogy. It’s still unclear what exactly scared them to death,” Ye Qiu said, looking around.
The river flowed calmly, almost still, with the cliffs on both banks dotted with striking red hanging coffins.
Ye Qiu observed for a while but found nothing unusual.
“Strange, what could have scared them to death?”
Ye Qiu furrowed his brow.
“Boss, could it be something terrifying inside those hanging coffins?” Xiao Zhan suggested.
Ye Qiu activated his Heavenly Eye, scanned around, and said, “The coffins contain only skeletal remains, nothing else.”
Master Longbrow said, “How about I cast another divination?”
At this, neither Ye Qiu nor Xiao Zhan paid him any attention, which made Master Longbrow feel a bit embarrassed.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you two look down on me? Let me tell you, my divinations are spot on.”
Master Longbrow pulled out three copper coins, ready to cast a divination, when a sudden sense of danger emerged.
Ye Qiu quickly looked ahead, seeing the river surge with waves three metres high. A massive black shadow sped along the water’s surface towards the boat, like a torpedo, moving at incredible speed.
Master Longbrow shouted, “There’s something in the water!”
Ye Qiu clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the shadow.
The shadow moved swiftly, like lightning, closing the distance to the boat to just twenty metres in an instant.
Just as Ye Qiu prepared to act, the shadow suddenly vanished without a trace.
The waves on the river subsided, and calm was quickly restored.
Hm?
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Old man, did you see what that shadow was?”
Master Longbrow shook his head, “I didn’t get a clear look.”
Ye Qiu warned Xiao Zhan, “Be careful.”
Xiao Zhan nodded, pulling a pistol from his waist, loading a bullet, and staying on guard.
The three stood on the deck, waiting for a while, but the shadow didn’t reappear.
“We can’t just keep waiting like this. We need to find a way to draw it out,” Ye Qiu said.
“Little brat, got any ideas?” Master Longbrow asked.
Ye Qiu said, “I’ll go into the water to check.”
Hearing that Ye Qiu was going into the water, Xiao Zhan quickly said, “Boss, we have diving gear on the boat. I’ll get it for you.”
“No need, that stuff is too bulky and restricts movement,” Ye Qiu said, extending his right hand to Master Longbrow. “Hand it over.”
“Hand over what?” Master Longbrow pretended not to understand, tilting his head to look at the sky.
Ye Qiu said impatiently, “Don’t waste time. Give me two Water-Repelling Talismans.”
Master Longbrow refused flatly, “I don’t have any.”
“Do you or don’t you?” Ye Qiu’s expression turned menacing. “Don’t make me beat you.”
At this, Master Longbrow rolled up his sleeves. “You want to beat me? Perfect, I’ve been wanting to teach you a lesson.”
“Come on, let’s have a go.”
“Little brat, don’t say I’m bullying the young. You’ve got no respect for your elders, ignoring me like that.”
As he spoke, Master Longbrow released nine streams of True Qi.
The nine streams swirled behind him, making him look like an ancient immortal.
With an air of grandeur, Master Longbrow smirked proudly, “Little brat, I’ll be honest, I’ve been itching to discipline you for a while.”
“I advise you not to resist. Let me give you a good thrashing, or your fate will be grim.”
“Of course, I should thank your grandmaster. If not for Master Ziyang giving me that pill, my cultivation wouldn’t have advanced so quickly, and I wouldn’t have this chance to beat you. Don’t blame me, blame your grandmaster!”
Master Longbrow was overjoyed, finally getting the chance to teach Ye Qiu a lesson. The feeling could only be described in three words.
Pure bliss!
“Little brat, stand still and don’t move. Your beating’s coming.”
With that, Master Longbrow aimed a swift, powerful kick at Ye Qiu’s backside.
However, something unexpected happened.
A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Ye Qiu, like a lion awakening from slumber, baring its fangs.
“Holy crap, you little brat—”
Master Longbrow was shocked, but before he could retract his leg, Ye Qiu kicked him to the ground.
Then came a relentless beating.
Soon, Master Longbrow was begging for mercy.
“Little brat, stop hitting me, I was wrong.”
“Please stop.”
“If you keep going, you’ll ruin my face, I’m begging you… ouch…”
Master Longbrow clutched his head, wailing in pain.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhan covered his mouth, snickering. Serves him right for challenging the boss.
A few minutes later.
Ye Qiu stopped. By now, Master Longbrow was bruised and battered, his hair dishevelled, his earlier dignity gone, looking utterly pathetic.
“Little brat, when did you cultivate the sixth strand of Innate True Qi? How did I not know?”
Ye Qiu didn’t answer, instead beckoning to Master Longbrow with a disdainful look. “Old man, didn’t you want to beat me? I’ll give you another chance. Come on, make your move!”
Master Atwood didn’t dare. He scrambled up from the ground, cursing, “You little brat, I was just joking, and you actually got serious? That’s too much.”
“Besides, you’re young and strong, bullying an old man like me. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
“Do you know how I feel right now? I, I want to cry…”
Shh!
Ye Qiu suddenly made a silencing gesture, whispering, “Old man, don’t talk. There’s something behind you.”
