Chapter 125 Killing the Bandits

The boat moved swiftly, sailing downstream along the north bank.

Before long, a city appeared on the north bank—the city walls were majestic, and it was Anqing City.

The city gate was only a few hundred steps from the riverbank, yet the scene below the city ignited everyone's fury.

Shouts of killing and cries of agony mingled together as a dozen Japanese pirates were looting wantonly. Some were robbing goods from merchant ships on the shore, while others were chasing and killing civilians.

Several Japanese pirates dragged young women, one by one, toward low houses outside the city. The women cried out in anguish, but a group of soldiers standing on the city wall ignored them and did not come out of the city to rescue them.

Only two men were locked in combat with a Japanese pirate. The pirate was short in stature but exceptionally skilled, wielding a Japanese sword with incredible speed and ferocity, the blade flashing and forcing the two men to retreat repeatedly.

The two men, each wielding a pair of curved hooks, fought fiercely against the Japanese pirates, but they were outmatched and could not hold their own.

Shi Potian's gaze sharpened: "It's the Yangtze River Twin Flying Fish!"

Lin Zhennan and his wife recognized them: "It really is them! What are they doing here?"

Without saying a word, Shi Potian leaped and darted toward the shore.

Sarutobi Higetsu glanced at the faces of the Japanese pirates, then suddenly exclaimed, "Hattori Shichiro!"

Everyone on the boat turned to look at him. Longkui raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know him?"

Sarutobi Higetsu's expression was grave as he pointed to the Japanese pirates standing with their hands behind their backs below the city walls, not making a move, and said:

"That man is Hattori Shichiro, the younger brother of the great Japanese pirate Hattori Sengun. He is ruthless in swordsmanship and unpredictable in ninjutsu, and is a top-ranked expert in Japan."

His older brother, Hattori Sengun, was even more remarkable. He had served the Shogun, was a skilled and courageous warrior, and after his defeat, became a pirate, quickly rising to become a notorious pirate who roamed from Kyushu to Taiwan. — How did his younger brother end up here?

Qu Feiyan said, "Who cares who he is? Becoming a Japanese pirate means certain death. Kill him and feed him to the dogs!"

Lin Zhennan said, "The Japanese pirates are indeed cunning. A dozen or so Japanese pirates dare to claim that there are thousands. However, these government soldiers were blocked at the city gate by a dozen or so Japanese pirates, leaving the civilians all over the ground behind. They deserve to die."

Below the city, the Japanese pirate who was locked in combat with the Twin Flying Fish was wielding his sword with increasing ferocity. The Twin Flying Fish were struggling to defend themselves and were already at their limit.

Suddenly, the Japanese pirate changed his swordsmanship, slicing through one man's double hooks with a single stroke, and then kicking him in the chest. The man groaned, flew backward, and crashed heavily to the ground.

The remaining man was shocked. He swept his hook horizontally, and the Japanese pirate lowered his body. The blade flashed from bottom to top, slicing straight at the opponent's crotch!

If you manage to seduce someone like that, you'll either die or be castrated.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky.

With a casual strike, the Japanese pirate's sword was just about to reach his crotch when he suddenly felt a tremendous force surge through him. He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily several feet away. Blood gushed from his mouth, and after struggling for a couple of moments, he lay still.

Having narrowly escaped death, Shuangfeiyu looked closely and exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and joy, "Lin...Young Master Lin!"

Shi Potian nodded to them, then rushed into the house where the woman was crying, without even saying goodbye.

Before Shuangfeiyu could finish greeting him, Shi Potian had already disappeared from the spot.

The next instant, three corpses flew out of the house where the woman was crying, each with a dent in its chest and spitting blood, clearly dead beyond any doubt.

But Shi Potian entered the room and saw them committing violence against several girls, tearing their clothes to shreds. He used heavy force, and with one palm, he almost pierced through the chest of three Japanese pirates.

Shi Potian emerged from the house and saw a Japanese pirate standing in front of a house, holding a child high in the air, about to throw him down. The child's mother rushed to hug him but was kicked to the ground and then slammed to the ground.

The child's mother was terrified.

Shi Potian was so enraged that his hair stood on end, and he used his Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace of Lightness Skill to its fullest extent.

With a whoosh, it vanished into thin air.

He appeared in front of the Japanese pirates in the next instant, and with a swift movement of his right hand, he caught the child who was about to be thrown to his death at the last second.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The Japanese pirate's ferocious smile hadn't fully unfolded on his face yet; his murky eyes only had time to reflect Shi Potian's eyes, which burned with flames of anger.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Potian's left hand transformed into an iron hammer, and with the force of a thunderbolt, he slammed a heavy punch into the chest of the Japanese pirate.

"Bang!"

A dull, loud thud resounded, as if struck on a giant cowhide drum.

Before the Japanese pirate could even utter a scream, he was sent flying backward like a cannonball, his feet leaving the ground. His speed was astonishing; he crashed straight into the city wall behind him.

"Bang--!"

With another muffled thud, the Japanese pirate's back slammed heavily against the sturdy city wall. Bricks shattered, dust billowed, and his body was embedded into the wall, forming a horrifying human-shaped crater. Debris rained down, burying most of his body, like a broken doll nailed to the wall, silent forever.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The child's mother collapsed to the ground, her face still frozen in despair, but now replaced by unbelievable ecstasy.

She stared blankly at the unharmed child in Shi Potian's arms, who was crying from fright. Then she looked at the Japanese pirates embedded in the city wall. Overwhelmed with grief and joy, she couldn't even utter a thank you. Only two lines of tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

She stared blankly at the unharmed child in Shi Potian's arms, who was crying from fright. Then she looked at the Japanese pirates embedded in the city wall. Overwhelmed with grief and joy, she couldn't even utter a thank you. Only two lines of tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

Shi Potian has disappeared without a trace.

A Japanese pirate was wielding his sword to kill an old man when, suddenly, he was thrown into the air, spraying blood everywhere.

Another Japanese pirate was dragging a box out of a house when he saw Shi Potian. He yelled and lunged at him with his sword. Shi Potian casually struck him with a palm, and the pirate and the box flew out and crashed into the middle of the street, where he lay motionless.

Hattori Shichiro finally reacted, roared, drew his katana, and chased after Shi Potian. But how could he catch up? Shi Potian's movements were incredibly fast; one moment he was in the east, the next he was in the west.

Just as a Japanese pirate was kicking open the door of a house, Shi Potian struck him from behind, and he collapsed to the ground.

Another Japanese pirate was chasing and slashing at a young man when Shi Potian struck him with a palm strike from mid-air. The young man was sent flying, crashing into a stone wall, his brains splattering out.

"Baka!" Hattori Shichiro roared angrily, running wildly, but he couldn't even touch the hem of Shi Potian's clothes.

Shi Potian moved with lightning speed, darting around the city walls like a ghost. He struck out with his palm at each Japanese pirate he encountered. Whether they were looting, chasing, or setting fires, all the pirates, without exception, only saw a blur before their eyes and knew nothing more.

A Japanese pirate was jumping off a merchant ship carrying gold and silver valuables when Shi Potian struck him with a palm, sending him flying far into the middle of the river to feed the fish.

Another Japanese pirate was hiding in the corner, drawing his bow and aiming at Shi Potian's back. Before the arrow could be released, Shi Potian turned around and delivered a "Flame Blade" strike, causing the arrow to fall to the ground. After a while, blood gushed from the pirate's neck to his arm, and he fell backward, broken in two.

Hattori Shichiro chased after him, panting heavily, watching helplessly as his men—those once-powerful samurai of Japan—fell one after another like wheat being harvested.

He roared and the sword in his sleeve flew out, shooting straight at Shi Potian's heart!

Without turning his head, Shi Potian flicked his wrist, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, and the sword flew back and "thudded" into the ground in front of Hattori Shichiro's feet, disappearing into the bluestone slab, leaving only the hilt.

Hattori Shichiro was so shocked that his face turned pale and he staggered backward.

Although Shi Potian had already reached the shore, he still heard what Yuanfei Riyue said and knew that this person was the leader, so he did not kill him directly but spared his life.

Shi Potian scanned his surroundings—of the dozen or so Japanese pirates, apart from Hattori Shichiro, not a single one was still standing.

The people below the city stared blankly at this scene. Some knelt on the ground and kowtowed, some hugged each other and wept bitterly, and some picked up the Japanese swords on the ground and used them to hack at the corpses of the Japanese pirates to vent their anger.

Hattori Shichiro stood three zhang away, trembling all over. He looked at the corpses of the Japanese pirates scattered on the ground, then at Shi Potian, and suddenly let out a wild cry, turning around and running away.

Sarutobi Hitsuki leaped from the ship, drew his katana, and shouted, "Hattori Shichiro, do you still recognize me!"