After Xu Ziling returned that night, Shuanglong Bang's several highest echelons gathered in the main hall for a secret meeting.
Xu Ziling said, "It is just as Kou Bangzhu thought, Shen Faxing deployed approximately two-thousand men to lie in ambush in a forest southeast of our stronghold, estimated distance two-day marching.”
It was only now that Gao Zhandao and the others found out what happened. But looking at Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's ‘we have everything under control' expression, they became excited too; rubbing their fists and wiping their palms, they were eager to go into battle with heads held high.
Kou Zhong said, "This time we are going to fight a beautiful battle. We are not looking to annihilate the enemies, we only hope to meet the enemy head-on, inflict heavy losses, and behead the commander-in-chief. And then we will deal with other things one by one, proceed with previously developed plan.
"So which plan are we going to do?” Niu Fengyi asked.
Kou Zhong replied, "If my estimation is correct, this time Haisha Bang is also taking this opportunity to settle old debt, therefore, they must have come with the enemy as well, if not, they must have taken the water route to attack us from two fronts, water and land, hoping to kill us clean in one go.”
Turning to Xu Ziling, he said, "I'll give you Han Gaitian.”
Xu Ziling smiled slightly and said, "In that case I'll hide alone in Haisha Bang's flagship, and become maritime assassin one time.”
Full of admiration, Zha Jie said, "When as soon as we got here Bangzhu ordered us to reinforce the defense, we thought that it was superfluous; but know we know that Bangzhu really have foresight.”
Kou Zhong laughed, but did not say anything, while thinking in his heart that if Laozi did not have a bit of ability, how could I control you, this bunch of big thieves?
Three days later, it was a moonless and windy night. Everybody was well aware that the time the enemy was going to attack has come.
When darkness fell, all Shuanglong Bang's seven warships quietly left the dock. Kou Zhong led a hundred men to lie in ambush at the more than a dozen bunkers on the mountain and fields outside their water stronghold, quietly waiting for the enemy's honorable selves to honor them with their presence.
By the first watch period [7-9 pm] more than fifty warships, big and small, appeared on the surface of the sea outside the water stronghold, let down their skiffs, and launched the attack from the sea.
Almost at the same time hundreds of torches lit up, covering the mountains and the plains, as probably close to a thousand men were charging toward their stronghold.
The enemy taking the land route relied mostly on cavalry, with the infantry providing support; it was a large-scale military attack.
Who would have thought that before they even reached the stronghold gate, the horses were either falling into pits full of sharp spikes, or stepping onto the field of sharp spikes that their feet were broken, their blood splashed and they fell to the ground. For a short while the situation was a total chaos.
This moment, close to five hundred skiffs full of soldiers have just arrived at the wooden fence surrounding the water stronghold when suddenly out of nowhere several dozen fiery arrows filled the sky. The surface of the sea around them, as well as the dozen or so wooden constructions across the wooden stronghold rapidly caught fire. Very soon the invading troops were trapped on the sea of fire.
Haisha Bang and Shen Faxing's coalition army realized that they had fallen into a trap. Hastily they blew the trumpet signaling retreat.
Kou Zhong led his men to fire arrows from the dark, while at the same time signaling his men everywhere to set on fire to cut the enemy's retreating path. Right this moment Xu Ziling had just climbed onto Han Gaitian's five-mast flagship.
He craned out his neck from the edge of the ship to look around, and saw on the platform above the cabin on the main deck Han Gaitian was standing anxiously, like an ant on a hot pathway, unceasingly issuing orders, while the subordinates around him were quiet out of fear. His other subordinates on the other ships were running back and forth, trying to get the ships turn around is hasty retreat.
The most formidable part of Kou Zhong's plan was that the enemy did not have any attack target.
Xu Ziling took out the pebbles he had already prepared and suddenly jumped up onto the deck, and then soared onto the platform. His hands threw the pebbles in rapid succession toward the wind lanterns hanging from the masts, rupturing their covering and extinguishing the fire inside, so that by the time he landed onto the platform, the entire deck has fallen into complete darkness.
Han Gaitian did not even have any chance to fetch his weapon, Xu Ziling's fist already arrived at his chest.
Overwhelmed with shock, the ‘Fat Assassin' You Gui and the ‘Charging General' Ling Zhigao on his left moved to intercept.
‘Bang!'
Han Gaitian was worthy to be the leader of a gang; crossing his palms together, he met Xu Ziling's fist head-on.
A scorching qi suddenly turned into million strands of soft thread, which, contrary to Han Gaitian's wish, penetrated and invaded his arteries and veins.
In unbearable discomfort Han Gaitian nearly threw up blood; hastily he recoiled backward and circulated his internal power to dissolve the invading qi, while his subordinates swarmed forward to surround this terrifying lone assassin.
Who would have thought that in a flash Xu Ziling disappeared from their midst and soared above Han Gaitian's head? Fast as lightning his both feet kicked in succession toward his face. You Gui and Ling Zhigao's weapons trying to meet him hit empty air.
Although the other men also pounced on him, but because Xu Ziling was moving like a ghost, plus the deck was so dark that it was difficult to see, momentarily they were thrown into confusion, nobody knew how to deal against this enemy, so that although they had the strength, it was difficult to unleash it.
‘Swish! Swish! Swish!'
The ‘Mermaid' You Qiuyan stepped aside, waved her hand and continuously shot three silver hairpins, which she pulled from her hair, toward Xu Ziling, who was flying in the air.
‘Bang! Bang!'
Han Gaitian abruptly raised a mouthful of true qi to keep the endlessly surging blood in his vessels under control, while lifting up his palms to block Xu Ziling's swift as the wind rotating wheel of six kicks.
Han Gaitian let out a painful groan, staggered and fell down; trickle of blood appeared from the corner or his mouth, having experiencing the dreadful innate true qi from the ‘Secret to Long Life'.
Xu Ziling fantastically shifted forward, missing You Qiuyan's secret projectile by a hairbreadth. Although he started later, he arrived earlier behind Han Gaitian.
Han Gaitian was so scared that his soul flew away and scattered; although he knew that it was a desperate moment, he could only rely on himself to save his own life. Turning around, he raised his palms to attack Xu Ziling.
Suddenly Xu Ziling spun swiftly; in an instant he counterattacked with five palm strikes and four kicks, plus a shoulder bump and an elbow strike, giving the impression that any part of his body could become a deadly weapon.
The sound of clashing qi rang continuously.
The two combatants were suddenly closing in to each other, but then just as sudden they separated.
Xu Ziling somersaulted and leaped away from the platform, and then with another push of his toes on the ship's railing, he leaped into the boundless ocean, and disappeared without a trace.
Everybody rushed toward Han Gaitian; they saw him clasping his hand on the pit of the stomach. It was only by leaning on, and helped by, You Qiuyan that he did not fall down to the floor.
They saw Han Gaitian's face was like the golden paper used in funerals; he said in trembling voice, "Retreat immediately, my internal injury is extremely heavy, albeit the opponent was being lenient to me. We hereby drop this matter.”
Everyone was stunned speechless.
Who could have imagined that in mere two months Xu Ziling has become much more formidable?
And thus Shen Faxing and Haisha Bang's coalition army suffered defeat and was forced to retreat. They lost more than a thousand men, while could not even touch the enemy's shadow.
By daybreak, seven warships, carrying the Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling-led Shuanglong Bang, quietly set sail from a hidden dock by the water stronghold, which had been burned to coke, bound for the ocean.
Everybody of the Shuanglong Bang was in high spirits, they all looked up to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling like deities.
Kou Zhong knew that he had established his credibility, so when the darkness fell, he summoned Gao Zhandao, three people, into his presence, and instructed them, "We will separate here. You will secretly go to the appointed place, to recruit soldiers and buy horses, and to advance our carefully drafted master plan. Xu Ziling and I will take only four men to transport the salt to Guanzhong. Be sure to remember not to take any risk and to advance too quickly, you must not leak our relationship even more.”
The three accepted the order and returned to their respective boat.
Kou Zhong walked over to the aft, toward Xu Ziling, who was standing with his hands behind his back, enjoying the ocean scenery. He sighed and said, "Our great undertaking is finally launched. When we left Yangzhou that day, I was dreaming that this day would come.”
Xu Ziling spoke indifferently, "If Su Jie did not meet any mishap, we should be able to see her soon.”
A bit embarrassed, Kou Zhong said, "I am very concerned about Su Jie too. We parted in the middle of winter, and now it is already the end of spring. Five months passed before we know it.”
Their sailboat changed direction, slowly leaving the fleet, heading toward the northwest.
Only four sailors and those sacks of salt remained on the boat. These four men were Duan Yucheng, Bao Zhifu, Ma Gui, and Shi Jie. They were roughly between twenty to twenty-four, twenty-five years of age, and everyone was handpicked personally by Kou Zhong, and have undergone special training by him; they all had especially high natural gifts.
Xu Ziling looked deep into Kou Zhong's eyes and said, "Transporting the salt this time has made us tying a lot of enmities; have you considered the consequences?”
Kou Zhong smiled and said, "But it has also made us tying a lot of friendships. Xiongdi! Life is like that; if we want friends, then we will have enemies as well. This can be considered an important phase in our training. As long as we don't die, by the time the salt is safely delivered to Guanzhong, we will become martial art masters unequalled under the heavens!”
The moon rose from the horizon, illuminating the entire border where the sea and the sky met, creating a mysterious, as well as beautiful, world.