They pushed and shoved each other, each wanting to push someone else out as a scapegoat.
With outwardly fierce but inwardly weak voices, they threatened Lu Qingwan, "You, you, you... what do you want? Don't do anything reckless. This is Shopkeeper Lin's boat. If you offend Shopkeeper Lin, he'll make sure you can't survive in Jincheng!"
Upon mentioning Shopkeeper Lin, the thugs seemed to gain an inexplicable courage, each echoing, "That's right! If you dare to be reckless, Shopkeeper Lin will leave you with nowhere to be buried!"
Lu Qingwan tilted her head slightly, a smile spreading across her face amidst the thugs' blustering threats, "What a coincidence. The boat I'm about to blow up is Lin Dongye's boat!"
Before she finished speaking, the precariously balanced explosive in her hand flew out.
The thugs shrieked and bolted backward, but their legs were no match for the strength of the mighty Lu Qingwan. The dark, inconspicuous iron ball soared over their heads, detonating amongst them. Lu Qingwan then hurled several more grenades towards the unusually distinct window not far away.
Hearing the commotion outside, the people inside the window came to see what was happening. As the window opened, a grenade flew in, precisely and forcefully. With a deafening roar, the luxurious painted boat had its roof blown clean off.
A group of black-clad men, aboard boats of various designs, broke through the interception of the black-clad pursuers and charged towards the large vessel. Lu Qingwan, carrying a medicine box, scattered a strangely scented powder wherever she went.
In the central room of the painted boat, four men sat around a table. A refined-looking middle-aged man who appeared to be of mixed descent angrily declared, "In Jincheng, no one dares to refuse me, Lin Dongye, any face. Dare to blow up my boat, truly seeking death! Lin Sen, take men and kill your way out for me! By any means necessary..."
Before he could finish his harsh words, the elder opposite him, clad in Wuzu attire, suddenly changed color and coughed up a mouthful of foul blood. A thumb-sized white Gu worm writhed with difficulty in the black-red blood, resembling a ball with legs.
Seeing the Gu worm, the other three men immediately jumped up. "This is your life Gu, Tusi Muguo. What's wrong with you?"
After speaking, one of them suddenly sniffed forcefully, "Something's wrong! Where did the scent of the Twin Flowers come from on this boat?"
"Twin Flowers?!" The mere three words sent a jolt of shock through everyone in the room.
Soon, the door was kicked open. "Bad news, boss! A woman outside is leading a group of black-clad men to attack our boat, and she said she's blowing up Lin Dongye's boat! Please hurry out and see..."
Before the thug could finish speaking, his body suddenly went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground. A short arrow was embedded deep into his flesh and bone from his back.
The slender elder in the Daoist robe, seeing this, his eyes immediately changed drastically. "A short arrow from the Wufeng Hall, it's that venomous woman Lu Qingwan! You said she wouldn't dare to touch you, what's going on now?" The elder glared sharply at the middle-aged man of mixed descent, his face showing anxiety and tension that shocked everyone present.
The middle-aged man of mixed descent, Lin Dongye, said dismissively, "Mr. Chu, why the hurry? She's just a reckless woman. I'll have people capture her. You, the esteemed branch leader of Hanhxiao Hall in Jincheng, surely aren't afraid of a mere woman?"
"Foolish!" The elder in the Daoist robe roared. "Do you know that even the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley is no match for her? Hurry and destroy the evidence, and scurry back to your Lin's Merchant House. If you dare to delay the Master's affairs, let alone you, even I cannot bear the responsibility!"
Saying this, he rushed towards the other window, intending to escape. As the door opened, he was met with a face he never wanted to see again in his life.
"I've heard so much about you, Mr. Chu Yunzhi!" Lu Qingwan stood outside the window, her smile brilliant, yet it seemed like the arrival of death.
Chu Yunzhi froze. "What is Her Royal Highness doing?"
"You wanted the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token, and I delivered them to you with great fanfare. Now you're wielding a blade to snatch my Blood Raven Token, do you think I, the Saintess of the Reincarnation Hall, am playing around?" Lu Qingwan had come with purpose, having investigated thoroughly, and her demeanor was fierce.
However, Chu Yunzhi, who could associate with Lin Dongye and the Tusi of the Wuzu, was not truly afraid of Lu Qingwan. He let out a cold laugh. "If Her Royal Highness hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten this matter. The one who wanted the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token was the Great Elder of our Hanhxiao Hall, but you gave one to the Sansheng Tower and the other directly to that brat surnamed Tan. How can you still have the nerve to speak?"
After the initial chill, Chu Yunzhi's hostility towards Lu Qingwan was no longer hidden. "You've come at the right time today. I'd like to see if you, the Saintess of the Reincarnation Hall, can truly protect the Reincarnation Hall's sect token. If not, then I'm afraid I'll have to take you in exchange for the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes and the True Dragon Token. I believe your father and the Hall Master of Hanhxiao Hall would be pleased."
With that, he drew the whisk from his waist and swung it at Lu Qingwan. He knew Lu Qingwan's combat skills were lacking and had prepared his offense from the start.
However, Lu Qingwan completely defied expectations and didn't even give Chu Yunzhi a chance to posture. She raised her hand and fired a shot at the hand holding the whisk. Immediately after, she shot both of his legs. She then subdued him, leaped through the window, and pointed her gun directly at the stunned, tall black-clad man.
"Should I call you Prince Nanyuan, or the Alliance Leader Ming?"
The black-clad man's expression changed in surprise, but then he burst into laughter. "Princess Qin, you truly live up to your reputation! I was unconvinced after I lost to you before, but today I am convinced."
Ming Wuya, the Prince Nanyuan of Nanqi, and the former martial arts alliance leader who was overthrown by Lu Qingwan's people, laughed heartily and confidently. "Since Princess Qin knows my identity, please withdraw with your people. Shopkeeper Lin, Mr. Chu, and Tusi Muguo are all my friends. Princess Qin, give me some face and let them go. In the future, I will also look upon Princess Qin's face favorably and take good care of the southeastern three kingdoms and their territories."
After speaking, he stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for Lu Qingwan to retreat with her people, as if certain that Lu Qingwan would let him go once she knew his identity as Prince Nanyuan. His ordinary and confident demeanor almost made Lu Qingwan nauseous.
"Who is this idiotic narcissist?" she muttered, then raised her hand and fired two shots at his legs, followed by the same treatment for Lin Dongye and Tusi Muguo. With incredible speed, she subdued the few men and decisively called out, "Guards, take these people back to the palace for strict interrogation, alive or dead."
The four men were instantly dumbfounded. Especially Ming Wuya, who considered himself of noble status and could walk freely in the southeastern three kingdoms and their territories. Upon regaining his senses, he roared like a madman, "Viperous woman, how dare you! I am the Prince Nanyuan of Da Qi, the emperor's younger brother. If you dare to touch me, Da Qi will surely make the southeastern three kingdoms and their territories desolate, and no one will survive!"