Chapter 705: The Bloodstained Wharf

The appearance of Qin Yun and her words immediately alerted Qin Qing, who gasped in shock, realizing the trap she had almost fallen into.
Although it was highly likely that the Lingxiao Palace and Yipin Hall would team up to seize all the treasure chests, what if not? What if there were further complications, and things didn’t go as planned? If she agreed to Meng Yun’s request rashly, then according to Meng Yun’s plan, thirty chests would first go to Yipin Hall, and whatever was left would have to be accepted by the Lingxiao Palace.
“Sister Qin Yun, you’re overthinking it. With our two factions working together, not to mention destroying the Young Marshal’s army, even taking care of all the gangs at the wharf would be a sure thing. You’re being too cautious, Sister Qin Yun,” Meng Yun said with a smile.
To the people of the Lingxiao Palace, this also seemed reasonable.
“Not necessarily,” Qin Yun replied. After all, she was the current head of the Lingxiao Palace. She stepped forward from the crowd, nodded at her sister, who silently stepped back, making way for Qin Yun to negotiate.
Noticing this, Meng Yun frowned slightly—her earlier words seemed wasted.
“Since Sister Qin Yun is worried, then according to you, how should we divide the treasures?”
“There’s no need to team up,” Qin Yun said, shocking everyone from Yipin Hall and the Lingxiao Palace. Meng Yun froze in place. Qin Qing also stared at her sister in astonishment, unsure of her intentions.
“Could it be that the Lingxiao Palace wants to keep all the treasures from Lord Yang’s vault for itself? Sister Qin Yun, your ambitions are much greater than your sister’s… I hope you won’t die for wealth.”
Meng Yun took a deep breath; her expression was no longer as pleasant as before.
“Lord Yang’s vault was originally unclaimed—anyone can compete for it. Qin Yun just thinks that even with our combined strength, we might not be able to take everything. Moreover, it could anger the various coastal alliance gangs. Then, Yipin Hall would simply leave, leaving the Lingxiao Palace as the target. Meng Hall’s plan seems perfect, but I must consider it carefully. So, I absolutely cannot agree to this cooperation. Let each of us rely on our own abilities to get as many treasure chests as we can.”
Upon hearing this, not only did Meng Yun and Yipin Hall’s anger fade into helplessness, but the people of the Lingxiao Palace also suddenly understood…
That’s right!

Now that the matter of Master Yang’s treasure hoard has become a hot topic, experts from all over have gathered in Yangzhou. If Lingxiao Palace rashly allies itself with Yipin Hall, it would truly defy all norms, turning itself into an enemy of every hero in the land and unnecessarily creating countless foes. Thinking this way, there’s really no need to put Lingxiao Palace in such an awkward and dangerous situation just for a few magic artifacts.
“Alright.”
Mengyun sighed. “Since Sister Qinyun has her reservations, I won’t force her. How much we can get depends on each of our abilities. I’ll take my leave…” With that, she left in a displeased mood.
Without Lingxiao Palace’s backing, although Yipin Hall has a large number of members, competing with other heroes for the treasure chest will surely result in significant losses. Moreover…
They must also consider Lingxiao Palace’s face during the struggle. After all, Lingxiao Palace is the local power in Yangzhou—its mere order can mobilize troops to block land and water routes. If they can’t even transport the treasure chest out once they get it, that would be embarrassing. This is the real reason behind Mengyun’s displeased expression after being rejected.
…
Just as the negotiations between Lingxiao Palace and Yipin Hall collapsed, arrows rained down from the docks like locusts!
Cries of pain filled the docks!
Along the way, everyone, driven by habitual thinking, had overlooked the possibility of elite heavy armored cavalry. The entire time! The elite heavy armored cavalry escorting the convoy never slowed down or stopped. This led the people at the docks to assume that the cavalry and convoy would undoubtedly rush into the narrow docks without hesitation. But things turned out differently.
The troops stationed there in advance became useless due to the sudden halt of the elite heavy armored cavalry, putting them in an extremely awkward position.
With a rustle, the armored cavalry uniformly drew their crossbows, raised them high, and aimed them at the crowd on the docks.
“Damn it!”
“Shoot!”
“Find cover quickly!”
Although their battle shields provided strong protection, they weren’t the kind of giant shields that could cover the entire body in actual warfare—such prohibited items were beyond the reach of martial artists. So when they saw the armored cavalry take up a defensive stance, the people on the docks panicked immediately.
Arrows flew everywhere. But for the fully armored cavalry, these arrows were like a light drizzle, failing to shake their steady posture as they fired in unison.
Thwack! Thwack!!
Without a command, the cavalry fired their bows simultaneously. Rows of arrows, accompanied by a sharp sound as they pierced the air, formed a terrifying barrage of light.
The people on the docks were terrified. Some of the skilled warriors in the front lines, holding shields, were also hit by arrows and, unable to withstand it, jumped into the river.

Without the cover of those in front, those behind also rushed into the river one after another. Those who were slower were immediately pierced by countless arrows, turning into living hedgehogs. The dock, which had just been filled with fierce combatants in an orderly formation, was now littered with hundreds of corpses. The river on both sides was stained red with blood as many people struggled in the water after being hit by arrows. The entire scene resembled a hellish realm. The elite heavy cavalry of the Marshal’s Army remained unmoved, advancing slowly while continuously loading their crossbows and firing at the martial artists in the river and on the shore. Wave after wave of arrows mercilessly claimed lives! Seeing this, the more than a thousand people hiding in the sparse forests behind them shuddered with fear. Everyone realized they had underestimated the combat strength of this elite heavy cavalry and also underestimated the collective fighting ability of a truly powerful regular army. Two hundred elite heavy cavalrymen might be able to kill many individuals one by one in a short time, but thousands of martial artists in life-and-death situations, facing just two hundred elite heavy cavalrymen, seemed like they were confronting a cold and merciless killing machine, collapsing without any chance of resistance. “…” Not only the people of Lingxiao Palace fell silent, but Mengyun from Yipin Hall also hesitated for a long time before giving an order to attack after witnessing the Marshal’s Army’s combat capabilities. They could only watch helplessly as the elite heavy cavalry wiped out all the living people near the dock and left behind countless corpses! Done! Done! After completing their task of killing people, the elite heavy cavalry finally began to change their formation due to the special terrain of the dock. Some of them protected the sides of the dock while others escorted the wagons into the narrow dock. The transport ships on the river finally slowly approached the dock. Seeing this, the people of Lingxiao Palace and Yipin Hall, who had already felt hopeless, rushed towards the dock from the sparse forests almost at the same time. Battle erupted once again. However, due to the congestion of wagons on the dock, the elite heavy cavalry’s firepower was reduced by a third. After two waves of arrows, less than a hundred people were killed. A massive crowd surged forward like a tide towards the elite heavy cavalry!