VIP Volume Chapter 76: The Eight Heroes of the Reed Marsh

As expected, Hao Six-Fingers rushed to where the two had fallen, pushed Old Shepherd aside, and lifted Old Dog from underneath. He pulled off the mask covering Old Dog’s face, pressed hard on his philtrum, and shouted, “Master! Wake up!”

Ye Xiaoxuan suddenly understood—no wonder Old Dog’s movements seemed so familiar. It was Hao Six-Fingers’ own technique! He went over to look at the man’s face and his eyes widened in shock as he cried out, “Master Gou Seven?!”

The name of the Eight Heroes of Reed Marsh was legendary in Scholar’s Village fifty years ago—everyone knew it!

Elder Xue, Elder Chen, Elder Ye, Elder Geng, Elder Tian, Elder Yu, Elder Gou, Elder Hao.

These eight men, though not famous throughout the land, were certainly renowned among the villages. In those days, bandits roamed unchecked, pillaging wherever they pleased.

But Scholar’s Village, thanks to the Eight Heroes and the militia they organized, managed to defeat the gun-wielding bandits using only blades, spears, and staves, earning lasting praise.

Later, when the war of invasion broke out, the Eight Heroes all joined the army. By the end of the war, only four remained. Coincidentally, the first four—Xue, Chen, Ye, Geng—had died in battle, while the last four—Tian, Yu, Gou, Hao—survived.

No one knew why, but after driving out the invaders and returning victorious, they suddenly turned on each other. Relations among the four survivors soured drastically. Gou Seven and Hao Eight remained close, often gathering to drink, while Tian Five and Yu Six never spoke again, greeting each other with cold disdain.

Ye Xiaoxuan was dumbfounded to discover that the old dog who had kidnapped his uncle, aunt, and girlfriend tonight was actually Master Gou Seven! No wonder he kept his voice low in the house, and no wonder he called Jiaran “Second Girl”—only someone intimately familiar with the village would use that name.

After Hao Six-Fingers’ urgent ministrations, Master Gou Seven finally regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and glanced around, fixing his gaze on the still-unconscious Old Shepherd before bursting into laughter. “Old Sheephead, you still lost to me by a notch!”

Old Shepherd was, after all, his brother’s master. Ye Xiaoxuan couldn’t bear to see him so badly hurt, so he took his flask, lifted him up, and gave him a sip. Old Shepherd grabbed the gourd with both hands and gulped down a large mouthful.

Ye Xiaoxuan snatched the gourd away and scolded him, “Your belly’s still bleeding—why drink so much?”

There were three bloody grooves across Old Shepherd’s abdomen. Luckily, he’d retreated in time; otherwise, his intestines would have spilled out!

Meanwhile, Gou Seven wore steel dog’s paw gauntlets on both hands, each tip stained with fresh blood—a chilling sight. These resembled the hooked claws Hao Six-Fingers used, apparently an improved version with ropes for climbing walls, but Gou Seven’s could also be used as weapons.

Both old men were badly injured, though not fatally. They wouldn’t be able to fight again for at least ten days or two weeks.

Seeing Old Shepherd awaken, Gou Seven spat and cursed, “I regret not digging deeper just now—I should’ve pulled his guts out and stomped them underfoot!”

Old Shepherd retorted, spitting and swearing, “I only missed because I couldn’t find a rock—if I had, I’d have smashed your brains out!”

“Enough!” Ye Xiaoxuan said sternly, fixing his gaze on Gou Seven. “Whatever grudge you two have, it’s none of my concern. Master Seven, what was the meaning of all this tonight?”

Shame flickered across Gou Seven’s face. He lowered his head, sighed, and said, “Xuanzi, Seven’s sorry to you all, but I had no choice…”

Old Shepherd sneered, “You still think he’s the Gou Seven of old? He’s nothing but a lapdog for Qitian Corporation now! An old charlatan pretending to be a Taoist—am I wrong?”

Gou Seven snorted, “You think Ancient Martial Sect is any better? Just a bunch of hypocrites!”

Ye Xiaoxuan waved his hands impatiently, “Enough! I don’t care about all that. Master Seven, I just want to know—why did you go to my room last night and to my uncle’s house tonight? What are you looking for?”

Gou Seven hesitated for a moment, sighed deeply, and said, “Treasure! Everything—” Suddenly Hao Six-Fingers shouted, “Watch out!” and rolled over to shield Gou Seven.

Ye Xiaoxuan and Old Shepherd were startled, sitting on the ground for a long moment before realizing nothing had happened. Ye Xiaoxuan kicked Hao Six-Fingers and asked, “What are you doing?”

Hao Six-Fingers crawled up sheepishly and said mysteriously, “Whenever TV dramas reach this point, a flying knife or arrow usually appears. The key character dies before finishing his sentence!”

Gou Seven kicked him away, cursing, “Get lost! You nearly scared me into wetting myself!”

Ye Xiaoxuan resumed, “Back to my question—what treasure is there in my family?”

Gou Seven replied, “Anything you brought back from Fairy Lake—even a lump of mud—is treasure!”

Ye Xiaoxuan rolled his eyes and said, “Well, tomorrow I’ll dig up a truckload of mud for you. Bring your money and buy it if you want!”

Gou Seven shook his head, “Not from the lake’s edge—what matters is from Fragrant Sand Island and the Great Whirlpool!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Gou Seven. “Who is the boss of Qitian Corporation? Why is he so interested in Fairy Lake? He seems to know a lot—has he been here?”

Gou Seven replied sternly, “Knowing too much will do you no good! Just tell me—did you bring anything back from Fairy Lake?”

Of course, Ye Xiaoxuan wouldn’t mention the Water-Repelling Pearl. He shook his head, “I barely escaped with my life—everyone saw me coming back half-naked. How could I have brought anything?”

Apparently, Gou Seven had witnessed Ye Xiaoxuan’s return from Fairy Lake twice and believed him. He asked, “What did you see inside the Great Whirlpool? If you were to return to Fairy Lake, could you find the Great Whirlpool again?”

Ye Xiaoxuan glared at him, “Are you crazy? I never want to see that place again for the rest of my life! No matter who asks, no matter how much money, don’t even think about getting me to take them back!”

Gou Seven knew Ye Xiaoxuan had barely survived his ordeal. His disciple Hao Six-Fingers must have told him the details, so he didn’t press further, sitting dazedly on the ground, lost in thought.

Ye Xiaoxuan still felt nauseous—just thinking about being swallowed by the giant turtle, spat out again, and eating its excreted ‘fragrant sand’ made him want to vomit.