Chapter 101: A Warrior Dies for One Who Understands Him

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Although Tian Xiangwen had more than twice the number of men compared to Saiyijade, Saiyijade and his companions fought fiercely and skillfully, quickly cutting down nine of Tian’s men. The gap in numbers rapidly narrowed, and Saiyijade’s group grew increasingly courageous, determined not to stop until they had defeated every opponent.

Seeing this, Tian Xiangwen cursed coldly at the incompetence of his men, casually picked up a short knife from the ground, and strode swiftly toward the most valiant warrior, Saiyijade.

“Today, I’ll wipe out your damn South Sea Gang!” At this moment, Tian Xiangwen had already realized Liu Sheng’s true identity. Since Xu Hong, who had been thrown out earlier, was a member of the South Sea Gang, Liu Sheng naturally was as well. Based on the earlier situation, Tian Xiangwen had deduced that Liu Sheng held an extraordinary position within the gang, which only strengthened his resolve to bring Liu Sheng back to his mansion.

“Get lost!” Saiyijade also noticed Tian Xiangwen. Hearing his arrogance, he immediately abandoned his opponent, stepped forward, and swung his short knife with full force.

“Is the South Sea Gang nothing but a bunch of trash?” Tian Xiangwen had trained in martial arts since childhood, his body as tough as reinforced steel, far superior to Saiyijade and his kind, who were mere dock laborers. Just by the look of the knife strike, Tian raised his own blade confidently to meet it, the ruthless gleam in his eyes quickly emerging.

“Clang!”

As the aggressor, Saiyijade felt his strike wasn’t meeting a seemingly frail Tian Xiangwen but rather a solid, unyielding rock. The blow rebounded, forcing him to stagger back two steps.

When he raised his face again, surprise flickered in his eyes, but his grip tightened on the knife, refusing to show weakness as he charged forward. Two companions of Saiyijade noticed this and immediately broke free from their opponents, rushing to support him against Tian Xiangwen.

“Swish swish swish swish!”

Unable to overpower Tian in a direct fight, Saiyijade quickly changed tactics, striking rapidly with several blows, all of which Tian easily dodged. Even after two companions arrived to assist, their knife strikes barely grazed Tian’s clothing.

Saiyijade and his men were unable to harm Tian Xiangwen, but Tian’s own men gradually fell one by one. Despite the increasing attacks from all sides, apart from some instruments being smashed inside the music store, Tian remained unscathed, even managing to wound two of Saiyijade’s companions.

“Tian Luo! You useless fool! What are you standing there for?” Though Tian Xiangwen wasn’t afraid of setbacks, he knew he had no reinforcements. Whether Saiyijade’s side had backup was unknown. Growing anxious, his eyes flicked to the side where Tian Luo was still confronting Xu Hong, who held a wooden club, and he shouted angrily at him.

“Oh! Young master, I’m going to call for help right now!” Tian Luo finally snapped out of his revenge-driven trance. Realizing only he and Tian Xiangwen remained standing on their side, he nodded quickly and turned to leave.

“Come back here!”

“Come back here!”

Almost simultaneously, two identical shouts echoed from inside the music store—one from Tian Xiangwen and the other from someone else.

The first was Tian’s command. After warning Tian Luo, one of Saiyijade’s companions tried to intercept him, but Tian Xiangwen swiftly swung twice, then chopped at his opponent’s back, forcing him to turn and defend, unable to pursue Tian Luo.

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The second shout came from Xu Hong, brandishing his wooden club. When Tian Luo just turned around, Xu Hong’s eyes gleamed with excitement. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, gripping the club tightly and aiming a blow at the back of Tian Luo’s head.

“Bang!”

“Ouch!”

“Crash!”

A series of noises followed. Although the club grazed the back of Tian Luo’s head without a solid hit, it caused him to grimace in pain. Meanwhile, Xu Hong, who had launched the surprise attack, fell flat on the ground. After raising the club to strike, his ankle was caught by someone lying on the ground, causing him to stumble instead of landing a full hit.

“Ah!” The shopkeeper Zhang, hiding nearby, looked on helplessly and somewhat pityingly at Xu Hong, seemingly regretting having handed over the wooden club earlier, shaking his head repeatedly.

Beside him, Liu Sheng couldn’t help but smile at the scene. It wasn’t that she was unafraid of the surrounding brutal fight, but the antics of Xu Hong and Tian Luo were simply too comical.

“You, you just wait!” Tian Luo clutched his head with both hands and dashed toward the door, still shouting curses at Xu Hong, who had just ambushed him. However, as he ran out, his arms blocked his view, and his foot caught on the door sill, causing him to cry out again as he tumbled forward.

Prepared for a hard landing, Tian Luo was surprised to find his body caught. Even his arms protecting his head struck something soft rather than hard. He was both startled and relieved, but then a strong force threw him aside, and he inevitably hit the ground again.

“You, you useless…” As he got up, Tian Luo pointed accusingly at the culprit standing at the music store’s entrance, ready to curse, but stopped abruptly, stunned. “Cao, Cao Si? Cao Chen?!”

“You idiot!” Cao Si sneered coldly, spat out the words, then stepped over the threshold, drawing the Tang knife in his hand.

“Young master! Young master!” Tian Luo suddenly became excited, ignoring Cao Si’s insult. Crowding back into the music store with Cao Si, Cao Hai, and their men, he shouted eagerly to the besieged Tian Xiangwen, “The Cao family’s here to help!”

“Damn it! Are you crazy?” Tian Xiangwen roared, furious at Tian Luo for making such a foolish announcement. Though the Tian and Cao families were politically allied, their heirs were hardly on friendly terms. Tian Luo’s declaration only put Tian Xiangwen in a position of owing the Cao family a favor.

“Tian young master, we’re just lending a hand casually. No need to take it to heart!” Cao Chen bowed slightly toward Tian Xiangwen, fully aware of the complicated relationship between the two families. Even though they had to help now, Cao Chen had no intention of cozying up—they clearly didn’t expect gratitude.

“Looks like you’re fighting for this woman too!” Cao Si’s gaze swept the room, passing over Liu Sheng before locking onto Tian Xiangwen with a contemptuous smile. He then shook his head toward Cao Chen and said, “I’ll help in the fight; you take care of the woman.”

“Let’s go!” Cao Chen nodded and commanded sharply. Over ten men inside and outside the door drew their short knives and followed Cao Si toward a corner of the battle. Cao Chen, with two men, walked leisurely toward Liu Sheng, softly warning, “Miss Liu Sheng, I hope you cooperate. If you get hurt, it won’t be easy for us to explain.”

Though Cao Chen smiled, Liu Sheng clearly sensed the menace beneath it. Her skirt swayed as she slowly stepped backward, her body trembling slightly. Her face was etched with panic, her fear unmistakable.

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Xu Hong, who stood before Liu Sheng, had lost his earlier bravado. His steps followed Liu Sheng’s retreat, unable to resist the overwhelming pressure radiating from Cao Chen. Unlike Tian Luo’s earlier defiance, Cao Chen, holding a gleaming Tang knife, completely crushed Xu Hong’s fighting spirit.

“Don’t, don’t come any closer! Stop, stop!” Despite fear, Xu Hong gripped his hands before his chest, trembling as he warned Cao Chen, “If you come any closer, I won’t hold back!”

“Are you saying you’ll use that broken club against me without mercy?” Cao Chen stopped, amused by Xu Hong’s words. Though he found them funny, he secretly admired Xu Hong. The man appeared weak and fragile, yet he stood tall before him, trembling but unbowed. In Cao Chen’s eyes, this was far braver than the usual cowards who preyed on the weak.

“Xu Hong! Protect sister-in-law and run! Use the back door!” Saiyijade, already demoralized in his fight with Tian Xiangwen, now faced even greater peril as Cao Si and his reinforcements joined. Two of Saiyijade’s men fell, and he himself was in grave danger, but he still remembered Ding Li’s advice when leaving Guangzhou.

Momentarily distracted, Tian Xiangwen seized the opening. With a swift upward flick of his short knife, he slashed Saiyijade’s side, drawing blood. But Saiyijade, wounded, pressed forward, gritting his teeth as he swung his knife toward Tian’s chest. This strike exposed his entire back.

“Pfft! Pfft!”

Cao Si and a subordinate took the chance, ruthlessly slashing at Saiyijade’s back. Meanwhile, Tian Xiangwen, retreating hastily, was caught off guard as Saiyijade lost balance and stabbed his short knife straight into Tian’s armpit.

“Pfft!”

Blood sprayed forth, and though Saiyijade bled from his mouth, he grinned fiercely at the knife embedded in Tian Xiangwen. Blood dripped from his teeth, the stark white of his teeth contrasting with the red. The gruesome sight stunned Tian, leaving him frozen and numb to pain.

Xu Hong wanted to flee, but Saiyijade’s warning put Cao Chen and the others on alert. A man behind Cao Chen immediately dashed forward, blocking the door to the back room with a machete, watching the panicked Xu Hong and Liu Sheng with amusement.

“Don’t even think about it, Miss Liu Sheng. Today, you’re not flying away even if you sprout wings! Resistance is useless!” Cao Chen sneered, confident that everything was under control. Glancing at Xu Hong, he shook his head slightly and said in a coaxing tone, “Stop struggling. If you stand aside quietly, I can guarantee you’ll leave safely.”

“Impossible!” Xu Hong shook his head repeatedly, perhaps refusing to believe escape was futile or unwilling to give up. Suddenly, a strange expression flickered in his fearful eyes, then his face hardened with resolve. Raising the wooden club high, he turned toward the man blocking the back door and shouted, “As the ancient saying goes, a warrior dies for his confidant! Brother Li has treated me well! How could I just abandon him...”

“Bang!”

The sound of impact echoed sharply.