Chapter 102: A Three-Way Struggle

A thunderous crash echoed as the already fragile wooden door leading to the back room shattered into splinters. A heavy foot burst through the fragments, delivering a brutal kick to the small of the back of the man blocking the door. A sharp crack resonated, and the man’s body bent unnaturally, performing a motion no ordinary person could manage. He emitted a brief, agonized scream before collapsing weakly onto the floor.

Amidst the falling debris, Ding Li strode into the instrument shop and raised his hand to stop Xu Hong, who was pounding a wooden stick down with tightly shut eyes. Seeing the complex expression on Xu Hong’s face, Ding Li smiled faintly. “Don’t worry! You won’t die!”

“Sheng’er, go to the back!” Without waiting for a response, Ding Li flung the still-dazed Xu Hong behind him, leapt to stand beside Liu Sheng, bent slightly, and wrapped his arm around her slender waist. Turning, he placed her gently before the shattered door. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Sheng’s tear-filled eyes shifted to the side. Before Ding Li could turn, she sobbed, “Brother Li, Saiyi… he’s dead…”

Liu Sheng wasn’t certain if Saiyi was truly dead, but she had clearly witnessed the brutal blows he had taken from several cleavers. She thus assumed with tragic certainty that he had perished.

“What?!” Ding Li’s face darkened in shock. According to the intelligence he had received, Saiyi had gone to the docks, while the Cao family had men waiting at Zhang’s instrument shop to intercept and kidnap Liu Sheng. Following her gaze, Ding Li immediately spotted Saiyi lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by several familiar faces—frequent companions of Saiyi.

“Ding Li?!” Cao Chen on the opposite side also reacted, surprised yet somewhat delighted to see Ding Li suddenly appear before him. For days, he had dreamed of avenging his brothers, Cao Yin and Cao Hai. Shouting sharply, a murderous gleam flashing in his eyes, he swung his long, cold Tang Dao diagonally and yelled, “Cao Si! Young Master Tian! Ding Li is here!”

Ding Li remained calm in the face of the attack. He dodged a step back, then casually tore off a small wooden plank from the damaged door behind him and flung it. Startled, Cao Chen hurriedly stepped back and raised his sword sideways to block.

“Follow Xu Hong! There are reinforcements behind!” Ding Li pushed Liu Sheng gently while glancing at her tear-streaked face. A sudden urgency flickered in his eyes, mingled with a complex emotion. Swiftly turning back, his gaze deepened once again, and a sharp Tang Dao appeared in his hand, its chilling blade gleaming menacingly.

Cao Chen’s shouts failed to ruffle Ding Li; instead, he felt lighter, resolute. Since they wanted his life, he would pay no mind to the bloodied Saiyi lying on the ground. As long as Saiyi still had breath, Ding Li was confident he could get him out safely.

Just as Ding Li predicted, Cao Si and the wounded Tian Xiangwen quickly shifted their focus. But what they saw was Ding Li already locked in combat with Cao Chen. Both men inwardly trembled—Cao Si knew well Cao Chen’s skill, yet after only a few moves, Cao Chen was reduced to blocking and parrying, unable to strike back. Even Tian Xiangwen was shocked. Though he disliked the Cao family, Cao Chen was a formidable fighter in his eyes. Seeing him so restrained by Ding Li made the injured Tian Xiangwen hesitate, unsure whether to rush in.

“Young Master Tian! Are you hesitating?” Seeing this, Cao Si shouted at Tian Xiangwen before charging at Ding Li, as if warning him.

Ding Li had truly gone ruthless. Of Cao Chen’s two men, one had his waist broken by a single kick, and the other, who had tried to block Ding Li earlier, lost an arm to a swift cut. Both lay on the ground wailing in pain.

Even Cao Chen was faring poorly. After a dozen moves, though uninjured, Ding Li’s relentless pressure made him realize he was at his limit. After absorbing two fierce strikes, Cao Chen felt his familiar Tang Dao suddenly alien and unbearably heavy—his arm moved mechanically, no longer under his control, as if it was no longer part of his body.

“Ding Li! Return my brother’s life!” Cao Si roared, closing in and swinging his Tang Dao straight at Ding Li’s forehead, a strike filled with fury and hatred.

Unfortunately for Cao Si, Ding Li had no interest in a head-on clash. He sidestepped swiftly, then reversed the Tang Dao he had just drawn back, swinging it at Cao Chen. But Ding Li frowned as Cao Si clung to him like a stubborn leech, and when Ding Li’s strike missed, Cao Si countered with an upward slash to his waist.

“Get lost!” Ding Li exploded with rage and, gripping his sword with both hands, twisted the blade to meet Cao Si’s equally sharp Tang Dao.

Sparks flew as the blades clashed. Without hesitation, Ding Li lifted his sword horizontally at chest height, sweeping it toward Cao Si’s throat.

“Die!” Unexpectedly, Cao Chen made a desperate move, swinging his weapon at Ding Li’s shoulder with gritted teeth, as if he wished to swallow him whole.

Ding Li knew this strike could be light or deadly. A light blow might injure tendons or bones, but a heavy one could sever the major artery in the neck—certain death.

Acknowledging this, Ding Li abandoned his attack on Cao Si. But as he dodged, Cao Si twisted his wrist and slashed diagonally with the back edge of his blade.

“Get away!” Ding Li bellowed, frowning deeply. He deflected the blade sideways and his eyes cooled. Yet inside, a calmness settled. Cao Si and Cao Hai fought with seamless coordination. Though they struggled against Ding Li, their flawless teamwork kept him from unleashing his full strength to kill either of them.

“Young Master Tian! What are you waiting for?!” Frustrated, Cao Si shouted angrily during a brief opening, but before the words finished, Ding Li seized the chance: forcing Cao Chen back with a slash, then spinning to kick Cao Si’s shoulder. Cao Si staggered several steps, breaking the pincer formation he and Cao Chen had maintained.

Ding Li would never let such a perfect opportunity slip. Cao Chen seemed to realize his doom, ignoring pride and retreating several steps, gasping as he ordered his non-participating men behind him, “Go! Kill him! The young master will reward handsomely!”

But those present had clearly witnessed Ding Li’s prowess; no one believed they could fell him. So, deliberately or not, they ignored the latter half of Cao Chen’s promise and instead gingerly advanced with weapons drawn.

Suddenly, a fierce gust swept by. Ding Li instinctively shifted his body aside, nullifying Cao Chen’s attack. Yet his left sleeve was cut an inch wide by the wind’s edge, and a chill crept up.

Turning, Tian Xiangwen launched another fierce assault, seemingly seeking revenge for the wound Saiyi had inflicted on him earlier. Yet he showed no sign of injury, attacking with swift, relentless strikes.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged several blows. Ding Li shook off his earlier shock, stopped retreating, and raised his sword horizontally before his chest, bracing for a heavy downward strike from Tian Xiangwen.

Clang!

The clash of two fine blades sent a shiver through the onlookers, but Ding Li and Tian Xiangwen were even more astonished. Both had expected to overpower the other with this strike and counterattack, yet they each staggered back two steps, eyes wide with disbelief.

When Ding Li glanced at Tian Xiangwen’s armpit wound, his fading shock surged anew. Though Tian Xiangwen had been the aggressor, the recoil he felt was as severe as Ding Li’s. That a wounded man could stand toe-to-toe with Ding Li and only retreat two steps amazed him deeply.

For Tian Xiangwen, Ding Li’s name was familiar but never taken seriously. Rumors spoke of Ding Li single-handedly dismantling a gang of hundreds at the docks and defeating several of the Cao family’s fiercest warriors, yet they had never met directly. Tian Xiangwen had paid little attention until now. After this strike, his eyes revealed not only surprise but also caution and a subtle hint of admiration.

“So you are Ding Li? Perhaps the rumors in the marketplace are not entirely false,” Tian Xiangwen muttered thoughtfully, his fingers twitching but halting his attack. Besides the pain in his wounds and hand, the stories about Ding Li replayed in his mind.

“Young Master Tian!” Sensing something unusual in Tian Xiangwen’s tone, Cao Si and Cao Chen exchanged uneasy glances. Especially Cao Si, whose face darkened as he warned loudly, “Don’t forget! Ding Li is a Zhang family man, an enemy of the Cao family, and also your Tian family’s sworn foe!”

“You need not remind me if he’s our enemy!” Tian Xiangwen frowned, unwilling to agree. He shot a cold glare at Cao Si, disdain thick in his voice. “If you’ve got the guts, come at me now. Let’s see how you fare!”

“You! You—” Cao Si flared up but dared no more than glare. Though Tian Xiangwen was alone, Cao Si had no courage to cross him further.

“Brother Li! Brother Li!” From behind the broken door, anxious shouts rang out. Soon, members of the Nanhai Gang poured in through the back entrance, pressing close around Ding Li with fierce resolve. Each gripped a sharp weapon, blades mercilessly pointed at the Cao family’s men.

“Get the wounded brothers out first!” Seeing the reinforcements arrive, Ding Li breathed a sigh of relief. He flicked his head toward the bloodied Saiyi and others sprawled on the ground, his face grim as he issued a firm command.