Chapter 33: Overwhelming with Power, Exhilarating and Unrestrained!

Liu Shen’s pupils shrank abruptly. Before he could react, he vaguely heard several shrill screams coming from the hall at the wharf!

A tingling numbness crept across his scalp…

After hearing those terrifying screams, he didn’t need to think—something had certainly gone wrong in the wharf’s hall!

This time, Qingsha Gang wasn’t just putting on a show to gather men; they had come for real.

In his four years working at the wharf, Liu Shen had never witnessed a real gang fight, but he’d heard the old-timers describe just how brutal such clashes could be…

He wanted to slip away while chaos erupted, but when he saw torches blazing at every exit leading out of the wharf, his steps faltered.

After warnings from the authorities in Anqing Prefecture, both Chishui Gang and Qingsha Gang had kept the peace for years. Now that Qingsha Gang dared to attack Chishui Gang’s wharf hall in the night, they must have planned this thoroughly!

Torches at every exit—clearly the wharf was sealed off. Trying to escape now would be running straight into a trap!

Liu Shen’s brow throbbed as he made up his mind in a flash and dashed toward the wharf…

The canal connected the two rivers and three waterways within the Da Qian realm, the current mighty and relentless. Qingsha Gang was merely a local faction in Heyang County—no matter their cunning, they could never seal off the water routes!

As long as he could reach the water’s edge, he could row away in a small boat—or in the worst case, leap into the river!

The laborers’ quarters lay just over a mile from the wharf, and Liu Shen was in the small woods behind the compound. The hall run by Chishui Gang was right beside the quarters, so going by the main road was too risky—he had to take a detour…

“Qingsha Gang is attacking!”

“Qingsha Gang is attacking!!”

The earlier screams were followed by a chorus of shouts: “Qingsha Gang is attacking!” The once-quiet compound instantly erupted in chaos.

While everyone else panicked, Liu Shen crept to the earthen wall at the back of the courtyard, climbed up using some stones for leverage, and swung himself onto the wall…

But before he could jump down, he saw two burly men outside, blue cloth bands tied around their arms—

He’d once been conscripted himself and knew at a glance that blue meant Qingsha Gang.

The two men had just received orders to patrol the rear, making sure no one slipped away to spread news. Since they were guarding the laborers’ quarters instead of the hall, they felt little pressure and, having just arrived, decided to relieve themselves by the trees.

They hadn’t even taken their birds out when a shadow suddenly leaped atop the wall.

They were stunned—

So was Liu Shen, seeing that they hadn’t expected him. Without hesitation, he sprang down, driving his mountain-cleaving knife at one of them.

Four years of porter work had built his strength; now, after cultivating the “Boy’s Skill” and “Mad Demon Saber Technique,” and with the momentum from his leap, his blade crashed down—before the gang member could even react, the knife sliced from neck to waist, splitting the man clean in two!

Warm blood spattered over him…

The other man, seeing his companion die so suddenly, was struck with terror. He swung his knife at the just-landed Liu Shen—

Liu Shen, having just landed, rolled aside, using the momentum to deflect the attack, and brought his blade up to guard.

Steel clashed in the air with a screeching ring!

A fighter!?

Liu Shen’s face paled; having landed, he was off-balance and nearly forced to his knees by the force of that blow.

From the shock transmitted along his blade, he could tell the man was a fighter—likely, like himself, not yet at the second level.

A half-trained fighter!

Liu Shen knew himself well; had the man been a true second-level fighter, that furious blow would have been impossible to block!

He still had a chance!

As he considered this, the Qingsha Gang fighter, seeing his fierce attack blocked, suddenly lashed out with a kick toward Liu Shen’s face.

Liu Shen realized he was out of time to dodge—he could either raise his arm to take the kick head-on, or…

Trade injury for injury!

Recalling the savagery of the “Mad Demon Saber Technique,” his brow throbbed and a web of red appeared in his eyes.

As the kick flew at his face, Liu Shen ignored it, gritting his teeth and thrusting his knife straight for the man’s groin!

You kick my face, I slice your groin!

Your kick might not kill me, but my blade will surely take away your future as a man!

The fighter realized Liu Shen’s intention mid-move and cursed, “You little bastard!”

Perhaps feeling victory was assured and unwilling to risk injury, or simply reacting on instinct, the man twisted his kick aside at the last instant, striking Liu Shen’s wrist instead.

Liu Shen’s blade was knocked askew, but he didn’t look disappointed—instead, a sly smile crept onto his face.

The tide has turned!

Still crouched, Liu Shen saw the fighter’s balance falter after the change of move. With his left hand, he seized the man’s ankle and yanked upward.

With his enemy toppling, Liu Shen endured the pain in his wrist, sprang up, and brought down his blade.

Within mere seconds, he shifted from defense to offense.

Though his internal energy still couldn’t flow freely, and his saber skills were little more than farmhand’s bluster, after grasping the concept of “pressing with momentum” from Master Song, his aura was altogether different!

The fighter, sprawling on the ground, managed to block several strikes, but soon revealed an opening. Liu Shen’s blade bit into his neck, spraying blood across the trees.

Only after two more blows to make sure he was dead did Liu Shen wipe the blood from his face and rub his aching wrist.

Hearing commotion in the distance, he dared not linger—he seized his knife and ran for the wharf…

He was nearly there, not yet daring to breathe easy, when he glimpsed a disheveled figure fleeing toward him.

Behind this figure, two groups were also closing in!

Liu Shen froze, recognizing the fleeing man as none other than Zhang Shichen. In the two groups behind, one man shot ahead, skimming over the grass.

Zhang Shichen, seeing his own father arriving with lightness skill, cried out with a tremulous voice as if seeing a savior, “Father, save me!!”

But when he saw a heroic woman in fitted clothes, with cloth strips wrapped about her fists, breaking from the other group and charging toward him, his face turned to abject terror…

He knew who she was!

Ning Sanniang, the Qingsha Gang leader’s sister, a fourth-level fighter who had returned from studying under a strange master, known on the jianghu as “Little Flying General” and “Iron Lady.”

With his father coming to save him and Ning Sanniang also bearing down, Zhang Shichen’s legs nearly gave out—he almost collapsed on the spot…

He was even more terrified than before seeing his father, wailing as he ran, “Father, save me! Save me!!”

Liu Shen took in his pitiful state and cursed inwardly—by some cruel twist, this fool was bringing everyone right to him.

The two groups chasing Zhang Shichen—one was led by Zhang Wannian, the Chishui Gang boss; the other, obviously, was Qingsha Gang.

And from Zhang Shichen’s terror, it was clear the young, heroic woman was a master on par with his father.

Liu Shen knew he’d be discovered in moments. Zhang Wannian was here for his son and wouldn’t care for a nobody like him.

As a Chishui Gang dockworker, now stained with Qingsha Gang blood, if he didn’t act, Ning Sanniang would likely kill him in passing.

A dead end!

In a flash, Liu Shen saw a sliver of hope in the fleeing Zhang Shichen.

He licked his parched lips, then, dropping all pretense, waved and shouted, “Young master, over here! I’ll hold them off for you!”

Zhang Shichen, seeing someone ahead, was startled—then, hearing the words, his face lit up with joy.

If someone could just stall Ning Sanniang for a moment, even a single breath, his father’s odds of saving him would increase greatly.

“Good, good!” Zhang Shichen exclaimed, running and shouting, “Hold that woman back! I’ll tell my father to make you deputy leader of Chishui Gang!”

“Young master, hurry!” Liu Shen called, stepping forward and supporting the stumbling Zhang Shichen, urging him to go on. As Zhang Shichen passed by, Liu Shen’s mountain-cleaving knife swept at the back of his knee!

At the edge of life and death, Zhang Shichen never expected such a turn.

His body lunged forward, but a leg remained behind. He fell face-first, and only then did the pain hit—he howled, trying to crawl up…

“Your wild father…” Liu Shen, seeing him still struggling, raised his knife and hacked down, eyes red with fury. “Has come to send you to hell!”

“You little fiend, this cut is for all the girls you ruined to death!”

“You…”

“My good son, this cut is for all those at the docks you whipped!”

“…”

“This one’s for the half year I’ve had to put up with the sight of you!”

Three blows finally vented his pent-up rage. Gasping for breath, Liu Shen spat on Zhang Shichen’s corpse and cursed, “I’ve fought for scraps like a stray dog since I was thirteen, finally became half a man, and you, you little lord, dare say I’m just gutter trash? You think you’re worthy?”

With that, he kicked the corpse for good measure…

Only after three blows and a kick did Zhang Wannian, racing up, come to his senses. Eyes bloodshot, he roared and charged.

“Thief! Give me back my son!”

But before he could strike, a fist wrapped in white cloth hammered his side, sending him flying and spitting blood.

He looked up to see his only son lifeless and Ning Sanniang standing between him and the killer, her eyes amused. Blood trickled from his mouth, rage and grief flooding his eyes.

He fixed Liu Shen with a deathly stare and demanded, “Thief, if you have guts, give me your name!”

Liu Shen could feel it—in killing Zhang Shichen before Zhang Wannian’s eyes, the aura he’d built had reached its zenith. He could not keep silent.

He recalled the lesson: “Those who force with strength are despicable; those who oppress with momentum are true heroes.”

Now, with someone shielding him, and the old fox powerless as his son died before his eyes—was this not the height of his own momentum?

Was this not the time to press his advantage?

Dripping blade in hand, Liu Shen, eyes red, grinned at Zhang Wannian and said, “My name is Liu Shen—the ‘Shen’ that teaches your son caution in word and deed.”

…