Chapter 68: Life and Death, No Matter the Cost!

Liu Shengang finished off the remaining few men, and before he could catch his breath, he heard Yu Shan’s urgent shout and saw Hu Da lunging toward the carriage.

His pupils contracted sharply—he instantly understood Hu Da’s intention.

Pei Xueyan was as defenseless as a lamb; that was exactly why she had hidden inside the carriage, never daring to show herself. If she were to fall into Hu Da’s hands, it would spell unimaginable trouble!

“Come on, then!!”

Liu Shengang’s eyes burned red with fury, shot through with fine veins of blood. He took three strides in two, gave a thunderous shout, and once more unleashed “Heaven and Earth in One Lifespan,” cleaving down at Hu Da with his blade!

“Out of my way!”

Hu Da, seeing that some upstart who had just broken into the Second Realm dared block his path, surged with inner force and swept his long blade dismissively. He was certain that no mere Second Realm martial artist—let alone a novice—could withstand this strike. The boy would be lucky if he and his sword weren’t severed clean in two!

Clang!

Steel clashed in midair with a shrill ring. Both men’s faces changed at once.

Liu Shengang’s blade snapped with the impact, his face flushed crimson, and he spat a mouthful of blood as he was hurled backward. Yet Hu Da, his face full of disbelief, was shaken back half a step, his expression shifting drastically—he had clearly underestimated the momentum and technique behind Liu Shengang’s strike.

He was shaken, not only by the fact that a mere novice had survived a blow from him, but also by the implications of being forced back that half step.

A wet, sickening sound reached Hu Da’s ears, and for a moment he was dazed.

It was the sound of steel passing through flesh—a sound he had heard too many times, one all too familiar, yet somehow, this time, it seemed different.

His movements stiffened as he lowered his head. Only when he saw a sharp blade’s tip emerging from his own chest did realization dawn. He crumpled to the ground...

A crimson pool spread beneath Hu Da’s body as the light faded from his eyes, and he thought: So this time, the blade passed through me...

Yu Shan surveyed the scene—no one left alive. He saw Liu Shengang, collapsed on the ground, using his broken blade as a crutch to haul himself up and hurried over to help.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m... I’m fine...”

Liu Shengang’s face was as pale as gold leaf. As he was helped up, his head swam; it ached fiercely, yet felt disconnected, as if it no longer belonged to him. He sensed that if he closed his eyes, he might fall asleep forever...

Forcing himself to remain alert, he wiped the blood from his mouth.

Yu Shan, frowning deeply at his condition, said, “You don’t look fine to me.”

“It’s just spent some spirit—nothing serious…”

Liu Shengang waved off the concern and hurriedly climbed onto the carriage. Lifting the curtain, he was met by a pair of swollen, red eyes and outstretched arms...

Pei Xueyan threw herself into his embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.

It seemed that only in Liu Shengang’s arms could she feel warmth; only there could she feel safe; only there could she be sure the world had not abandoned her.

“Don’t be afraid... don’t be afraid...”

Liu Shengang gently patted her back, mustering his strength to tease, “I’m soaked, and it’s still raining outside. Be careful you don’t smear your makeup.”

Pei Xueyan, sniffling, looked up with eyes full of dependence and love. “Is my makeup ruined? Do I look ugly?”

“Not at all...”

Liu Shengang smiled and shook his head, then looked into her eyes and said earnestly, “The beauty is you, not your makeup; what runs is the paint, not your soul.”

Pei Xueyan bit her lip. Were it not for Yu Shan’s presence, she might have already expressed that surging love in a more passionate exchange...

Yu Shan coughed awkwardly nearby, lowering his bamboo hat to cover his face. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but this is Xiyang County, and we’re in the heart of the Thousand Leaf Gang’s territory.”

He paused, then warned seriously, “We fought for quite some time. There’s no guarantee someone hasn’t gone to report. If so, the gang could already be on their way.”

A chill crept up Liu Shengang’s spine at the words...

Yu Shan wasted no time, hurrying to the stables to fetch two sturdy, swift horses. He brought them to Liu Shengang. “The carriage is too slow. We need to leave the county’s borders as quickly as possible.”

“Let’s go!”

Liu Shengang recognized the gravity of the situation. Rain be damned. He grabbed two hats—one for Pei Xueyan, one for himself.

He lifted Pei Xueyan onto the horse, mounted behind her, wrapped one arm around her slender waist, took the reins in his other hand, and spurred the horse out of the Thousand Leaf Gang’s stronghold.

Yu Shan vaulted onto his horse and followed.

They had barely left the compound when, in the rain-shrouded night, they saw distant figures approaching.

Yu Shan’s face fell. He slapped the rump of Liu Shengang’s horse with the flat of his blade and shouted, “Go!”

The horse, stung, bolted at a gallop. Fortunately, Liu Shengang had spent years as a porter on the docks, often dealing with horses, cattle, and donkeys. Settling himself, he spurred the horse on into the rain.

Yu Shan did the same with his own horse, racing after him.

The two startled horses thundered forward, carrying the trio into the boundless curtain of rain...

At that very moment, the leader of the Thousand Leaf Gang, having received word from his men, arrived with his entourage. Even before reaching the stronghold, he saw two horses fleeing into the storm.

Zuo Shaosong’s thick brows rose—something felt wrong. He used his lightness skill, bounding like a hare to the front gate.

Before he even stepped inside, his face had darkened.

Behind him, the rest of the gang arrived. Upon seeing the two abandoned carriages and scattered corpses—over a dozen bodies—the waterlogged ground stained crimson, all of them sucked in sharp breaths.

Zuo Shaosong stood at the threshold, face black as thunder, not stepping inside.

His lieutenants, well-versed in his moods, entered to check for any survivors. Two others dragged a trembling underling to kneel before Zuo Shaosong.

“Boss, I’m telling the truth!” The informant kowtowed desperately. “Hall Master Hu... he really did catch a fat sheep, said he’d squeeze at least a hundred thousand taels out of it!”

Zuo Shaosong just closed his eyes and took a deep, controlled breath. His lieutenant, catching the signal, slapped the underling hard across the face. “This is the fat sheep Hu Da nabbed on the side?” he snarled, jabbing toward the carnage.

“I...”

The underling, face twisted in pain, wept bitterly, “Boss, please believe me! I saw Hall Master Hu bring people back and went to report. I have no idea what happened here!”

He got a few more slaps for his trouble before someone who had searched the courtyard returned, shaking his head at Zuo Shaosong—no one left alive.

“Enough, it’s not his fault...” Zuo Shaosong sighed, glancing at the direction the two horses had fled. “The ones who killed our brothers just left.”

“Mount up, brothers!”

His lieutenants ran to the stables, cursing. “When has our Thousand Leaf Gang ever suffered such humiliation?”

“If we don’t get justice for this, we’ll be the laughingstock of Xiyang County!”

“Damn that Hu Da, trying to hog the loot—he deserved to die! But for outsiders to kill on our turf and get away with it, we can’t swallow this!”

Zuo Shaosong looked up at the rain, grinding his teeth. “What a perfect night for a downpour!”

“After them! Dead or alive—I don’t care!”