Chapter 80: Blade in Hand, Mounting the Steed!

Liu Shen looked up to see the beauty bracing herself on the bed, gazing at him with a bright, playful smile. Her charming pose was exactly like that of a coquettish young woman waiting for praise.

“So beautiful…”

Though he possessed the wisdom of past lives and considered himself well-versed in the ways of the world, the sight before his eyes still seemed to capture his very soul. Bowing his head, he pressed a gentle kiss to the arch of her foot.

Pei Xueyan seemed to shudder as if touched by an electric current, her slim arch tensing and her ten pearl-like toes instinctively curling.

“Is it beautiful?” she asked, biting her lip lightly as she lifted her foot. Her toes traced a path from his palm to his wrist, then slowly up his forearm, to his shoulder, neck, jaw, and finally brushed teasingly across his lips before resting lightly on the tip of his nose. With a playful scold and a radiant smile, she said, “Silly man…”

Liu Shen caught her mischievous foot, feeling a fire kindling deep within him. That heat seemed to sear his veins, making his breathing ragged and his mind dizzy with longing. In a flash, he wanted nothing more than to pounce, to press this teasing woman beneath him and punish her thoroughly.

But before he could move, another delicate foot pressed against his chest, halting him.

“No, you mustn’t.” Pei Xueyan’s swirling eyes seemed spun with silk, yet her tone turned plaintive as she asked, “When will my chaste hero reach the fourth realm?”

Liu Shen’s breath caught at her words. At the mention of “the fourth realm,” the veins that had stood out neither on his arm nor his brow now throbbed furiously in both places. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his hands, but he drew a deep breath and replied with some resentment, “Pei Xueyan, you’re doing this on purpose!”

“I’m not…” Pei Xueyan pouted, looking aggrieved. “Everyone says out with the old, in with the new. I heard from Xiao Fei you’d recovered enough to get out of bed days ago, but you never came by. I was worried some fox spirit had already bewitched you…”

“Nonsense!” Liu Shen’s face twitched as he brushed her foot from his chest and gripped her chin. Staring into her flustered eyes, he growled, “Pei Xueyan, I’m burning up right now!”

With that, he crushed his lips to hers.

Pei Xueyan, seeing his forceful embrace and greedy kisses, seemed to melt, letting out a soft moan as she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded with equal fervor.

From the terror of that stormy night, to the anxious helplessness following Liu Shen’s injury and coma, to the frustration after awakening under the pressure of Ning Sanniang, it seemed all the negative emotions dissolved in this passionate kiss.

They lost themselves in each other, not stopping even when their lips had swollen.

Suddenly, a loud knocking sounded at the door, followed by Yuan Xiaofei’s voice: “Brother Shen, someone from the dock is looking for you. The boss is back and wants to discuss some matters.”

Hearing the voice outside, the two reluctantly released each other.

Pei Xueyan gently wiped his lips, smiling, “Go on, if there’s important business, don’t keep them waiting.”

“Mm.” Liu Shen nodded slightly. “If I’m right, the meeting will be to discuss when we’re heading to Xiyang County.”

He paused, then added with meaning, “I might also stop by the Pei family on the way.”

At the mention of her family, Pei Xueyan’s heart skipped a beat, but she reached out to caress his face and smiled, “Be careful. Don’t get hurt again.”

“Of course!” Liu Shen grinned. “You might not know yet, but I’ve become a fellow disciple with the deputy leader of the Green Sand Gang. She’s my senior now. With her along, nothing will go wrong on this journey.”

“Fellow disciple… senior? Do you mean that Ning Sanniang who treated your wounds last time?”

“That’s right.” Liu Shen nodded, smiling. “As for the connection I share with my senior, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you when there’s time.”

With that, he said his farewell and left.

Pei Xueyan bit her swollen lip, staring blankly after him, her face full of longing and a trace of hidden resentment. She whispered as if making a vow, “Even a senior doesn’t matter—he’s mine…”

Unaware of the rivalry between Pei Xueyan and Ning Sanniang, Liu Shen made his way swiftly to the main hall of the Green Sand Gang.

Inside the council hall, Ning Hongwu and Ning Sanniang sat at the head of the room. On either side were four armchairs each, occupied by the leaders and deputy leaders of the gang’s four branches. Behind them sat many more seats, filled with lesser captains from each branch.

There were at least fifty or sixty people present.

As Liu Shen entered, dozens of eyes turned on him in unison. Even with his composure, he felt a chill creep up his scalp. He cupped his hands in greeting to both sides, smiling, “I was delayed by some matters. Brothers, I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“No worries, no worries…” Qian Yousheng waved him off with a mischievous grin. “We’re all brothers here. No need for formalities.”

“It’s nothing…” Ning Hongwu also chuckled, waving for him to take a seat. “You’re the last—sit down.”

Liu Shen couldn’t shake the odd looks everyone was giving him, though he couldn’t quite place why. Spotting his senior at the head of the room deliberately looking away, he grew even more suspicious.

He seated himself cautiously beside Feng Jun.

No sooner had he sat than the entire hall—Ning Hongwu and Ning Sanniang included—rose to their feet in perfect unison.

Liu Shen’s face twitched. “Are you all playing a joke on me?” he muttered under his breath.

He was about to rise as well when Feng Jun clamped a hand on his shoulder, pinning him down, and then began to peel back his collar.

“Brothers!” Feng Jun called out, holding Liu Shen in place and baring his shoulder for all to see. “Look at this new flesh on Vice Leader Liu’s shoulder!”

“Half a month ago, that patch of skin was still a gaping wound!”

“Half a month ago, Vice Leader Liu went to Xiyang County on business. The dogs from the Thousand Leaf Gang launched a sneak attack and wounded one of our own!”

“Our Vice Leader Liu nearly lost his life because of it!”

“We all know what kind of scum the Thousand Leaf Gang is in these parts…”

“Liu Shen is my right hand. I won’t show favoritism. But let me ask you all: if you were ambushed and almost killed, wouldn’t you be furious?!”

“Furious!”

“Let’s slaughter those Thousand Leaf bastards!”

“This isn’t the first time the Thousand Leaf Gang has crossed us, is it?”

“All those bastards know is underhanded tricks and sneak attacks—they have no real skills!”

The uproar in the hall threatened to bring down the roof, the men shouting and cursing as though they themselves were the ones wounded.

“Silence!” Ning Hongwu called, and the hall immediately quieted. He spoke solemnly, “Some of the old hands here will remember: before the Green Sand Gang rose to power, the Thousand Leaf Gang oppressed us at every turn.”

“Now those wretches have lost all sense of honor, attacking us from the shadows—not just anyone, but our Green Sand brothers!”

“Recently, I and the branch leaders have been preparing something. I won’t hide it any longer—we’re going to destroy the Thousand Leaf Gang.”

“Xiyang County is a hundred miles from here. This time, I’ll only take our elite. We’ll wipe them out!”

“First, it’ll vent the anger of myself, our veterans, and Vice Leader Liu.”

“Second, as the Green Sand Gang grows, I trust none of you wish to remain confined to this little Heyang County. We need to make our name known far and wide!”

“This will be our cross-border campaign to destroy a rival gang!”

“Some of us may die on this journey.”

“But I, Ning Hongwu, swear: should any brother fall, his family becomes my family! As long as I draw breath, they will never go hungry!”

“And for those who survive? Think carefully—once we’ve swept the underworld of Xiyang County, who will lead the new branch there? Who will take charge of its fat post? Who will manage its men?”

No sooner had he finished than the hall erupted once more—some laughing, some boasting, some flexing their fists, all eager for action. Not a single one showed any fear.

“Enough talk!” Ning Hongwu waved his hand and strode from the council hall towards the stables, grumbling, “Damn it, the more I talk, the more fired up I get.”

“There’s no time like the present…” Feng Jun followed, calling out, “Let’s go now—we’ll slaughter those Thousand Leaf bastards tonight for a bit of fun!”

Liu Shen buttoned his shirt and followed, shouting as he went, “Brothers, grab your blades and mount up!”

“Blades drawn! To the horses!”