Come Up Here and Meet Your Death!

"Has Li Xian arrived?"

Zhang Yangming asked impatiently, turning to his subordinates.

"We haven't seen hide nor hair of that brat."

"Maybe he's too scared to show up."

"That's possible. Very possible."

"If I were him, I'd probably be halfway out of Yangzhou City by now. What would I still be doing here, coming to fight?"

"Hahahaha..."

Hearing his subordinates' teasing, Zhang Yangming couldn't help laughing smugly.

Over the past two days, he had become increasingly certain that Li Xian was the one who'd killed his son.

It was a strange sort of feeling.

He had no proof, yet he was sure.

It was the instinct of a Mid-fourth Grade Martialist.

That sort of instinct was usually right.

"Li Xian, I don't care who's backing you or what kind of damn genius you think you are. You're going to die today!"

Zhang Yangming swore through gritted teeth.

A little farther away, Cao Xiong had just sat down when he asked Guan Wangsheng beside him, "Has Li Xian arrived?"

Guan Wangsheng replied, "I just heard from the men that he's already on West Lake. He should be here soon."

"Good." Cao Xiong gave a brief response and said no more.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Guan Wangsheng asked, "Gang Leader, who do you think will win today?"

"Oh?" Cao Xiong asked, surprised. "The way you put that, do you think Li Xian has a chance of winning?"

Guan Wangsheng answered honestly, "I don't think he does."

"Then why ask?"

"I thought you might think Li Xian had a chance."

Cao Xiong shook his head. "The odds are next to nothing."

"Then why let Li Xian challenge Zhang Yangming?" Guan Wangsheng was confused.

Cao Xiong said, "Zhang Yangming needs to vent his anger, and the disciples in the gang need something else to focus on."

He got it. They were using the buzz around one incident to drown out the original one.

Li Xian had seen that sort of thing often in his previous life. He hadn't expected Cao Xiong to pull the same trick here.

Guan Wangsheng still seemed only half to understand. He nodded, looking bewildered.

Cao Xiong added, "When it starts, send a few more people over. Don't let Zhang Yangming actually kill Li Xian. Once it's gone far enough, make him stop."

"Understood. I'll take care of it now."

After Guan Wangsheng left, Cao Xiong gazed into the mist-shrouded waters of West Lake below.

Li Xian, Li Xian... Let's see just how far you can push Zhang Yangming, you little rascal.

You need to prove your worth before I can step in and protect you.

And today, with everyone watching, is the best chance to show them what you're worth.

"He's here! Steward Li is here!"

Someone shouted from far away.

At once, everyone looked out across the lake.

The sun had just risen, and the thin mist was lifting. A small boat skimmed swiftly over the glittering water.

At the bow stood a handsome, well-proportioned young man, his robes fluttering in the lake breeze.

The rising sun gilded his face, making him look like a graceful young noble stepped straight out of a painting.

Even Cao Xiong couldn't help praising him. "What a sight!"

That kid was even more handsome than I'd been at his age.

Of all the people there, only Zhang Yangming looked at Li Xian with clenched teeth and a face full of hatred.

He suddenly drew a deep breath and roared, "Li Xian, you little wretch! Get up here and meet your death!"

His voice boomed across the gorge and lake, echoing again and again. Everyone present heard him.

On the lake, Li Xian lifted his head, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

"I'm coming to take your dog's life!"

A thunderous boom rang out.

Waves burst across the lake, and the little boat nearly capsized. Brother Xin and Wan Cai clung desperately to the gunwales, barely keeping from falling overboard.

A black streak shot straight toward the platform at Tiger Leaping Gorge. It was Li Xian.

The distance from West Lake to the platform at Tiger Leaping Gorge was over twenty meters, yet Li Xian had leaped straight up there using nothing but his physical strength.

That kind of physical strength was truly terrifying.

"Just from that one move, I'd bet he was the one who killed Zhang Fengyuan and those other two useless good-for-nothings," Cao Xiong said with a laugh to the people beside him.

As Zhang Yangming watched Li Xian approach step by step, his fury gradually gave way to calm.

He hadn't become Deputy Gang Leader of the Cao Gang for nothing.

At the very least, he was a Mid-fourth Grade Martialist who knew how to read a situation.

When facing a challenge that could decide life or death, he wasn't as reckless as he seemed.

He pointed at Li Xian. "Come on, Li Xian. It's time for our fight to begin."

His face was now calm and composed, his eyes cold. He was nothing like the Zhang Yangming who'd been blinded by rage a moment earlier.

Li Xian said, rather surprised, "So this is the real you?"

Zhang Yangming sneered. "If I didn't play the fool, how could Gang Leader Cao possibly let me kill you with my own hands?"

Li Xian nodded.

Sure enough, no one who climbed this high was a fool.

"Then let's begin!"

"After you!"

The two figures slammed into each other on the gorge.

Zhang Yangming's palms cut like blades, striking Li Xian's arms again and again. The blows landed with a continuous series of heavy thuds.

Every muscle in Li Xian's body tensed, and his skin turned black.

The instant they met, he'd unleashed the strongest form of Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, yet Zhang Yangming still beat him back again and again.

Li Xian had never taken a beating like this. Anger flared in his chest, and he roared,

"Tiger Cannon!"

A deafening tiger's roar rang out.

"Hahaha, good! Bring it on!"

Zhang Yangming laughed manically and threw a punch of his own.

Another tremendous boom. The two of them were flung dozens of paces apart.

"Good! You really are worthy of being Deputy Gang Leader. I admit I underestimated you, Li Mou!"

Li Xian stared at his uninjured fist, his whole body surging with fighting spirit and boiling blood.

The fight had lit a fire in him.

This time, I'm going all out.

Zhang Yangming let out a sinister chuckle. "Heh, heh, heh. I admit you're strong, but compared with a Mid-fourth Grade expert, you're still far, far behind."

"Is that so?"

"Of course!"

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Yangming was already at Li Xian's side.

Without a sound, he punched Li Xian in the temple.

"Die!"

The blow landed squarely, and the immense force sent Li Xian flying like a cannonball into the mountainside.

Another thunderous boom. Rocks and dirt flew everywhere, burying Li Xian beneath the rubble.

"Hahahaha! I told you—you're bound to die today!"

Zhang Yangming burst into arrogant laughter.

Everyone watching sighed at the sight.

"Just as I thought. He's no match for the Deputy Gang Leader!"

"Still, he did pretty well. He managed to block Zhang Yangming's attacks for a few moves."

"No need to watch anymore. The challenge is over."

"What a waste of time. I thought a miracle might happen."

"This farce is over."

In the distance, Cao Xiong's face darkened. Guan Wangsheng leaned in and said quietly,

"I'm sorry, Gang Leader. It all happened too fast. I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

Cao Xiong said in a deep voice, "It's fine. If that's all Li Xian can do, then let him die!"