Come Up and Die!

"Has that Li Xian arrived yet?"

Zhang Yangming asked his nearby subordinate impatiently.

"Still no sign of the kid."

"He's not too scared to show up, is he?"

"Could be, and the odds are high."

"If I were that kid, I'd have run out of Yangzhou City by now. No way I'd dare come fight."

"Hahaha..."

Listening to his subordinates' teasing, Zhang Yangming couldn't help but let out a smug laugh.

Over the past two days, he had grown more and more certain that the one who killed his son was Li Xian.

It was a very strange feeling.

Though he had no evidence, he just knew.

The instinct of a Mid-fourth Grade Martialist.

Usually, such instincts were never wrong.

"Li Xian, I don't care what background you have or what kind of damn genius you are. Today, you will die!"

Zhang Yangming gritted his teeth and swore in his heart.

Further 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 a subordinate that he's already on West Lake. He should be here soon."

"Mm, good." Cao Xiong acknowledged with a single word and fell silent.

Guan Wangsheng couldn't help but ask curiously, "Gang Leader, I wonder who you're favoring today?"

"Oh?" Cao Xiong said, puzzled. "Asking that—do you think Li Xian has a chance to win?"

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

"Then why ask?"

"I thought maybe you, Gang Leader, believed Li Xian could win."

Cao Xiong shook his head. "The chances are minuscule."

"Then why let Li Xian challenge Zhang Yangming?" Guan Wangsheng didn't understand.

Cao Xiong said, "We have to let Zhang Yangming vent his anger, and we also need something to divert the disciples' attention within the gang."

He understood—use the heat of one matter to cover up another.

Li Xian had seen this plenty in his past life; he hadn't expected Cao Xiong to pull the same trick here.

Guan Wangsheng, however, only half-understood, listening in a fog, nodding vaguely.

Cao Xiong added, "Once it starts, arrange a few more men. Don't let Zhang Yangming actually beat Li Xian to death. Have him stop when it's about enough."

"Understood. I'll see to it now."

After Guan Wangsheng left, Cao Xiong stared blankly at the misty, hazy West Lake below.

Li Xian, Li Xian. Let's see how far this little brat can push Zhang Yangming.

You have to show your worth before I can step in to protect you.

And today, in front of everyone, is the best chance to prove your value.

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

Someone shouted from afar.

At the words, everyone turned to look at the lake.

At that moment, the rising sun had just appeared, the thin mist melting away. A small, light boat glided swiftly across the shimmering, rippling lake.

At the bow, a handsome youth with a well-proportioned frame stood against the wind. As the lake breeze blew, his robes fluttered.

The morning sunlight spilled across his face, dotting it with flecks of gold, like a graceful young man stepping out of a painting.

Seeing this scene, even Cao Xiong couldn't help but praise: What a presence!

This kid is even more handsome than I was in my youth.

Among the crowd, only Zhang Yangming stared at Li Xian with gritted teeth and a face full of hatred.

He suddenly swelled his chest and roared, "Li Xian, you brat! Come up here and die!"

His voice boomed, echoing back and forth between the Gorge and the lake. Everyone present heard his words.

On the lake, Li Xian looked up, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

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

A thunderous blast.

Ripples spread across the lake surface in concentric waves, the small boat nearly capsizing. Brother Xin and Wan Cai on board clung desperately to the gunwales to keep from falling into the water.

A black line shot straight up onto the platform of Tiger Leaping Gorge—that was Li Xian's figure.

Li Xian watched Zhang Yangming approach step by step. Under the grip of extreme fury, he gradually regained his composure.

Having risen to Deputy Gang Leader of the Cao Gang, he was not entirely useless.

At the very least, he could assess the situation as a Mid-fourth Grade Martialist.

When faced with a life-or-death challenge, he wouldn't truly act as reckless as he appeared on the surface.

He raised a hand and pointed at Li Xian. "Come on, Li Xian, you brat. Our battle should begin now."

At this moment, his expression was calm and shrewd, his gaze icy cold—a completely different man from the Zhang Yangming who had been blinded by rage moments before.

Li Xian said, somewhat surprised, "Could it be that this is the real you?"

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

Li Xian nodded.

Sure enough, no one who climbed to this position was truly stupid.

"Then let's begin!"

"Please!"

On the gorge, two figures collided violently.

Zhang Yangming's palms were like blades, chopping relentlessly against Li Xian's arms, producing a continuous stream of heavy impacts.

Li Xian's muscles bulged, and the skin all over his body turned pitch black.

From the very first exchange, he activated the strongest form of Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, yet he was still forced back step by step by Zhang Yangming.

Li Xian was not used to suffering such a loss. Rage flared in his heart, and he let out a furious roar.

"Tiger Cannon!"

A deafening tiger's roar resounded.

"Hahaha, good one!"

Zhang Yangming laughed wildly, throwing a punch of his own.

Another thunderous crash rang out, and both men retreated dozens of paces.

"Good, worthy of the Deputy Gang Leader. I admit that Li Mou underestimated you before!"

Li Xian looked at his unscathed fist, his entire body surging with high battle spirit and boiling blood.

His addiction had been triggered.

This time, I'll go all out.

Zhang Yangming let out a dark chuckle. "Hehehe, I admit you're strong, but compared to a Mid-fourth Grade, you're still far too lacking."

"Oh?"

"Of course!"

As the words fell, Zhang Yangming was already at Li Xian's side.

Silently and without a sound, he drove a fist into Li Xian's temple.

"Die!"

Li Xian took the punch squarely. The immense impact sent him crashing like a cannonball into the mountain wall beside him.

Another thunderous crash. Mud and rocks flew everywhere as Li Xian's figure was buried beneath a pile of rubble.

"Hahahaha! I told you, you're dead for sure today!"

Zhang Yangming burst into arrogant laughter.

The onlookers watching this scene could only sigh.

"As expected. I said he was no match for the Deputy Gang Leader!"

"Not bad, though. At least he held off Zhang Yangming for a few moves."

"No need to watch anymore. This challenge is already over."

"A waste of time. I thought there might be a miracle."

"This farce is finished."

In the distance, Cao Xiong's face was dark and gloomy. Beside him, Guan Wangsheng spoke in a low voice.

"Forgive me, Gang Leader. It happened too fast. I never expected it to turn out like this."

Cao Xiong said in a deep voice, "No matter. If this Li Xian is only this capable, then let him die!"

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