Zhang Sheng

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhang Sheng (张胜)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Robbery Gang (former leader); Harmony and Prosperity Union
Occupation/Role	Boss of Peace Lane; House Master; gang operative and informant
Status	Alive; continued serving alongside the Harmony and Prosperity Union at Jiangcheng Tower 79
First Appearance	Chapter 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Blood-Coagulation Realm	27	Successfully broke through after recovering from his injuries and obtaining a Blood-Coagulation Pill; entered seclusion to stabilize his foundation. 26 27

Appearance

Zhang Sheng is a man in his twenties, approximately 1.7 meters tall. Though not especially tall, he has notably long, thick arms suited to close-range claw combat. 12 17

• Long, powerful arms associated with his hand-to-hand fighting style. 12
• Was badly bloodied and pale after being betrayed by his own gang members. 17
• Later carries a Willow Leaf Blade at his waist. 71

Personality

Zhang Sheng is streetwise, opportunistic, and highly adaptable. He understands the importance of money, exotic-beast meat, factional resources, and reliable intelligence to a martial artist's survival. His broad knowledge of gangs, the Extreme Yang Society, and exotic beasts exceeds what Shi Wen expects from a Blood-Tempering martial artist. 17 26

He is also pragmatic when faced with overwhelming force. After Shi Wen defeats him, Zhang Sheng yields rather than continue a needless fight; after witnessing Tong Roushan's death, he becomes markedly more submissive and respectful toward Shi Wen. 13 19 His loyalty remains conditional and uneasy: he accepts Shi Wen's control through the Parent-Child Gu, but Shi Wen continues to suspect that Zhang Sheng conceals his true intentions. 17 26

Abilities & Skills

Claw Arts

Zhang Sheng practices the Iron Claw Skill, also called the Eagle Claw Skill, a close-quarters art focused on grappling and tearing attacks. 17

• Uses the Black Eagle Claw in combat, generating claw strikes capable of gouging deep marks into a mud wall. 13
• Employs grabbing, seizing, locking, hooking, and tearing techniques. 17
• Can target wrists, throats, tendons, and joints to restrain or disable opponents. 17
• His claw attacks initially pressured Shi Wen in their duel, but Shi Wen adapted after several exchanges and turned the fight around. 13

Street Fighting and Gang Leadership

Before joining the Harmony and Prosperity Union, Zhang Sheng led the Robbery Gang and had extensive experience with street violence and local criminal operations. 12 17

• Uses evasive movement and grappling counters, including Black Eagle Twists the Snake and Iron Eagle Ascends to Heaven. 13
• Uses Thousand-Catty Drop to stabilize himself against forceful impacts. 13
• Personally led the retaliation against Zhou Gaoyi and his betrayers after reclaiming control of the Robbery Gang. 19
• Organized twenty-eight Red Poles under the Harmony and Prosperity Union's Peace Lane branch. 20

Information Gathering

Zhang Sheng is a valuable source of underworld intelligence and logistical information.

• Knows of a strange location capable of producing exotic-beast meat on a continuing basis. 17
• Identified Tong Roushan's connection to the Extreme Yang Society after recognizing the goat-headed iron token. 26
• Investigated and reported the location of Prosperity Society members to Shi Wen. 71
• Coordinated the Harmony and Prosperity Union's arrival at Jiangcheng Tower despite the presence of numerous Strength-Refining experts. 79

Equipment / Items

• Stone-Brown Parent-Child Gu — Zhang Sheng supplied the pair as proof of submission. He swallowed the Child Gu, while Shi Wen retained the Parent Gu, allowing Shi Wen to inflict severe pain on him and deter betrayal. 17
• Evil goat-headed iron token — A token associated with the Extreme Yang Society; Zhang Sheng recognized the organization upon seeing it. 24 26
• Willow Leaf Blade — Carried at his waist and lent to Shi Wen before the attack on the Prosperity Society. 71

Relationships

• Shi Wen — Initially confronted Shi Wen over Chen Shuisheng's death and was defeated. After his own gang betrayed him, he submitted to Shi Wen's Parent-Child Gu control in exchange for revenge and protection; he later served as Peace Lane's boss and a key informant. 12 13 17 20
• Chen Shuisheng — Leader of the Thief Gang and Zhang Sheng's enemy. Zhang Sheng considered Shi Wen's killing of Chen a major favor. 12
• Zhou Gaoyi — Former subordinate who betrayed Zhang Sheng and helped install Tong Roushan as the Robbery Gang's new leader. Zhang Sheng reclaimed the gang and personally stabbed Zhou before Shi Wen executed him. 17 18 19
• Tong Roushan — The “Iron-Clad Child Meat Mountain” who displaced Zhang Sheng as the Robbery Gang's leader. Zhang Sheng brought Shi Wen to confront him; Shi Wen killed Tong, enabling Zhang Sheng to retake the gang. 17 18 19
• Song Mingyi — Peace Lane strategist appointed to oversee projects and form a patrol squad under Shi Wen's orders; Zhang Sheng worked with him on the Union's commercial plans. 20
• Zhou Biao — Fellow Harmony and Prosperity Union member who accompanied Zhang Sheng and Shi Wen during the Jiangcheng Tower confrontation. 79

Background / History

Zhang Sheng first approached a masked Shi Wen in Ghost Lane after learning that Chen Shuisheng had been killed. Claiming that Chen had been his enemy, Zhang Sheng proposed a sparring match while surrounding the alley with Robbery Gang members. He initially gained the advantage through his experienced claw techniques, but Shi Wen adapted quickly and forced him to yield after a Lightning Chop shattered a mud wall. 12 13

The following night, Zhang Sheng appeared before Shi Wen severely injured. His own men had betrayed him and invited outside fighters to seize the Robbery Gang. Desperate for support, he offered thirty-five percent of the gang's monthly profits and the location of a renewable exotic-beast meat source. To secure the agreement, he swallowed the Child Gu and allowed Shi Wen to retain the Parent Gu. 17

Zhang Sheng taught Shi Wen the Iron Claw Skill and led him to the Robbery Gang headquarters, where Tong Roushan had taken power. After Shi Wen killed Tong Roushan, Zhang Sheng reclaimed the gang and punished Zhou Gaoyi for betrayal. Shi Wen then reshaped the organization into the Harmony and Prosperity Union, appointing Zhang Sheng boss of Peace Lane with twenty-eight Red Poles under his authority. 17 18 19 20

As Peace Lane's boss, Zhang Sheng helped administer the Union's projects, supplied Shi Wen with exotic-beast meat and profits recovered from Tong Roushan's property, and provided information on the Extreme Yang Society. He later reached the Blood-Coagulation Realm and continued acting as Shi Wen's liaison, scout, and field commander. 20 26 27 71 79

Trivia

• Zhang Sheng initially mistook Shi Wen's trembling battle posture for genuine inexperience; Shi Wen's subsequent strength convinced him that the apparent weakness had been a trap. 12 13
• He considers the pleasure-pavilion portion of Shi Wen's commercial plans the one project he understands completely. 20
• Despite repeatedly calling Shi Wen “Leader” or “Boss,” Zhang Sheng retains enough knowledge and secrecy to make Shi Wen wary of his real background and motives. 26