Fighting for Life!

"Hmph! A mere guard dog dares bark so wildly!"

In the courtyard, Zhao Lie had just woken and loosened up his limbs. When he heard the young man's words, anger flashed through his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he drew the twin sabers at his waist and turned his head to stare straight at him. "Want to taste how fierce your granddaddy's twin sabers are?"

"Brother Zhao, don't get angry just yet."

The moment Li Chengfeng saw the man arrive, his eyes narrowed. He held Zhao Lie back, leveled his spear, and stared straight at the man as he said, "What mongrel cur are you, and why have you come to my courtyard gate to yap and bark!"

"You're courting death!"

When the young man heard Li Chengfeng's words, a cold gleam flashed through his eyes. He shouted angrily, then, without the slightest hesitation, drew the long saber at his waist, sprang forward, and charged fiercely at Li Chengfeng.

"You won't even say a word—what gutter cur crawled out of nowhere!"

Li Chengfeng's eyes narrowed. He cursed aloud, then shook the spear in his hand without mercy and met him head-on.

Clang!

In an instant, spear blade and saber edge crossed, striking a string of sparks in midair. Li Chengfeng's eyes narrowed. He held nothing back any longer. Taiji Power flowed through him; while receiving and neutralizing the force the other man struck into him, he sought an opening at any moment to scatter needle-pricking Hidden Power onto his opponent's body.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

In the blink of an eye, sparks flew everywhere between them. Seeing that he had failed to take Li Chengfeng down at once and call him to account, anger flashed through the young man's eyes. His attacks grew ever more vicious and ferocious, every move seeking life, charging straight in like a battering ram!

Whoosh~

Li Chengfeng's eyes narrowed. Seeing the man's attacks grow fiercer and his movements grow simpler, Neutralizing Power turned within his body.

Four ounces moved a thousand catties!

A soft force wondrous to the very hair-tip received the opponent's fierce strength, storing it and transforming it. In an instant, Li Chengfeng found his chance. His palm seemed to swat a fly, lightly patting the man's arm.

Whish~

Surging Hidden Power poured out without the slightest restraint. In a single instant, it invaded the man's iron-hard muscles and blasted into his body.

The young man's palm shook violently. He suddenly felt his entire right arm burn with stabbing pain, as if pierced by needles, and in an instant it actually lost the ability to move. Shock crossed his face at once, and the ferocity in his eyes abruptly drew back. When he looked at Li Chengfeng again, wariness immediately appeared in his expression. Then he gritted his teeth, his inner force not diminishing in the slightest as he swung his saber out, chopping toward Li Chengfeng's face.

Clang!

A fierce collision of saber and spear rang out. Li Chengfeng stared coldly into the young man's eyes and was just about to seek an opening to fight again, when he saw the young man suddenly retreat a step and snort. "Two against one—is that the conduct of martial men? Or do you mean to use numbers to bully me?"

As the young man backed away, Li Chengfeng raised an eyebrow, planted his spear upright, and looked to the side. He saw that Zhao Lie had at some point come to stand beside the young man with his twin sabers in hand, staring at him with a cold smile. "One against two? Using numbers to bully you? Hmph. You mongrel cur, you broke into a private home and attacked with intent to kill without a word first. Even if we chopped you into meat paste and killed you here, reason would still be on our side."

"Brother Zhao is right. Just who exactly are you, you mongrel? How dare you break into a private residence and attempt murder? So arrogant—could it be that you think my spear is not sharp?"

Li Chengfeng also snorted. He thrust forward the long spear in his hand, both eyes fixed tightly on him.

"What sharp tongues. Hmph. You should be grateful the one who came was me, and not Master Zheng. Otherwise, the two of you would already be corpses!"

The young man looked at Li Chengfeng and Zhao Lie with a cold smile, then finally fixed his stare on Li Chengfeng's face. "Arrogant! While Master Zheng was away handling affairs, you, a short-term laborer, harbored resentment, forgot the grace of being allowed to work and earn money, and laid hands on the steward of the estate. Repaying kindness with enmity—is that something a human son would do?"

"Well, well, you dog-born bastard who can't tell black from white and turns black and white upside down. I suppose what you're talking about is your Zheng Estate steward having his ear cut off by Brother Li Chengfeng, right?"

As soon as the young man's words fell, before Li Chengfeng could speak, Zhao Lie beside him gave a cold laugh and spoke up.

"How bold! Since you knew, yet still dared do it, I see you knowingly broke the law!"

A cold light flashed through the young man's eyes, and he shouted angrily, "You took advantage of Master Zheng's absence to insult his estate. I see you don't want to live. Must Master Zheng personally make a trip here?"

"Hmph, don't want to live? What fine unreason, what fine raking the muck back onto others!"

Zhao Lie said angrily, "Brother Li Chengfeng and his wife were at home, living in harmony and happiness, yet that Zheng Estate steward of yours insisted on coming forward, declaring he wanted to buy Brother Li Chengfeng's wife into the estate as a concubine and offer her to Master Zheng for his amusement."

"Brother Li Chengfeng was wholeheartedly practicing martial arts and did not wish to clash with him, rejecting him again and again. Who knew your Zheng Estate steward not only refused to listen, but in the end even brought the base slaves of his household to the door, intending to forcibly abduct Brother Li Chengfeng's wife. A hatred like having one's wife stolen—how could that be endured?"

"Fortunately, Brother Li Chengfeng had already cultivated Blood Qi at the time and stepped into the martial path. Otherwise, I fear the lovely wife in his home really would have been snatched away by that Zheng Estate steward of yours!"

As Zhao Lie spoke, he coldly smiled at the young man before him. "People all say servants are base after their masters, but today, for the Zheng Estate to have masters following the will of servants—this is the first time I've seen such a thing. Your Zheng Estate has such grand might, to think even the slaves in your household can make private decisions and, as ordinary people, go seize the wife of a martial artist registered in the court records."

"And after the fact, you still want to reverse right and wrong, peddle black as white, and bite back in accusation. What fine methods, what fine prestige!"

Zhao Lie's face was full of cold mockery. When he finished speaking, Li Chengfeng also gripped his long spear tightly and stepped forward with an icy gaze, looking at the young man whose brows had deeply furrowed after hearing Zhao Lie out. "This Li knows Master Zheng is powerful and immensely strong. But even knowing I stand alone and weak, with a meager body, I still cannot endure the hatred of having my wife stolen. I am willing to fight with my life!"

"The last two times, on account of him being the steward of Master Zheng's household, I endured again and again. Even the last time, when he came to my door to seize her by force, I only injured one of his ears. But if he comes again, this Li will surely strike to kill him."

As Li Chengfeng spoke, he suddenly raised his long spear, his gaze savage as he looked at the young man. "Do you also wish to test this Li's resolve?"

"The old woman speaks of her reason, the old man says he has his own. My Zheng Estate has always acted openly and aboveboard. How could we do such a thing as turn right and wrong, black and white upside down? Since you all say so, then I will return and verify it."

When the young man heard Li Chengfeng's words, his tightly furrowed brows moved slightly. "You had best be telling the truth. Otherwise, for insulting my Zheng family's reputation, the next one to come will not be me, Zheng Lianqing."

After the young man finished speaking, he gave the two men in the courtyard a warning look. Then his figure sprang up, leaping from Li Chengfeng's courtyard to outside the gate, and he strode away.

In the courtyard, Zhao Lie looked at the departing young man, leaned against the wall, and exhaled. "That boy is Zheng Pandao's distant nephew. All his martial arts were passed down by his hand. Good thing he's someone who can listen to reason."

Zhao Lie shook his head as he spoke. As his voice fell, he turned to look and saw Li Chengfeng, who stood upright with spear in hand, suddenly tremble. Then Li Chengfeng propped himself up on the long spear in his hand, and a great deal of sweat actually surfaced across the skin of his entire body.

"So he was a distant relative of that Master Zheng. No wonder his strength was so deep and powerful."

Li Chengfeng swallowed an elixir with difficulty. Feeling his completely exhausted Blood Qi recover slightly, he leaned against the wall and breathed out, his body powerless as he stood propped up by his long spear.

Zhao Lie's gaze focused. Only then did he realize Li Chengfeng had actually already exhausted all his strength. He hurried over, pressed the force within his body against Li Chengfeng's back, and kneaded his muscles and tendons for him, stirring his Blood Qi and helping him recover his strength.

He lifted the clothing on Li Chengfeng's back, only to see that his back was already bright red. Shock immediately crossed his face. "What fierce, hard force!"