Fierce Battle

Fan Sheng pondered for several breaths, then said, "North Warehouse cannot be left unguarded. Junior Brother Deng, stay behind and guard North Warehouse. Don't worry—I won't let you suffer for it when the time comes."

After comforting him, Fan Sheng led Li Cheng and the other two away.

Though Deng Qing was dissatisfied, he knew that if one had to be chosen from among the four, this unlucky job could only fall on his head to best fit the eighty-twenty rule.

The warehouse doors shut once more, and the bolts dropped into place. In the vast North Warehouse, Deng Qing was the only one left.

Deng Qing did not dare let down his guard. He checked the front and rear doors again, then dragged all the timber that could brace them nearby.

Only after finishing all this did Deng Qing sit down beside a sack.

A moment later, he slowly closed his eyes and began circulating the Violet Palace Method.

As his breath sank into his abdomen, the restlessness in his heart was gradually pressed down.

After circulating the Violet Palace Method for half a cycle, Deng Qing's ears suddenly twitched. A roof tile gave a faint sound.

The noise was incredibly slight. Had the warehouse not been so quiet, and had his breath not been so settled, he would have had almost no chance of noticing it.

Deng Qing's eyes flew open, and he immediately retreated.

The next instant, a figure flipped down through a hole smashed in the warehouse roof.

Tiles shattered, and dust came pattering down. After landing, the man swayed, then swiftly steadied himself.

When Deng Qing saw who it was, he was badly startled. The intruder was none other than One-Eyed Dragon, the leader who had incited the refugees.

Blood stained One-Eyed Dragon's abdomen. One hand clamped tightly over his wound, while the other held a flint.

Deng Qing immediately understood. Seeing that taking the warehouse was hopeless, One-Eyed Dragon intended to destroy North Warehouse instead.

When Deng Qing spotted One-Eyed Dragon, One-Eyed Dragon naturally spotted him as well. He froze for a moment, then grinned savagely. "There's another one waiting to die."

Before his words had faded, he shot toward Deng Qing.

Deng Qing did not hesitate in the slightest. He turned and ran. He did not know One-Eyed Dragon's strength, and he was not foolish enough to fight him head-on.

One-Eyed Dragon kicked off with both feet, soaring like a great bird. After only a few rises and falls, he caught up behind Deng Qing.

The hairs on Deng Qing's back stood on end. This man was injured, yet he was still so fast. If he were at full strength, how terrifying would that be?

Hearing the wind at his back closing in, he hurriedly circled several massive beams in the warehouse, running back and forth to evade him.

Boom! Boom!

One-Eyed Dragon struck repeatedly, each attack carrying considerable force. Several times, his blows grazed Deng Qing's body.

Deng Qing knew that if he kept running, he would be exposing his back to the enemy. One-Eyed Dragon could fail countless times, but he himself could not fail even once. That was the road to death.

Gritting his teeth, he abruptly planted his feet and turned around with a Tiger-Subduing Fist.

There was not the slightest flourish in this punch. He simply compressed all the blood and vitality in his body into his fist and slammed it toward the one-eyed man.

Bang!

Their fists collided. Deng Qing felt a tremendous force crash through his knuckles into his forearm, then surge all the way to his shoulder. His chest tightened, and he staggered back three steps.

His arm went numb, and half his body felt as though it had been struck by an iron hammer.

The one-eyed man also swayed. Suddenly, he bent over and coughed violently, fresh blood seeping from his bandaged abdomen.

A flash of surprise passed through the one-eyed man's eye. "Skin Tempering First Layer, yet you have such ability? No wonder they had you guard North Warehouse alone.

"But since you've met your grandpa here, consider this the calamity written into your dogshit fate."

As soon as the words fell, One-Eyed Dragon pounced again.

Before his fist arrived, the fierce wind from it had already pressed against Deng Qing's face. Deng Qing knew he could not retreat. He could only raise his Tiger-Subduing Fist and meet him head-on.

The two traded fists and kicks, exchanging seven or eight moves in an instant. Deng Qing found the fight increasingly unbearable. The one-eyed man's fists were too heavy; every blow felt like he was fighting against an iron hammer.

Yet he also knew that at this moment, daring to slacken even a little meant suicide.

What Deng Qing did not know was that the one-eyed man was becoming more and more shocked as well.

The youth was clearly using Tiger-Subduing Fist, a crude, commonplace boxing art, yet every stance and strike was steady and seamless. He crouched low like a lurking beast, struck like a pouncing predator, and his fist momentum rolled on without end, leaving no flaw at all.

He changed his moves several times, yet could not break through the youth's defense.

But the wound on his abdomen was gradually splitting open, and large amounts of blood seeped out again.

One-Eyed Dragon drew a deep breath and burst forth with strength, forcing Deng Qing back. He flashed away, retreated, and shouted with wide eyes, "Get lost! I'll spare your life!"

Deng Qing cupped his hands in salute and turned to leave. But upon reaching the door, he stopped.

One-Eyed Dragon, who had just been about to bandage his wound, frowned. Deng Qing pointed to the door opposite him, indicating that he would leave through there, then walked toward the other side.

Deng Qing appeared to have chosen the wrong door, but in truth, he was calculating whether to stake everything on one last gamble.

After fighting One-Eyed Dragon for a while, he had already figured out the man's measure. He was very strong, but Deng Qing's Tiger-Subduing Fist could contend with him.

The more he fought, the more confident he became.

At the same time, he knew perfectly well that One-Eyed Dragon's injuries were certainly serious. As long as he dragged things out, the situation would definitely favor him.

Moreover, this man was clearly a minor leader. If he captured him, there might even be a reward.

What was more, if he allowed this place to be burned, he might end up bearing a grave charge himself.

After turning it over in his mind, he had already made up his mind. Hide when it was time to hide; fight when it was time to fight.

"Fucking hurry up! Why are you dawdling?"

One-Eyed Dragon could not help shouting.

Deng Qing, who had already reached the doorway, suddenly turned around. "Could I trouble you to leave? I have a duty to guard the warehouse."

While Deng Qing had stalled for this time, the blood pouring from One-Eyed Dragon's abdominal wound had nearly dyed his clothes entirely red.

At this point, how could One-Eyed Dragon fail to understand? This brat had no intention of fleeing at all. He was deliberately dragging out time.

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Die!"

Before his shout ended, he tore apart his clothes and barely bound up the wound. Then, roaring, he pounced on Deng Qing.

Deng Qing immediately fled, having long since seen through it: One-Eyed Dragon was already a spent arrow.

As long as he dragged things out, time would become his friend.

Sure enough, after the two chased and fled for barely more than ten breaths, One-Eyed Dragon could no longer give chase. The cloth binding his abdomen had been completely soaked through with blood.

He stood where he was, gasping for breath.

Deng Qing seized the opportunity and charged at him, the stance of his Tiger-Subduing Fist seeming to stir the wind.

One-Eyed Dragon let out a muffled roar, forcibly roused his blood and vitality, and swung both fists as he charged forward to meet him.

Unexpectedly, just as Deng Qing reached him, he turned and fled again.

One-Eyed Dragon's fury attacked his heart. With a splurt, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He swayed for a while, then finally could not hold on and collapsed to the ground.

Deng Qing still refused to approach. Only after One-Eyed Dragon's bulging eyeballs stopped moving did he grab a burlap sack and hurl it over, smashing it onto One-Eyed Dragon's body.

One-Eyed Dragon still showed no reaction. Deng Qing threw over a second sack, then a third, piling them high atop him.

Only then was he finally certain that One-Eyed Dragon had breathed his last.

Deng Qing leaned against a sack and panted for a while. Only after his wildly pounding heart gradually settled back into place did he straighten up.

After all, even counting both lifetimes together, this was his first time killing someone. No matter how strong his nerves were, they could not compare to those of someone accustomed to killing.

Deng Qing walked over and checked One-Eyed Dragon's pulse, confirming that there was no trace of life left.

He could not help looking at his palms again, secretly rejoicing that at the final critical moment, he had pushed his Tiger-Subduing Fist to the Major Mastery stage.

Otherwise, the one lying here now would most likely have been him.

At once, he found a rag, covered One-Eyed Dragon's face with it, and began searching through his body.