A Dead Man with One Punch

At Xun River Wharf, a biting wind swept off the river, carrying its peculiar mix of fish stink, coal cinders, and sweat straight up people's noses.

The usually bustling wharf had fallen frighteningly quiet.

Two groups faced each other across five or six paces. The air seemed ready to congeal.

On the left stood the combined forces of Xu Jin's Shanty and Ma Village Shack.

Uncle Jin clutched his chest, his face waxen. A streak of blood still marked the corner of his mouth, and he stood slightly hunched. He had clearly suffered an internal injury.

Ma Laifu beside him was little better. Though a strip of cloth had been tied tight around the gash on his arm, blood had stained half his sleeve dark red.

Behind them stood carriage drivers gripping shoulder poles and broken sticks. Fire burned in their eyes, along with a fear they could not hide.

On the right stood the men of Yi He Shantytown.

Most had their hands tucked into their sleeves, which bulged conspicuously. Anyone with eyes could tell they were hiding weapons.

At their front stood a man in a black, front-buttoned jacket.

He was a hulking brute with a string of dubious prayer beads around his neck, a face full of thick flesh, and vicious eyes.

He did not even look anyone straight in the eye. He merely rolled two iron balls in his hand, making them chime ding, ding.

His name was Chen Sanpi, a trained fighter hired by Yi He Shantytown.

The standoff had been on the verge of bloodshed, but the arrival of several men had brought it to an abrupt halt.

Four men in long gowns and skullcaps stood between the two groups.

At their head was Boss Lin, who ran the South City Carriage House.

Boss Lin wore a broad smile. Dabbing at nonexistent sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief, he cupped his hands toward Chen Sanpi.

"Brother Chen, take a little advice from me. Let's put this business on hold today."

Chen Sanpi raised his eyelids. The iron balls kept turning in his hand as he sneered. "Boss Lin, it's not that I won't do you this favor. I was paid to do a job. Brother Lai Tou from Yi He Shantytown took a beating, and he paid good money for me to get him justice. I haven't got it yet. How am I supposed to stop?"

"Oh, Master Chen!"

Boss Lin lowered his voice and pointed toward the enormous ship belching black smoke and sounding its whistle out on the river. "Just look over there! The Dragon Head of Ping'an Cart Company is about to dock!"

At the words "Dragon Head," the iron balls in Chen Sanpi's hand stopped dead.

Though he was only a fringe figure in the Grain Transport Gang, he knew how formidable the Dragon Head of Ping'an Cart Company was.

Drawing blades and starting a fight in front of that man would be asking for an early grave.

"If it's the Dragon Head's ship, that's another matter."

Chen Sanpi reined in some of his menace, nodded slightly, and smiled. "For the Dragon Head, I'll wait."

"Much obliged, Brother Chen!"

Boss Lin let out a long breath, then turned and shouted at the restless drivers. "Put your damned weapons away! Have you all got a death wish? Stand up straight and wait till the Dragon Head's back in town before you start squabbling over your miserable little grievances!"

The three bosses in charge of East City, West City, and North City also began scolding their men.

For a time, the only sound on the wharf was the distant rumble of the approaching ship.

Before long, the passenger ship belching black smoke docked.

The gangplank went down, and travelers carrying bags and bundles filed ashore.

Ordinarily, this was when the drivers fought hardest for fares. Today, more than a hundred of them stood like wooden posts. Not one dared move.

Some travelers stopped to watch out of curiosity. The timid hurried off for fear of getting caught up in the trouble, while others grumbled and cursed.

Only when the crowd had mostly dispersed did a figure stroll onto the gangplank.

He was a man of around fifty.

He dressed with exquisite care: a dark blue silk gown under a finely tailored vest, a Western top hat in one hand, and a Western cane inlaid with silver in the other.

At first glance, he looked like a wealthy man recently returned from abroad.

But he walked with a limp. With every step, his slightly plump face twitched, plainly from severe pain.

He was the Dragon Head of Ping'an Cart Company, the man even the lawful and lawless powers of Ping'an County Town showed some respect: "Lame Second," Guan Ershun.

That "Second" in his name had a story behind it in Tianjin.

People in Tianjin revered Lord Guan, the Martial Saint whose loyalty reached the heavens.

But Guan Ershun was the second son in his family, and in his youth he had been ruthless enough to betray his own elder brother to get ahead.

After he made a name for himself, people jokingly called him "Lord Guan." He liked the sound of it, but did not dare presume upon the Martial Saint's name, so he had them call him "Second Master" instead.

As for his bad leg, it was an old ailment. Every so often it would swell, turn red and hot, and ache so fiercely he could not put weight on it.

It had started in his foot. Later, the pain spread to his knee.

The moment Guan Ershun appeared, Boss Lin and the other three ran over as though they had spotted their own father.

"Oh, Second Master! Careful now, careful!"

Boss Lin rushed to the front, his face full of fawning concern, and reached out to support him. "What did those foreign doctors say on your trip to Shanghai, Second Master? Can they cure that old trouble with your leg?"

The question touched a raw nerve.

"What the hell would they say?"

Guan Ershun stopped and stamped his cane on the ground, spittle flying. "Those Western devils don't know a damned thing! They poked me with all sorts of strange tubes, then said I'd been eating too much rich food. A rich man's disease, they called it!"

By then, his cheeks were trembling with anger. "To hell with rich men's diseases! Who ever got sick from eating? Hunger makes people sick! My leg hurts because I starved so badly as a child that the cold seeped into my bones! Those foreigners are stupid and rotten. They just wanted my money! I went to Shanghai for nothing, nearly got caught by foreign artillery, and still came back without a clue what's wrong with me."

The bosses around him hurried to agree.

"That's right, Second Master!"

"Those foreigners are all frauds. What do they know compared with the wisdom of our ancestors?"

"Second Master, you've got an Indestructible Diamond Body. More meat will put you right!"

Once Guan Ershun had cursed his fill, his leg seemed to hurt even more. He waved impatiently. "Our ancestors were damned frauds too. Quit feeding me that nonsense. Get a cart and take me back."

The bosses exchanged glances.

They had climbed out of the ranks of the carriage drivers themselves.

But now they were respectable men overseeing hundreds of workers. These days, they rode in carts; they had long since stopped pulling them...

In the moment they hesitated, their chance slipped away.

Boss Lin's eyes flicked sideways. He ducked low and darted like an agile monkey toward a driver standing nearby. Snatching the handles from him, he pulled the gleaming cart over to Guan Ershun.

He lowered the handles with practiced ease, brushed dust from the seat, and bent to gesture invitingly, his face blooming with a smile.

"Second Master, hop in! Little Lin will pull you today. Smooth and quick, I promise!"

Every movement flowed into the next, without a trace of embarrassment.

The other three bosses finally reacted. Seeing Boss Lin already helping Guan Ershun into the cart, they ground their teeth and cursed him inwardly.

That bastard Lin has no shame! What a bootlicker!

Still, they dared not stand idle. All three rushed forward. One steadied a wheel, another hovered behind Guan Ershun to support his back, and they trotted alongside.

"Sit tight, Second Master!"

Boss Lin called out and pushed off. The cart started so smoothly that before long, he had pulled Guan Ershun out of sight at the far end of the wharf.

With the Dragon Head and the four bosses gone, the oppressive air over the wharf did not lift. Without Boss Lin there, it grew even harder to breathe.

No one was left to hold them back. The powder keg was about to blow.

Every eye returned to the center of the standoff.

Farther off, the dock porters and other onlookers began whispering among themselves.

"That's Chen Sanpi? He looks every bit as vicious as they say."

"He's a trained fighter. They say he once apprenticed himself to a master in the Grain Transport Gang to learn the River-Turning Hand. Shame he was too slow to grasp it. Couldn't read, either, and he was lazy and gluttonous to boot. His master finally threw him out."

"He may have been thrown out, but he's still got brute strength and learned a little of the art. That's more than enough to deal with ordinary people like us."

"Right. Who in South City dares cross Chen Sanpi? The people from Xu Jin's Shanty are in for a world of hurt today."

At the edge of the crowd, a battered handcart stood motionless.

Its driver was Xia Jingyi, dressed as a man.

On the battered handcart, Zhou Yonghe sat with his eyes closed, resting.

"Master."

Xia Jingyi frowned at the scene, indignation in her voice. "This is the strong bullying the weak. Isn't it obvious?"

Her gaze fell on Chen Sanpi's vicious face, full of disgust.

Zhou Yonghe slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was calm as still water.

"Jingyi, remember this."

Zhou Yonghe said, "Tianjin has its Three Teachings and Nine Schools, its Inner and Outer Eight Schools. Each has its own way to survive, and each its own rules. When drivers fight over territory, they're fighting for their livelihoods. Lose that, and their families go hungry. When life and death are at stake, people will use every means they can."

"Hiring someone to fight for you is a skill in itself. If you can pay the price, no one can fault you."

"This isn't the strong bullying the weak. It's the law of the underworld."

"..."

Xia Jingyi remained unconvinced. "I wasn't talking about the drivers. I meant Chen Sanpi. He's a trained fighter, but he came here to bully a bunch of laborers. What kind of skill is that?"

"He's taking money to settle someone else's trouble."

Zhou Yonghe's voice grew stern. "I told you to pull a cart, not to play the wandering hero."

"Why can Qin Geng reach a higher level?"

"Because if he doesn't pull a cart, he can't afford food. He'll starve! To him, pulling a cart is life itself!"

"It's how he makes his living. Only by truly treating the trade as your livelihood and pouring your life into it can you reach a higher level."

"I had you pull a cart to temper your nature. If you can reach a higher level at it, you'll naturally start taking Martial Arts seriously."

"Think hard about what that means. Otherwise, you'll have suffered through all this for nothing and wasted your talent for Martial Arts."

After her master's scolding, Xia Jingyi still found Chen Sanpi hateful, but she could only lower her head and answer glumly, "Yes, Master. I'll remember."

While master and disciple spoke, the standoff had reached the brink of violence.

Shing—

With a faint metallic sound, several Yi He Shantytown drivers finally lost patience and drew glittering short blades from their sleeves.

The sunlight flashing off the blades dazzled the eye.

On Xu Jin's Shanty's side, the men instinctively stepped back. Their palms were slick with sweat around their shoulder poles.

Chen Sanpi stood at the front. He tucked the iron balls into his jacket and rolled his neck, making it crack pop, pop.

His eyes locked on Old Jin, who still clutched his chest. A cruel smile curled his lips.

"Hey, you. The one named Jin. Weren't you full of fight earlier? Weren't you strong? Strong enough to club me from behind?"

Chen Sanpi took a step forward, his Killing Intent bearing down on them. "Come on! I'm feeling generous today, so I'll give you a chance to fight me one-on-one. Let's see what you've got. I'll beat you to death with my bare hands!"

Old Jin's face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his brow.

In the earlier chaos, he had struck Chen Sanpi from behind with a stick to save Li Gou.

The blow had landed squarely on the back of Chen Sanpi's neck. An ordinary man would have gone down, but Chen Sanpi had acted as though nothing had happened and punched him hard enough to make him cough blood. His chest still burned with pain.

Chen Sanpi knew how to fight. Drivers with nothing but strength could not handle him.

"Master Chen..."

Old Jin gritted his teeth against the pain. "We're just trying to earn enough to eat. There's no need to wipe us out, is there?"

"I know the rules. I won't wipe you out."

Chen Sanpi cut him off impatiently. "Stay on your feet after three punches from me, and I'll let you all walk away today! From then on, Xun River Wharf belongs to Xu Jin's Shanty. I won't interfere! But if you go down, I can't promise what happens to the others."

"There it is. Don't say I, Chen Sanpi, don't know the rules."

The crowd erupted.

Three punches?

With fists as big as Clay Pots, Chen Sanpi could kill an ox in one blow. If Old Jin took three punches head-on, how could he survive?

"You mean that?"

Old Jin's eyes lit up.

He knew exactly what his old brothers were capable of. If blades came out, they would not only lose; many of them would be killed or badly hurt.

If one life could buy everyone's safety, or win them this rich stretch of territory, it would be worth it!

"I'm a man of some standing in South City. My word is as good as a nail hammered home!"

Chen Sanpi folded his arms, contempt all over his face.

Old Jin drew a deep breath and looked back at the worried faces behind him.

Xu Chun stamped his foot in panic. "Old Jin! Are you crazy? That bastard means to kill you!"

Ma Laifu shouted too. "Brother Jin! Don't listen to him! Let's fight them!"

Li Gou, barely more than a boy, had pulled a small knife from somewhere. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Chen Sanpi, burning the man's face into his memory.

"Nobody move!"

Old Jin's shout stopped the others from stirring.

He turned back to Chen Sanpi and laughed. "Good! Master Chen, I'll take your word for it! Come on!"

Old Jin took his hand from his chest and forced himself upright. Pain twisted his face, but his spine remained straight.

Amusement flickered through Chen Sanpi's eyes as he loosened his wrist.

"First punch!"

He bellowed and was about to strike.

Just then, a shout came from the distance.

"Uncle Jin!"

The voice drew near with astonishing speed.

A figure flashed before everyone's eyes and swept into the middle of the standoff, stopping in front of Old Jin.

The newcomer stood tall and wore a driver's clothes.

It was Qin Geng.

"Xiao Wu?!"

The instant Old Jin saw him, his face changed. He looked even more alarmed than before. "Why are you here? Go! This has nothing to do with you!"

To Old Jin, Qin Geng might be strong and good at pulling a cart now, but he was still a boy.

If Qin Geng died here, Old Jin would never rest in peace.

"Xiao Wu, listen to your uncle!"

Xu Chun shouted in alarm too.

Qin Geng did not budge.

With his back to Old Jin, he looked calmly at Chen Sanpi, who stood before him like an iron tower. His voice was steady and firm, brooking no argument.

"Uncle Jin, step back."

"Leave him to me."

They were only a few simple words, yet somehow they carried an inexplicable force.

Old Jin froze. Looking at Qin Geng's broad back, he found himself shaken by that force and took two steps back without thinking.

Chen Sanpi frowned at the young man who had appeared out of nowhere and looked him up and down.

He saw nothing but a kid who was a little sturdier than most. There was no sign of anything special.

"Well, now. What rock did you crawl out from under?"

Chen Sanpi laughed in his fury and pointed at Qin Geng's nose. "Kid, you want to die for this old thing?"

"I just said I'd let you go if he took three punches from me. Since you insist on sticking your neck out, don't blame me for hitting hard!"

"I'll beat you to death first, then him! You're the one who broke the rules!"

Before he had finished speaking, a savage gleam flared in Chen Sanpi's eyes.

"Die!"

Chen Sanpi sprang into a sudden attack without the slightest flourish. He drove off the ground and hurled himself forward.

Carried by his momentum, he swung his right fist high and brought it down toward Qin Geng's face with a vicious rush of air!

The punch looked like a wild, flailing swing, but it carried tremendous force. If it landed squarely, it would split his skull open.

"Ah!"

Some timid onlookers in the distance had already covered their eyes in fright.

Faced with that ferocious punch, Qin Geng's expression did not change in the slightest.

"Too slow."

Qin Geng shifted his foot and turned sideways.

Whoosh—

Chen Sanpi's fist skimmed past Qin Geng's face, the wind of it lifting the tips of his hair.

"What?!"

Chen Sanpi's pupils contracted sharply.

The sickening loss of balance as his punch missed filled him with dread.

An expert could tell the moment another man made his move.

In the blink of an eye, this kid had turned and stepped aside, steady as an old pine. He definitely knew how to fight!

I'm in trouble, Chen Sanpi thought.

Qin Geng's eyes widened. A sharp crack came from his spine, a sound that set teeth on edge.

Crack!

It was the sound of a great tendon snapping taut!

The dragon of Qin Geng's spine seemed to come alive, releasing like a powerful bow drawn to its limit.

A terrifying force rose from the soles of his feet and traveled up his spine into his right arm without losing an ounce of strength.

The muscles of his back surged like a monstrous dragon turning over.

"..."

Qin Geng used no fancy technique, just a simple straight punch.

That punch was swift as lightning and heavy as a thousand jun!

He had struck second, yet landed first!

Bam!

A deep, thunderous thud rang out, as though someone had beaten a great drum of worn hide beside everyone's ears.

Qin Geng's fist slammed squarely into Chen Sanpi's chest.

Pfft—!

Chen Sanpi's feet left the ground, and he flew backward!

In midair, he sprayed a great mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his organs, leaving a crimson arc behind him.

Crack...

With a bone-breaking sound that made everyone's hair stand on end, Chen Sanpi crashed to the ground five meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

A large section of his chest had visibly caved in. His breastbone had been shattered.

Amid the broken bone were quantities of iron fragments. The two iron balls Chen Sanpi had tucked inside his clothes had been smashed by Qin Geng's punch and driven into his chest.

"Hh... hh..."

Chen Sanpi lay on the ground, his throat wheezing like a torn bellows.

The splintered bone and iron had pierced his lungs. Bloody froth kept spilling from his mouth.

His limbs jerked violently a few times, his eyes bulging wide.

Seconds later, Chen Sanpi's head lolled to one side, and he went still.

One punch.

Just one punch.

Chen Sanpi, who had run roughshod over South City and claimed to know how to fight, had been silenced just like that.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

It was as if every sound had been sucked from the docks in an instant.

Only the river wind still howled.

The carriage drivers from Yi He Shantytown stood with their mouths agape and their eyes nearly popping out, staring at the young man in the middle as though they had seen a ghost.

One carriage driver hurried forward and checked Chen Sanpi's breathing. He was dead.

"He... he killed someone!"

"Master Chen San is dead!"

"Run!"

Clang!

Short blades fell to the ground all around them.

Where was the viciousness these carriage drivers, usually so eager for a fight, had shown moments ago?

Terrified out of their wits, they scattered like madmen. No one even dared collect Chen Sanpi's body; they fled as if wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

On Xu Jin's Shanty's side, Old Jin, Xu Chun, Ma Laifu, and Li Gou stood frozen like wooden chickens.

In the distance.

Xia Jingyi's beautiful eyes were round with shock.

She turned to look at her master beside her.

Zhou Yonghe, the Su Family's chief House Guard, was a man who would not change expression even if Mount Tai collapsed before him. Now he leaned forward, staring fixedly at Qin Geng, his eyes roiling with shock he could not hide.

"Power through the back... a spine like a dragon..."

Zhou Yonghe muttered, bewilderment in his voice. "Does this kid have a twin? His bones weren't like that when I examined him last time. How did he go from middling potential to a Born Killer?"