Trading blows

"Liu Gui, y-you actually sold out the stronghold?" Liu Qiang roared.

"Sold it out? I suppose so. So what? In what way am I, Liu Gui, inferior to you? Why should you be chief? Just because your dead old man used to be the village head?" Liu Gui shouted at Liu Qiang.

"Just for that? You went over to those Wang family bastards just for that? Don't forget, your own uncle was beaten to death by their lackeys." Liu Qiang had known that Liu Gui resented his position, but he had never imagined Liu Gui would do something like this.

"There's more, of course. I don't want to spend my whole life holed up in these mountains," Liu Gui said with a sneer.

"Liu Gui, if you want to be chief, I can give you the position." Liu Qiang took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.

"Give it to me? How generous of you. But there's no need. I couldn't care less about being chief now. Once I have money, where couldn't I live in comfort?" Liu Gui sneered.

"Money? How much did they give you?" Liu Qiang asked, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.

"Five hundred taels of silver. Speaking of which, even I'm quite tempted. Your head certainly is worth a fair bit," the man beside Liu Gui said with a smile.

"Brother Liu, we have to hurry back to the stronghold." This turn of events was truly unexpected. Since Liu Gui had betrayed them all, the mountain stronghold's location must have been exposed, and the Wang family would surely cut out the grass by its roots. Now, not only he and Liu Qiang, but probably every villager in the stronghold was in grave danger.

"Hurry back to the stronghold?" The man beside Liu Gui continued smiling. "I'm afraid there's no stronghold left now."

"Liu Gui, you bastard! You deserve to die!" Liu Qiang's face twisted. He knew the man was not lying to him. The hundreds of villagers in the stronghold had probably all fallen victim to the Wang family's murderous hands, and all of this was Liu Gui's doing.

"I don't care who you are. Today, I'll tear you into ten thousand pieces!" Liu Qiang roared.

"Listen well. I am Zhang Ma, the 'Black Tiger Fist' of the Fierce Tiger Sect. Your granddaddy here has heard those words plenty of times. Unfortunately, everyone who said them ended up going to meet the King of Hell." Zhang Ma laughed loudly. "Liu Gui has already told me about your abilities. You've merely practiced boxing for a few years. In my eyes, that amounts to nothing more than a few half-baked tricks."

The Fierce Tiger Sect? Huang Xiao was startled. The Fierce Tiger Sect held considerable influence in several surrounding prefectures and counties, and he had learned a little about it from Liu Qiang.

Of course, in the martial world, the Fierce Tiger Sect was merely a sect beneath the ranks. Its most accomplished martial artist was naturally its leader, Zhang Hu, who wielded the Fierce Tiger Fist. Later, he had obtained an internal cultivation manual, and his power had increased greatly. Only then had he founded the Fierce Tiger Sect. It was said that Zhang Hu had already achieved some modest success in his cultivation, but he had not fought for a long time, and many in the martial world speculated that his strength had entered the ranks of third-rate experts. That required at least ten years of internal energy cultivation.

As a disciple of the Fierce Tiger Sect, this man certainly could not be weak in martial arts. At least to Liu Qiang and Huang Xiao, he was an expert.

"Then I'm truly honored. I never thought I'd warrant someone from the Fierce Tiger Sect taking action." Liu Qiang laughed loudly, tears in his eyes, for he knew his stronghold was gone, the villagers must be gone too, and naturally his family as well. And the man before him was inextricably tied to it all.

"Brother Huang, this has nothing to do with you. Find a chance to escape in a moment!" After laughing, Liu Qiang spoke quietly to Huang Xiao.

Although Liu Qiang had spoken very softly, Zhang Ma's ears twitched across from them, and he sneered. "Escape? Neither of you will escape today."

"Master Zhang, leave that pedantic scholar to me?" Liu Gui said, looking at Huang Xiao.

"Hahaha! Suit yourself. Liu Qiang, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll trade a couple of blows with you. I'll show you what despair means," Zhang Ma said with a smile.

Liu Qiang let out a long breath and said apologetically to Huang Xiao, "Brother Huang, I really have brought disaster on you this time. I can only repay you in my next life."

He, too, understood that he was certain to fall here today. He was not afraid of Liu Gui, but against this Zhang Ma before him, he had no confidence at all.

"Brother Liu, don't say that. All we can do now is fight." Huang Xiao spoke lightly, but his heart was pounding fiercely. Although he knew a little Coiling Snake Hand, he had never truly fought anyone. Even when he had exchanged blows with Liu Qiang before, they had only been sparring. Now, however, this was a fight to the death, something Huang Xiao had never experienced.

"Heh, you think you can fight me with the grappling techniques you've practiced for a month?" Seeing Huang Xiao take a guarded stance, Liu Gui could not help mocking him.

"Whether I can fight you isn't something words can decide." Huang Xiao knew he absolutely could not lose his composure now, nor could he let his presence weaken.

"Die! You're just a pedantic scholar, yet you dare spout such wild boasts?" With that, Liu Gui lunged in front of Huang Xiao, then swept a kick toward his waist.

Huang Xiao thrust both hands down to block at his waist, but Liu Gui's kick carried tremendous force, driving his hands straight into his waist. Pain immediately shot through his side. Fortunately, his hands had blocked some of the blow; otherwise, if the kick had landed squarely, even getting back up would have been in question.

Taking advantage of the opening as Liu Gui withdrew his leg, Huang Xiao hurried several steps to the side, then lightly shook his hands, which had been numbed by the impact.

"You've got some ability, actually managing to take my kick." Liu Gui had never exchanged blows with Huang Xiao and did not know how strong he was. Of course, he knew Huang Xiao had practiced Coiling Snake Hand, the martial arts manual Liu Qiang had obtained. At first, he had wanted to learn it too, but his style was much like Liu Qiang's: straightforward moves relying entirely on brute force. After discovering that the moves of Coiling Snake Hand did not suit him at all, he had paid Huang Xiao even less attention.

Huang Xiao had been nervous at first, but now he calmed down, focusing all his attention on Liu Gui before him.

Liu Gui laughed loudly at Huang Xiao. "I'll send you to the Western Heaven now."

A grave look flashed through Huang Xiao's eyes, but there was not a trace of panic on his face. This time, Liu Gui switched to his fists, driving a punch toward Huang Xiao's face.

As he watched his fist about to strike Huang Xiao's face, a cruel smile appeared on Liu Gui's face.

But Huang Xiao moved just then. His hands shot up and settled on Liu Gui's forearms. The speed left Liu Gui unable to react. Moreover, just as he was preparing to shake Huang Xiao's hands off, Huang Xiao's hands coiled like two snakes. With a turn of his hands, Huang Xiao locked both of Liu Gui's arms in his grip.

Huh? Liu Gui's heart jolted. He exerted a little strength, trying to wrench his arms out of Huang Xiao's grasp, but to his surprise, he failed to break free on the first attempt.

How is this brat so strong? Naturally, Liu Gui knew little of what made Coiling Snake Hand formidable. He attributed it to Huang Xiao's strength; otherwise, how could Huang Xiao have held both his arms fast?