Chapter Seventeen: Counter-Snatch

Yang Hu and Yang Zaixing felt even more at ease. Eager to deal with this group quickly, they held nothing back. The two of them moved like tigers among a flock of sheep, working in perfect coordination; with just a few moves, they could knock down one opponent after another. Facing real fighters, these untrained men were helpless, like chicks being mercilessly trampled.

The small gang leader, seeing his men fall one by one, swung his blade faster, hoping to finish off the mouthy youth before him and then turn his attention to the other two.

"Xuan, can you hurry up? We've finished over here, but you're still dragging it out. Pick up the pace, we still have a journey ahead. Otherwise, lunch will be on us again. Your cooking is good, but I'm too lazy to be your assistant anymore," Yang Zaixing called out with a grin, he and Yang Hu having already laid out the rest, now watching the duel between Zhang Xuan and the small leader with amused interest.

"Alright, don't rush me. I’ll be quick. Honestly, I wanted to play a bit longer—it’s rare to find someone to tease. Life’s been so dull lately. Hero, I won’t play with you anymore. We've been roasting wild meat for days, and I’m getting sick of it. Gotta finish you off and get moving or it’s roast again for lunch..." As he spoke, Zhang Xuan shifted from defense to offense. He dodged the small leader’s attack, then struck fast, landing a punch straight to the leader’s stomach. As the man bent over in pain, Zhang Xuan grabbed his weapon hand, turned, and threw him to the ground in an over-the-shoulder toss. The leader ate a mouthful of dirt, his blade flying out of reach. When he tried to get up, Zhang Xuan lunged forward and punched him squarely in the head, sending him collapsing like a kite with a broken string.

"See? I told you it was pointless. I don’t know where you get your confidence, daring to provoke people of our caliber," Zhang Xuan said, stepping up to the fallen leader, fist raised to strike again—but halfway through, he drew back. "Let me show you how a proper thief conducts business!"

He reached into the leader’s chest pocket. If the man dared resist, Zhang Xuan would happily punch him again, but the leader was meek, lying still—perhaps pretending to be dead, perhaps out of shame—hoping to let this pass and later seek revenge.

After a moment of searching, Zhang Xuan pulled out a small amount of money. "Times must be tough if this is all you’ve got. Your career’s not going well, is it? Hey, I know you’re awake, drop the act. Tell me, do you have a boss above you? You must be handing over most of your takings. Guys, don’t just stand there—since they tried to rob us, it’s only fair we return the favor. Don’t be polite, search them properly. We’re short on funds anyway. Even a mosquito is meat—don’t let it go to waste."

Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu exchanged a glance and shook their heads, but nevertheless set about searching the others. As he rummaged, Yang Zaixing couldn’t help but wonder how he’d ended up doing such things—it was only the pressure of circumstances, he told himself. After all, this was ill-gotten money, and perhaps he was carrying out justice in his own way. If Zhang Xuan had known his big brother was consoling himself like this, he’d have sighed that only someone born to wealth would need so many justifications just to take a few things.

"Stop pretending to sleep. Why don’t you take me to meet your boss? I have something to discuss with him," Zhang Xuan said seriously, shaking the small leader by the shoulder. Seeing no response, he added, "Still faking? Want another beating? I didn’t even get to enjoy myself!"

"Hero, I’m awake, I swear! I have no boss. You’ve taken all my money—just pretend I’m nothing and let me go. We’re all from the same world, be merciful," the small leader pleaded, tears and snot running down his face, all but kneeling before Zhang Xuan as he lay pinned to the ground.

"Are you sure there’s no one above you?"

"I swear, I promise, there’s no boss above me. These are just brothers from my village. Times are hard—we were bored by the roadside, saw some well-dressed passersby, and decided to try our luck. We succeeded, and the easy money went to our heads. But we’re selective about our targets, always observing before acting. Today, we saw just the three of you and thought we could make something."

"Didn’t expect to get in over your head, did you? Enough, you can all go," Zhang Xuan said, rising to his feet. He’d had his fun, landed his blows, and pocketed his spoils—there was no more entertainment to be had, so he magnanimously let them go.

"Really?" The small leader glanced up at Zhang Xuan in disbelief, hardly able to believe his luck.

But Zhang Xuan paid him no more attention, instead calling, "Big Brother, Hu, let’s get moving before we lose more time. Judging by the sky, we might need to pick up the pace." Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu nodded, leaving Zhang Xuan behind as they set off at a run.

"Hey! So much for loyalty! Aren’t you going to wait for me? Heartless!" Zhang Xuan shouted after them, snatching up the small leader’s discarded blade—a rare resource—before taking off in pursuit.

"What do we do now, boss? We lost big today. How are we going to explain this to Yan?" The lackeys gathered around the small leader, worried.

Rubbing his head, the leader replied, "Let’s lie low for a while—maybe there’ll be another group along soon. But this place is too remote, there’s hardly anyone around. Didn’t think those three would know how to fight; we got careless. When we see Swallow, we’ll call for backup. We can’t let this go, or I’ll lose all face in this area. When we find Swallow, play up how badly we were beaten—make it sound as miserable as possible, understand? That guy hits hard," he added, rubbing his stomach and head.

"Understood, boss!" the lackeys chorused.

"You two, follow them—same as before. Mark the way so we don’t lose them. If we succeed in getting revenge, there’ll be a reward. But don’t get caught or lose track, or you’ll answer to me," the leader instructed two of his men.

"Got it," they replied, running after Zhang Xuan and his companions.

"The rest of you, come with me to find Swallow. Vengeance is a dish best served hot. When we see Swallow, you know what to do," the small leader said, and led the others away.