Chapter Twenty-Four: Chu Yan

“Kid, I have to admire your courage—or maybe your stupidity. Just the three of you trying to ambush us? You’re going to pay the price for that foolishness, and it might be more than you can handle! Hahaha!” With a wild laugh, Swallow swung his blade, clashing against Zhang Xuan’s spear.

As their weapons collided, Zhang Xuan studied the young man before him, who looked only a few years older. “Who pays the price is still up in the air. Are you so sure there are only three of us? You call me naïve, but maybe it’s time to return your words,” he retorted, casting a disdainful glance.

“Kid, stop talking nonsense. If you’re expecting backup to save you, you’re dreaming. If you even see the moon tonight, I’ll take your surname,” Swallow said, laughing aloud.

“Remember, my name is Zhang, so you’ll be Zhang Swallow from now on. Wait, what was your name again?” Suddenly, Zhang Xuan felt the name familiar, wondering if he’d run into another “famous” character.

“Kid, are you scared by my name? Around here, they call me ‘King Swallow’—they even use my name to scare children. Maybe your parents used it on you, left you with a trauma?” Swallow was pleased with Zhang Xuan’s startled reaction, taking pride in his reputation—even if it wasn’t a good one. But he’d chosen this path, and was determined to see it through, no matter the outcome. After all, why shouldn’t a man strive for greatness? Perhaps he could make a name for himself.

“Sorry, never heard of you. But you can start changing your name tonight!” Zhang Xuan sprang forward, lunging straight at Swallow. As Swallow raised his blade to parry, Zhang Xuan spun, retracted his spear, and swiftly thrust at another thief nearby—one who was momentarily stunned. The attack was fatal. Without pausing, Zhang Xuan swept his spear in a wide arc, taking advantage of the thieves’ shock to fight his way toward Yang Zaixing.

Yang Zaixing was locked in a fierce duel with Big Boss Li, gradually gaining the upper hand. If not for the occasional interference from other thieves, he’d have finished his opponent in a few more moves. As Zhang Xuan charged over, intending to join up with Yang Zaixing, he saw that Big Boss Li’s back was turned. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Xuan hurled his spear with all his might. The surrounding thieves gasped. Big Boss Li, turning to see what was happening behind him, felt something pierce his back. Yang Zaixing seized the moment and drove his weapon into Big Boss Li’s throat. Without any resistance, Big Boss Li collapsed.

“Big Boss Li!” a chorus of shrill cries rang out. Zhang Xuan rushed over, yanked his spear free, his hands trembling—it had all happened in a flash. For a moment, everyone, even Swallow, forgot where they were, staring in stunned silence as Zhang Xuan wrenched his weapon free from Big Boss Li’s body.

“Vengeance for Big Boss Li!” someone screamed, and soon the cry echoed all around as the thieves charged at Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing. Swallow, in particular, felt humiliated: not only had Zhang Xuan escaped his grasp, but he’d killed Big Boss Li with a single throw. Swallow’s face burned with shame as he led the charge toward Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing exchanged a look—each saw only determination in the other’s eyes. They nodded, bracing themselves to face the furious horde of thieves. In truth, Zhang Xuan hadn’t expected his throw to succeed; he’d simply spotted the opportunity when Big Boss Li’s back was turned, and hurled the spear with all his strength. The resulting chaos gave Yang Hu the opening he needed to break through the encirclement and move to join them.

Swallow singled Zhang Xuan out, determined to vent his frustration on him. Zhang Xuan refused to back down, meeting him head-on. In truth, Zhang Xuan was no pushover; after so many sparring sessions with Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu, and with occasional tips from Old Tong, he’d gained enough skill to handle a duel. But this wasn’t a formal duel—it was a chaotic brawl, and the thieves, spurred on by the reward for taking down a “chief” and the shock of Big Boss Li’s death, kept darting in for sneak attacks, hoping to be the one to land a lucky blow and claim glory.

The constant interference left Zhang Xuan struggling to defend himself; he’d already taken several wounds. Luckily, the thieves’ weapons were crude, so the injuries were small, but blood still streamed from them, especially as the fight raged on. Yang Zaixing, too, was bleeding from multiple wounds, none fatal, but enough to soak his clothes with blood and sweat. The word “miserable” barely described their state.

“Ah Xing, Xiao Xuan, can you hold on?” At last, Yang Hu broke through the encirclement and joined them. Seeing the state of his companions, he couldn’t hide his concern.

Summoning his strength, Zhang Xuan shoved Swallow back and retreated to Yang Hu’s side, finally feeling some support. Yang Zaixing swept his spear in a wide arc and fell back as well. “We’re hanging in there. Xiao Xuan, you look even worse—you’re their main target!” Yang Zaixing managed a wry laugh at Zhang Xuan’s battered state.

“Laugh while you can. Now that the adrenaline’s wearing off, everything hurts—I feel like I’m full of holes. But now that Brother Hu’s back, I can show my real strength. Let’s see what this rabble can do to us. But first, Brother Hu, you take the lead—I need to catch my breath,” Zhang Xuan said, trying to lighten the mood. Yang Hu and Yang Zaixing rolled their eyes at him.

But Swallow had seen through their ploy to buy time, and shouted to the others, “Charge!” Leading the way, he rushed at Zhang Xuan, and the rest, seeing their leader advance, surged forward in pursuit.