Chapter 23: The Arrival of Xiang Qiang

Morning mist hung thick as Xiang Qian stood alone in the courtyard of the hall, his long sword hanging low, drops of blood falling from its tip to bloom into dark red flowers on the bluestone slabs. Dozens of groaning thugs lay scattered haphazardly around him, the air heavy with the stench of blood.

Urgent screeching of tires echoed from outside the courtyard as over a dozen black sedans surrounded the hall. Car doors slammed open, and dozens of burly men in suits quickly formed ranks.

Xiang Sheng stepped down from the lead Mercedes, his polished leather shoes stepping into the blood-water, splashing up tiny red stains. He narrowed his eyes at the black-clad youth in the courtyard, his ears filled with the painful groans of his subordinates.

"Interesting." Xiang Sheng sneered coldly, raising a hand to signal, "Clear the scene."

The thugs behind him immediately rushed into the courtyard, blades drawn.

Xiang Qian moved.

His figure was like a phantom; the long sword traced a cold arc in the morning light. The first burly man to charge didn't even see his movement before feeling a sudden chill in his right hand, and upon looking down, realized his arm was gone.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The sound of blades slicing into flesh rang out continuously. With every step Xiang Qian took, a shower of blood rose; every strike precisely harvested an arm or a leg. In just three minutes, a third of the thirty-plus attackers lay fallen.

Xiang Sheng's pupils contracted sharply; he immediately pulled out his phone: "Big Brother, trouble at the Kowloon hall. We need backup... Yes, send three hundred men."

"Stop!" Xiang Sheng suddenly shouted.

Both sides in the melee froze simultaneously. Xiang Qian flicked the blood droplets from his blade, gazing coldly at the source of the voice.

Xiang Sheng took a deep breath and walked alone into the courtyard. As the distance closed, his heart beat faster and faster—the youth's brows and eyes were exactly like those of Big Brother Xiang Yan in his youth!

"Brother," Xiang Sheng suppressed his shock, speaking as calmly as possible, "I am Xiang Sheng. May I ask how Xinyi Hall has offended you?"

Xiang Qian did not answer, only staring fixedly at him with bloodshot eyes, his knuckles white as he gripped the sword.

Chilled to the bone under that gaze, Xiang Sheng asked tentatively, "Do you... know Xiang Yan?"

Hearing that name, Xiang Qian uttered a single sentence: "I do not know him."

Just then, chaotic footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard. Zhang Guorong and Cheng Long rushed in with over twenty martial arts brothers, each holding steel pipes or cleavers.

"Little Brother!" Cheng Long shouted, "We're here!"

Yet when they saw the scene within the courtyard, everyone froze on the spot—

Severed limbs were scattered everywhere, blood flowing in streams into the drainage ditch. Several martial arts disciples bent over on the spot, vomiting; Zhang Guorong leaned against the wall, his face pale as death. Nevertheless, Zhang Guorong and Mei Yanfang, along with Cheng Long and the martial artists behind him, still stood blocking the way before Xiang Qian, staring down Xiang Sheng and his men.

At the same time, the roar of engines came from the end of the street. Over thirty vans screamed to a halt, and more than three hundred thugs wielding weapons swarmed out, instantly surrounding the entire hall so tightly that not even water could leak through.

Leading them was a middle-aged man of imposing dignity: Xiang Qiang. He strode forward, and his subordinates automatically parted to make way.

"Ah Sheng, what is going on?" Xiang Qiang asked in a deep voice.

Xiang Sheng hurriedly went to meet him: "Brother, look at that person..."

Xiang Qiang followed his brother's pointing finger, and the moment he clearly saw Xiang Qian's face, he stumbled back two steps.

"Big Brother's son?" he muttered to himself.

Xiang Qiang took a deep breath, striving to calm himself, yet his eyes never left Xiang Qian. He walked slowly toward the youth, while everyone around watched tensely.

Just then, Xiang Yan's phone call came through. Xiang Qiang answered, spoke a few brief words, and his expression grew even graver. Hanging up, he looked at Xiang Qian and said, "We will discuss this matter after meeting Big Brother." Then, with a wave of his hand, "Everyone disperse." Though puzzled, the crowd gradually withdrew. The storm temporarily subsided, while the truth of Xiang Qian's lineage had only just begun to reveal a corner.