Fighting Three Alone

"I'll fucking cripple you!" Dong Hua bellowed in fury, lunging toward Baozi.

However, when it came to physical combat, he was no match for Baozi. With a single kick, Baozi sent him flying, sprawling onto the ground in a pathetic heap.

"You little punk, you're asking for a death wish!"

Wu Jun, one of the three top-tier martial artists of the Dong family, wore an icy expression as he immediately charged at Baozi.

"Damn it, did you really think I'd still be afraid of you?" With Zhang Xiaofan here, Baozi no longer needed to hold back. He unleashed a torrent of abuse, feeling utterly and indescribably vindicated.

"Court death!" Wu Jun's face grew even frostier, and he threw a punch straight at Baozi.

Right at that moment, another fist shot forward like a flash of lightning. Moving with blinding speed, it preempted the attack and violently collided with Wu Jun's fist.

In that instant, Wu Jun's expression changed drastically. He felt as though the bones in his entire arm were about to shatter.

He instantly retracted his arm, though it continued to tremble violently. Terror gripped his heart—the person who had thrown that punch possessed a level of cultivation that could utterly crush him!

Only then did a youthful face come into view before him. The boy appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. Wu Jun even thought he was hallucinating, rubbing his eyes with his other hand, but the reality remained unchanged...

To possess such terrifying strength at such a tender age...

"Stop rubbing your eyes. It really is your Grandpa Zhang," Zhang Xiaofan said indifferently, looking straight at him. "A mere initial-stage Qi-Enlightenment martial artist, and you dare to lay hands on my brother? Where did you get the courage?"

Overbearing! Arrogant!

This young man was even more arrogant than Baozi had been just moments ago!

Yet, he truly possessed the capital for such arrogance. Wu Jun could only remain silent; he was indeed no match for this opponent whatsoever!

It seemed the recent rumors were entirely true: a young man had swept through the Feng family with irresistible force, leading a faction that ultimately seized control of the Northern District.

Experiencing it firsthand made the terrifying reality abundantly clear!

"Brother Fan, you're finally here. If you'd been any later, you'd probably be collecting my corpse," Baozi walked up, lowering his voice.

"I drove here at two hundred miles per hour, smashing through who knows how many cars. Do you have any idea how hard that was?" Zhang Xiaofan retorted.

Baozi chuckled, only then noticing the numerous scratches across the front of the Hummer. He had to admit, the build quality of a Hummer was genuinely phenomenal—despite taking that kind of beating, there wasn't even a single dent.

"How is it? Did they do anything to you?" Zhang Xiaofan asked, eyeing Baozi closely.

If his brother had been bullied, he was definitely going to exact retribution.

"Not really, except that old bastard slapped me across the face. I held back, otherwise I probably wouldn't have my life right now," Baozi said, gesturing toward a middle-aged man standing behind Wu Jun.

"You did the right thing. Staying alive is what matters most. But we can't just let someone slap you like that. Brother will settle this score for you," Zhang Xiaofan said calmly.

As Baozi spoke, the middle-aged man's expression turned ugly. Zhang Xiaofan's hasty punch earlier had left Wu Jun in such a miserable state, which clearly demonstrated just how formidable this man's strength was.

His name was Wu Qiang, and he and Wu Jun were brothers. Furthermore, Wu Qiang's strength was roughly on par with Wu Jun's. If the opponent decided to make a move against him, he stood absolutely zero chance of winning.

"What the fuck! How dare you kick me!" At that moment, Dong Hua hauled himself up from the ground. Wiping the blood smeared across his face from the impact, he charged right back toward Baozi.

He seemed to have completely ignored Zhang Xiaofan standing right beside him.

"Baozi, you got this moron handled?" Zhang Xiaofan asked Baozi.

"Without those three goons backing him up, what is this idiot even worth? Watch me. I'm going to beat him so badly even his own mother won't recognize him," Baozi declared.

With that, he lunged at Dong Hua, knocked him flat with a single punch, and then straddled him, throwing punches left and right...

"Stop right there!"

Wu Qiang barked coldly. They were tasked with protecting Dong Hua; if Dong Hua suffered a severe beating, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves when they returned, especially since the Dong family had lavished them with generous rewards.

Besides, the Dong family harbored an even more terrifying existence. Even though the three of them were at the initial Qi-Enlightenment stage, they were still no match for that person.

"You'd better worry about yourself first..."

Zhang Xiaofan flashed forward, blocking Wu Qiang's path, and said coldly, "You're the one who slapped my brother, right? I'll give you a chance: slap yourself ten times and I won't pursue this matter any further. If you force me to make a move, I guarantee you'll regret it."

Wu Qiang wore a furious expression, yet looking at Zhang Xiaofan, he felt a deep-seated dread. Asking him to slap himself was completely out of the question.

He still had his dignity. He turned his gaze toward Wu Jun and another martial artist, saying, "Fu Yuntao, this punk is entirely too arrogant! Let's all three attack together, what do you say?"

"I was thinking the exact same thing." Fu Yuntao was the third initial-stage Qi-Enlightenment martial artist among them.

Naturally, he knew how immense Zhang Xiaofan's strength was, but he had no choice. Setting aside the fact that he was in the Dong family's employ, this young man had just beaten the Wu brothers and would undoubtedly target him next.

Instead of waiting, joining forces three-against-one gave them at least a fighting chance.

Zhang Xiaofan smiled. "It seems you're determined to force my hand... Three against one, is it? Then come on, all together..."

Facing three Qi-Enlightenment martial artists, Zhang Xiaofan remained completely unruffled, almost nonchalant. Could three initial-stage practitioners possibly generate any real pressure for him?

"Arrogant!"

Wu Qiang let out a cold shout, immediately assuming a combat stance. Staring coldly at Zhang Xiaofan, he exchanged a subtle glance with Wu Jun and Fu Yuntao.

The two of them shifted positions, forming a triangular formation that encircled Zhang Xiaofan.

"Brother Fan, are you going to be okay? Do you need me to help?" Baozi asked, sounding somewhat tired from pummeling Dong Hua as he watched Zhang Xiaofan get surrounded.

"Forget it. Since when does your Brother Fan need your help?" Zhang Xiaofan retorted with a mock scowl. Then, a smile playing on his lips, he looked at Wu Qiang and the others. "Come on then. I hope the three of you won't disappoint me..."

"You talk too much! Take this!"

Wu Qiang barked fiercely, charging straight at Zhang Xiaofan. He curved his palms into claws, lifted one leg, and hunched his torso forward.

It was the Mantis Fist... and it had to be said, his posture genuinely resembled a praying mantis.

The Mantis Fist was a branch of Xingyi Boxing, though not many practiced it because most martial artists disliked mimicking the posture of an insect.

Of course, one could not deny the destructive power inherent to the Mantis Fist itself. Executed by a Qi-Enlightenment martial artist, the waving motion of his claws carried a formidable wave of energy.

Clearly, Wu Qiang possessed a deep mastery of this boxing style.

The moment Wu Qiang initiated his attack, Wu Jun on Zhang Xiaofan's left-rear and Fu Yuntao on his right-rear launched their assaults as well.

As for what specific techniques they were using, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't be bothered to care. Facing a three-pronged attack, the logical choice was always to focus on one target and break them down sequentially.

With a calm smile, Zhang Xiaofan's figure suddenly darted forward to meet Wu Qiang. He pressed his index and middle fingers together, spiritual energy surging at his fingertips.

Wu Qiang curved his claw sharply toward Zhang Xiaofan's throat—fast, vicious, and utterly merciless.

He had to admit, the attack of an initial-stage Qi-Enlightenment practitioner was not something Zhang Xiaofan could completely ignore. Taking a direct hit from that would certainly be unpleasant.

Just as Wu Qiang's claw closed in, Zhang Xiaofan's torso tilted abruptly, narrowly and smoothly evading the strike. At the same time, his conjoined fingers thrust forward with the speed of a flashing thunderbolt.

His fingers struck precisely at Wu Qiang's lumbar ribs. The One-Finger Zen, a widely renowned technique, was the very skill Zhang Xiaofan was employing. With a single poke, the concentrated energy at his fingertips burst outward.

Acting like an armor-piercing shell, it carried immense shockwave and penetration power. In that split second, the distinct snap of Wu Qiang's rib fracturing could be heard.

Yet Wu Qiang lived up to his status as an initial-stage Qi-Enlightenment martial artist; even with a broken rib, he merely furrowed his brow without uttering a sound of pain.

Seizing the momentary opening left by Zhang Xiaofan's finger strike, Wu Qiang lunged forward again with a vicious claw strike.

A hint of surprise flickered in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes. Wu Qiang's combat experience was decent, and the man was undeniably a tough adversary.

There was no time to switch stances for a block; Zhang Xiaofan could only kick off the ground with both feet and rapidly retreat.

By this time, the attacks from Wu Jun and Fu Yuntao had already arrived. Fu Yuntao unleashed a ferocious palm strike aimed at Zhang Xiaofan's back, carrying the wild, mountain-splitting momentum of a crashing boulder.

Wu Jun, meanwhile, whose arm had previously been jarred by Zhang Xiaofan, resorted to a flying kick. The wind of his leg was razor-sharp, aimed straight at Zhang Xiaofan's head.

Though their coordinated assault was simple, it was ruthlessly effective. Furthermore, Wu Qiang pushed through his pain to charge forward once more, leaping like an airborne praying mantis as he clawed straight toward Zhang Xiaofan's chest.