Chapter 12 Old Tiger Zheng

Zhang Xiao stood just a breath away from Zhao Daniu, who didn’t even dare to breathe loudly now. The underlings who had charged at Zhang Xiao were still frozen, unable to react to what had just transpired. Zhao Daniu braced himself and shouted, “What are you all waiting for? Get him!”

But as soon as he finished speaking, his lackeys suddenly collapsed to the ground, writhing and groaning, their weapons clattering to the floor.

Stunned silence.

Moments ago, Zhang Xiao had broken out of their encirclement with effortless ease—it had taken no more than a few seconds. Yet, as he passed, he had somehow shattered the wrist bones of every one of Zhao Daniu’s men. Zhang Xiao had moved so swiftly that none of them had even seen him strike.

It was like a scene from a movie—utterly unbelievable.

Now Zhao Daniu was truly panicked. He had never imagined he’d end up facing a martial artist at the fifth realm! Forget his dozen or so men; even if he had twice as many, they wouldn’t be enough to give Zhang Xiao a proper warm-up.

Zhang Xiao’s smile grew even wider as he fixed his gaze on Zhao Daniu: “You haven’t answered my question yet. Just now, who did you say you were going to wipe out?”

Zhao Daniu shook uncontrollably. Everything that had happened today was simply too shocking. Each word from Zhang Xiao seemed to strike his very core, reverberating through his insides.

“Who… who are you?” Zhao Daniu managed to ask, swallowing his fear.

“You didn’t answer me—why are you interrogating me instead? I’m the one asking questions here.” Zhang Xiao didn’t bother to respond, instead letting his internal force bear down on Zhao Daniu, oppressing him with his overwhelming presence.

With a heavy thud, Zhao Daniu buckled under the pressure and fell to his knees before Zhang Xiao.

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Daniu forced out a sentence: “You dare lay a hand on me? Do you know who I work for? You’re messing with someone you shouldn’t!”

Zhang Xiao yawned. “I know. Goes by the name ‘Tiger Zheng’, right?”

Zhao Daniu sneered, “If you know that and still insult me, you must have a death wish! In the Tiexi district, everyone knows my boss. If you let me go now, maybe he’ll leave you a whole corpse!”

Zhang Xiao’s smile took on a playful edge. “You almost have a point.”

Seeing Zhang Xiao’s response, Zhao Daniu thought he’d finally intimidated him with his connections and pressed, “So you’re scared now?”

Instead of replying, Zhang Xiao drove his foot into Zhao Daniu’s chest. The blow shattered Zhao Daniu’s breastbone, sending him flying backward, blood spurting from his mouth.

“I’m a reasonable person most days, but I can’t stand threats or intimidation. Take this as a lesson—now take your men and get out.”

Zhao Daniu nearly suffocated from the pain. He knew that even with all his lackeys, he was no match for Zhang Xiao. Not daring to utter another threat, he scrambled to his feet, gathered his men, and beat a hasty retreat, vowing revenge at a later date.

Once Zhao Daniu was gone, Chen Yue rushed to her brother’s side and helped him up. Chen Wei looked utterly wretched—his face and body covered in bruises, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Zhang Xiao approached the two, fixed his gaze on Chen Wei, and said, “To think you’re Chen Xiaoguang’s grandson. You’ve really disgraced him.”

The words ignited a blaze of anger in Chen Wei. He pointed at Zhang Xiao and snarled, “You’re in no position to lecture me! You’re not even fit to mention my grandfather’s name!”

A resounding slap echoed through the air as Zhang Xiao struck him across the face. Voice tinged with anger, Zhang Xiao declared, “Am I wrong? Your grandfather, no matter how talented, would never debase himself for money, never become someone’s lapdog or commit despicable acts. And look at you! Do you even deserve to be called Chen Xiaoguang’s grandson?”

The slap left Chen Wei stunned. Chen Yue, startled, quickly shielded her brother and confronted Zhang Xiao, “What gives you the right to hit my brother?”

Zhang Xiao sneered, “What right? This guy became a thug for hire for the sake of money, and now he’s lost all his martial foundations. He brought this on himself! The Chen Xiaoguang my grandfather spoke of fought on the battlefield, shed blood and risked his life for the country! He’d never stoop so low, never become someone else’s mad dog for a handful of cash! What right does Chen Wei have to call himself Chen Xiaoguang’s grandson?”

Chen Yue was shaken by Zhang Xiao’s imposing manner, and looked at Chen Wei in disbelief. “Brother, what’s going on? Is what he said true?”

Chen Wei, head bowed in shame, drew a deep breath but remained silent.

In that moment, Chen Yue understood—Zhang Xiao was telling the truth. Otherwise, her brother’s pride would never have let such accusations go unanswered.

“Brother, please tell me what happened,” Chen Yue pleaded.

Chen Wei managed a bitter smile, his eyes full of tenderness as he patted her head. “He may be insufferable, but he’s right. I really have shamed our grandfather.”

Then, turning to Zhang Xiao, he said, “You destroyed my martial foundation, and I accept that—I brought it on myself. Today, you helped my family, so let’s call our grudge settled. You should go.”

Zhang Xiao snorted with derision. “And what will you do after I leave? Do you really think those thugs won’t come back for revenge? How are you supposed to stand against them in your current state?”

Stung by the words, Chen Wei’s emotions flared. “That’s my family’s problem! It’s none of your business! Don’t worry, even if I die here, I’ll never let those people lay a finger on my sister!”

But Zhang Xiao’s expression softened, and he smiled approvingly. “Now that’s a bit more like Chen Xiaoguang. Don’t worry—since your grandfather and mine were bound by fate, I won’t turn my back on this.”

With that, Zhang Xiao reached out and tapped several points on Chen Wei’s body in rapid succession.

As he withdrew his hand, Chen Wei suddenly coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.

Zhang Xiao explained, “Earlier, I injured you with my internal energy, disrupting your dantian and scattering your cultivation. Now I’ve drawn that energy out; your internal injuries are healed. As for reclaiming your martial prowess, you’ll have to work at it—it’ll take time.”

Chen Wei was overwhelmed with emotion. He could feel the truth in Zhang Xiao’s words; the violent energy that had ravaged his body was gone, leaving him feeling lighter and freer than he had in ages. More importantly, there was hope—he might yet regain his lost martial skills.

“Why are you helping me?” Chen Wei asked, baffled.

Zhang Xiao replied coldly, “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just repaying a debt. Years ago, your grandfather saved mine on the battlefield. My family owes yours, and I always settle my debts.”

At last, Chen Wei understood Zhang Xiao’s true motive. Remembering stories his grandfather once told him, he asked, “You’re Zhang Xuan’s descendant?”

Zhang Xiao nodded. “That’s right.”

Chen Wei, ashamed, said, “I was wrong about you before.”

Zhang Xiao rolled his eyes. “Spare me the sentimentality. Your body won’t recover with time alone. I’ll make some restorative pills for you. With them, you might be back at your peak in a year or two.”

Chen Wei, at a loss for words, simply thanked him with deep gratitude.

Afterward, Chen Yue helped her brother back to his room, and the three of them sat together, recounting everything that had happened.

…

Meanwhile, at the Zheng family residence, a corpulent middle-aged man in a gold-embroidered Tang suit sat at the head of the table, his face dark and menacing. Standing beside him was a man in his early thirties, his skin deathly pale, his narrow eyes gleaming with an unsettling light.

Kneeling before them was none other than Master Zhang.

The heavyset man was Zheng Shaowen’s father, head of the Zheng family, known as Zheng Yin—or, more infamously, Tiger Zheng.

Tiger Zheng pointed at Master Zhang and roared, “It’s all your fault, you useless fool! My son’s a moron now because of you!”

Master Zhang, trembling, glanced first at the pale man beside Tiger Zheng. The man’s face was expressionless. Master Zhang then turned back to Tiger Zheng and stammered, “Boss Zheng, this… this was all an accident. I never imagined things would get so out of hand. I even warned the young master that separating the spirit from the body carried enormous risk, but he wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t disobey him, so I had no choice but to go along. Who could have predicted that the Jiang family would have an expert in residence who would wound the young master’s spirit, leaving him soulless and deranged?”

At the mention of the Jiang family, Tiger Zheng’s eyes blazed with fury. He slammed the table and shouted, “Don’t even mention that bastard Jiang Yan! I just got a call from him—he wants to call off the engagement! That son of a bitch was willing to sell his own daughter when he needed my help, but now that Shaowen’s an idiot, he turns his back on us the moment the wind changes. The nerve of that scoundrel!”

The pale man, who had been silent, smiled faintly. “What’s done is done; there’s no use dwelling on it. Our priority now is to identify the person behind the Jiang family. He’s the real key. If he remains, all our years of scheming will be for nothing.”

Tiger Zheng turned to the pale man. “What’s your advice, Daoist Wu?”

The man addressed as Daoist Wu glanced at Master Zhang, motioning for him to withdraw. Once Master Zhang was gone, Daoist Wu spoke. “Years ago, I disguised myself as a feng shui master, and sabotaged his wife’s fortune, bringing ruin upon the Jiang family business. Forced to the brink, he agreed to the marriage alliance with your family. If all had gone well, we’d have devoured the Jiang family by now, and the Zheng name would be untouchable. But your son was too impatient, dragging my foolish disciple into his schemes. Who’d have thought an expert would suddenly take up residence with the Jiangs, ruining all our plans? That person must be eliminated.”

Anyone witnessing this would be astonished. Master Zhang, a man past fifty, was actually the disciple of this Daoist Wu who appeared barely thirty. It was almost unbelievable.

In truth, Daoist Wu was nearly a hundred years old, his youthful appearance maintained only by secret martial arts techniques.

For years, Daoist Wu had hidden within the Zheng family, advising Tiger Zheng from the shadows and occasionally intervening directly. Their unholy alliance was the source of the Zheng family’s current power.

Tiger Zheng had always heeded Daoist Wu’s counsel. Now, hearing his words, he nodded. “So what do we do? Hire someone to take him out? But ordinary men won’t do, will they?”

Daoist Wu nodded. “According to my errant disciple, this Zhang Xiao is barely twenty, yet already a fifth-realm martial artist. There’s no spiritual energy about him—he’s no Daoist—but he broke the Three Corpses Soul-Seizing Array and grievously wounded the young master’s spirit. Odd, indeed. I suppose I’ll have to handle him myself this time.”

Tiger Zheng, reassured, sneered, “With you taking care of it, I can relax. When the time comes, I want Jiang Yan, that wretched daughter of his, and this Zhang Xiao—all of them dead!”