Ye Wen clasped his hands and said,"Brother Meng, in a sparring match blows may go astray—please forgive any offense."
Suddenly, a fierce gust of force surged straight toward his chest! Ye Wen twisted his body, instantly chopping out a palm strike. A sharp burst of inner force shot forth, striking at the black figure flying toward him. The attacker had leapt in with arms spread wide, both palms thrusting forward; yet while suspended in midair, his body suddenly flipped backward, swift as a bird in flight, retreating like a flash of lightning.
The ambusher was none other than a disciple brought by Meng Cheng, attempting a sneak attack to avenge him.
In that split second, two elderly men stepped forward before Ye Wen.A blue-robed elder spoke in a low voice, "Your skills are indeed impressive."
A green-robed elder followed coldly, "Your Xingyi Fist is formidable. Do you dare measure strength with me?"
Ye Wen's expression hardened, yet he remained courteous. He clasped his hands and asked,"May I ask how I should address the two seniors?"
The blue-robed elder replied, "We are known in the jianghu as the Twin Freaks of Jiangnan. My name is Zhu Feng."The green-robed elder said, "I am Zhou Jie."
Ye Wen answered respectfully,"The earlier contest between our two groups was a formal duel. Injuries are sometimes unavoidable. I ask the two seniors to show understanding and refrain from blame."
Zhu Feng's eyes flashed with anger."You injure someone and hide behind the excuse of a sparring match? It won't end so easily!"
Zhou Jie let out a sinister laugh."Summon your sect leader. I want to see how your leader intends to deal with this."
Ye Wen knew full well that the two had come with hostile intent. Suppressing the anger in his chest, he replied coldly,"A duel is a duel. Fists and feet have no eyes. Injury or death is always a risk."
Zhu Feng's eyes widened furiously."So this brat still dares to speak so lightly? You're asking for a beating!"
Before the words had fully fallen, he lunged forward in a flash, palms striking out explosively. A fierce palm wind roared forth, thunder faintly audible, as overwhelming force crashed toward Ye Wen's chest.
Ye Wen had long been prepared. His body flickered through several rapid turns, causing Zhu Feng's strikes to miss. Zhu Feng shouted angrily,"Don't think you can escape!"
His words barely finished when he leapt again, pursuing Ye Wen like a shadow. His left palm suddenly executed the move "Meteor Chasing the Moon." In an instant, an immense and terrifying force—like thunder splitting mountains—blanketed Ye Wen's vital points.
The two fought barehanded. Zhu Feng's cultivation far surpassed Ye Wen's, and Ye Wen had just endured a fierce battle, his inner strength heavily depleted—how could he withstand another clash?
Suddenly, their figures blurred. They met palm to palm—bang!—and were both forced apart.
Zhu Feng shouted,"Who dares interfere?!"
It was Liu Yun.
Seeing Ye Wen in grave danger, Liu Yun had leapt in without hesitation, meeting Zhu Feng's palm head-on. She said calmly,"Who I am is unimportant. The two sides agreed to a duel, and a duel has winners and losers. Those who lose must abide by the rules of the jianghu—not stir up trouble afterward."
The intruders had come seeking conflict, lost the duel, and yet showed no grace. Liu Yun's words struck home; Zhu Feng's expression changed instantly, his face flushing with embarrassment.
Zhou Jie sneered,"Enough talk. Summon the Xu Zhou Gang leader. You've injured men of the Dockside Gang. Without an explanation today, this will not end!"
Wu Tong and the others had already emerged from the main hall and gathered outside the compound. Gang Leader Xu Li stepped forward boldly and said in a deep voice,"I am Xu Li, leader of the Xu Zhou Gang. What business brings the two of you here?"
Zhu Feng curled his lips into a cold smile."So you are the leader. Your disciple Ye Wen injured members of the Dockside Gang. How do you intend to handle this?"
Xu Li replied,"May I ask the two of you for your names? And what connection you have with the Dockside Gang?"
Zhou Jie answered coldly,"We are the Twin Freaks of Jiangnan. Our ties with the Dockside Gang run deep."
Xu Li looked at their aggressive demeanor and laughed lightly."A duel determines victory and defeat. My gang won. The Dockside Gang lost. That is all. What, then, is there to 'handle'?"
Zhu Feng shouted,"You must apologize! Don't think this ends here!"
At that moment, Wu Tong burst into loud laughter and strode forward."This is the greatest joke under heaven! You come to provoke a fight, lose fair and square, and instead of admitting your lack of skill, you demand kneeling apologies? If you lost, you should return home, train harder, and come back another day!"
Zhou Jie roared,"You brat! I'm speaking with the gang leader—who gave you the right to interrupt?!"
Suddenly, Situ Kong let out a long, booming laugh that echoed without end as he strode forward.
Zhou Jie glared at the laughing old man and shouted angrily,"You wretched old fool! What does this have to do with you?!"
Zhu Feng barked,"This doesn't concern you. Get out of the way unless you want a beating!"
Situ Kong, his playful nature ignited, laughed and said,"That's only if you have the ability. Come on!"
The contempt on his face and his booming words enraged Zhu Feng further. With a cold snort, Zhu Feng struck out with both palms, swift as lightning.
The crowd saw only Situ Kong's robes fluttering in the wind. He stood serene and unmoving, like a meditating monk. It seemed he would surely die on the spot—or at best suffer grave injury.
At the critical instant, Situ Kong suddenly ducked low, his body swaying, slipping away from the strike. Zhu Feng missed completely and roared,"Old fool—take another palm!"
Situ Kong laughed merrily."Come on! This is great fun!"
Zhu Feng's fury boiled over. You asked for death—don't blame me for being ruthless! He sneered coldly and shouted,"The tiger shows no might, and you take it for a sick cat!"
With a fierce cry, he launched himself upward, palm force surging toward the back of Situ Kong's head.
Yet facing such a ferocious assault, Situ Kong remained playful as a child. He twisted his waist sharply, spinning like a whirlwind, and slipped aside. Though Situ Kong's martial arts were unfathomably deep, Zhu Feng's footwork was equally strange and swift—advancing like lightning.
His palms struck empty again. In a blink, he turned and attacked once more, fists and palms flying. Situ Kong merely parried, never counterattacking. His movements alternated fast and slow, left and right, rising and falling—retreating like a startled rabbit, vanishing like a ghost—leaving Zhu Feng utterly unable to grasp his position.