I'll Do It

The harbor fell into a dead silence.

The lake wind howled, sending a few fallen leaves rolling across the ground.

“Boom!”

In the next instant, the bandits of Chenjian Dock erupted into a deafening cheer.

“The Ninth Chief is mighty!”

“Hahaha! Crippling that arrogant little bastard with a single palm strike is so damn satisfying!”

“The Tenth Chief's soul in heaven can finally rest in peace!”

The rank-and-file water bandits were ecstatic.

Shouting and screaming, they waved their sabers and swords high above their heads, their voices shaking the sky.

Tu Xiaotian casually shook a few drops of blood off his hand.

Listening to the cheers, a wild, arrogant expression appeared on his face, and he couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh out loud.

Beside him, Pang Yi, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, licked his lips and smiled sinisterly.

“Old Tu... well done. Judging by that kid's bearing, he must have been a young master of the Ji family?”

“Not quite.”

Before Tu Xiaotian could answer, Tang Jin coldly swept his gaze over the unconscious Ji Yuande on the ground, looking at him as if he were a corpse.

“I have copies of the Ji family's direct lineage registry, and I've never seen this person. He must be... just from a branch family.”

“...A branch family.”

Pang Yi bared his mouth of yellow teeth and grinned savagely.

“That's not bad either! Consider it a bit of interest collected for Old Ten. It's just...”

His narrow eyes squinted, slowly scanning the Ji family members like a venomous snake.

“I wonder which one is that kid named Shen Xiuhan? Don't forget that our main purpose in coming here is to take his head and bring it back to offer to Old Ten!”

Hearing this, Tu Xiaotian's smile gradually faded, replaced by a chilling killing intent.

When the chiefs had taken their seats back then, they were sworn brothers who had kowtowed and drunk blood wine together.

Since Tu Xiaotian and Qu Bushi ranked the lowest, they had the closest relationship.

Qu Bushi had been killed by Ji Wen. To preserve the bigger picture, Ji Wen couldn't be killed for now.

But that kid surnamed Shen must die today!

...

The Ji family camp looked as if they had lost their parents, their faces filled with despair.

The patrol envoys and guards had ugly expressions as they crowded around Ji Yuande.

Wang Jindao stretched out a heavily calloused hand and gently pressed down on Ji Yuande's limp back, his hand instantly trembling.

Li Han asked in a trembling voice, “H-how is he?”

Wang Jindao's face was as pale as ash. He let out a long sigh and shook his head helplessly.

“His spinal column is completely broken. Even the bone fragments are shattered into his flesh...”

The surroundings fell into a brief silence.

Then, fearful whispers began to spread like a rising tide.

“What a ruthless and vicious method!”

“It's over... Young Master Yuande is completely finished for the rest of his life.”

“Sigh... though he's only been on the island for a month and was arrogant and overbearing, he was still the first to step up for the punch match...”

“Those goddamn beasts of Chenjian Dock!”

“The main family finally managed to kill Qu Bushi to regain some face, but today... today we're probably going to suffer a massive setback again...”

Everyone was in a panic, and the air was filled with noisy unease.

Luo Feng, however, quietly backed out and returned to stand behind Shen Xiuhan.

Glancing at the back that was as straight as a pine, he bowed, cupped his fists, and whispered:

“Patrol Envoy... what happened just now was sudden, and I took matters into my own hands.”

Shen Xiuhan didn't even turn his head, replying flatly, “Quiet. Speak no more of this.”

“Understood!”

Luo Feng breathed a massive sigh of relief, a flash of wild joy crossing his eyes.

Luo Feng cast his gaze toward Ji Yuande, who was being carried away by two guards, a cold look flashing in his eyes.

...

Meanwhile, the water bandits on the opposite side raised another round of clamor and cheers.

The clattering of swords and sabers striking shields echoed continuously, sounding like a flock of noisy crows.

Tu Xiaotian rested for a brief moment.

Once his breathing settled and his blood qi recovered, he stepped forward with his arms crossed, his gaze slowly scanning the Ji family members like a cold snake's tongue.

“Who's next to seek their death?!”

This harsh shout boomed like muffled thunder, shaking the dust on the ground into the air.

The dozen or so patrol envoys and guards of the Ji family were speechless. Across the vast western harbor, not a single person dared to answer.

Some lowered their heads in confusion, staring at their toes;

Some hurriedly avoided that chilling gaze, pretending to look out at the lake;

Some clenched their fists, their chests heaving violently, but ultimately let out a long sigh and slowly closed their eyes, seemingly resigning themselves to fate.

“Hahaha! A bunch of gutless cowards!”

“Look at them! They've probably pissed their pants from fear of the Ninth Chief!”

“Not a single real man among them! The Ji family spent so much money, only to hire a bunch of trash to fight our Chenjian Dock? Are they trying to make us die of laughter?!”

“Hahahahaha!”

The water bandits erupted in earth-shattering mockery and ridicule. The sound waves rippled across the lake, startling several waterbirds perched on the masts, which flapped their wings and flew into the dusk.

The piercing laughter felt like a series of stinging slaps, landing squarely on everyone's faces.

Shen Xiuhan stood quietly in the crowd.

He keenly sensed several gazes falling upon him, intentionally or otherwise.

Some were hopeful.

Some were testing.

And some held a trace of reluctance.

There were only three patrol envoys left on the field.

Wang Jindao and Li Han were only at the Blood Tempering stage, and their martial arts skills were average, with their only commendable trait being their combat experience.

But against an expert like Tu Xiaotian, what use was that bit of experience?

Only Shen Xiuhan had broken through to the Bone Tempering stage at such a young age, and he was trained in the Mei Courtyard...

No matter how one looked at it, he was the only one who could take this match.

If anyone else went up, they would just be throwing their lives away.

“This... Brother, what do you think...”

Wang Jindao's dark face flushed red as he shuffled over to Shen Xiuhan's side. He rubbed his hands together awkwardly, stopping halfway through his sentence.

The tragic sight of Ji Yuande's shattered spine was still fresh in his mind.

He really couldn't bring himself to ask Shen Xiuhan to go and die in everyone's stead.

The surrounding guards also realized this, and they couldn't hide the disappointment on their faces.

Both Shen Xiuhan and Ji Yuande were at the Bone Tempering stage.

The latter was even from the main family, eating rare medicinal cuisine and practicing top-tier sword techniques.

Yet even he had been defeated so cleanly and swiftly...

It was only natural for Shen Xiuhan to hesitate to step forward.

But just as everyone was losing hope...

“Brother Wang, say no more.”

Shen Xiuhan's expression was grim. He gave Wang Jindao a slight nod, his voice not loud but clear and resolute:

“This round... I'll do it.”

Then, under the stunned gazes of the crowd, he slowly stepped out from the throng, his footsteps steady, his robes fluttering in the lake wind.

He who takes another's money must help them avert disaster.

Since he had accepted the Ji family's salary, he could not back down when it was time to act.

In truth, Shen Xiuhan had originally planned to wait until Ji Ning showed up before making his move.

With him keeping watch, at least there would be no need to worry about being ganged up on.

But after so much time, there was still no sign of Ji Ning...

He had just taken a stealthy glance at the Four Seas Heart-Linking Disc, and the light representing Ji Ning was stationary in the nearby bamboo forest, not moving a single inch.

Hiding without showing himself meant he must have a plan.

Shen Xiuhan didn't know what Ji Ning's strategy was, but he knew...

Ji Ning would not just sit by and watch the situation deteriorate!