Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Tale of Zhang Tianbao’s Revenge

The leader among the thugs swung his wooden club through the air with a whoosh and brought it crashing down on Zhang Tianbao's head. With a crack, the stick snapped in half, muscles bulging on Zhang Tianbao's arms. His eyes seemed to blaze with fire, and his fists clenched tightly. With a single movement of his body, the thugs scattered like startled birds.

"Not convinced? If you dare fight back, then forget about your brother's mother's life!" Ground Dragon glared fiercely, though his legs shuffled backward. He retreated several steps, putting distance between himself and Zhang Tianbao before he finally seemed to relax. At the street corner, a couple of thugs held the old woman, pressing a sharp knife to her neck. Crimson blood began to trickle down from her throat.

"Grandma...!" The girl's shrill, desperate cry echoed along the street, silencing the entire avenue in an instant. The hawkers' calls ceased; everyone stared at the commotion. A few elderly onlookers wore expressions of pity, but none dared intervene. Two patrolling constables quickly ducked into an alley, opting to patrol a different street.

The muscles on Zhang Tianbao's arms twitched like rabbits, his towering figure standing as immovable as Mount Tai. His chest heaved violently, the whole man like a silent volcano—silent for now, but if he erupted, the heavens and earth would shatter.

"Go!" Ground Dragon signaled with his eyes, but the thugs balked, too frightened to advance. Still, they feared their boss's fury. These streetwise rogues were slippery by nature. Some clever ones picked up bricks and stones from the ground and hurled them desperately at Zhang Tianbao.

Indeed, there were many quick thinkers; as soon as one started, others followed. When stones and bricks began to rain down like hail, Zhang Tianbao turned to shield the young girl. The two of them scrambled awkwardly, dragging a table in front of them for cover.

Yun Hao could clearly see a stone strike Zhang Tianbao's head, splitting the skin. Blood trickled down his face, dripping onto the little girl's cheeks below.

Seeing Zhang Tianbao unable to fight back, the thugs grew bolder. They circled around the table, attacking him with bricks and stones from all angles. Zhang Tianbao could only shield the girl beneath him and endure the blows. At this rate, even an iron man would be battered and broken.

The two thugs at the corner, seeing their companions gain the upper hand, broke into wide grins. They lowered the knife from the old woman's neck and, like idle spectators, watched the spectacle with regret that they hadn't joined in throwing bricks.

The old woman could only weep, her body collapsing weakly to the ground. Her son had such a fierce sworn brother, yet was himself timid as a rabbit. Just for borrowing from loan sharks, he had been hounded to death by Ground Dragon. Now, she saw the same fate looming over him.

As the two thugs watched with relish, they suddenly felt the world spin. Before the pain in their heads even registered, they had already collapsed to the ground. Qi Biao and Lai Shun'er, grinning wickedly, stood over them with clubs. They grabbed the old woman and dashed into the alley.

"Zhang Tianbao! Your brother's mother is being rescued—look!" A child's shrill voice rang out, drawing all eyes. A young boy stood atop the restaurant, pointing straight at the street corner. Looking over, all saw Qi Biao and Lai Shun'er escorting the old woman as they fled in panic.

"Catch them!" Ground Dragon let out a wolfish shriek, but before the sound faded, a tiger's roar split the air.

Zhang Tianbao sprang up like a wild beast unleashed. Two bricks flew like meteors toward Ground Dragon; one struck his chest, the other slammed into his shoulder. Only Ground Dragon's quick reflexes spared him from a fatal blow to the head.

Zhang Tianbao dashed forward, leaping more than ten feet in a bound. One thug was caught off guard—the next thing he saw was a fist swelling before his eyes. He spun through the air, flying sideways. Zhang Tianbao grabbed another thug and spun him like a windmill, blocking countless stones and bricks before hurling the man into a crowd, felling several more.

Seeing Zhang Tianbao's ferocity, the thugs lost all will to fight. With a whistle, they scattered in all directions and vanished within moments.

Anyone could run, but Ground Dragon alone could not. Zhang Tianbao closed the distance in two strides, his fist thundering into Ground Dragon's stomach. The man truly lived up to his name, curling up and rolling on the ground, clutching his abdomen, his screams and pleas for mercy filling the air.

Zhang Tianbao picked up a club as thick as an arm and smashed it down on Ground Dragon's knee. A scream rang out; Zhang Tianbao watched the writhing figure and spat. "Ground Dragon, this is payback for my brother. I spent eight years in training, and you hounded him to death."

"Master Zhang, Tianbao! I was wrong, I—Ah!" Ground Dragon was still begging when the club struck his other leg. Another pig-like scream erupted; the sound of shattering bone was clear, and the onlookers collectively sucked in their breath.

"This one's for my sister-in-law, you bastard!" Zhang Tianbao spat again, raising his club once more.

"This is for my aunt, this for little Nan'nan. And this...!" The club swung again and again, the screams growing ever weaker. At last, only the dull thuds of the club against flesh remained, and a large pool of blood spread on the ground. Ground Dragon lay motionless—a dead dragon now.

Many among the crowd had suffered Ground Dragon's extortion, yet none dared step forward to spit on his corpse. Only the little girl Zhang Tianbao had protected picked up a brick and, with all her strength, smashed it down.

"The soldiers are coming!" someone shouted. From his vantage in the restaurant, Yun Hao saw a troop of soldiers rushing over. But Zhang Tianbao kept striking Ground Dragon, even after the man's head was pulp. The street dissolved into chaos as people fled into alleys, knowing that if they were trampled by cavalry, it would be their own misfortune.

"Run! Are you stupid?" Yun Hao shouted anxiously from above, but Zhang Tianbao only pushed the girl aside, urgently saying something to her. In the blink of an eye, a dozen cavalrymen charged within thirty feet of Zhang Tianbao, reining in their horses in unison. They drew their bows, arrows nocked and aimed at him.

Only then did Yun Hao understand: Zhang Tianbao wasn't running because he knew he couldn't escape. Cavalry archers were as swift as the wind; no matter how skilled you were, there was no outrunning their arrows.