Chapter Sixty-Five: The Bloody Battle in the Dark Alley

With Zhang Mingzhi’s arrival and the men he brought with him, the entire situation instantly turned overwhelmingly one-sided. Not to mention Luda Chi, who had already resolved to oppose Cao You, just the three or four dozen men that Zhang Mingzhi had assembled were enough to fill Cao You with dread, given their equivalent numbers.

These thirty or forty men, though their outward appearance was unremarkable, were in fact the private armed force of the Zhang Family Trading House’s Fuxu Town branch. Though not on par with the deathsworn guards of the Zhang family’s inner residence, their combat prowess was formidable. Their gear was also of exceptional quality: beneath their outer garments, they wore a layer of soft armor with just the right balance of weight, thickness, and protection. Each was armed with a standard military saber, and some even carried forbidden short crossbows. A few had horn bows slung across their shoulders and quivers of ox-hide on their backs filled with finely-crafted armor-piercing arrows.

Cao You’s side was not poorly equipped, but the difference in presence was stark. Both sides were well within each other's range, so a careless move could ignite a life-or-death skirmish. Yet Zhang Mingzhi’s force held another advantage: round shields wrapped in ox-hide, far superior to anything Cao You possessed.

“Zhang Mingzhi! Even if you survive today, you won’t meet a good end!” Cao You glared with bloodshot eyes, as though he wanted to devour Zhang Mingzhi whole. Grinding his teeth, he spat out his threat, cold and sharp: “The death of Cao Hai—our young master will remember this! Sooner or later, he’ll make you pay!”

“You’re mistaken.” Zhang Mingzhi smiled faintly, utterly unmoved by the threat, and corrected him with disdain. “Your young master, Cao Xiangming, will remember not only that dog Cao Hai’s death, but yours and all your men’s as well! There’s no need for him to come looking for me for repayment—I’ll keep the account for him, you included!”

“What? You dare make a move here?” Cao You’s heart lurched as he saw Zhang Mingzhi’s expression; he didn’t believe Zhang was joking, yet he couldn’t help but retort with a frown.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Zhang Mingzhi replied calmly, as if discussing something of no consequence. He turned slightly, gazing at Luda Chi with narrowed eyes, and asked softly, “Luda Chi, is it? I didn’t expect our first meeting to be here. Tell me—do you think I’d dare make a move?”

At these words, and especially under Zhang Mingzhi’s piercing gaze, Luda Chi, though a veteran of over ten years in Fuxu Town, knew well enough that Zhang Mingzhi was not someone he could afford to provoke. Yet thoughts of the Cao Trading House’s vengeance made him frown deeply; for a moment he was struck dumb, unsure how to answer.

“Are you worried about the Cao family?” A flash of murderous intent crossed Zhang Mingzhi’s eyes, and his tone dropped to icy coldness. “Just now, they attempted to assassinate us and failed. Are you still afraid of them?”

“No, no, Second Master Zhang, you misunderstand!” Although he hadn’t seen that fleeting hint of killing intent, Luda Chi could feel the pressure bearing down on him. He quickly shook his head, inwardly agreeing with Zhang Mingzhi’s logic, and steeled himself to ask in a low voice, “May I ask, Second Master Zhang, if this happens here, what about me, Luda Chi…?”

“Don’t worry. Nothing happened here tonight.” Zhang Mingzhi’s lips curled in satisfaction as he whispered this guarantee, then turned abruptly and barked, “Leave no one alive!”

At the command, the men at Zhang Mingzhi’s side stepped forward in unison, drawing bows and nocking arrows, leveling short crossbows. Those with round shields pressed ahead in defensive formation. Zhang Wu, with a shield in each hand, guarded Zhang Mingzhi’s flank; Aguda quickly mirrored the motion and took his place as well.

“Brother Wu! Second Brother!” As Zhang Mingzhi turned, he shot Ding Li a meaningful look. Ding Li understood instantly, scooped up Zhang Yurou, and tossed her toward the two, calling out loudly. Then, gripping his butcher’s knife, he charged the blue-brick wall. In just a few steps, he leapt, caught the top with one hand, and, agile as a monkey, perched atop the wall.

Thrum! Thrum! The twang of bowstrings echoed through the alley, and several horn bows were drawn to the limit. Armor-piercing arrows, glinting a cold green in the moonlight, pointed skyward as if they might shoot down the very moon.

In the narrow alley, escape was next to impossible. Four of Cao You’s men fell immediately, and in such a confined space, there was little need for aim—at close range, a bit of bad luck meant becoming the first casualties. Three more were struck but survived, stumbling to the sides, instinctively hugging the walls for hope of survival. Yet one of them was suddenly yanked back with force, and Cao You’s furious roar split the air: “Fight back! Fight back! Risk it! Take them on!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! A volley of crossbow bolts sliced through the air, splitting the alley into pieces, one arrow flying straight for Cao You. But it struck not him, but the subordinate he held as a shield. Terror twisted the man’s face as he struggled, but injured and weak, he could not escape Cao You’s grip.

A sickening crunch followed as the arrow ripped through armor and flesh, splintering bone. The shield-man in Cao You’s grasp slumped, lifeless, but the merciless Cao You simply hoisted the corpse higher, continuing to use it as a shield.

A second volley fell, dropping five more of Cao You’s men. Their side, desperate, fired back without waiting for orders, loosing a wild barrage of crossbow bolts.

The clash of arrows against the defenders’ round shields rang out amid the chaos, metal shafts clattering uselessly to the ground.

Despite the lack of coordination, the chaos of Cao You’s attack made it hard for Zhang Mingzhi’s men to defend effectively. Both sides suffered losses in the opening seconds—six or seven of Zhang Mingzhi’s men fell, but their casualties were fewer than the enemy’s, and their assault had only just begun.

“Fire!” Taking advantage of the enemy’s need to reload, Zhang Mingzhi’s cold command rang out. Two ranks of his men advanced, the front kneeling, the rear standing. As if counting silently together, they all fired in unison.

Only a dozen crossbow bolts, but they fell in a tidal wave, crushing the Cao men. In the blink of an eye, more bodies littered the ground, and the enemy’s counterattack was disrupted.

“Armor-piercing arrows!” Zhang Mingzhi ordered again, coldly. At the rear, seven men drew their horn bows, each nocking three armor-piercing arrows. The arrows, tightly clustered, gleamed like the fangs of a beast in the night air.

The enemy had been focused on the crossbows, but now a sudden hail of cold flashes shot skyward. Realization struck, and in a heartbeat the threat was upon them.

A chorus of screams followed as twenty-one armor-piercing arrows rained down, shattering the will of the Cao men. They forgot their crossbows and turned to flee, but the arrows showed no mercy, cutting down lives as they fell.

By now, over half of Cao You’s men were dead or wounded. The survivors were too shaken to organize any effective resistance; even regrouping for defense was nearly impossible. At that moment, Zhang Mingzhi slipped free from the protection of Zhang Wu and Aguda, seized a long spear, and charged forward with a bellow: “Attack!”

It seemed this order was meant for someone else. Perched on the wall, long forgotten, Ding Li suddenly rose and, without hesitation, leapt straight at Cao You.

Ding Li’s sudden appearance startled Cao You, especially when he saw the bloodstained butcher’s knife raised high—blood that seemed to belong to his late brother Cao Hai. The wound Ding Li had left in Cao You’s side earlier that day throbbed in pain. With a gasp, Cao You shoved his human shield toward Ding Li.

With a sickening slice, the butcher’s knife hacked into the lifeless corpse’s shoulder, nearly splitting the upper body in two. Ding Li, catching sight of Cao You’s attempted sneak attack, kicked the corpse hard, sending it crashing into Cao You.

The gambit failed and backfired; blood spattered all over Cao You as the body struck him, forcing him to retreat, swinging his saber blindly for defense.

Ding Li, seizing the opportunity, showed no mercy. He darted aside, hacking down two men and driving back another. Then, with a powerful slash from the side, he struck Cao You, followed by a twisting motion and a sudden elbow to the face, sending Cao You reeling.

None dared to block Ding Li’s path. Those who tried were cut down; in moments, Cao You, wounded and slumped in the corner, was exposed to Ding Li’s raised blade.

“Ah Li! Hold it!” Just as Ding Li was about to strike the fatal blow, Zhang Mingzhi’s voice rang out. Spear in hand, he dispatched a foe with a precise thrust, kicked the body aside, and strode toward the cowering Cao You. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes, but he sneered, “Useless wretch! I’ll spare your life—what harm is there in that? Crawl out of Fuxu and tell Cao Xiangming that I, Second Master, will have his head sooner or later!”

With that, Zhang Mingzhi stepped back, his spear spinning in a dazzling blur. Even Ding Li saw only a flash before the spear tip shimmered and blood spattered in all directions, accompanied by Cao You’s agonized screams. When it ended, Cao You lay collapsed in the corner, barely clinging to life, his limbs limp, blood pouring from his wrists. Ding Li needed no explanation—Zhang Mingzhi had severed all the tendons in Cao You’s arms and legs. Even if he survived, he would be, as Zhang Mingzhi had said, nothing but a cripple.