Chapter 75: Vengeance for Every Slight, Joy in Justice and Retribution!

Inside the room.

Ning Sanniang wiped the blood from Liu Shen’s body, then settled him carefully on the bed.

She had intended to call for someone from the clinic to change his medicinal dressing, but as if recalling something, she gave a cold snort and set about tending to his wounds herself.

Once everything was done, she sat at the bedside, gazing at Liu Shen as his breath steadied. Her thoughts wandered to the traditions of Huayang Mountain, and before she knew it, she was lost in reverie...

The next day arrived.

The sky had just begun to lighten.

Ning Sanniang sat at the table, cheek resting in one hand, idly flipping through a small booklet she carried with her. Her languid posture was nothing like the formidable "Iron Lady" of martial world legend.

Suddenly, she heard a faint, pained groan.

Liu Shen opened his eyes, brows furrowed. His head spun, his vision blurred, and his bones felt as though they had rusted—he could summon no strength at all.

As he gathered his wits, he saw that he seemed to be in the sickroom of Tongda Hall, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

To awaken in Tongda Hall, not the afterlife, meant at least that he had survived, and Pei Xueyan was likely safe as well.

"Awake?"

Ning Sanniang stepped into his line of sight, sizing up his pale complexion and muttering, "I thought you’d be out for two or three days—never thought you’d wake so soon."

"Second Master?"

Hearing her voice and seeing her face, Liu Shen was momentarily dazed. He clearly hadn’t expected Ning Sanniang to be here.

"It’s me." Ning Sanniang curled her lip and explained, "You were injured and poisoned. After you fainted, a woman dragged you back here. The doctor said your constitution is unusual and you could purge the poison yourself, but needed a martial expert to guard your heart meridian. So—I came."

"Thank you, Second Master, for saving my life..."

Liu Shen’s mind gradually cleared. He tried to push himself upright, but his strength was so depleted it was difficult even to sit up.

"You’re still weak..."

Seeing his struggle, Ning Sanniang bent to help him sit. "That arrow didn’t take your life, but you lost a lot of blood. When you’re home, I’ll prepare some tonics for you. Rest a few more days and you should recover your strength."

Liu Shen stared in astonishment as she helped him up. He couldn’t help but think this woman was not only valiant in appearance and skill, but also attentive—so different from the fierce figure she’d cut during the Green Sand Gang’s raid at the docks.

What puzzled him most was that the Second Master would actually help him sit up herself.

Liu Shen was not the type to flatter himself, nor did he believe his supposed "fateful charm" could sway a formidable martial woman he’d barely met.

Yet from her words and actions, he could clearly sense that the Second Master seemed... rather well-disposed toward him?

"Thank you, Second Master..."

After stabilizing himself, Liu Shen bowed with effort and looked around. "Do you know how long I’ve been unconscious?"

"A day and a night," Ning Sanniang replied, then added, "If you passed out on the way, it might have been even longer."

"I see..."

Liu Shen nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Do you know where the friend who brought me back is?"

"You mean the young mistress of the Song family?"

Ning Sanniang pointed to the side. "She’s delicate—dragged you back and fainted from exhaustion. She woke up in the middle of the night, though, and is probably resting again now."

She added silently to herself: If she can still sleep, that is.

"And what about Yu Shan!?"

Liu Shen asked anxiously, "Did you see Yu Shan return?"

Afraid she might not know who he meant, he added, "The swordsman from Black Alley in the west of the city—the one the Green Sand Gang has dealt with before."

"Haven’t seen him..."

Ning Sanniang shook her head. "I know who you mean, but I haven’t heard anyone say he returned."

Liu Shen was visibly unsettled by this.

On a rainy night like that, Yu Shan could have escaped alone under cover of darkness and rain.

But he had chosen to turn back, holding off the Chiya Gang’s pursuers on his own—an act tantamount to suicide.

In this journey, Liu Shen had witnessed both the basest of human nature—plotting against one’s own daughter for profit—and the noblest: risking death for a promise.

He could truly say he did not regret the journey.

But thinking of Yu Shan—such a man of honor—dying at the hands of the Chiya Gang’s thugs for his sake, filled Liu Shen with a bitter rage that made his hands tremble.

He closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath to suppress his anger.

"I’ve met Yu Shan too," Ning Sanniang said, noting his mood and clicking her tongue in regret. "He’s a man of his word. If he died at the hands of the Chiya Gang’s lackeys, what a pity indeed."

Liu Shen asked, his expression unreadable, "You know the Chiya Gang as well?"

"Of course."

Ning Sanniang smiled dismissively. "I heard from Feng Jun that you went to Xiyang, and you were shot in the shoulder. Other than that scoundrel Zuo Shaosong, who else in Xiyang could have wounded you under Yu Shan’s protection?"

"The Chiya Gang’s leader is named Zuo Shaosong?"

"That’s right."

"Zuo... Shao... Song..."

Liu Shen repeated the name, a vicious smile appearing on his face as he murmured, "Chiya Gang, Zuo Shaosong!"

Ning Sanniang saw the look in his eye and knew he had branded both the gang and its leader in his heart.

Such is the root of vendetta in the martial world.

She herself had come from a poor background—a wild girl who, as she grew, made a living performing on the streets and learned to rely on her fists. Even after entering the secluded cultivation of Huayang Mountain, her nature remained unchanged, and she returned to the martial world as soon as she could.

She always preferred those who repaid every slight, who lived and avenged with passion.

Now, seeing Liu Shen so furious over Yu Shan’s disappearance, she admired him all the more.

Repay every enmity, live and avenge with passion.

That’s how a man ought to be!

Ning Sanniang dragged a stool over, crossed her legs, and asked, "As your Second Master, I know you’re hurt, but I still don’t know what happened to you on this trip."

"It’s a long story..."

Liu Shen sighed, then recounted the death of Old Master Song, the deeds of the Pei family, Pei Xueyan’s choice, and his own experiences along the way.

"Yu Shan saw I was injured and turned back to hold off the Chiya Gang’s pursuers. He’s surely facing death for my sake—this debt lies with me!"

Liu Shen spoke as if venting, "In time, I, Liu Shen, will grind Zuo Shaosong’s bones to dust! The Chiya Gang will pay in blood for every debt!"

"Well said!!"

At that moment, a voice called out from outside the door, followed by, "No need to wait!"

Feng Jun pushed the door open, and behind him, Ning Hongwu entered, clapping his hands.

Seeing his sister lounging at the bedside, chin in hand, as if listening to a story, Ning Hongwu raised an eyebrow and laughed, "The Chiya Gang has flouted the code of the martial world, taking on such vile business and wounding our Green Sand Gang’s deputy hall master. This grievance, this feud—we, the Green Sand Gang, will see it settled!"