Chapter 135: Chapter 126: Riverside Siege, a Cold Arrow Pierces the Enemy

But there was still no word from Third Brother, and even the brothers Niu Da and Niu Er had vanished without a trace. Alarm bells screamed in Wu Liangchen’s mind, and he plunged into the darkness to search for them.

Meanwhile, in a clearing on the banks of the Great Qing River, a brutal siege was underway.

It was brutal because, despite the attackers having an overwhelming numerical advantage, they were temporarily unable to break through the desperate defense of the group besieged in the center.

Bodies littered the ground, their blood staining the earth red and even flowing into the river.

Third Brother’s face was ashen. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her chest and abdomen were drenched in gore, a clear sign of severe injury. Yet even so, she stood in the center of the inner circle, her posture as straight and tall as a great banner.

And a great banner she was. As long as she stood there, her subordinates—including the brothers Niu Da and Niu Er—had a pillar of strength. No matter how heavy the casualties, their morale never wavered, and they refused to retreat even half a step.

This was the very reason the battle had reached a stalemate.

But no matter how high their morale, a person’s stamina has its limits.

Since the siege began, the enemy had already rotated through three fresh waves of men, and the ferocity of their assault had not waned in the slightest.

By now, even the brothers Niu Da and Niu Er, built as strong as bears and tigers, were at the end of their ropes. After repelling each wave, they were left gasping for breath.

Third Brother’s heart sank.

She never expected the Beheading Gang to resort to such decisive and vicious methods.

Earlier today, she had taken Niu Da, Niu Er, and their men to see the lanterns on the main street. And when it came to the most spectacular lantern displays, the banks of the Great Qing River were second to none.

So their group had unknowingly wandered over to this area.

At first, Third Brother noticed nothing unusual, but after walking for a while, she suddenly realized their surroundings had become eerily quiet.

Aside from the dazzling lanterns on the distant riverboats, the bank was completely deserted.

She realized something was wrong and immediately decided to retreat, but it was already too late.

Before they could make a move, large groups of men dressed in black emerged from the alleys lining the riverbank.

Every last one of them wielded a Mountain-Cutting Saber—the signature weapon of the Beheading Gang.

The two sides were mortal enemies. Seeing each other now, there was nothing to say. They immediately fell into a bloody brawl.

At first, Third Brother wasn’t too worried. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d found herself in a situation like this.

It would just be a brawl, both sides would take some losses, and then they would go their separate ways.

But today was completely different.

Today, the men from the Beheading Gang fought with no fear of death. Their footwork was synchronized, their attacks and defenses disciplined. They were clearly a well-trained elite force, and crucially, they were numerous.

Faced with this unusual situation and after weathering waves of relentless attacks, even the formidable trio of Third Brother and the brothers Niu Da and Niu Er began to sink into despair.

Third Brother couldn’t even send someone out for help.

The Beheading Gang had sealed off all the nearby streets.

Clearly, the Beheading Gang was putting forth its full strength today with a single objective: to take Third Brother’s life.

The Beheading Gang understood that as soon as Third Brother died, her followers would crumble and lose all will to fight.

SQUELCH!

As Niu Da sent several charging Beheading Gang members flying, he was suddenly ambushed from behind. Despite his thick hide, the blade was vicious, sinking more than an inch deep into his back.

If Third Brother hadn’t arrived in the nick of time to finish off the attacker, that single stab would have been enough to cripple Niu Da.

Even so, both Niu Da and Niu Er were now covered in wounds, dripping with blood from head to toe.

The condition of the others was even worse.

After this latest wave of attacks, some of her men could no longer even stand, using their weapons as crutches just to keep from collapsing.

Third Brother wiped away the fresh blood that trickled from her lips, a result of aggravating her internal injuries. She suddenly called out.

"Mo Datou, I know you’re out there! Have you got the guts to come out and have a word with me?"

Silence from the other side.

A cold sneer crossed Third Brother’s face. "I knew you were a coward. But it doesn’t matter if you come out or not. It’s my life you want, isn’t it? Fine, I’ll give it to you!"

"I was careless today. I admit defeat. But my brothers are innocent. Let them go, and I’ll stay. How about it?"

Hearing this, her subordinates erupted in protest.

"Third Brother!"

"Third Brother, we haven’t lost yet! I can still fight!"

"That’s right! We’ll protect you today even if it costs us our lives, Third Brother!"

Niu Da and Niu Er wiped the blood and sweat from their faces, looking at Third Brother anxiously.

Third Brother held up a hand, silencing them. Then she continued, her voice directed at the darkness.

"If I’m not mistaken, these men aren’t all from your Beheading Gang, are they? Tsk, tsk. Their advances and retreats are so orderly... it’s almost like a military formation."

’The Beheading Gang is powerful, but they don’t have this many elite fighters under their command. Otherwise, Flower Square would have changed hands long ago.’

In the darkness, the men remained silent, but they didn’t resume their attack either.

Third Brother suddenly broke into a coughing fit, blood pouring from her nose and mouth. When it subsided, she fiercely wiped the blood from her face and laughed with pure derision.

"So, let me guess. To get your hands on a juicy prize like Flower Square, just how much did you have to give up to hire these reinforcements, Mo Datou?"

"You’ve really gone to great lengths just to kill me!"

Finally, a soft chuckle echoed from the darkness, followed by a cold, sinister male voice.

"As long as I can kill you, any price is worth paying."

"Oh, and I forgot to mention. Word just came in... your First-Class Restaurant caught fire. It’s nothing but a pile of ash now."

Third Brother’s pupils contracted instantly, her tone turning impossibly cold.

"Setting a fire in a busy district... Aren’t you afraid of inciting public outrage, Beheading Gang?"

"Who said we set it? Today is the Lantern Festival. Every family is lighting lanterns and setting off firecrackers. A small fire breaking out is unavoidable, wouldn’t you say?"

Fury practically shot from Third Brother’s eyes.

With a furious roar, Niu Da and Niu Er charged forward.

It was only then that they understood: the restaurant they frequented had been burned down. To the two brothers, who held food in the highest regard, this was an unforgivable blood debt.

But the besiegers didn’t meet their ferocious charge head-on, choosing instead to harry and entangle them.

Then, another man in the darkness let out a sinister chuckle. "Listen up! Don’t kill those two big oafs. Just injure them enough to capture them. Once we get them back and train them properly, they’ll make a couple of fierce vanguards for us."

Hearing this command, the attackers became even more careful to avoid Niu Da and Niu Er’s vitals. They focused on draining their stamina, landing shallow cuts on them from time to time.

As they bled more and more, the brothers’ movements grew sluggish. They were clearly on their last legs.

"Enough!" Third Brother roared, her voice echoing into the darkness.

"Mo Datou, let my brothers go! I’ll hand over all the wealth that Flower Square has accumulated over the years. What do you say?"

"Haha! Don’t you find that funny, Xie? Once you’re dead, everything you own will be mine any—"

Before he could finish, a SWISH cut through the air, followed by a bloodcurdling scream from the darkness.

"An ambush! Arrows from the dark!" another man in the darkness cried out in alarm.

In an instant, a volley of SWISHES filled the air. Black streaks cut across the sky, reaping the lives of the Beheading Gang members.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

Blood blossomed in the air. The Beheading Gang members were packed so tightly together that a single arrow would often skewer three or four men before it stopped.

Third Brother was stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered and roared, "Now’s our chance! Break out!"