Volume Two – The General’s Tomb Chapter Three – Punishing Evil and Upholding Good

The weather tonight was pleasant, with a bright full moon hanging high in the sky. The stars were scattered across the firmament, dazzling to behold. Though the winter chill bit at the air, Li Kun and I felt a fire burning within our chests, for two lovely young women were waiting for us at that very moment.

We strolled down the street, surrounded by people out enjoying the night. Li Kun tugged his coat tighter and turned to me. “Old Liu, is your girlfriend’s friend pretty?”

Hope lit Li Kun’s face. The thought of meeting a beautiful woman set his heart racing, and he could hardly hide his excitement.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his flushed cheeks. “Old Li, I’ve never seen you this nervous before.”

“Nervous? Not a chance,” Li Kun retorted, trying to maintain his composure. “I’m no stranger to beautiful women.”

I grinned at him. “Oh? You spend all your time training at home. Where do you see beautiful women, then?”

He realized I was teasing him and, momentarily at a loss for words, simply raised his hand and gave me a playful slap.

I chuckled. “Let’s get going. It’s not far to the bridge now. There’s plenty to see over there—who knows, maybe we’ll stumble across something special.”

Li Kun’s interest was piqued. “Something special? Are there night stalls here?”

I nodded. “Yes, it gets even livelier at night than during the day. You’ll see when we get there.”

We chatted and ambled along. Soon, we caught sight of the bridge, and at its head stood two tall, striking young women.

They drew many admiring glances as they waited. Two bold men had already approached, attempting conversation.

One of the men, about twenty-four or twenty-five, was tall and thin—almost one point nine meters in height. He said to Gao Feng, “Ladies, what brings you out so late? Waiting for someone?”

Gao Feng shot the lanky man a sidelong glance, her disdain obvious. She didn’t bother to reply, but the man, undeterred, continued speaking to her with evident interest.

The other man was nearly one point seven meters tall, stocky, and bore deep frown lines on his young brow.

Since the woman before him was even taller, he had to tilt his head slightly to meet her eyes. His frown lines deepened as he stared at her.

While the lanky man rambled on to Gao Feng, the heavyset man, having stared at the woman for a moment, suddenly reached out to touch her face.

He stretched his hand toward her cheek. “Hey, beautiful, care to take a walk with me?”

The woman, seeing his hand near her face, slapped his arm hard and glared at him with fury.

She and Gao Feng took a few steps back. Gao Feng looked the two men up and down and said coolly, “You two had best leave now. Our friends will be here any minute.”

At these words, the heavyset man’s brow furrowed, the lines on his forehead twisting so tightly it seemed a mosquito landing there would be crushed. But the lanky man scoffed, “We can be your friends, too. We may not have met before, but now we have.”

He reached for Gao Feng’s arm.

Gao Feng dodged, but he managed to grab hold of her arm anyway.

Seeing Gao Feng in trouble, the woman beside her glared, raised her hand, and aimed a sharp slap at the lanky man's face.

If it landed, it would leave a mark.

People nearby began to murmur, but no one stepped forward—they merely watched the commotion.

Despite the crowd, the two men were unfazed. The heavyset man, seeing the woman trying to slap his friend, seized her arm in both hands.

But before he could speak, he felt as if a truck had slammed into his side. The next instant, he crashed into the lanky man, and together they tumbled to the ground.

The force of the collision sent the lanky man careening toward the edge of the bridge—he nearly plunged into the icy water below, which would have frozen him stiff on such a winter’s night.

At that moment, Li Kun and I arrived near the head of the bridge, laughing and talking. I’d noticed the lanky man reaching for Gao Feng, so I quickened my pace. Sensing my change in demeanor, Li Kun looked toward the bridge and, upon seeing what was happening, was immediately filled with rage.

My temper is famously short; sometimes I act before I think. If I hadn’t been so hot-headed, I wouldn’t have risked my life back at the Tomb of a Hundred Coffins. Seeing this scene, I broke into a run.

But before I could reach them, a burly figure rushed past me—Li Kun, charging straight at the heavyset man. Before the man could react, Li Kun’s foot landed squarely on his waist, sending him flying and setting the scene that followed.

The lanky and the heavyset men lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Though the heavyset man had taken Li Kun’s kick full force, the lanky one seemed worse off from hitting the ground so hard.

Li Kun stood over them. The onlookers, seeing him strike without hesitation, began to murmur.

“Why is he hitting people?”

“Yeah, such a young man, acting so violently—it’s disgraceful.”

“So impulsive, these youngsters.”

Yet some of the younger crowd cheered him on. “Good job, brother!”

“Yeah, those two got what they deserved.”

Li Kun ignored the chatter, standing firm before the two men. “Have you no shame? In a crowd like this, you still try to lay hands on two women? What a disgrace to men.”

I walked up to Gao Feng. When she saw me, her lips curled into a pout. “Are you all right?” I asked.

She didn’t answer, but gripped my arm tightly. I patted her shoulder. “Wait here for a moment.”

I let go of her hands. By then, the two men had struggled to their feet. The lanky one cursed at Li Kun. “Damn you, punk! You’ve got a death wish?”

The heavyset man, clutching his waist, growled, “Kid, you dare attack me from behind?”

With that, he raised his fist and charged at Li Kun. The lanky man, not wanting his friend to face Li Kun alone, rushed forward as well.