Chapter Fifteen: Du Wenfeng

Shen Ye's original intention had been to infiltrate this French-style villa. He planned to ascend floor by floor, quietly dispatching his targets. But now, as fate would have it, he had been discovered by accident. Since stealth was no longer an option, he resolved to kill openly, with no more pretense of secrecy.

He drew from his pocket a pack of Red Double Happiness cigarettes—his favorite, a brand popular in Guangdong, known for its rich aroma and mellow flavor. During those three months in the south, he had craved this particular smoke, as none could be found there. Just before leaving home, he had grabbed a pack, intending to indulge himself.

Smoke curled languidly around him.

Almost immediately, two men with fierce demeanors came rushing up from downstairs. One, with a cropped buzz cut and an icy, sharp presence, was none other than Du Wenfeng, the top enforcer under Ma Guosheng, known for wielding twin clubs adorned with red flowers. The other, whose hair was parted to the side and whose aura was less intimidating, was Du Wenfeng’s younger brother, Du Wensheng.

Years ago, Du Wenfeng was notorious for his boldness and violence. His subordinates, Li Hua and Zhang Qiang, had brazenly chased a young man in broad daylight. Captain Shi of the patrol unit had intervened, attempting to apprehend them. Du Wenfeng had immediately drawn a short pistol, pressing it against Captain Shi and threatening him to stand down, before making his escape. Such arrogance revealed the extent of his notoriety.

Later, Du Wenfeng was imprisoned for seven years for robbery.

Back then, Du Wensheng was merely a truck driver. Ma Guosheng, seeking capable fighters among his ranks, set his sights on Du Wenfeng. He contacted Du Wensheng, asking him to drive his BMW—a status symbol at the time. Du Wensheng was eager for the opportunity. Subsequently, Ma Guosheng appointed him as the legal representative of one of his companies, entrusting him with overseeing gambling dens, debt collection, and violent evictions.

Ma Guosheng also pulled strings to ensure Du Wenfeng received special treatment while incarcerated. Grateful, Du Wenfeng became Ma Guosheng's chief enforcer upon release.

Du Wenfeng was known above all for his prowess in combat. It was said that, in his youth, he had been taught a set of Plum Blossom Blade techniques by a master and, through diligent practice, had become formidable with twin blades.

Of course, some scoffed at his reputation. Once, another underworld boss brought over a dozen men to settle a score with Du Wenfeng. The result: Du Wenfeng dispatched them all single-handedly with his two blades. After that, no one dared question his fighting skills again.

Du Wenfeng and Du Wensheng were together now. Du Wensheng was engrossed in a film—he enjoyed gangster movies, but only those from Hong Kong or Taiwan. The movie he was watching, Young and Dangerous, was one he had seen a dozen times.

Du Wenfeng was sharpening his blades with a whetstone. His knives were not particularly long, about two feet each, and his eyes were calm and steady.

At that moment, they heard shouts and a loud bang from outside.

Both brothers sprang to their feet and hurried toward the second floor. Arriving, they saw a man wearing a mask of the legendary Lord Guan, holding a bamboo chopstick, which he had just plunged into the throat of Skinny Tiger. Fat Pig lay motionless on the floor nearby, seemingly lifeless.

In other words, this masked man had killed both Skinny Tiger and Fat Pig in the blink of an eye.

Boom! A bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens.

Outside, the storm raged with wind and rain.

The man wearing the Lord Guan mask seemed to have a sinister smile etched into the corners of his mask’s lips—a chilling sight.

The scene was eerie, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Yet Du Wenfeng, famed for his fighting prowess in Ning County’s underworld, merely sneered coldly, "Who are you?"

"Who am I? I am Lord Guan himself. Today, I heard that evildoers dwelt here, so I have come to slay demons and criminals," Shen Ye replied, his voice strange and almost operatic, mimicking the stylized tones of Peking Opera.

Wearing a mask seemed to alter his very spirit, and his speech reflected the transformation.

"Putting on airs," Du Wenfeng scoffed, moving his hand to grasp his twin plum blossom blades. Their cold gleam reflected a deadly chill. "I'll chop you into pieces, then we'll see how you keep up this charade."

Du Wenfeng slid toward Shen Ye, attacking with his two short blades.

His strikes were not random but highly disciplined, like a cascade of cold stars. In an instant, the shadows of his blades filled nearly every space around Shen Ye.

This Plum Blossom Blade technique was steeped in history. Legend had it that during the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, a monk named Jia Sheseng possessed extraordinary skill and traveled to Yao Guantun north of Cang County in Hebei. There, he befriended the honest and kind martial arts master Sun Tong and taught him the Plum Blossom Blade technique. Sun Tong’s sons, Sun Guoliang and Sun Guodong, both mastered the art.

The Plum Blossom Blade was famous for its “sacrificial single blade” and “blade moving in darkness, swift as a tiger,” designed to counter firearms. The sacrificial style meant reckless courage, advancing without fear, intimidating opponents through sheer momentum; moving in darkness meant exploiting openings from the side, striking where the enemy was vulnerable—a combination of bravery and cunning.

Thus, the technique demanded agility, circular movements, speed, and sudden shifts. Lightness conferred quick reflexes, the spirit of a lively tiger; circularity allowed seamless turns, like a whirlwind; speed enabled rapid advance and retreat, like an arrow or meteor; sudden shifts permitted abrupt lateral movements, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

Even with Shen Ye’s strength three times that of a normal man, agility one and a half times greater, and exceptional resilience and defense, he was still flesh and blood. If struck by a blade, he would bleed, suffer injury, and his fighting abilities would be impaired.

Faced with such an assault, even Shen Ye had to dodge.

Seeing Shen Ye retreat, Du Wenfeng stepped forward, matching his movements, his blade work swift and ever-changing, continuing to seal off every avenue of escape.

This move was called the Twin Blade Starburst—a particularly deadly style within the Plum Blossom Blade, refined by countless masters.

Shen Ye was forced to retreat again and again.

He noticed, as he withdrew, that his space for maneuver was shrinking rapidly. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he was wounded.

(Thanks to Jiang Ziya for the generous reward of three thousand coins, and to the other three friends for their support. Thank you all.)