Cao Yang twisted Du Hao's wrist. Crack! The sound of bones breaking rang out. The watching guests instinctively frowned, feeling the pain vicariously.
Cao Yang clamped Du Hao's right leg between his own legs, rotating his body with force, attempting to break it.
Du Hao panicked, but reacted quickly—he stopped standing on his left leg and collapsed to the ground.
As Cao Yang spun, Du Hao's body rotated along with him for several turns. Once Cao Yang released his grip, Du Hao flew three to four meters, landing heavily on the ground.
Though he looked a bit battered, at least his leg was intact. Had he not collapsed, Cao Yang might have broken it.
"Get up!" Liao Dongxing roared. He was furious, thinking Du Hao weak—what kind of "sanda champion" gets floored by a kid? And all that salary for nothing!
Tang Shaojie, calm as ever, smiled and leisurely puffed on his cigarette. He knew Cao Yang was strong, but this was the first time he'd seen him fight.
Du Hao got up, barely catching his breath, when Cao Yang leaped at him again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Cao Yang's fists rained down like a storm.
Du Hao tried to counter, but his speed couldn't match Cao Yang's rhythm. Within seconds, he had taken over ten punches.
Cao Yang's fists continued. Du Hao, exhausted, could only shield his head with one hand.
Bang!
Seeing Du Hao focus solely on his fists, Cao Yang seized the opportunity and kicked him squarely in the chest. Du Hao flew seven or eight meters, crashing heavily into the crowd.
Some onlookers hadn't reacted in time; several were knocked to the ground.
Du Hao felt like his internal organs were shattering. The force of that kick was immense.
He marveled—how could someone so young be this formidable?
He had roamed the underworld for years, encountering many strong fighters. Yet those were all famous people in their thirties or forties.
Cao Yang, though young, seemed already stronger than them.
Before Du Hao could fully process this, Cao Yang lunged again.
To Du Hao, Cao Yang no longer seemed human—he was a tiger, claws out, mouth wide open, ready to devour him.
Cao Yang grabbed Du Hao's neck with his left hand, while his right fist smashed into Du Hao's chest.
His fist was slightly uneven, middle finger protruding—if it had a name, it would be the Heart-Crushing Punch. If it landed, Du Hao would be like Liu Yilong, his heart surely shattered.
Bang! The punch landed.
"Wah!" Du Hao opened his mouth, vomiting his previous meal.
The punch didn't hit his heart—it struck his abdomen. Cao Yang was still merciful; he couldn't bring himself to kill someone with no grudge against him.
Even so, the punch inflicted serious damage. Du Hao wouldn't die, but he'd need months of recovery.
…
Clap, clap, clap… Tang Shaojie led the applause. Others joined, impressed. It had been a fine display—though a bit quick.
"Trash!" Only Liao Dongxing looked furious, glaring at Du Hao on the ground.
"Tang Shaojie, don't get smug. If you interfere in smuggling again, I won't be polite!"
"Heh… anytime."
"Then we'll see about that!" Liao Dongxing said, striding off. His men carried Du Hao away.
"Ah… same sect, yet you two caused such a ruckus," Li Kun shook his head, sighing.
"So this little brother is the new recruit you proudly brought in a few days ago?"
Tang Shaojie nodded.
"He's indeed got skills."
Li Kun praised Cao Yang briefly, then changed the topic.
"Ah Jie, I originally planned for you to stay the night and celebrate, but now with this mess… Liao Dongxing is vindictive. You embarrassed him today; I worry he might retaliate. You better head back to Dongguan—after all, this is his territory."
Tang Shaojie smiled faintly. "Kun Ge, is Shenzhen really his territory? You can't control him at all?"
Shenzhen was a big city; the Yihehui had three halls here. Besides Liao Dongxing and another, Li Kun controlled one, so he wasn't completely powerless.
"Ha… it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Can't beat up your own people!"
"I understand. We'll take our leave first."
Tang Shaojie patted Cao Yang on the shoulder, giving a reassuring smile without further explanation.
The two Mercedes drove out of the villa. A Le sped up.
"Jie Ge, won't Liao Dongxing send someone to block us?"
"He will," Tang Shaojie confirmed.
Hearing this, A Le pressed the accelerator further.
"Should we ask Kun Ge to arrange an escort?"
"Scared?" Tang Shaojie asked with a smile.
"Not scared—just worried about you."
"Hahaha…" Tang Shaojie laughed heartily. "The one who wants me dead most is that old guy. You really expect him to protect me?"
This confused A Le and Cao Yang. Li Kun seemed polite and sometimes sided with Tang Shaojie.
"Don't be fooled by his appearance. They're both putting on a show for me!"
A Le and Cao Yang didn't understand, but pretended they did, asking no questions, afraid of being labeled slow-witted by Jie Ge.
"Damn! They're catching up!" A Le saw seven or eight cars following them in the rearview mirror and accelerated again.
"Don't worry, just drive normally—they won't dare touch me."
Wait… if they don't dare, why chase? Cao Yang thought silently.
"Why don't they dare?" A Le asked bluntly.
"Because I've got people behind me. If they touch me, these people won't let them get away."
A Le nodded. "Exactly! Jie Ge has us behind him. If they dare, we'll topple the entire Shenzhen hall!"
Tang Shaojie held his forehead. Talking to A Le was like talking to a wall. He glanced at Cao Yang—better not bother; his brain was barely better.
The reason no one dared touch Tang Shaojie was simple: behind him was a massive vested interest group. As long as they hadn't abandoned him, anyone thinking of moving against him had to think twice.
Liao Dongxing's pursuit was just a show—to impress others.
Cao Yang thought: Jie Ge is amazing—yet here he is, being chased like a dog back to Dongguan.
In reality, if Tang Shaojie had stopped the car, these people wouldn't dare do anything. Only reckless youths without cars, houses, women, parents, or kids might act.
…
Back at Li Kun's villa, Liao Dongxing, who had already left, returned.
"Kun Ge, apologies for earlier."
Li Kun waved him off. "Don't bother with formalities. I felt Tang Shaojie noticed we were putting on a show."
"No way? My acting is perfect! What could he have seen?"
Li Kun shook his head. "Just a feeling."
"We must confirm quickly if Tang Shaojie is that person. If so, even if he has kings backing him, we need to deal with him fast!"