Chapter 24: Two Doors in Hand, Victory Rests on the Legs

Ah Jik remained silent, quietly working his arms, his expression still grim. Although he had forcefully reset his previously dislocated shoulder blades, his range of motion was still compromised; otherwise, that last strike would have done more than just tear his prison uniform.

Song Ren ripped away his tattered prison shirt and cast a glance at the prison guards who had begun to form up outside the arena. Time was running out.

Song Ren’s eyes narrowed, and he lunged forward like a tiger. He reached the fray, parrying Old Ghost’s punch with one hand while twisting his waist to evade a vicious knife thrust from Ah Jik. As Suit-Guy began to lift his leg for a high kick, Song Ren stepped firmly into a horse stance, stabbing his toe into Suit-Guy’s knee prematurely.

Suit-Guy felt a surge of numbness in his knee and staggered. Song Ren used his waist to drive his hip, channeling power from his thigh muscles as he snapped his foot inward in mid-air, slamming it down against the outside of Suit-Guy’s knee.

*Crack!*

Suit-Guy’s wobbling frame jolted, his face draining of color. His right knee had visibly buckled inward.

*Piercing the bridge, straddling the horse; roaming the streets to pluck the flower!* The essence of the Tan Leg style.

A flash of cold light crossed Song Ren’s eyes. "Let me show you what real legwork looks like."

As his foot touched the ground, he pivoted his body, his momentum carrying him forward. A fierce whip kick carved a semi-circle through the air, slamming into Suit-Guy’s pained face. The cheek distorted visibly, and half of the teeth in his mouth, mixed with blood and foam, were sent flying. The man was sent reeling sideways, his neck snapping back. His body collided with the charging Ah Jik, stalling his offensive.

Seizing the gap, Song Ren took a punch from Old Ghost squarely on his back. His body lurched forward, but his arm hooked back in the opposite direction. He grabbed Old Ghost’s wrist, and as his own body dropped, his left leg kicked out to sweep Old Ghost’s supporting foot. Old Ghost staggered; Song Ren held a single horse stance, pulling Old Ghost forward three steps with the force of his arm before twisting his body to drive a simple, brutal knee into the man’s chest.

Old Ghost felt his chest cave in for a moment. He braced himself with one hand and tumbled sideways. But no sooner had he rolled than Song Ren’s high-raised leg descended, stomping heavily into his flank.

*Bang!*

Old Ghost vomited a mouthful of blood. Song Ren had no time to press his advantage; he leaned back, barely dodging Ah Jik’s shiv. Ah Jik instantly transitioned into an elbow strike aimed at Song Ren’s exposed chest. Song Ren, still leaning back, supported himself with one hand and pivoted, though his shoulder still took the brunt of a kick.

Yet, there was no sign of triumph on Ah Jik’s face.

***

Because Suit-Guy and Old Ghost had yet to stand back up. It was one-on-one again.

Song Ren did not pause. Like a hunting leopard, he bared his fangs once more. The essence of Southern Fist and Northern Leg flowed through him like mercury, all directed at Ah Jik. His onslaught was as fierce as thunder, so sharp that it left no room for response. At this moment, every part of Song Ren’s body and every movement formed a fluid, rhythmic cadence of violence.

Initially, Ah Jik managed to resist with his blade, but soon, his wounds multiplied. Song Ren’s movements grew increasingly fluid, his offense so dazzlingly fierce that Ah Jik found it harder and harder to cope.

Ah Jik felt a jolt of pain in his right hand as his wrist was viciously twisted, forcing his body to stand upright. Before he could react, his underarm was struck with explosive force. His shoulder dislocated!

His expression shifted violently, but as his injuries worsened, his reactions slowed. He twisted his body to strike, but before the blade could thrust, his knee erupted in pain, causing his leg to buckle involuntarily. As he dropped to one knee, seeing Song Ren standing behind him, Ah Jik’s face turned deathly pale.

Song Ren’s hands hooked like eagle claws onto both of Ah Jik’s shoulder blades.

*Crack!*

Both shoulder blades were torn from their sockets. Ah Jik’s arms hung limp. Before he could retaliate, Song Ren’s hands had already clamped onto his jaw.

*Crack!*

The jawbone dislocated!

Immediately following, Ah Jik’s right arm was seized. Song Ren’s fingertips flipped three times, locating the muscles of the forearm, twisting and gouging.

Muscles tore, and the arm bone deformed!

Ah Jik could hold back no longer, letting out a piercing scream. The excruciating agony of having his tendons and bones manipulated was not something an ordinary person could endure. But before the scream could even leave his throat, he took a fierce kick to the chest.

His ribs shattered!

He was sent sprawling backward, blood trickling from his lips, his eyes rolling back as he fell into total unconsciousness.

Only then did Old Ghost manage to stand up again. But seeing Ah Jik’s twisted limbs and Suit-Guy’s deformed knee, his charge came to an abrupt halt.

Song Ren did not stop. He twisted his torso, using his spine to generate power, his whip kick lashing out like a great dragon toward Old Ghost’s head.

Old Ghost, who had been charging with such ferocity, suddenly dropped to his knees in a slide as he neared Song Ren.

*Swoosh!*

As he skidded across the floor, Old Ghost shouted sharply, "I surrender!"

Song Ren’s ferocious whip kick stopped abruptly right in front of Old Ghost’s face. Large beads of cold sweat broke out on Old Ghost’s forehead.

Song Ren was stunned for a moment. He lowered his leg, doubting his own ears, and couldn't help but ask, "What did you just say?"

Old Ghost kept his head low. "I surrender."

Facing a monster of Song Ren’s caliber, Old Ghost felt no shame in bowing his head. The man was simply too brutal. He was lucky he hadn't been singled out, though his injuries were still severe. Suit-Guy’s shattered kneecap was gruesome enough, but Ah Jik’s fate was worse—he looked like a broken porcelain doll, his entire body twisted out of shape. It would take months to recover, if he ever did; he might even be crippled for life.

Old Ghost had seen such injuries before, but seeing them inflicted with bare hands in a matter of seconds chilled him to the bone. He was truly afraid; this guy was an absolute terror. He knew the red-pole fighters of the triads well, but they were only slightly better than him. This person, however, was a monster. To take on three men and put them in this state so quickly—Old Ghost was done.

Song Ren glanced at him and decided to let him go.

In the final moments before the guards began to swarm the arena, Song Ren dove into the chaotic crowd. He began to display a level of martial arts mastery that left onlookers stunned. The burning 'Hoof' mark on his back granted him an absolute advantage in raw strength. Every punch and kick felled a prisoner. Carried away by the momentum, he even launched into a flying knee that sent a prisoner who had been acting particularly fierce flying through the air. The man’s sternum collapsed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

By the time a large force of guards arrived to restore order, most of the forty-plus prisoners from the Chung Yee Shing and Number 14 gangs were already lying on the ground.

The guards held batons and riot shields. Riot guns were leveled in the front row. The lead officer, megaphone in hand, was just about to shout for the massive brawl to cease when a dark shadow flew out of the crowd.

The figure landed at the feet of the riot squad, spitting blood. The lead officer froze for a second. He looked at the miserable state of the man, then at the figure moving through the crowd like a dragon, and his heart grew increasingly cold.

"Riot guns ready! Everyone, get down on the ground! Hands behind your heads!"