Chapter 1036: I'm Still Standing

Qiao Jiajin felt a bead of sweat trickle down from his forehead, and just as it reached his eyes, Zhang Shan made his move.

He didn't dare blink, allowing the sweat to cross his eyeball, leaving a salty, stinging pain.

Zhang Shan took a big step forward, raising his fist behind his head and thrusting a straightforward punch straight at Qiao Jiajin's head.

The punch seemed ordinary, but Qiao Jiajin sensed a tremendous gust of wind rushing toward his face. With his back against the wall, he dodged to the side, and Zhang Shan's iron fist slammed into the wall.

"Crack!"

The loud noise was different from before—Zhang Shan had cracked the wall with fine fissures.

Seizing the opportunity while Zhang Shan's punch missed, Qiao Jiajin mustered all his strength and landed a swinging punch on Zhang Shan's side. But Zhang Shan only grunted and quickly counterattacked.

The two exchanged blows rapidly in midair. Each of Zhang Shan's punches was like a bullet, packed with immense power, forcing Qiao Jiajin against the wall with no room to retreat. All he could do was dodge left and right or block with his arms. Though he appeared unharmed, each block left his arms numb from the impact.

Zhang Shan's fists kept pounding the white wall behind Qiao Jiajin, soon causing large sections to shatter. Strangely, the wall seemed made of some special material, bursting into white powder like shattered ice.

Qiao Jiajin seized his chance, using his left arm to block Zhang Shan's incoming right fist. Ignoring the pain like a broken bone, he suddenly thrust his right elbow upward, striking Zhang Shan's chin perfectly.

Zhang Shan's mouth filled instantly with the taste of blood, and he seemed to lose consciousness for a moment, involuntarily spinning half a circle before accelerating into a spin, swinging his thick right fist.

Instinctively, Qiao Jiajin ducked down, and the fast punch grazed his face, tearing off a large strip of skin. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward, alternating elbow strikes that hit Zhang Shan's chest one after another.

Zhang Shan awkwardly blocked while retreating quickly. When Qiao Jiajin jumped up and drove his knee forward, Zhang Shan gave up defending and, as the knee slammed into his chest, wrapped his arms around Qiao Jiajin in midair, then spun and slammed him to the ground.

Before Qiao Jiajin could recover, Zhang Shan leaped up and stomped down hard. At the last second, Qiao Jiajin rolled away and swept his leg, pulling Zhang Shan down to the ground as well.

They shifted from standing punches to ground grappling, with adrenaline completely taking over their bodies. In that moment, both forgot about fatigue and pain.

They only reacted on instinct, striking and blocking.

After exchanging a few more punches on the ground, they both got back up and continued aiming for each other's faces.

Their punches were terrifyingly powerful—if they didn't block them, survival was impossible.

But in that moment... how could they block anymore?

Their physical strength and awareness left no room for deeper thought. Their faces were covered in blood, and finally, Qiao Jiajin couldn't hold out—Zhang Shan's fist landed solidly on his temple.

The force of that punch far exceeded his expectations. He felt his head snap to one side, and his ears rang instantly.

Everything spun around him, and his consciousness began to fade away.

An ordinary person's body truly couldn't topple a mountain... Was this the end?

He might not be a mountain, but the burdens he carried were heavier than one.

"Rong Ye, I don't know anything, I only know how to fight. You saved me and Jiu Zai, so from now on, I'll follow you and help you fight."

"You're smart, kid. I've got the fists—we can team up."

Only when he raised his fists did he feel truly alive.

Only when he fought desperately for others did he feel he could repay their kindness.

Qiao Jiajin felt himself sinking slowly in a pitch-black space, surrounded by utter silence.

Once he got out... what should he do?

Seek revenge, or repay debts? He wasn't sure.

After all, the people who mattered most to him in this world were already gone.

In the darkness, he slowly opened his eyes and saw two young boys running ahead, words tattooed on their backs and smiles on their faces.

Compared to back then, this journey felt extraordinarily exhausting.

The last time he was this tired was when he and Rong Ye went to a casino and were chased by over thirty people. He pulled Rong Ye along, fighting and running while getting injured.

But there were just too many of them... Beat one, and another came; beat ten, and ten more followed.

So, if he fell now... could it all end?

If he fell... could he finally set down the weight on his shoulders?

If he collapsed, and Zhang Shan broke through their "door" and charged in, who could stop him?

His fists were as hard as steel, his speed like bullets, and his body like a mountain—he wouldn't go down even after taking dozens of punches.

So...

Seeing Qiao Jiajin unsteady and stumbling forward, Zhang Shan launched another heavy punch. If it hit his face, the fight would be decided.

Just as the fist was a few centimeters from Qiao Jiajin's cheek, he reacted like a reflex and grabbed Zhang Shan's massive fist.

"So I can't fall..."

"Even if I die, I can't fall..."

"As long as I'm standing, the enemy won't dare touch the people behind me..."

Qiao Jiajin suddenly opened his eyes wide and roared, throwing a right punch that slammed heavily into Zhang Shan's face.

Before Zhang Shan could process what happened, the powerful punch sent him staggering back five steps, his vision going black.

Zhang Shan realized something was wrong and quickly assumed a blocking stance.

What followed was a storm of punches from Qiao Jiajin, his adrenaline surging. Neither felt pain anymore, so Zhang Shan stopped blocking and started punching back.

They no longer defended, simply throwing punches woodenly at each other's faces.

Blood sprayed from their mouths, scattering everywhere and staining the entire "He Dao" with red droplets.

The surroundings fell into a dead silence, broken only by the whooshing of fists and the occasional thud of flesh hitting flesh.

Whether from blood loss or the accumulated hits, Qiao Jiajin's vision blurred into a red haze—he couldn't see anything.

But Zhang Shan was right there.

As long as he punched, he'd hit him. He was right there.

So, he couldn't move an inch, couldn't retreat. If he stepped away, he'd never reach him again.

Ten punches, twenty punches.

Their punching speed gradually slowed, but each one still landed accurately on the other's head.

More blood and louder winds scattered around.

After dozens of punches, both seemed to freeze. Qiao Jiajin couldn't even speak; his ears rang, and blood dripped from his mouth, yet the fight wasn't over.

He slowly lowered his head, waiting for the punch that should have come but didn't.

Zhang Shan was right there.

Now that he'd stopped... this was his chance...

Qiao Jiajin slowly raised his fist and threw a punch based on muscle memory.

But it missed.

Missed... why did it miss?

Zhang Shan... had he pulled back?

Did you know I can't see, so you pulled back?

Qiao Jiajin shifted his angle, mustering all his strength to painfully lift his arm and thrust another punch.

It missed again.

Don't go, he thought desperately. I haven't fallen yet—you can't go.

As long as I'm still standing here, you won't touch my teammates.

He turned his body again and punched into the void.

After striking into the air several or perhaps dozens of times, a pair of hands gently pressed on his shoulders and then grasped his fist.

The owner of those hands spoke softly to him:

"Fist... it's over... you've worked hard... he's fallen..."

Qiao Jiajin stood there stunned for a long time. His face was numb, so he didn't know if he was crying or smiling. All he remembered was making an expression before slowly collapsing.

He didn't feel himself hit the ground—he was caught again.

This time, what caught him was the weight he carried on his shoulders.