The smoke of battle gradually thinned over the valley, though the acrid scent of gunpowder lingered in the air. After scouring the battlefield, Leitao and his men began the trek back, bringing Scarface Li and several of his subordinates along. The mountain forest was hushed, save for the occasional cry of a bird, but this stillness did nothing to ease the exhaustion weighing upon the men.
Scarface Li, lying on a stretcher, had looked weary, but he suddenly broke into a grin—a smile that stood out starkly against his dust-caked face. "Brother Leitao," he said, "I don't know why, but today's fight felt like eating candy. Even though I got clipped, it actually felt pretty good."
Leitao stopped in his tracks, turned around, and shot him a glare. "Is your brain stuck in a door frame?" he retorted, annoyed. "Do you think war is a game? If I hadn't stepped in, Mui Tenta would have cut you in two."
Chapter 391