Li Daoxuan showed not the slightest hint of panic. On the contrary, the corners of his mouth lifted, as if he were on the verge of laughing.
"Oh? A street ambush? Are you planning to rob me?"
Xu Chenglong sneered coldly. "Rob you? Don't flatter yourself. How much silver could you possibly be carrying? Enough to weigh down your sleeves?"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Then your appetite must be rather large."
Xu Chenglong's gaze sharpened like a knife. "Brat, what's your relationship with Bai Yuan?"
Li Daoxuan understood immediately.
At present, Bai Yuan had only two enemies. One was the Prince of Fu's estate; the other was the remnants of the Xiaolangdi water bandits. The Prince's people had just been here, and while arrogant, they had not shown any urgency to kill. That left only one answer.
Li Daoxuan chuckled softly. "So it really is the Xiaolangdi water bandits. Tell me—once you capture me, what do you plan to use me for? To threaten Bai Yuan?"
Xu Chenglong snapped, furious. "I'm the one asking questions!"
Li Daoxuan tilted his head slightly. "You seem confused. I'm asking the questions now. And if I don't like your answers… I might have to persuade you."
Xu Chenglong's face darkened with rage. "Arrogant little bastard! You're trapped in a narrow alley with a dozen men, and you still dare to posture? Don't think that wearing a hero's robe makes you a martial arts master. One look at your stance tells me everything—you've never trained a day in your life."
Li Daoxuan spread his hands lightly. "Then I can only apologize for that. Come on—kill me."
Before the words had even finished echoing, two bandits lunged forward.
Xu Chenglong barked, "Take him alive! A dead man is useless."
The two bandits hesitated, hands that had been reaching for blades pulling back. With bare fists, they charged.
Li Daoxuan truly had no martial training. He knew no forms, no techniques. Faced with two attackers, his reaction was instinctive—both arms lifted clumsily, trying to block.
The moment he moved, it became obvious to everyone.
This man genuinely could not fight.
Xu Chenglong burst out laughing. The two bandits grinned cruelly as well. With a slight shift, their punches slipped past Li Daoxuan's awkward guard and slammed into his chest.
Thud! Thud!
They struck hard, aiming to shatter ribs in a single blow and drop him to the ground, sobbing and begging.
What a pity.
The harder they struck, the more vicious the rebound.
Almost at the same instant, both men screamed. They clutched their hands and folded over, faces twisted in agony.
"My hand! My bones—my bones are broken!"
With the two doubled over, even Li Daoxuan's laughable fighting ability was more than enough. He swung both fists forward.
Crack! Crack!
Both bandits flew backward, faces caved in, bodies collapsing without a sound.
The alley fell silent.
The remaining bandits stared in disbelief.
Xu Chenglong froze. The man before him was stiff, uncoordinated, utterly lacking the presence of a trained fighter. He looked like a weak scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken.
So how—
"He's tough!"
"Send more!"
Four bandits rushed in together.
This time they attacked in coordination. Two from the front, one striking from behind, and the last—vicious and shameless—sweeping a kick straight toward Li Daoxuan's groin.
In such a narrow alley, even a true martial expert would have struggled to evade.
Li Daoxuan did not evade at all.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
All four attacks landed.
And all four attackers screamed.
Hands shattered. Feet broken. Bones cracked. They collapsed in a chorus of shrieks, writhing on the ground.
Only then did Li Daoxuan move.
After all, letting your enemies injure themselves first was the safest way to ensure every strike connected.
Two punches—clean, efficient—sent the pair in front of him flying.
A turn, a kick—the man behind him was launched into the wall.
Li Daoxuan looked down at the last one, the bandit clutching his foot, howling—the one who had tried to cripple him below the belt.
He sighed. "That was unnecessarily vicious."
His foot snapped forward.
A sickening crack rang out.
Something very important shattered.
Several bandits turned their heads away, faces pale. Even Li Daoxuan turned aside afterward, as if unwilling to look.
He faced the remaining six men. "Six left? Ah—I only just realized there were twelve of you to begin with."
Xu Chenglong's voice trembled. "This… this monster… Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Shirt… Horizontal Training…"
Li Daoxuan tugged at his hero's robe, the fabric rippling faintly. "Naturally. Otherwise, what makes you think I'm qualified to wear this?"
Xu Chenglong roared, half-mad with fury and fear. "Draw blades! Alive or dead—kill him!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Six curved waist-knives flashed into view.
Li Daoxuan patted himself, feigning concern. "How unfortunate. I didn't bring a weapon."
Two bandits rushed him head-on, blades slashing for his neck. Three more attacked from behind, chopping down with killing intent.
Even if his body is hardened, they thought, no flesh can stop steel.
The fastest blade struck first.
It sliced through the hero's robe, cut through the silicone skin—
—and rang against iron.
Clang!
The bandit froze, stunned. "He's wearing iron armguards!"
Behind him—
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Three more blades rebounded.
"Iron armor! He's wearing iron armor!"
In that instant of confusion, Li Daoxuan moved.
He seized a waist-knife with his bare hand and tore it free. The bandit stared in disbelief. The palm had been cut—yet no blood flowed. Beneath the clean wound, iron bone glinted faintly.
The bandit's mouth opened to scream.
Too late.
Li Daoxuan drove the blade straight into his abdomen.
The man collapsed without a sound.
Li Daoxuan spun and dropped another bandit with a single kick.
Xu Chenglong took one look and understood.
They could not win.
"Run! Run!"
He turned and fled first, sprinting for his life down the alley.