Xu Chenglong and the three water bandits who had not yet been injured were already scared out of their wits.
The moment they saw Li Daoxuan straighten his body and turn his gaze toward them, their courage collapsed completely. They did not even dare glance back. They spun around almost simultaneously and bolted down the alley, scrambling and stumbling, afraid that if they were even half a step slower, they would end up like the men lying behind them.
Li Daoxuan did not chase.
There was no need.
He lowered his eyes and calmly surveyed the alley.
The narrow passage was littered with bodies.
Several of the water bandits had suffered direct blows to the face. Their facial bones were shattered, their features caved in so badly they were almost unrecognizable. These men were already at the edge of death. Their chests rose and fell faintly, each breath weaker than the last, as if the effort of inhaling itself was too much.
The others had fared no better.
Those who had taken Li Daoxuan's iron fists squarely to the chest or abdomen were sprawled on the ground, their limbs twitching occasionally. The kicks to their ribs had crushed bone and ruptured organs. Their breathing was shallow and erratic, accompanied by wet, gurgling sounds.
They would not last long.
Only one person was still clearly alive.
The man who had been struck viciously in the crotch.
He was curled into a ball on the ground, clutching his groin with both hands, his face twisted in agony. His body trembled nonstop as hoarse, broken cries escaped his throat.
At this point, calling him a "man" felt inappropriate.
"Eunuch" would have been a more accurate description.
This scene perfectly demonstrated a brutal truth of combat:
A blow to the groin was incomparably painful, enough to make a grown man wish for death—but it was rarely fatal.
A full-force strike to vital organs, however, left no room for survival.
Li Daoxuan stepped forward, seized the injured man by the leg, and dragged him out of the alley.
He dragged him the way one might drag a filthy, waterlogged mop—without ceremony, without mercy.
As they emerged onto the main street, the noise of the town rushed in.
The street was crowded, filled with vendors, passersby, and townsfolk going about their daily lives. When they saw a young man dragging a half-dead person behind him, gasps erupted instantly.
Several people recoiled in fear.
"What's happening?"
"Is someone being killed?"
Panic spread for a brief moment.
Then someone recognized Li Daoxuan.
"Wait… that's Benefactor Bai's friend!"
That single sentence cut through the confusion like a knife.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
The panic vanished, replaced by curiosity and confidence. People stopped backing away and instead leaned closer, craning their necks to see more clearly.
"If he's Benefactor Bai's friend, then the one being dragged must be a bad person!"
"Look at that man's skin—dark and rough. He's obviously been living outdoors. He must be one of those Xiaolangdi water bandits!"
"The young hero is enforcing justice!"
The murmurs grew louder, more assured.
Some even took it upon themselves to defend Li Daoxuan, explaining to newcomers what was happening.
A few bold onlookers squeezed past the crowd and peered into the alley they had come from.
Inside, nearly ten bodies lay scattered across the ground—some motionless, some barely breathing. None of them looked like ordinary townsfolk. Their clothing, weapons, and hardened appearances told their story clearly enough.
That sight erased any remaining doubt.
By the time Li Daoxuan reached the county yamen, a large crowd had followed behind him, whispering and pointing, eager to see how things would unfold.
Inside the yamen, Li Daoxuan dragged the groaning water bandit straight into the main hall and tossed him onto the floor.
The sound echoed sharply.
The Magistrate of Mengjin County hurried out, startled by the disturbance, followed closely by his aides. Brigadier General Qin Renhong, who was temporarily staying at the magistrate's residence, also stepped out to see what was going on.
The magistrate frowned. "Who is this man?"
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly. "He ambushed me in an alley. Fortunately, I was able to subdue him."
The magistrate's expression tightened immediately. "Young Hero Xiao—are you injured?"
"Not at all," Li Daoxuan replied. "I'm perfectly fine."
Only then did the magistrate turn his gaze to the man writhing on the floor. His anger surged instantly.
"You insolent wretch!" he roared. "You dared attack a distinguished guest of Mengjin County? Do you know who he is? He is a friend of Benefactor Bai!"
His voice grew sharper with every sentence.
"Do you have any idea how many families Benefactor Bai has saved? How many lives he has preserved? And you dared lay hands on his friend?"
The magistrate slammed his sleeve. "I should throw you into the marketplace and let the common people tear you apart!"
The injured water bandit's face was already swollen and purple. He could barely breathe, let alone speak. His mouth opened and closed uselessly, no words emerging.
Li Daoxuan spoke again, his tone calm. "This man is very likely a Xiaolangdi water bandit. They wouldn't infiltrate Mengjin County just to deal with me. I believe they had another objective."
The moment those words were spoken, the mood in the hall changed.
The magistrate's face darkened.
Qin Renhong's brows knitted together, and he let out a low, thoughtful grunt.
Neither of them was foolish.
Xiaolangdi water bandits appearing inside the county town—especially at a time when Shanxi rebels might cross the Yellow River at any moment—was far too coincidental.
Qin Renhong's expression turned cold. "Interrogate him," he said sharply. "Use force if necessary."
The magistrate did not hesitate. "Interrogate him!"
The water bandit screamed in terror. "No—don't use force! You haven't even asked me yet! I'll talk! I'll confess everything!"
Words spilled out of him in a panicked rush.
He explained how Xu Chenglong of Xiaolangdi had defected to the Shanxi bandit leader Zijing Liang. He described how they had crossed the river to gather intelligence—troop numbers, deployments, defenses.
Qin Renhong's face flushed with fury. "Damn it all! You told them about my troop strength?"
Li Daoxuan added calmly, "Several of the water bandits who tried to kidnap me escaped. By now, they should already be back on the river."
Qin Renhong shot to his feet.
"Damn it!"
There was no time to waste. He summoned his personal guards and immediately rushed north, leaving Mengjin County at full speed to redeploy his troops along the riverbank.
After he left, the magistrate's composure finally collapsed.
His face turned pale, his voice trembling. "Grand Hero Xiao… what should we do?"
He swallowed hard.
"Even if General Qin changes his deployment, the rebels already know everything. They know he only has twenty-five hundred men. They will force a crossing no matter what."
This was the harsh truth.
Zijing Liang and Wang Ziyong commanded more than two hundred thousand rebels. Even if boats limited how many could cross at once, twenty-five hundred government soldiers could not possibly hold them back forever.
Mengjin County would not be able to defend itself.
No wonder the magistrate was on the verge of panic.
Li Daoxuan said calmly, "Xiaolangdi will come to support you."
The magistrate still looked uneasy. "Benefactor Bai is powerful, yes—but these are not ordinary water bandits anymore. This is a rebel army."
Li Daoxuan did not argue further.
"Keep the people calm," he said simply. "Leave the fighting at the front lines to us."
After leaving the yamen, Li Daoxuan returned to his guest room.
Gao Yiye was still asleep on the bed. Her lips curved slightly upward, and a faint blush colored her cheeks, as though she were dreaming of something pleasant.
Li Daoxuan sat down cross-legged in the corner of the room.
With a soft swoosh, his consciousness shifted.
It flowed into the gold-threaded statue resting against Bai Yuan's chest.
At Xiaolangdi, preparations were already complete.
Because this battle would unfold in front of imperial officials and government troops, Gao Family Village chose not to deploy its cannon-equipped warships.
Only eight armed cargo ships would be used.
More than a thousand elite militia from Gao Family Village boarded them—soldiers who were disciplined, well-trained, and accustomed to combat.
The newly formed local militia of Xiaolangdi was even larger, numbering more than three thousand.
They had only trained for a few months and had never experienced real battle. Their military quality was not yet high. However, their ideological education was—barely—acceptable.
More importantly, their morale was exceptionally high.
This battle was equivalent to defending their own homes.
That alone gave them a fighting spirit far stronger than that of outside troops.
In front of Yellow Turban Fortress, baskets filled with melee weapons were laid out once again.
The local militia commander, Jiang Cheng, picked up a hand crossbow and turned to Bai Yuan.
"Mister Bai," he said seriously, "our militia has trained for several months. Their ideological discipline has passed muster, and they've learned to use muskets. Issuing only melee weapons in real combat—doesn't that seem inappropriate?"
Bai Yuan coughed awkwardly.
"Our muskets are forged by senior craftsmen," he said. "One hammer strike at a time. Skilled technicians are scarce. Production simply can't keep up with the expansion of the army."
Jiang Cheng frowned. "What about reserves?"
Bai Yuan sighed. "Most have already been allocated. Gao Family Village tracks muskets strictly—by unit, by number, by responsibility. Lose one, and someone answers for it. If I suddenly issue three thousand more, I won't be fighting rebels—I'll be fighting my own logistics officers."
The militia accepted their sabers and spears in silence.
Their hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from anticipation.
Li Daoxuan observed everything quietly.
Then he spoke.
"The shortage of muskets is temporary."
Bai Yuan and Jiang Cheng both turned.
"After this battle," Li Daoxuan continued calmly, "we'll expand the workshops, train apprentices faster, standardize parts. Muskets will stop being precious objects."
"They'll become standard equipment."
His gaze shifted northward, toward the river.
"They think numbers decide everything," he said softly.
"They're wrong."