Li Daoxuan felt no panic at all. If anything, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, as if he were about to laugh.
"Oh?" he said mildly. "An alley ambush. Are you trying to rob me?"
Xu Chenglong sneered. "Rob you? Don't flatter yourself. How much silver could we squeeze out of you? That little purse of yours, does it weigh dozens of jin?"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Then your ambitions must be much bigger than robbery."
Xu Chenglong's gaze sharpened. "Kid, what's your relationship with Bai Yuan?"
Li Daoxuan immediately understood.
This group was here for Bai Yuan.
At the moment, Bai Yuan had only two real enemies. One was the Prince of Fu's estate. The other was the Xiaolangdi water bandits. He had just crossed paths with the Prince of Fu's people, and those fellows clearly were not in a hurry to tear his face off. That left only one answer.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "So it really is the Xiaolangdi water bandits. Once you catch me, what do you plan to threaten Bai Yuan with?"
Xu Chenglong snapped angrily, "I'm the one asking questions here!"
Li Daoxuan tilted his head slightly. "No, I think you've got it wrong. I'm the one asking now. And if your answers don't satisfy me, I might have to persuade you."
Xu Chenglong flew into a rage. "This brat is unbearably arrogant. Surrounded by a dozen men in a narrow alley and still acting tough? Don't think wearing a hero's robe makes you a martial arts master. One look at your stance tells me you've never trained a day in your life."
Li Daoxuan shrugged. "Then I apologize for not training. Come on. Come kill me."
The words had barely left his mouth when two bandits rushed forward.
Xu Chenglong barked, "Take him alive. He's only useful if he's conscious."
The two bandits hesitated for a fraction of a second. They had been about to draw their blades, but since they were ordered to take him alive, they charged barehanded instead.
Li Daoxuan truly had no martial arts foundation. Not even a little. Faced with two attackers, his mind went blank. Instinctively, he lifted both arms and tried to block their punches.
The moment he moved, everyone saw it clearly.
This man genuinely could not fight.
Xu Chenglong burst into laughter.
The two bandits grinned as well. With a slight shift of their wrists, their fists slipped past Li Daoxuan's clumsy block.
Thud. Thud.
Both fists landed squarely on Li Daoxuan's chest.
They had struck with full force, intending to smash a few ribs and make him cry out in pain. Yet in the very next instant, both attackers screamed.
"Agh!"
"My hand!"
"The bones in my hand are broken!"
They clutched their fists and doubled over in agony. The harder they had struck, the more vicious the rebound.
At that moment, even someone as hopeless at fighting as Li Daoxuan could not miss.
He swung both fists forward.
Crack. Crack.
Both bandits' facial bones shattered. They flew backward and collapsed, instantly silenced.
The remaining bandits stared in shock.
Xu Chenglong froze as well. This man's movements were stiff, his joints awkward, his posture clumsy. He looked exactly like a weak scholar who could not even truss a chicken.
So how was this happening?
"He's a tough one!"
"Send more men!"
Four bandits rushed forward at the same time.
This time, they coordinated. Two attacked from the front, fists aimed at Li Daoxuan's face. One struck from behind, punching his back. The last was even more vicious, launching a low kick straight at Li Daoxuan's groin.
In a narrow alley, even a skilled martial artist would struggle under such an attack.
Li Daoxuan had nowhere to dodge.
Four dull thuds rang out almost simultaneously.
Immediately, all four attackers screamed.
Hands shattered. Feet fractured.
They howled in pain and collapsed where they stood.
Only then did Li Daoxuan begin to counterattack.
After all, letting your enemies injure themselves first was the best way to ensure every hit landed cleanly.
Thud. Thud.
Two punches sent the pair in front of him flying.
He spun and kicked once, sending the man behind him crashing into the wall.
Finally, he looked down at the bandit clutching his foot and screaming, the one who had dared to kick his groin.
Li Daoxuan shook his head. "You're a little too devious."
He lifted his leg and kicked straight down.
Crack.
The sound was sharp and unmistakable.
Everyone nearby instinctively turned their faces away. No one wanted to witness that scene.
Li Daoxuan turned as well, now facing the remaining six bandits. "Only six left? I just realized there were twelve of you."
Xu Chenglong was terrified. "This man… he's cultivated Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Shirt, the Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training…"
Li Daoxuan casually tugged at his hero's robe, the fabric trembling faintly. "Otherwise, why would you think I'm qualified to wear this? Clothes like this are not for ordinary people."
Xu Chenglong roared, his voice shaking with rage. "Draw your blades. Forget taking him alive. Dead is fine!"
Swish. Swish. Swish.
The remaining six men drew their curved waist-knives.
Li Daoxuan patted himself and sighed theatrically. "Oh dear. No weapon."
Two bandits charged head-on, blades slashing toward his neck. Three more attacked from behind, hacking at his back.
All of them thought the same thing.
No matter how tough his Iron Body kungfu was, surely steel blades could still cut flesh.
The fastest blade struck first.
It sliced through the hero's robe, cut through the silicone surface beneath, and then met something unyielding.
Clang.
A crisp metallic sound echoed in the alley.
The bandit froze for a moment, then shouted, "He's wearing iron armguards under his clothes!"
From behind, three more clangs rang out as blades struck Li Daoxuan's back and bounced away.
"He's wearing iron armor!"
In that brief moment of confusion, Li Daoxuan moved.
He lunged forward, seized one bandit's waist-knife, and tore it from his grip with brute force.
The bandit stared in disbelief.
Li Daoxuan's palm had clearly been cut, yet not a single drop of blood flowed. The wound was smooth and clean, and beneath it, faintly visible, was metal bone.
The bandit gasped, about to shout a warning.
Too late.
Li Daoxuan drove the blade straight into his abdomen.
The man collapsed without a sound.
In the same breath, Li Daoxuan spun and kicked another bandit to the ground.
Xu Chenglong took one look at the scene and knew the truth.
This was not a fight they could win.
"Run!" he screamed. "Everyone, run!"
He turned and fled first, abandoning his men without hesitation.