This was the first time the Gao Family Village soldiers had ever encountered an enemy so thoroughly prepared, and for a moment they felt completely at a loss.
In the past, every battle had followed the same pattern: throw a grenade, line up the muskets, fire a volley—and the fight was over. Victory, done and dusted. Over time, that had inevitably bred a sense of ease among the militia, as if war itself were a simple thing.
Arrogant soldiers are bound to lose.
This battle was an education.
Combat aboard ships was fundamentally different from fighting on land.
A ship was, by nature, a massive defensive structure. As long as the enemy made even minimal preparations specifically targeting Gao Family Village, the situation became extremely difficult to deal with.
The militia sailors shouted anxiously.
"What do we do?"
"We can't hit them!"
"They're coming closer—are they going to board us?"
"This is bad… if it turns into close combat, I—I—"
The Courtesan was badly shaken as well. The twenty special-operations soldiers were not skilled in naval combat to begin with, and now they were completely rattled. The intensity of the battle made the helmsmen overcorrect again and again, the ship pitching violently. Several of the special-ops soldiers were starting to feel seasick.
Li Dao Xuan let out a short laugh. "This is good. This fight counts as a learning experience for everyone. Dayan, make sure the video is recorded properly. Use it as a negative example—send it to the military academy afterward so everyone can see that even the Gao Family Village militia gets humiliated sometimes."
The Courtesan hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir!"
"Alright," Li Dao Xuan said calmly. "Time for me to stretch my legs."
He pushed open the cabin door and stepped outside.
The moment he did—
Thunk.
An arrow slammed into his chest, piercing the silicone outer layer and striking the steel breastplate beneath.
Li Dao Xuan glanced down. "Oh? Lucky. Good thing it didn't hit my face—my handsome looks are still intact. That was dangerous. Better close the cabin door. Wouldn't want stray arrows flying inside and hitting someone."
He turned around and shut the door.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Three more arrows struck his back.
That was just ridiculous.
Li Dao Xuan turned back around just in time to hear a deafening boom—
The two ships slammed together.
Back when they'd wiped out the Xiaolangdi river bandits, under Bai Yuan's command, the Gao Family Village militia had mastered hit-and-run tactics beautifully. But this time Bai Yuan wasn't present. Jiang Cheng lacked command experience, and the sailors had grown arrogant from repeated victories. A chain of poor decisions followed—so poor that they'd even allowed the enemy to board them.
This alone deserved a written self-criticism when they got back.
Li Dao Xuan had barely finished mentally complaining when enemies began pouring across from the other ship.
Bang!
A musket fired, and the first attacker pitched headfirst into the Yellow River.
But more followed immediately. The distance was now too short—there was no time to reload muskets. In the blink of an eye, the enemy was upon them, blades flashing.
A militia sailor barely managed to raise his musket to block.
Clang!
The enemy blade struck the gun barrel. Almost simultaneously, both men kicked out, feet slamming into each other's stomachs. Both were sent flying backward.
From that single exchange, it was obvious—
These enemies were physically strong. Strong enough to rival the Gao Family Village militia.
Which meant they were well fed.
And that usually meant wealthy households' private guards—the most elite of the elite.
"Damn it," Jiang Cheng roared. "Who the hell are these people?"
At that moment, a figure blurred past him.
Li Dao Xuan stepped forward to meet the boarding point between the two ships.
An enemy soldier leapt over and swung his blade straight at Li Dao Xuan's head.
Li Dao Xuan tilted his head slightly.
The blade struck his shoulder instead—
Clang.
Metal rang against bone.
The attacker froze, disbelief written all over his face.
Li Dao Xuan seized the moment and punched him square in the face. The sound of bones breaking echoed as the man flipped backward and fell into the Yellow River.
"Damn," someone shouted. "They hid a real fighter in the cabin!"
"He's the real leader. The guy talking earlier wasn't!"
The enemy immediately realized it. Li Dao Xuan was the true boss of the ship—anyone could tell just by how he dressed.
Hero's attire. Handsome face. Completely different from the rest of the soldiers.
"Capture the leader first!"
Three enemy soldiers attacked him at once, three blades slashing down together.
Li Dao Xuan didn't dodge.
He simply raised both hands to shield his face.
The attackers hesitated for a split second.
What kind of move was this? Was he telling them not to hit his face?
Fine. Then they'd stab his vital points.
Clang clang clang!
All three blades struck center mass.
But the sound was completely wrong.
The three attackers were stunned for a fraction of a second—
And Li Dao Xuan slammed into them with a single move: Iron Mountain Crash.
All three were sent flying.
One landed right in front of Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng drew his saber and chopped down, severing the man's neck. Blood sprayed across Jiang Cheng's face.
The other two were impaled by bayonets from militia sailors.
The enemy soldiers screamed in terror.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"So it's boarding combat?" Li Dao Xuan said lightly. "I can do that too."
He leapt forward—straight onto the enemy ship.
The moment he landed—
Thunk. Thunk.
Two more arrows embedded themselves in his chest.
Li Dao Xuan didn't even bother looking at them. He kept walking.
Ahead of him, several enemy soldiers thrust forward with long spears.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Every spear struck home.
They plunged into his chest and abdomen. Several spears slid through the gaps between his steel ribs and burst out through his lower back.
The enemy soldiers were ecstatic. "Pierced clean through! Hahaha! There's no way he survives that!"
Then Li Dao Xuan twisted his body.
Using the torque, he ripped the spears from their grips all at once. The soldiers felt a massive force yank their weapons away.
Li Dao Xuan spun, sweeping the spears in a wide arc, smashing several men to the deck.
"How is he not dead?!"
The enemy soldiers were utterly terrified now, screaming as they retreated.
Li Dao Xuan advanced step by step, his face dark. "You know us very well. You prepared defenses against muskets and grenades. Impressive. Too bad you didn't know I'd be on this ship. Now speak. Who sent you to attack us? Answer, and you might live."
"RAAAH!"
Several more soldiers rushed him, hacking wildly.
At that moment—
Clang.
Every rib in Li Dao Xuan's chest flipped outward.
Each rib transformed into a razor-sharp steel blade.
In an instant, he became a human hedgehog, his body bristling with knives.
It was a sight that could make a man faint on the spot.
"Aaaah! Monster!"
Li Dao Xuan lunged forward into their ranks. No technique needed anymore—he simply slammed into people. Whoever he hit was instantly impaled by multiple blades.
In moments, bodies littered the deck.
Blood soaked the planks.
The lean, tough-looking man—the apparent leader—was completely petrified, trembling uncontrollably.
Li Dao Xuan grinned at him like a demon, lips pulled back. "You came prepared. You knew exactly how we fight. So tell me—who ordered you to attack us?"
The man looked left. Looked right.
Everyone was dead.
Only he remained.
The monster before him was utterly unstoppable.
Without a word, he turned—
And jumped straight into the Yellow River.