The sudden appearance of the short musket shocked more than just the bandits.
The women and children lying on the ground were startled as well. Several women nearly sprang up in panic, but at the critical moment, they remembered the repeated warnings of the miniature Dao Xuan Tianzun.
Do not move without orders.
Do not act recklessly.
Protect yourselves first.
Only then did they grit their teeth and force themselves to remain on the ground, conserving what little strength they had left.
They had already believed death was inevitable.
But the appearance of that strange, palm-sized Dao Xuan Tianzun had given them hope. Now, seeing a full-sized version appear and casually blast a ferocious bandit to death with a single shot, they felt like drowning people who had suddenly grabbed hold of a drifting plank in a raging sea.
For the first time, they sensed something they had not dared imagine.
A chance to live.
"Damn it, that bastard has a strange short musket!" a bandit roared.
"Kill him!" Ge Goufei shouted furiously. "Muskets take forever to reload!"
More than a dozen bandits rushed toward Li Daoxuan at the same time.
This was precisely the advantage of arriving alone.
If Li Daoxuan had brought an army, these bandits would never have charged so recklessly. They would have immediately pressed blades to the throats of the women and children. But seeing only one man, they completely ignored the hostages and focused on killing him first.
Li Daoxuan did not fight head-on.
He turned and ran, sprinting toward one of the village houses.
Several bandits were already hiding inside that house. Peering through the window, they watched Li Daoxuan approach and sneered inwardly.
This idiot thinks he can use the house to avoid being surrounded?
Fine. The moment he steps inside, we slash him from behind.
Li Daoxuan reached the door and kicked it open with a loud crash.
Inside, more than a dozen bandits raised their blades in unison, waiting for him to rush in.
But Li Daoxuan did not enter.
He flicked his left hand and tossed something into the room.
A hand grenade.
The fuse hissed softly.
The bandits inside froze, staring blankly at one another.
"Boom!"
The explosion shook the entire house. The dozen bandits inside collapsed at once, their ambush ending before it truly began.
Li Daoxuan was already sprinting toward the next house.
The bandits were stunned.
Ge Goufei went berserk. "That bastard is throwing explosives into houses!"
"What kind of monster is he?"
"Chase him! Hack him to death!"
More than a dozen bandits were still chasing closely behind him.
Li Daoxuan ran in wide circles around Houjia Village.
Round and round he goes,
love spinning endlessly.
Every time he passed a house, the bandits hiding inside scrambled out in panic. No one dared stay indoors, terrified of being blown apart in the dark.
In the blink of an eye, Li Daoxuan had looped around the small village several times, plunging the entire bandit force into utter chaos.
An arrow suddenly whistled through the air.
Thunk!
It struck Li Daoxuan squarely in the back, the shaft trembling violently.
The bandits burst into cheers. "He's hit! He's wounded!"
Then something unbelievable happened.
Li Daoxuan kept running.
Arrow in his back, he sprinted as if nothing had happened at all.
The bandits stared in disbelief.
"What the hell?"
"How is he still running that fast?"
"Is he forcing himself through the pain?"
"He can't keep this up forever!"
"I got him!" one agile bandit shouted.
He caught up from behind and slashed down viciously at Li Daoxuan's back.
Thunk!
The blade clearly struck something soft.
Yet Li Daoxuan neither screamed nor fell.
Instead, the short musket in his hand fired backward in one smooth motion.
Bang!
The bandit flew backward and collapsed.
Another arrow flew.
Thunk!
It lodged into Li Daoxuan's back again.
"He's hit again!"
"What kind of monster is this?"
"Does he not feel pain?"
Ge Goufei was furious. "Circle around from the front! Others flank him! With this many men, you're telling me we can't kill one person?"
Even the bandits guarding the women began rushing in, abandoning their posts to join the pursuit. Over a hundred men chased a single figure, blades clashing as they tore through the village.
One moment, steel rang behind one house.
The next, they burst out from another alley, shouting and cursing.
Houjia Village descended into total chaos.
Logically speaking, this should have been impossible.
One man, no matter how skilled, should eventually fall under arrows, blades, or exhaustion.
Yet the bandits slowly realized something horrifying.
This man did not react like a normal person.
He took hits as if they barely existed, continuing to run and leap like a wild deer.
With so many attackers, the short musket became impractical.
Li Daoxuan casually tucked it into the waistband at his back and drew his longsword.
A bandit charged straight at him, slashing wildly.
Thunk!
The blade struck Li Daoxuan's chest.
At the same time, Li Daoxuan's sword plunged into the bandit's abdomen. He kicked the man away, sending him screaming across the ground.
Li Daoxuan did not slow down in the slightest.
Sharp-eyed bandits finally noticed something wrong.
Through his torn clothing, what looked like flesh was visible. There was a clear cut mark on it, yet not a single drop of blood seeped out.
"That's strange."
"He's hurt, but there's no blood."
"Does this guy even bleed?"
"Damn it, he's tough as Iron Body kungfu!"
Seeing his men utterly unable to handle Li Daoxuan, Ge Goufei could no longer hold back.
He personally grabbed his blade and leapt into the fight.
His nickname, Ge Goufei, Flying Across Ravines, was not empty boasting. His lightness-skill was exceptional. With a few rapid steps, he intercepted Li Daoxuan's path and slashed with a sharp whistle.
Li Daoxuan could take hits to his body.
But not his face.
If his face were damaged, he would lose his co-sensing ability.
He twisted his head aside.
Ge Goufei's blade slammed into his shoulder.
Thunk!
The sensation felt wrong.
Ge Goufei froze for a split second.
At that instant, Li Daoxuan's sword stabbed backward in a reverse thrust.
An ordinary bandit would have died on the spot, but Ge Goufei twisted his body mid-motion, narrowly dodging the fatal strike.
"Hah!" Ge Goufei laughed loudly. "Trying to trade lives with me? You think I'm that stupid…"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Daoxuan's left hand slid out from his sleeve.
In it was a small cylindrical weapon.
The Storm of Pear Blossoms Needle.
Click.
The spring snapped.
A dense burst of fine needles exploded directly into Ge Goufei's face.
There was no room to dodge.
Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.
Needles buried themselves across his face, turning it into a pitted mess. His eyes were struck as well.
Ge Goufei let out a shrill, horrifying scream and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, clutching his face.
"My eyes! My eyes!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him now!"
"Everyone, charge him!"