The staff hovered directly above Li Guo's head.
The entire scene froze.
No one moved.
The martial skill displayed by the monk had shocked the bandits badly.
Even Chuang Wang could not help feeling wary.
He clasped his fists politely.
"Master, your martial skill is truly impressive. My nephew failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended you. Please show mercy and spare his life. We will leave immediately."
Zhan Seng looked at him.
"You are their leader?"
Chuang Wang nodded.
"Yes. What I say here counts."
Zhan Seng studied his face for a moment.
There really was something about this man. A certain presence. A natural air of leadership.
And his words had been spoken with proper humility.
The monk withdrew his staff from above Li Guo's head and spun it lightly before resting it behind his back. His left palm rose before his chest in a Buddhist salute.
"Ami-tuo-fo. If the benefactor is willing to stop here, that would be best."
Chuang Wang glanced at Li Guo.
"Let's go."
Li Guo climbed to his feet, brushed dirt from his clothes, and walked away a few steps.
Then suddenly.
Chuang Wang's face darkened.
"Attack together!"
"Stop going one by one!"
Li Guo instantly spun around and lunged back at Zhan Seng.
At the same time Liu Zongmin and the rest of the bandits rushed forward with sabers raised.
"Damn it!"
The monk blurted the curse before catching himself.
"That was improper. A monk should guard his thoughts."
But the moment had already arrived.
Li Guo's blade came first.
Zhan Seng raised his staff.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Their weapons collided several times.
At the same time a blade attacked from the left.
Another from the right.
Zhan Seng twisted his body left, stepped aside right, narrowly dodging both attacks.
Another saber struck from behind.
He swung his staff backward to block it.
Meanwhile Li Guo slashed three more times in rapid succession.
The monk barely finished blocking those strikes when Liu Zongmin rushed in with a powerful attack.
Now Zhan Seng faced more than a dozen bandits alone.
Among them were Li Guo and Liu Zongmin, both formidable fighters.
Within moments the monk was forced onto the defensive.
---
The villagers watching nearby were terrified.
Up on the hillside, the monks of Puzhao Temple were shouting anxiously.
"This is bad!"
"Master Zhan Seng cannot defeat them!"
"He refuses to kill. Every strike holds back strength. Fighting like that is too disadvantageous!"
"Even if he wanted to kill, it would be difficult. He is using a staff. Staff techniques are meant to subdue enemies without killing."
"That kind of martial art rarely has killing techniques!"
"What should we do? Someone give the master a blade!"
The monks were panicking.
Meanwhile the villagers of Puzhao Village gripped their farming tools tightly.
Should they help?
Yes. They should help.
The villagers shouted and tried to rush forward.
But Chuang Wang simply turned and glared at them.
The villagers immediately shrank back in fear.
---
Zhan Seng struggled desperately.
His defense was beginning to break.
Suddenly Li Guo shouted and slashed with his saber.
The blade struck the monk's back.
Blood burst out.
The cut tore through both flesh and robe.
The monk's back was revealed.
A deep wound ran across it.
But something even more shocking appeared.
His back was covered with scars.
Old scars.
Blade wounds.
Sword wounds.
They crisscrossed his entire back like a twisted map.
Li Guo blinked.
"Huh?"
The bandits stared.
Even Chuang Wang frowned.
Something was wrong.
What kind of monk had a back like that?
---
At that moment the wounded monk suddenly roared.
His staff swept outward like a storm.
A wide circular arc exploded around him.
Every bandit was forced backward at the same time.
Even Li Guo and Liu Zongmin stumbled several steps away.
The monk reached back and touched the fresh wound.
When he brought his hand forward again, it was covered in blood.
He stared at it.
His eyes instantly turned red.
"Who dared draw my blood?"
His voice changed completely.
"Have you never heard the name He Ping, the Salt Bandit Who Eats Men?"
The monk's calm expression vanished.
The gentle Zhan Seng disappeared.
Standing there now was He Ping.
He grinned coldly at the bandits.
"I leave the jianghu for a few years and everyone forgets my name?"
"And now a bunch of stupid little thieves dare to show off in front of me?"
One bandit cursed.
"Stop pretending!"
He stepped forward and swung his blade.
The saber had barely reached halfway.
He Ping's staff shot forward like lightning.
Crack.
The staff smashed directly into the bandit's throat.
The sound of bones shattering echoed.
The man's neck broke instantly.
He collapsed dead.
Everyone froze.
Up on the hillside the monks stared with wide mouths.
"Wait."
"Didn't you just say staff techniques do not kill?"
"Why did the master kill someone with a single strike?"
The monks were completely confused.
He Ping laughed with a strange, vicious chuckle.
"Do you know where the phrase 'beaten to death with a single stick' comes from?"
He tossed the staff lightly in his hand.
"Because a staff is the most brutal weapon in the world."
"When it hits someone, they die."
"There are no survivors."
---
"Damn it!"
Several bandits rushed forward together.
Li Guo and Liu Zongmin exchanged a glance and attacked as well.
The battle began again.
Second round.
But this time the style of the fight was completely different.
He Ping was far faster than Zhan Seng.
Far more ruthless.
Zhan Seng's techniques were all about compassion. Repel the enemy without killing.
But He Ping had only one principle.
Beat the enemy to death.
If the enemy dies, the problem is solved.
He twisted his body and dodged Li Guo's blade.
His staff slammed down onto one bandit's skull.
The man collapsed instantly without even making a sound.
He Ping stepped backward.
His staff swung upward from below.
The strike landed directly between another bandit's legs.
A horrifying crack echoed.
The man doubled over in agony.
The staff continued rising.
The tip smashed into his chin.
Crack.
His head snapped backward violently.
The bandits shouted in panic.
"Attack him!"
"From behind!"
"Hit his flanks!"
The tactics were useless.
Left strike.
Another bandit's skull burst open.
Right thrust.
Another bandit's chest was pierced and his heart stopped instantly.
Just as He Ping had said.
Anyone hit by his staff died.
No survivors.
Seeing the situation turn disastrous, Chuang Wang shouted urgently.
"Retreat!"
Li Guo and Liu Zongmin immediately jumped backward with their sabers.