Translator: AnubisTL
The bandits who dared to come out and rob naturally had some martial skills; otherwise, they wouldn't have the courage to wander the rivers and lakes.
Li Qing had already anticipated this. As he watched the bandit charging toward him on horseback, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by a cold, stern expression.
"Take this blade!"
The bandit leaped forward on his horse, the momentum of his broadsword strike carrying a thick killing intent as it slashed directly toward Li Qing.
Having just emerged from the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing hadn't brought his Peerless Hammer with him and was instead unarmed.
He calmly watched the bandit's blade descend, his body remaining completely still.
The bandit thought Li Qing was frozen in fear. He grinned cruelly, as if he could already see Li Qing being cleaved in two.
However, in the next moment, before even a blink could pass, the ground suddenly shook with a tremendous force.
Bang! Li Qing moved. His right foot surged with Outer Strength, unleashing a massive force that caused his entire body to vanish from his original position in an instant.
The bandit's blade struck empty air, and due to the inertia, he stumbled on his horse, nearly falling off.
By then, Li Qing had already flashed to the other side of the horse. He leaped high into the air, his hands forming into tiger claws.
"Die!"
Like a tiger pouncing on its prey!
His hands shot out, yanking the stumbling bandit off his horse and slamming him heavily onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
But that wasn't the end. A crisp sound of energy coursing through his fingertips echoed as Li Qing, without hesitation, dislocated the bandit's shoulder.
Crack!
The entire sequence was fluid and seamless, taking no more than a few breaths. The once-ferocious bandit was now half-crippled.
The other bandits, witnessing this, wore expressions of shock and uncertainty. Everything had happened too quickly; they hadn't even had time to react.
"Damn it, this kid is a martial artist!"
"Ugh! He's an Outer Strength practitioner, let's go!"
"Back to the mountain stronghold to report, we can't take him on!"
The remaining three bandits exclaimed in panic, immediately pulling on their reins to turn their horses around and flee.
But Li Qing, who had already decided to deal with them, had no intention of letting them escape so easily.
He bent slightly, his body shooting forward like an arrow, his explosive speed surpassing even that of the horses.
Of course, this was partly because the bandits from the mountain stronghold were not skilled riders, and their horses were of poor quality, far from being warhorses.
In a matter of moments, Li Qing had caught up to one of the fleeing bandits.
Using both fists and palms, he unleashed a terrifying force, forcefully knocking the man off his horse and onto the ground.
There were still two left. Li Qing didn't stop. Having made his move, he wasn't planning to let a single one escape.
Scattered on the ground were some loose stones. Li Qing grabbed a handful and hurled them with immense force.
Bang! The bandit on horseback was struck as if by lightning, falling off his horse before he could get far.
Both bandits met the same fate. The ones who had been knocked off their horses now lay on the ground, twitching and struggling, gasping for breath.
In less than a few minutes, the four fierce bandits who had just been driving a large group of refugees were all subdued by Li Qing alone. This was the overwhelming advantage of a martial artist who had cultivated Outer Strength over ordinary people—there was no room for doubt.
"Spare me, young hero! Spare me!" One of the bandits, clutching his knee and drenched in sweat, pleaded for mercy.
Li Qing sneered as he walked up to the pleading bandit and slowly crouched down. He spoke, "Want to live? No problem. I'll ask, and you'll answer. If you dare hide anything, I'll take your head."
The bandit, who had fallen off his horse and broken his leg, nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at rice, showing no resistance.
"Is your Golden Mountain Stronghold near Wangyuan City?" Li Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, panting.
"Yes, it's about seventy miles to the east," the bandit answered readily.
"The area is desolate, with only a few villages near Wangyuan City. Beyond that, it's mostly desert," Li Qing narrowed his eyes and continued, "And now, with the war, your stronghold shouldn't be able to plunder much grain. So, where do you get your food?"
"We occasionally disguise ourselves as merchants and enter the city to buy grain using the gold and silver we've looted. But with the war, even our stronghold's wealth can't buy much grain anymore."
Hearing this, Li Qing finally smiled. "It's wartime, and the city gates are tightly shut. Tell me how you get into the city."
At this, the bandit's face turned pale.
"Young hero, spare me! Those who disguise themselves as merchants to enter the city are all the stronghold leader's trusted men. They'd never let us go. I don't know how to sneak into the city!" the bandit wailed.
Li Qing's brows furrowed, and his tone turned icy.
"If you don't talk, you die."
"I really don't know! The person who usually liaises with our stronghold is a soldier in the city. We exchange code words, and then they let us in."
Crack!
With that, Li Qing basically understood the relationship between the Golden Mountain Stronghold bandits and the soldiers of Wangyuan City.
Without hesitation, he twisted the bandit's neck, ending his life.
The other bandits, witnessing this, were filled with terror.
They had thought Li Qing was just a young, skilled nobleman, out to do some chivalrous deeds for fun.
But now, Li Qing had transformed into a living demon. The way he snapped necks without hesitation sent chills down the spines of the remaining three bandits.
Next, Li Qing approached each of them one by one, still asking how to enter the city.
But they truly didn't know. By the time they were all dead, Li Qing hadn't gotten any useful information from them. It seemed they really didn't know how to sneak into the city during wartime.
"What a waste. The Golden Mountain Stronghold must have some kind of deal with the city's soldiers. No wonder they're so eager to help drive away the refugees outside the city," Li Qing clapped his hands, having roughly figured out the relationship between the Golden Mountain Stronghold and the soldiers of Wangyuan City.
When starving refugees gather in large numbers, they can become a terrifying disaster, potentially leading to consequences even more dreadful than the armies of Liang Country.
Just as Li Qing sighed in frustration, troubled by his inability to enter the city, a weak voice suddenly emerged from the crowd of refugees.
"I... I have a way to get into the city."
Hearing this, Li Qing's eyes lit up. His gaze locked onto a thin, frail-looking boy in the crowd, who appeared to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old.
"Kid, come here!" Li Qing beckoned.
The boy, who looked like a beggar, stepped forward nervously.
"Tell me, what is your method for entering the city? And why do you know how to get in, yet you remain outside as a refugee instead of going in yourself?" Li Qing asked thoroughly. Then, he patted the horse brought by the bandits beside him and continued, "As long as what you say is useful to me, this horse will be your reward."
(End of the Chapter)
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