With over three hundred jin of iron ingots strapped to his back, Li Qing remained steady, only slightly slowing his pace without feeling much burden.
After practicing martial arts, not only had his physical strength increased significantly, but his five senses had also become much sharper, his hearing and vision exceptionally clear. He could perceive even the slightest rustle of grass or movement of the wind around him.
As Li Qing stepped out of the bustling market, he let out a faint sigh.
“After following me for so long, why don’t you show yourselves?” Li Qing halted, his muscles tensing as he remained vigilant of everything happening around him.
The streets outside the market were much less populated, with every household tightly closing their doors, devoid of any signs of life.
Not long after Li Qing spoke, footsteps began to emerge slowly from both sides of the street.
There was more than one.
He silently recited a mantra in his heart, then slowly turned to face three figures appearing from the shadows of the street.
The three wore tattered clothing, patched in several places, clearly indicating they lived in poor conditions. Among them, the tall and thin one seemed to be the leader, his face gaunt and his eyes shadowed with an unshakeable gloom.
“Brother, it’s been a while since we’ve eaten. Could you spare us some food?” The man’s voice was hoarse, carrying a sense of weakness, clearly indicating he had been hungry for quite some time.
However, Li Qing did not lower his guard. Despite their apparent weakness from hunger, their audacity to attempt robbery indicated they had some form of backing.
As expected, one of the shorter men spoke up:
“Big Brother, why waste words with him? Just take him down and make him lead us to food.”
The third man chimed in with a gruff voice, “Exactly! I saw clearly in the market just now; there’s at least twenty to thirty jin of black mushrooms in that basket!”
“Gulch!”
After speaking, the man swallowed hard, then pulled out a machete. Aside from some rust on the blade, it looked quite imposing.
It turned out they had set their sights on him after seeing his wealth in the market; who would have thought that merely twenty jin of black mushrooms would attract such attention?
“Brother, you saw it too. It’s been a while since we’ve eaten. Why don’t you cooperate a bit?” The tall man also drew out a long stick.
In an instant, the three formed a triangle, half-surrounding Li Qing, looking ready to strike at any moment.
Li Qing wanted to argue that he had already sold all his black mushrooms, but he knew these men would not give up until they achieved their goal. Once targeted, he would surely be stripped of some flesh.
However, Li Qing felt no fear; on the contrary, he sensed a faint thrill within him.
After practicing martial arts for so long, he had only been going through the motions; practicing against a few weaklings was quite refreshing.
He was unsure when it had started, but a rush of hot blood surged in his chest.
“It seems I have no choice but to engage in a little battle.” Li Qing chuckled lightly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he removed his oversized cotton coat, letting the heavy basket fall to the ground.
Bang!
The sound of over three hundred jin of iron ingots hitting the ground echoed heavily.
The tall, thin leader’s expression changed drastically as he stared at the now bare-chested Li Qing, whose muscular physique was clearly defined and powerful!
This was bad; they had provoked someone formidable!
He never expected that beneath Li Qing’s honest and simple appearance, he would reveal a physique as robust as an ox after shedding his cotton coat.
Before he could think further, Li Qing, free from his constraints, shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, moving with incredible speed.
In just a few breaths, he had charged in front of the tall man.
True Tiger Intent, Fierce Tiger Pouncing! Leaping high into the air, Li Qing struck down with a powerful palm towards the man.
“Seeking death!” The tall man swung his iron stick at Li Qing.
Clang!
Li Qing’s single arm shook, easily deflecting the blow, then transformed his palm into a fist, unleashing a gust of wind with his strike.
Bang!
The man could not withstand Li Qing’s full-powered punch; his frail shoulder felt as fragile as a bamboo joint, nearly breaking as he was sent flying.
“Whoosh!” Li Qing shook his hand slightly; the stick had only left a red mark on his palm without causing significant damage.
“Big Brother!” The short man was dumbfounded; everything happened too quickly for him to react before his brother was knocked down.
“What are you afraid of? We have a knife!” The third robber, also a bit slow-witted, brandished his knife and charged at Li Qing.
A knife?
Li Qing sneered inwardly, firmly planting his feet on the ground.
He based his stance on the Ancient Hammer Technique, his lower body extremely stable.
As the slow-witted robber rushed forward, Li Qing’s left leg lashed out like a whip.
Light Luo Leg!
This was a leg technique; though gentle, it could transform the leg into a whip, possessing considerable lethality.
Li Qing’s left leg shot out like a blur, and after standing firm for so long, his leg strength was astonishing.
Bang!
The slightly sturdier third robber was sent flying, along with his knife, without even having the chance to swing it.
Li Qing retracted his left leg and, seizing the momentum, immediately pursued.
Another Tiger Fist, powerful and heavy!
The robust third robber took the punch head-on, his eyes rolling back as he fainted.
Clang!
Seeing this, the second robber, without a second thought, dropped his rusty knife, no longer intending to resist.
“Let’s consider this our loss; do as you wish.” The second robber, having dropped his knife, appeared quite resigned, ready to be slaughtered.
This left Li Qing slightly disappointed; he had just begun to feel the thrill of battle, and it ended so quickly, which was quite disheartening.
“Is this all you’re capable of? You dare to rob others?” Li Qing shook his head and smiled, then turned to pick up his cotton coat from the ground, putting it back on to cover his impressive muscles.
Watching this scene, the second robber’s mouth twitched.
This was how they had been deceived by Li Qing’s honest and simple appearance; they never imagined that beneath the plain cotton coat lay a fierce tiger.
“You lot, gather up the iron ingots from the ground and bring them with me!”
As he spoke, Li Qing’s gaze turned cold, and his aura suddenly intensified.
“Let’s pick them up! Let’s pick them up!”
After all, they were just ordinary people; after being beaten by Li Qing, they immediately became as obedient as could be.
(End of Chapter)