The bandit daring enough to come out and rob naturally possessed some martial skills; otherwise, how could he dare to roam the Jianghu?
Li Qing had long anticipated this. He watched the bandit galloping towards him, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, soon replaced by a cold and fierce expression.
“Eat my blade!”
The bandit leaped on his horse, wielding a Broadsword with a fierce momentum, filled with murderous intent, directly slashing towards Li Qing.
Having just emerged from the Eternal Night World, Li Qing did not carry his Wushuang Hammer with him, but was instead empty-handed.
He calmly observed the bandit's strike, his figure remaining motionless.
The bandit thought Li Qing was frightened into a stupor. He cruelly smiled, as if he could already see Li Qing being cleaved in two.
However, in the next moment, before even a blink of an eye, the ground suddenly trembled with immense force.
Bang!
Li Qing moved. His right foot surged with external qi, erupting with tremendous power, and in an instant, he vanished from his original position.
The bandit's strike landed in empty air, and due to inertia, he nearly fell off his horse.
At this moment, Li Qing had already flashed to the other side of the horse, his body soaring high, his hands forming into tiger claws.
“Die!”
The fierce tiger pounces!
He extended his hands, directly pulling the staggering bandit down, crashing heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
But that was not the end. Li Qing's fingertips emitted a crisp sound as qi surged through, and without a word, he dislocated the bandit's shoulder.
Crack!
This series of movements flowed like water, incredibly seamless, and in just a few breaths, the previously fierce bandit was rendered half-disabled.
The other bandits, witnessing this, displayed expressions of uncertainty, as everything had happened too quickly for them to react!
“Crap, this kid is actually a martial artist!”
“Hiss! An external qi martial artist, run!”
“Return to the stronghold and report, we cannot fight him!”
The remaining three exclaimed in shock, immediately pulling on their reins, preparing to turn and flee.
However, having already decided to take action against them, how could Li Qing allow them to leave so easily?
He slightly bent his body, his figure shooting out like an arrow, his explosive speed surpassing that of the horses.
Of course, this was because the bandits from the stronghold were not skilled in horsemanship, and the horses they rode were inferior, hardly qualifying as warhorses.
In a moment, Li Qing had caught up to one bandit who was attempting to ride away.
Using both fists and palms, he unleashed a terrifying force, sending the man crashing to the ground.
With two remaining, Li Qing did not stop; since he had made his move, he intended to let no one escape.
Scattered stones lay on the ground, and Li Qing casually grabbed a handful, then hurled them with great force.
Bang!
The bandit on horseback was struck as if by lightning, falling to the ground before he could escape.
Both bandits were similarly struck down, now writhing and gasping for breath on the ground.
In less than a few minutes, the four fierce bandits who had just driven a large group of refugees were all taken down by Li Qing alone. This was the crushing superiority of a martial artist with external qi over ordinary people, with no suspense whatsoever.
“Spare me, young hero! Spare me!” One bandit, clutching his knees and drenched in sweat, pleaded for mercy.
Li Qing coldly approached the pleading bandit, then slowly squatted down. He spoke, “Want to live? No problem. You answer my questions, and if you dare to hide anything, I will take your head.”
The bandit, having fallen from his horse and broken his leg, nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, showing no signs of defiance.
“Is your Golden Mountain Stronghold near Wangyuan City?” Li Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead, panting as he asked.
“Yes, about seventy miles to the east,” the bandit replied readily.
“The area is desolate, with only a few villages near Wangyuan City; mostly, it’s just desert,” Li Qing squinted and continued, “Now that it’s a time of war, you should not be able to rob much food, so where does your food come from?”
“We occasionally disguise ourselves as merchant caravans to enter the city and buy food with the gold and silver treasures we usually rob. Now, during this time of war, we can’t buy much food with the money in our stronghold either.”
Hearing this, Li Qing finally smiled, “Now that it’s a time of war, with the city gates tightly shut, tell me how you get into the city.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the bandit's face turned pale.
“Hero, spare me! Usually, the ones who disguise as merchant caravans to enter the city are our stronghold leader's trusted subordinates; it’s impossible for us to go. I don’t know how to sneak into the city!” the bandit lamented.
Li Qing frowned, his tone suddenly turning cold.
“If you don’t speak, you die.”
“I really don’t know! The person we usually meet from our stronghold is a guard in the city; only after exchanging secret signals will they let us in.”
Crack!
Upon hearing this, Li Qing understood the relationship between the Golden Mountain Stronghold and the officials in Wangyuan City.
Without hesitation, he twisted the bandit's head off, completely ending his life.
The other bandits looked on in terror.
They had initially thought Li Qing was just a young master with some martial skills, out for some chivalrous deeds.
Who would have thought that at this moment, Li Qing transformed into a living Yama, his ruthless method of snapping necks sending chills down the spines of the remaining three bandits.
Next, Li Qing approached each of them, continuing to ask how to enter the city.
However, they truly did not know. By the time they all lay dead, Li Qing had not extracted any information from them; it seemed they genuinely had no idea how to sneak into the city during wartime.
“What bad luck. The people from Golden Mountain Stronghold probably have a cooperative relationship with the officials in the city; no wonder they kindly helped drive away the refugees outside the city.” Li Qing clapped his hands, having nearly clarified the relationship between the Golden Mountain Stronghold and the officials in Wangyuan City.
The starving refugees, if they gathered in large numbers, could become a terrifying disaster, potentially resulting in consequences even more dreadful than those posed by the Liang Kingdom's army.
Just as Li Qing sighed, troubled by his inability to enter the city, a weak voice suddenly emerged from among the refugees.
“I... I have a way to enter the city.”
Upon hearing this, Li Qing's eyes lit up, his gaze locking onto a frail young boy in the crowd, who appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old.
“Kid, come here!” Li Qing waved his hand.
The boy, looking like a beggar, nervously stepped forward.
“Speak, what is your method to enter the city? Also, why do you know how to enter the city but choose not to go in, instead staying outside as a refugee?” Li Qing asked comprehensively, then patted the horse brought by the bandits beside him, continuing, “If what you say is useful to me, this horse will be yours.”
(End of Chapter)