A group of men made their way up the mountain together. The mountain path wound and twisted, choked with wild weeds. Eventually, the party reached the edge of a cliff.
"Boss Long, we're here! This is the place!" Li Xiu suddenly stopped and pointed ahead.
"Where? Where is the ginseng?" Boss Long looked around expectantly.
"The scenery here is quite nice; it’s a spot of excellent geomancy," Li Xiu said coldly.
"Excellent geomancy?" Boss Long asked, startled. "What are you talking about?"
"This is the burial ground I’ve chosen for you!"
The trace of a smile that had been on Li Xiu's face vanished, replaced by an icy, murderous expression. He reached toward his waist and drew a Flying Dart.
"You—" Before Boss Long could even react, a sharp, piercing whistle tore through the air, and a Flying Dart punched through his throat.
"Urgh..." Boss Long’s eyes bulged wide. He clutched at his neck as fresh blood began to seep through his fingers. He never imagined that his end would come at the hands of a piece of trash he had always looked down upon!
*Thump!*
Boss Long’s corpse collapsed to the ground with a heavy, muffled sound.
With their leader dead, the henchmen were stunned into silence.
"Boss Long!"
"You killed Boss Long?!"
"Damn it, kill him!"
Three of the henchmen snapped out of their shock, their eyes turning red with rage. They drew their short blades and charged at Li Xiu.
Li Xiu’s gaze remained cold and indifferent; he felt no panic.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Three Flying Darts flew with lightning speed, piercing the throats of all three men.
"Urgh, urgh, urgh."
Three choked gurgles followed as the men clutched their throats and collapsed one after another. They twitched twice and then lay still.
The remaining two henchmen were terrified out of their wits. They had never expected that the submissive, timid Li Xiu was capable of such swift and ruthless precision.
"Run!"
"Get out of here!"
Scared out of their minds, they turned and fled, wishing only that their parents had given them an extra pair of legs to escape faster.
Li Xiu’s gaze was icy. Two more Flying Darts appeared in his hand.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Two more darts were released, and the fleeing men were struck down instantly.
In the blink of an eye, the gang of six was reduced to only Li the Scoundrel. He was so terrified he had collapsed, losing control of his bowels.
"Li Xiu, please, don't kill me!" he stammered, his entire body trembling.
*Whoosh!*
Li Xiu didn't waste a word; he sent a Flying Dart straight into Li the Scoundrel's thigh.
"Ah—!"
A blood-curdling scream pierced the air. Li the Scoundrel shrieked, clutching his leg and rolling on the ground in agony. Li Xiu walked toward him step by step, and Li the Scoundrel felt as if his heart were about to shatter from terror.
"Li Xiu, have mercy! Please, let me go!" Li the Scoundrel begged, snot and tears streaming down his face as he kowtowed frantically. "I’ll never do it again! I’ll be your dog! Just let me live..."
Li Xiu’s expression remained unchanged as he looked down at him from above. "Remember to be a better person in your next life."
*Whoosh!*
A Flying Dart struck Li the Scoundrel squarely in the forehead. He died instantly.
Li Xiu let out a long breath. Facing the corpses scattered across the ground, he felt no pity. They deserved to die! If he hadn't mastered martial arts in his previous life, he would be the one dead today, and sisters Yang Ruiling and Yang Ruixue would have been ruined. He knew well that mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself.
These cruel bandits had harmed countless innocents, and killing them was a service to the people. Li the Scoundrel, a degenerate who colluded with bandits, deserved his fate. Leaving him alive would only invite future trouble. He had to root them out completely. Li Xiu would never kill the innocent, but that was his only boundary.
He dragged their bodies and tossed them over the cliff. In this wilderness, they would eventually be picked clean by wild beasts.
Li Xiu turned around and started heading back down the mountain. His two young wives back home must be worried sick.
...
Just as Li Xiu was about to descend, he heard heavy, raspy breathing from the woods nearby, accompanied by the snapping of branches. His heart tightened. Reflexively, he drew his Flying Darts and held his breath, peering into the direction of the sound.
From the dense forest, he could faintly see two massive shadows approaching rapidly.
"Mountain bears?!" Li Xiu’s eyes narrowed, his heart skipping a beat.
As they drew closer, he saw them clearly: they were indeed two enormous mountain bears. The larger one was nearly two meters long, its fangs bared and its fur standing on end like steel needles; it had to weigh at least three or four hundred pounds. The second one was smaller, but still weighed over two hundred pounds.
Li Xiu gasped. Even with his martial arts skills, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear when facing such powerful beasts. These bears were naturally vicious, with hides so thick they could deter even tigers or lions. Especially that massive one—a single charge would be enough to kill or cripple him.
Not daring to be careless, Li Xiu scanned the area for a place to hide. He soon spotted a tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl, its branches lush and dense—a perfect spot. He scrambled up the tree, found a sturdy branch, and tucked himself away.
Li Xiu forced himself to stay calm. He gathered all his strength and aimed at the larger bear.
*Whoosh!*
The Flying Dart whistled through the air, piercing the bear’s left eye and shattering its skull!
"ROAR—!"
The bear roared in agony, its massive body thrashing wildly and crushing the nearby shrubs under its weight. Li Xiu did not hesitate, aiming a second dart at the bear’s right eye.
*Whoosh!*
A direct hit!
"Argh..."
With a final wail, the huge beast collapsed, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Before Li Xiu could catch his breath, the second bear noticed him. Its eyes turned blood-red with rage, and it charged straight at the tree.
*Whoosh!*
Li Xiu reacted instantly, firing another dart, but it failed to do any significant damage. Pain only made the beast more ferocious, and it didn't slow its charge.
*Whoosh!*
Li Xiu fired again. Two darts had left the bear bleeding, but it refused to fall, closing the distance to the tree inch by inch.
*CRASH!*
With a massive impact, the bear slammed into the tree!
*SNAP!*
With a jarring, splintering sound, the tree began to sway precariously. The branch Li Xiu was clutching suddenly gave way...